Bamboosa Fine Jersey Long-Sleeve Tee    

   Bamboo is as sustainable as it is functional. It’s anti-microbial, so its production doesn’t require chemicals or pesticides, it is naturally regenerative and it is one of the world’s
fastest growing plants. Yet it wicks away sweat, is lightweight and virtually odor-free.

   This past summer, I put the Bamboosa Fine Jersey Tee to the test during a two-week stint as a camp counselor.  After 10 days in the woods, it smelled as good as it had the first day I put it on. This shirt also stayed super soft, no matter how much sweat it soaked up.

   Bamboosa donates one percent of all profits to 1% For the Planet, an organization challenging business to support global conservation by donating – you guessed it – one percent of profits to environmental causes.      — Sara Gray

Sugg. Retail Price: $26  www.bamboosa.com

Ibex Shak Full Zip Jacket          
   For six years, Ibex has designed functional outdoor gear made of ultra-fine merino wool. They have created numerous types of wool fabrics – from thick, felted fabric to a water resistant soft shell – for all types of activities.

   Ibex’s “Shak” wool insulates yet breathes well, making it the perfect mid-layer performance fabric. The Shak Full Zip jacket keeps me warm on cool afternoons
around town, yet it’s durable enough to wear during cool-weather hiking. Soft and stretchy, it’s available in six warm colors, dyed with organic colorants.      — Becky Brun

Patagonia Lightweight Vitaliti Polo        
   Since 1996, after discovering that clothing made of cotton was more polluting than clothing made of oil-based polyester and nylon fabrics, Patagonia’s cotton garmets have been completely organic.

   The Lightweight Vitaliti Polo is made of 64 percent organic cotton, 30 percent polyester and 6 percent spandex, making it soft, stretchy and fast drying. For warm-blooded guys who sweat year-round whether they are on their bicycle or in the kitchen (like my boyfriend), this is their eco-friendly match.

   Since 1986, Patagonia has donated 10 percent of profits or one percent of sales, whichever is greater, each year to grassroots environmental organizations. Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard is also the co-founder of 1% for the Planet.  — Becky Brun

Smartwool Medium Crew Hiking Socks     
   The founders of Smartwool were disappointed by synthetic products that promised to wick away sweat but didn’t. So they took wool, a natural, renewable resource, and made it “smarter” by developing a less itchy, more durable fabric called Smartwool.

   Their hiking socks, which are made of merino wool from New Zealand, feel like wool in all the good ways – they are breathable and warm against your feet – but not in the bad ways – itchiness and bulk mysteriously disappeared somewhere during the Smartwool process.

   The company donates two percent of its sales from women’s-specific socks to the Smartwool Breast Cancer Foundation.

— Sara Gray

Teko EcoMerino Wool Hiking Socks                  

   Founded in 2004, Teko received the 2005 Backpacker magazine Editor’s Choice Award in the Green category because it goes beyond what most other companies do. Packaging is minimal and printed on recycled chipboard; they’ve purchased enough wind energy credits to ensure that 100 percent of the electricity they use in manufacturing and operations go into clean, sustainable wind energy; and all socks are made in Mount Airy, North Carolina, by workers who earn a fair wage.

   EcoMerino wool comes from a long-standing sustainable farm in Tasmania and, like
other Teko socks, is itch-free and fast-drying.  Also try EcoWash hiking socks – they
are processed with ozone rather than chlorine, making them less polluting to the
water supply.   — Becky Brun

`e ko logic Hats and Gloves               
   Formerly based in Portland but recently transplanted to Troy, New York, `e ko logic is based on the 3 Rs – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. They take old wool and cashmere sweaters out of the waste stream and turn them into soft, warm, funky hats and gloves. Each one is hand sewn. Among their offerings are the Trojan hat with an open top for people with long hair; the Gazebo hat, a skull cap that fits under a bike or ski helmet; and the Fingerless Mittens that will keep your digits warm whether you’re on the slopes or on the way to the movies.   — Becky Brun

Stewart+Brown Organic Cotton Pant       

   Last year, Karen Stewart and Howard Brown of Stewart+Brown were named two of the ‘Coolest People Now’ by Outside magazine for their green business practices and products. Their clothing, made of organic cotton and Mongolian cashmere, has a unique style and is soft against your skin and on the planet.

   When I do yoga, I want to be completely unaware of my clothing so that I can focus in on my practice. These cotton pants from Stewart+Brown did just that. They have forgiving seams that allow space for even the most ambitious inverted poses and the organic cotton fabric is extremely soft.  After yoga class is over, you won’t want to take them off.  Stewart+Brown is also a member of 1% Percent for the Planet.  — Sara Gray

Sugg. Retail Price: - $104    www.stewartbrown.com

Greening the Outdoor Industry

Taking ‘Green Steps’ is good for business and the environment

By J. S. Parker and Becky Brun

   Fifteen years ago, outdoor enthusiasts did not have many options when it came to buying outdoor apparel. Most outdoor performance clothing was made of synthetic fabrics that were fast drying yet warm, lightweight yet durable and cheap to produce. But in 1993, Patagonia became the first company to make fleece jackets from recycled plastic soda bottles, showing that some companies are concerned with more than just the bottom line.  

   Today, eco-conscious outdoors enthusiasts represent a fast-growing market segment that is concerned not only with quality, highly-functional gear, but also about social and environmental issues.  According to the LOHAS Journal – a publication of the trade group that coined the term LOHAS, or Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability – approximately 30 percent of U.S. adults are part of this demographic. 

   “Sustainable” is a blanket term covering several categories relating to the integration of economic growth, social equity and environmental management. At this year’s winter and summer Outdoor Retailer (OR) markets – perhaps the largest gatherings of outdoor gear and apparel manufactures in the world – in Salt Lake City, Utah, eco-conscious companies were invited to showcase their sustainable business practices.

   Known as ‘Green Steps,’ the environmental accountability program cites a variety of efforts that businesses are taking, including recycling, energy and waste reduction, support for environmental organizations and natural materials usage.

  Outdoor Retailer is a model of green busi-ness practices itself. In 2003, when – upset about the governor’s failed promises to protect millions of acres of Utah’s federal land – the OR market organizers threatened to pull both shows out of the state. Considering that the shows pump about $25 million a year into Utah’s economy, it was not an idle warning. While the threat did not end with the creation of any new wilderness areas, it did start a dialog with the state, and the show has remained in Salt Lake City.

   Additionally, both of this year’s OR shows were run on electricity generated from renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, and geothermal powered energy.

  “People who enjoy the environment are going to support it,” says David Bennell, who facilitated the Environmental Sustainability Working Group at the Summer OR market.

   It’s too early to know whether consumers are purchasing eco-friendly clothing because they are concerned for the environment or they simply want to be hip. (The New York Times reported that eco-friendly clothing “is the new black” in an article on an eco-fashion show in March.) But clothing made of natural fibers, such as bamboo, hemp, organic cotton and recycled materials are taking root in stores across the country.

    Many retail stores try to complete the cycle. Locally, REI donates money to and encourages members to volunteer with stewardship projects, including PEAK (Promoting Environmental Awareness in Kids), a free outreach program that teaches children about enjoying and caring for the outdoors. The store rewards customers for riding their bikes instead of driving to REI. And its new downtown Portland location recently became the first retail store in the country to win a LEED® Gold Award from the U.S. Green Building Council for its eco-conscious design.

    Whether you are a gear designer, camp counselor, store owner or an avid outdoors person, there are many ways that you can gain a greener track record. See the resources below for a list of  Web sites to help you get started.

   — J.S. Parker, of Seattle, is a freelance writer.

Learn More:

National Organizations:

Investors and Environmentalists for Environmental Sustainability: businesses that provide their investors and
stakeholders complete information about their environmental performance, www.CERES.org

One Percent For the Planet: an alliance of businesses that believe taking environmental responsibility is good for
business; they donate at least one percent of their annual net revenues to environmental organizations, www.onepercentfortheplanet.org.

Outdoor Retailer, Green Steps Program: companies within the outdoor industry that are using ecologically sound business practices, www.OutdoorRetailer.com

The Natural Step: provides guidance for companies joining The Natural Step Framework, a set of principles based on  sustainability, www.NaturalStep.org

Sustainable Style Foundation: a non-profit organization that provides information about products that promote sustainable living, www.sustainablestyle.org

Local Organizations:

Portland’s Office of Sustainable Development: rewards businesses that have a commitment to recycling, reducing waste, and buying recycled-content products, www.sustainableportland.org

Washington State Dept. of Ecology: focuses on, among other things, waste and pollution reduction issues,www.ecy.wa.gov/sustainability/