Seattle non-profit pushes style that's sustainable

Sustainable style isn't just about being blessed with a wallet full of platinum cards. It's about living stylishly without damaging the planet and its inhabitants.


		PAUL JOSEPH BROWN / P-I
	The Capitol Hill office of Rebecca Luke and Sean Schmidt, co-founders of Sustainable Style Foundation, is mostly decorated in thrift-store finds. On the table in the foreground are two of the Outstanding Sustainable Style Achievement Awards they were giving out.

Tall order, right? Environmental concerns, sweatshop labor and global economics generally top the list of things most of us come across from time to time as reasons to boycott this store or that store.

But maybe there's a better way to effect change. Maybe if consumers show that there's a strong market for green goods, companies would produce not only more of the good stuff, but maybe even dedicate resources to developing new, environmentally friendly products.

Positive reinforcement, anyone?

Two years ago, Rebecca Luke and Sean Schmidt co-founded Sustainable Style Foundation, a Seattle-based non-profit with a simple mission: "to educate, support and inspire people from all walks of life so that they can make more sustainable personal lifestyle choices at work, at home and at play." They have a catchier way of putting this: "Look fabulous, live well and do good."

If you're the type of activist who wears jeans and Gore-Tex, go for it. But it's possible to wear an Ermenegildo Zegna suit too.

Sustainability isn't just about going out and buying new stuff. It can be about buying less stuff or buying secondhand items whenever possible. Anyone who has ever struck gold at a thrift store knows that fashion and style need not be compromised due to fewer trips to the mall.

And style, say Luke and Schmidt, is anything and everything, not just your clothes. It's the car you drive, the bike you ride, the food you eat and what you eat it on. It's your home and whatever you take with you everyday to make do while you're away from it. It's the soap you use, the gifts you give as much as it is whether or not you cut your own hair.

The two met while working at Nordstrom 10 years ago, she as a personal shopper, he as a, well, Schmidt held many positions at the store throughout the years.

They both had realized that there is an interest and a need for sustainable goods, but first companies creating the stuff and consumers looking for them had to find each other, which is where SSF fits in. Through providing resources and information via its Web site and online zine, Sass, the non-profit, is a portal to stylish green living.

If it were only as simple as knowing where to buy fair trade, organic chocolate: The sustainability problem is threefold, really.

First is that companies who create the green goods tend to hesitate when it comes to promoting the products.

"Did you know that Mercedes has a vegan option? That Armani makes hemp clothing?" asks Luke, 38. She says that larger companies, especially ones that generally are the target of environmentalists and labor activists, don't even bother advertising their green products because they know that they'll only be slammed for the things they do wrong.

For example, SSF applauds McDonald's for choosing to serve its salads with Newman's Own dressing.

Wait.

McDonald's, the whipping boy of environmental and health activists everywhere, being recognized for doing something right? Yes, nod Schmidt and Luke, even though other activists still protest the fast-food giant's other actions.

"And we totally support them for doing that -- it's important," says Luke. But there's no fundamentalism at work here because, says Luke, "No one is perfect."

Because companies don't advertise their sustainable or green products, the only people who buy the products are that less than 5 percent of the market who actively seek sustainable goods on a regular basis, which is the second issue SSF is hoping to solve.

Schmidt, 34, says that most consumers tend to see sustainable goods as being "inherently inferior in quality. And they're not." This may be due to the lack of advertising -- no hype, no heat.

"Suddenly, everyone wants to drive a Prius. Why? Cameron Diaz drives one," says Schmidt.

It's that simple.

In order for any product (especially a sustainable one) to be a success in the market place, Schmidt says it has to, "look cool, do something cool and be associated with someone cool."

That's the power of popular culture. A product can look fabulous, function perfectly and be totally affordable, but if it isn't considered cool, it's doomed to fail.

Luke tells the tale of the ill-fated hemp jeans created by Levi's.

"They were all natural and weren't dyed. But the company didn't train their staff to know what it was," says Luke. So the pale pants just hung in the stores, dejected. "So they took them back, and, unfortunately, dyed them, and sent them back to the stores." Where they sold out.

Luke and Schmidt have heaps of products in their offices that probably would be in everyone's homes, if they knew about it.

But perception isn't just an issue for consumers; sometimes activists aren't sure that SSF is the real thing.

"They're not used to seeing Rebecca walk into a meeting wearing couture Chanel," says Schmidt. But she does. She also wears local designers and shops at thrift and consignment stores. In fact, most of the SSF office is outfitted in thrift-store finds.

The companies they work with, however, probably feel at ease with their style. As far as the businesses go, Schmidt says SSF works toward something called "triple target sustainability" with them, or what he calls, "the shock and awe of sustainability."

The three targets are: economic incentive (going green is seldom pricey), and social and environmental responsibility. SSF also provides resources for businesses looking to improve their products or just how they run things.

Last week, SSF took a break from delivering shock and awe and focused on its second-annual Outstanding Sustainable Style Achievement Awards in Los Angeles, where 10 companies (including local ones, such as Cutter & Buck and OrganicsToGo.com) and individuals were recognized for their dedication and achievement in the field of promoting sustainability in lifestyle goods and services. Also honored were Aveda (for Vision and Innovation), Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins (Outstanding Public Service) and the Audrey Hepburn Children's Fund (Style & Substance Award).

The awards are part of what SSF does to draw awareness to how accessible creating sustainable goods are.

"The apparel industry has no idea about what's going on in green building. The music industry has no idea what's going on in the apparel industry," says Schmidt.

"And that's why we're here," adds Luke. "To fill that niche."

LIVING WITH (SUSTAINABLE) STYLE

Sustainable style isn't just a corporate issue -- it's a personal issue. Here, from Sustainable Style Foundation's Web site, www.sustainablestyle.org, is an abbreviated version of the group's top 10 tips for living green:

1. Buy less stuff -- Yes, this is the tough one, but if you're serious about reducing your impact on the Earth and living more sustainably, this really is step No. 1. Michael Kors says it best: "It's not about fashion, it's about having style."

2. Buy better stuff -- We understand, sometimes you just have to spoil yourself with a fantastic meal or have those Donald Pliner shoes. ... For some of us, "better" also means "better for people and the planet." That's when we get into organic cotton and non-sweatshop apparel, recycled plastic furniture, fuel efficient vehicles, etc.

3. Get the full story -- There's always more to the story ... sometimes good, sometimes not so good. Take a little time to find out whom you're buying from, where the product is from and what is really in it.

4. Buy secondhand -- Vintage, retro, recycled, restyled ... call it what you will, there's a ton of stuff out there from bygone days that is full-on style.

5. Find your cause connection -- This is the "do good" part of the "look fabulous, live well, do good" line. Everyone has some issue or cause they're into these days.

6. Dis disposable -- Did you know that average plastic utensil is used for three minutes then discarded?

7. Go local -- Must the things we buy come from halfway around the world? Sometimes yes, most times no. From New York to New Orleans to Newport Beach, there are plenty of local fashion designers, architects, hotel owners and farmers and more just waiting for your business.

8. Be the Mitsubishi commercial -- Remember that great Mitsubishi Lancer commercial in which a bunch of friends are singing Barenaked Ladies' "One Week"? That needs to be you ... carpooling. ...Take the bus, bike it, buy a hybrid or electric vehicle.

9. Eat your vegetables -- Yeah, we know we're omnivores, but the truth is the way the industrial meat process works these days, the lower you can eat on the food chain the better for you, the planet and everyone else. ... You know the drill: local, organic, hormone-free.

10. Inspire a friend -- Believe it or not, your friends DO look up to you. You always make a statement with what you wear, your pad has a major sense of personality and you are a networker extraordinaire. ... So, keep up the good work, stay strong and be a role model for your friends.

P-I reporter D. Parvaz can be reached at 206-448-8095 or dparvaz@seattlepi.com.

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