The Do LaB’s Greenlight

Make a decision to give up bottled water. It’s soo simple, and there are many reasons why it’s an important thing to do. Here are just a few of them to give you a little incentive:

1. Keeps the green in your wallet

Drinking bottled water costs more than it does to put gas in your car (by up to five times). It doesn’t make sense to waste money on this when over 25% of bottled water is tap water, and1/3 of bottled water is more contaminated than tap water! (NRDC tests) In 2006, Americans spent $11 Billion on bottled water - money which goes straight to landfill and pollution.

2. All those bottles create enormous amounts of landfill

The photo above by Chris Jordan represents the amount of bottles used by Americans every 5 minutes! That’s 2 million bottles . Each person uses 166 plastic water bottles per year. If you try to imagine how much soil space your annual bottle contribution takes up, you might decide to quit the plastic.

3. Those bottles create fossil fuels and utilize precious resources to produce and transport

A bottle of water from Fiji took about 7 times as much water to produce it as is actually in it, a quarter gallon of fossil fuels, and emits over a pound of greenhouse gases!! 1.5 million barrels of oil are used to produce the plastic for our annual bottled water use. Uh, yeah.. sounds kinda counterproductive.

4. Most importantly - leaching of chemicals from plastics can be harmful to your health

It is genuinely accepted (yet somewhat still a ‘controversy’ in the United States) that hard plastic water bottles such as the older Nalgene containers and other sports bottles made of Polycarbonate (labeled plastic #7) leach Bisphenol A (BPA) into the water, which is a chemical that mimics estrogen and interrupts natural hormone systems. This is especially harmful to children and infants (who use hard plastic baby bottles), and effects heighten after reuse and when bottles are left in the sun. There is also some controversy surrounding the reuse of PET (#1) plastic water bottles, although some claims are unsupported. As a general rule, if the bottle was left in the sun think of it as microwaving your water in toxic plastics - especially when the water tastes a little different, the plastic has grown cloudy in appearance, and you can smell the plastic.

Some good articles:

US News April 2008

Treehugger April 2008

Thank goodness we’re giving you FREE water at Lightning In A Bottle to fill up your reusable container (if you don’t bring one, you can purchase an LIB Klean Kanteen - discounted with a Green Ticket upgrade).

Take the pledge to swear off plastic water bottles, and use your purchasing power to vote against this nonsense consumerist habit that’s causing pollution and taking up precious natural resources and land space.

Lightning In A Bottle is looking for a few extra hands to volunteer on it’s Green team this year.

Volunteers are asked to work four 4-hr shifts throughout the festival weekend, at the end of which the check or credit card info submitted will shredded (and recycled) or your credit card info deleted from our secure database.

Tasks range from helping run our information booth, to trash detail, to posting signs or lighting around the festival grounds, and much more.

Those interested in applying should visit the festival’s official website here for more info and to sign up:
http://lightninginabottle.org/2008/volunteer.html

If you have any questions or would like more detail, please don’t hesitate to contact us!

We look forward to hearing from you.

We’re working on some guest speakers for educational enlightenment and entertainment for  this year’s event .

If you know of anyone that might be a good candidate, please send your thoughts to
jedi [ at ] thedolab [ dot ] com .

Thanks!

So you want to go eco, but don’t necessarily want to pay the hefty price for an eco label, or maybe you don’t happen to live in one of the three cities nationwide that happen to have eco clothing distributors. There are still some general strategies to support green manufacturing processes, and product qualities to look for to ensure it’s as ‘green’ as possible:

1. Is it produced locally / with the minimum amount of transport possible? Another reason to support your local artist community!

2. Was it produced with organic growing methods? (We hate pesticides, remember?)

3. Is the processing chemical free? (Avoid processes involving petrochemicals)

4. Was it made with rapidly renewable materials (e.g. bamboo, corn)?

5. Is the production process pollution-free / does it emit toxins?

6. What are the manufacturer’s ethical / environmental policies? Does it give back to the community? Does it recycle its waste products? Does it utilize energy-saving systems in its production facilities, or offset greenhouse gases? Does it attempt to reduce pollution through advanced manufacturing processes? (this requires a little research on your part, or download a green shopping guide)

7. What kind of packaging does it come in? Less is more.

8. Is it a durable, long-lasting product? Less replacement = less waste.

9. Is the product energy efficient?

10. Is the product recyclable / reusable?

11. Does the company take responsibility for its disposal?

More specifically with green fashion, there are a growing number of options, with varying levels of environmental impact. Do what you can, that’s all it’s ever about:

1. The “greenest” clothes you can wear are those you already own. To turn these into new clothes, you can get creative and refashion your outfits, or pair your clothes with something new. A great resource for this is the book Reconstructing Clothes for Dummies by Miranda Burns. Another great way to get recycled clothes is to throw a clothing swap. Invite your friends over, have a potluck, some wine, and create a huge pile of new clothes to trade. Everyone goes home with a new wardrobe for free! (Plus it’s a great excuse to get drunk and run around naked.)

2. The second greatest eco-burden from your clothes is the way you clean them. The laundering of clothes uses large amounts of chemicals which go into our water systems, and eventually pollute our water sources. Make sure you purchase non-toxic and chemical free detergents, avoiding ingredients such as phthalates, phosphates, chlorine, and petroleum-based solvents. Definitely avoid purchasing clothes that are dry-clean only! Try hand-washing these, with your grandmother’s organic tried and true stain removal methods. Washers and dryers also use a large amount of energy - make sure your washing machine is GreenStar rated, and line dry your clothes. Watch your water use, and set the washer on a low water level. Only wash full loads.

3. If you’re out to buy new clothes, try a vintage / second-hand store. Second hand clothes are cheaper and have already off-gassed the toxic chemicals they were made with. There are always trendy and unique finds, and you can get low-cost alterations to refashion an outfit to fit your body. Again, you can get crafty and personalize your outfits as well! There are also some high end vintage designers if you’re looking for something to go out on the town.

4. The next level of ‘green’ fashion uses organic fabrics. These include unbleached organic cotton, hemp, silks (there are also hemp silks available for a great organic texture), merino wool from an organic farm, alpaca, linen / flax, and burlap (I’ve seen some great trendy burlap ties). Organic fabrics are eco-friendly because they are easily compostable, pesticide-free, better for your skin, and non-allergenic or asthmatic-inducing.

5. If the fabric isn’t organic, try to at least get something that is compostable. These fabrics include wood pulps, bamboo (which is very light and breathable), soy (a silky fabric), and corn - which although is compostable, can be energy-intensive to produce and is not always organic.

6. There is a rapidly growing number of fashion products being produced from ‘eco-materials’, from underwear to wedding gowns. Eco-materials include recycled rubber tires (for bags or footwear, not for something you would want to put against your skin), recycled newspaper (purses), polyester from recycled PET bottles (sportswear, socks, sweaters, shirts, bags), and more new materials coming out every day.

There are many options out there, just be sure to think before you purchase, and read the labels! And remember, your skin breathes, so your body takes in what you put on it. You are what you wear!

by Shena Turlington

It’s two weeks before Valentine’s Day, and there’s one thing on everyone’s minds right now:

Where am I gonna get a hot outfit for Lucent L’Amour?

Okay, okay, so maybe a lot of people weren’t planning on wearing much at all. But for the rest of us, the question remains – how does such a stylish, yet eco-conscious community like ours get dressed? It seems that more and more these days, the pertinent conundrum isn’t how to look fabulous without looking materialistic, but how to look fabulous without being extravagantly wasteful. Well, the good news is that 2008 brings more and more ways to look lavishly glamorous in a sustainable ‘fashion’.

Just a few days ago for example, the annual Earth Pledge FutureFashion Show at New York Fashion Week revealed sustainable creations from such mainstream designers as Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Versace, Marc Jacobs, and Yves Saint Laurent. Eco threads on the runway included organic wool trenches, recycled PET polyester, bamboo bracelets, organic cotton cocktail dresses, black corn skirts, and hemp pantsuits. Runways in some more local areas have been going green as well, such as ‘Green Vegas’ in August, and both the EcoStyle show in Los Angeles and Portland Fashion Week - the first 100% green fashion week worldwide – in October.

Hmmm…but what if a sustainable Burberry pleated coat dress just isn’t my style?

There are many places to find eco designers to suit your tastes. Some of my favorite green fashion resources include the Green Loop and Lazy Environmentalist Directory of Eco-Fashion Retailers.

There’s also the tried and true method of refashioning used clothing (the greenest option there is), or making your own from eco fabrics. Check out some more eco-fashion articles to come, such as My Guide to Green Shopping, and an Interview with an Eco-Sustainable Designer.

The  Lucent L’amour Lumi Contest  has been a lot of fun so far.

Not only has it been a great tool for community outreach, but it’s been a lot of fun and cause for some great laughs. Not only that but it’s been a creative way to recycle and reuse some of our props: Rather than throwing them out or recycling them into another project, we get to pass them onto someone else for continued use. Please note that we’ve requested the contestants properly dispose of the Lumi’s, either by recycling or reusing them when done with the contest.

One of the contestants showed up in his Saturn station wagon, which was really quite small for the job of transporting on of the Lumi’s, and at first was going to try and drive away with it on his roof:

We’ve still got a few left on hand, so if you’re looking to add content to your next theme camp, decorate your house or workshop, or recycle one into another project, you’re welcome to do so. Just contact us to arrange pickup of one.

Please follow up us by email to arrange a time at  contest [ at ] thedolab [ dot ] com .

For those who’ve already picked one up, please don’t forget to post your content online and submit your links to us. We’re excited to see what you’ve come up with!

Are you a fashion designer? Do you work to make your products (and search out suppliers) as Green and Fair Trade as possible?

Then we want to talk to you!

We’re looking for high-end apparel designers, lifestyle apparel, jewelers, bag-makers…you name it; we want to hear from you asap. We’re looking to round out 2-3 designers in all these categories and more for the upcoming   Lightning In A Bottle  festival, taking place May 23rd-26th, near Santa Barbara, CA.

We’re working on an eco-fashion designer special for the event and need to start talking with you now. If you’d like to learn more about participating in this event, then please   contact us   for more details, along with a link to your site and/or designs.

The latest Do LaB email update just went out this afternoon. For those that haven’t yet gotten to their inbox or are not yet on the list, here’s the scoop:

Announcing…the Lucent L’amour
Lumi Contest

We have 14 Lumies at the Do LaB that we used at various festivals all over the world this past Summer, and we are giving them to you to create art around Los Angeles!

The top 2 winners of the Lumi Contest, with the most unique, crazy, ingenious art piece will get a pair of tickets to Lucent L’amour!

For all the info on how to enter, visit the
Lumi Contest Page

PRINT AT HOME
to avoid line at the door…
Thanks to Beticketing we are delighted to offer a new print at home option for your tickets. You can now easily print tickets for Lucent L’amour on your home printer, which will allow for much faster entry to the event. Only a few $25 tickets left.

Order yours and print them at home today!

New Act Just Added!

BEATS ANTIQUE create a definitive union between the old and the new. Tribal derivations is centered in Middle Eastern Bellydance, down tempo hip-hop, old school jazz, classical Indian, and North African gnawa music.

We’re happy to announce the official logo for Greenlight:

A very big thanks to Albertico for his amazing design assistance!

So today was the start of the annual MacWorld at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, CA.

Steve Jobs unveiled several new products and features his company is now offering and even touched upon several new sustainability factors with Apple’s new MacBook Air. As mentioned on News.com’s Live Blog From Macworld 2008 :

“Jobs highlights the environmentally friendly features of the MacBook Air . The environment seems to be a perennial issue with Apple and the green crowd. Apple has eliminated mercury and arsenic from display components, and PVCs from the circuit boards. Packaging sizes were reduced as well, he says”

Nice to hear, especially since many of us Do LaBBers swear by our Mac’s, but with all those iPhone profits, seems like they could be doing a lot more.

Where do you think Apple should work to improve upon its sustainability?