sustainable nyc: the new one stop shop for the new york ecosumer

new york city econnoisseurs rejoice! sustainable nyc, the lower east side’s new eco-store is open for business. not only does the store boast a colorful array of some of the coolest and best-designed sustainable products, check out the features that make the storefront itself eco-friendly:

1. built from 300 year-old reclaimed lumber from NYC buildings.

2. the furniture fixtures are recycled and for sale.

3. the wallpaper and paint are eco-friendly.

4. the store is powered by alternative energy.

5. even the sign outside is solar powered!

some of swyyne’s picks for what to buy at sustainable nyc:

preserve razors made from plastics (like yogurt cups) that usually can’t be recycled in new york. you can even send these back to be recycled again in a pre-paid envelope that the company supplies once you’re done using them!

natracare organic tampons that are made from cotton not treated with pesticides, because if there is any place that you don’t want pesticide residue, it’s there.

ingenious g diapers flushable diaper refills address the environment and take care of that funky smell in your house.

chicobags in all different colors are durable and easy to carry around with you everyday.
sustainable nyc is located on Avenue A between 9th and 10th streets:

From Screen Captures

c.l.a.s.s. is in session

c.l.a.s.s., new york’s first luxury eco-materials showroom, celebrates its opening tonight by hosting an event that promises to be inspiring and educational.

the event will reflect all three of the aspects of design that c.l.a.s.s. evokes in its name, creativity, lifestyle and sustainable synergy, and will present the latest in eco-materials as well as a round-table discussion moderated by barbara kramer, co-founder of designers & agents, focused on the following questions:

what is the current state of sustainable fashion?
how has the current economic downturn affected designers, retailers and consumer spending?
how do we create pathways toward change?

attendees will get the scoop on how the most knowledgeable professionals in the eco-materials realm feel about the future of sustainable fashion. there will also be eco-friendly treats courtesy of silkstone bespoke events and a fun giftbag for all those who attend!

eco-fashion guru bahar shahpar, who is also the creative director of the c.l.a.s.s. new york showroom, will be on the panel as well!

the c.l.a.s.s. new york showroom is located at 286 spring street, second floor. for appointments and inquiries call 212.206.8319 or email newyork@c-l-a-s-s.org.

misericordia…

is my new obsession. these clothes come from lima, peru and are made of sustainable materials by workers who are paid fair wages (35% higher than the average wage in the area) and actually care about the product they are making.

there is something beautiful and haunting about the name. it rattled around in my brain for hours until i decided to google it:

mis·er·i·cord or mis·er·i·corde

[Middle English, pity, from Old French, from Latin misericordia, from misericors, misericord-, merciful : miserr, to feel pity; see miserere + cor, cord-, heart; see kerd- in Indo-European roots.]

Word History: A dagger, a support for someone who is standing, and a special monastic apartment share the same name because, oddly enough, they are all examples of mercy. The word misericord goes back to Latin misericordia, “mercy,” derived from misericors, “merciful,” which is in turn derived from miserr, “to pity,” and cor, “heart.” In Medieval Latin the word misericordia denoted various merciful things, and these senses were borrowed into English. Misericordia referred to an apartment in a monastery where certain relaxations of the monastic rule were allowed, especially those involving food and drink. The word also designated a projection on the underside of a hinged seat in a choir stall against which a standing person could lean, no doubt a merciful thing during long services. Finally, misericordia was used for a dagger with which the death stroke was administered to a seriously wounded knight.

check out the site here.

buy misericordia at nyc’s very own ecovaruhuset in the l.e.s.

a peek at simon doonan’s eco-chic holiday windows and a brief history of barneys

barneys unveiled its groovy holiday windows this week as an homage to the 50th anniversary of the peace sign. simon doonan, creative director at the tony department store found his inspiration for the psychedelic 60s vignettes after reading tom brokaw’s new book, Boom! Voices of the Sixties: Personal Reflections on the ’60s and Today.

the whimsical windows showcased the work of designers like derek lam, diane von furstenberg, donna karan, doo ri, three as four, and narcisco rodriguez displayed amidst multi-colored afro-piks, hippie flowers and painted butterflies. but the outfits, which were contrastingly neutral and subdued, were not just pretty on the outside - each design was cut and sewn with a clean conscience, using sustainable fabrics from the earthpledge futurefashion initiative.

select designers (three as four, derek lam, rodarte, zero maria cornejo and behnaz sarafpour) crafted their creations using Ingeo™, a revolutionary corn-based biodegradable and sustainable fabric. although Ingeo™ is not a household name yet, its applications are gaining steam in the mainstream. case in point: i recently spotted target bedding that proudly displayed the Ingeo™ name. oh target - be still my heart.

here are some pics of the windows, but i highly recommend that you check them out for yourself if you’re in the area!

if you’ve gotten this far, you probably won’t mind reading a couple of interesting facts about barneys that i picked up from wiki:

the company began in 1923, when barney pressman (i had no idea!) opened his first store with the $500 raised by pawning his wife’s engagement ring. i certainly hope he bought her a new one after that.

the original slogan was “no bunk, no junk, no imitations.”

barneys was originally a discount retailer.

barney pressman claimed to be the first manhattan retailer to use radio and television, beginning with “calling all men to barney’s” radio spots in the 1930s that parodied the introduction of the dick tracy show.

mr. pressman used women encased in barrels to give away matchbooks with the store name and address. and once chartered a boat to take 2,000 of his customers from manhattan to coney island.

the apostrophe in barney’s was dropped by 1979, and about 1981 the removal became official. (The removal of the apostrophe would be short lived–it was reinserted around the end of the decade.) i think this statement might need to be amended as i have not seen a “barneys” with an apostrophe on the official website or any recent flyers or ads.

green is the way to “go”

ecocoffins by creative coffins are crafted from unbleached pulp which is made out of at least 60% recycled paper and wood pulp sourced from sustainable forests. each coffin weighs under 10kgs which drastically reduces the transportation (oil) costs associated with death baskets. why anyone would choose a traditional sarcophagus when these radical designs are out there is baffling to me.

hey, if you’re going to go through all that trouble customizing your ipod, why not your final resting place?

imagine your friends and family gathered around this beauty.

this is the one i’m eyeing for my own final resting spot. it’s called the comedian. “rest in peas.”
get it? chuckle.

why is this a site?

swyyne has always been an experiment for me. with all of the other super eco sites out there, i've been feeling like i want to contribute something just a bit different. so for now, here are my random musings.

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