Wearing green

     "Optimism can take you anywhere."

                                                                                       -- Life is Good --

With the cold weather heading our way, here is some warm Florida sunshine. Photo taken by me, in Orlando, April 2010

     As I am sitting here searching for inspiration for this week's entry, I soon realize that inspiration is not that far away. I am wearing it, literally. I am wearing a Good Karma by Life is Good organic hoodie. This week I will tell you about how even the clothes you wear can have a positive impact on the environment.

     Life is Good is just one brand of clothing that offers eco-friendly options. It is a personal favorite of mine, as their slogan is "optimistic clothing and accessories for truly inspired people." Good Karma is their organic cotton line of clothing, featuring men's and women's apparel "for the Earth-conscious optimist." I can say from experience that this line of clothing is extremely comfortable and well-made and the best part is that it is all organic.  

The Life is Good logo, picture from Google images

     Another company, Element EcoWear, offers eco-friendly, fair-trade clothing for both men and women. Their goal is to provide products that are not only good for the customers but good for the planet. They use products such as hemp, soy, organic cotton and bamboo to make their clothes and they say that their clothing has significant environmental benefits over other clothing sold today made from conventionally grown cotton. Not only do they strive to sell eco-friendly, fair-trade clothing, Element EcoWear donates 1 percent of all profits to charities.

     According to their website, Simple is "the nice little shoe company getting in touch with it's inner hippie." I like them already. This eco-friendly shoe company is dedicated to making their products 100 percent sustainable. Simple uses many recycled and sustainable products to make their shoes. These include:

• bamboo
• silk
• plastics
• hemp
• recycled carpet padding
• organic cotton
• car tires
• recycled paper
• cork
• recycled inner tubes
• wool
• coconut

Simple offers men's, women's and kids shoes as well as a line of eco-friendly bags.

     I am a huge fan of all of these brands and what they are striving for. All of these companies offer cute, affordable clothing, shoes and accessories that are better for the planet than most clothing sold in chains today.

     What do you think? Would you consider buying from these companies?