Comments for Global and Green

Comment on Thinking Sustainably by Vanessa Palacios

Vanessa Palacios — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 21:32:02 +0000

Besides being intresting the piece is very informative. I went to the Story of Stuff web page and watched the short film about the story of cosmetics and the story of bottle water. I am the type of girl who wears cosmetics every day and I have said in the past that being a college student my only luxury is bottled water. Do i think its cleaner or safer to drink? No. I simply perfer the taste.

As for the piece on cosmetics, I knew that there was lead and other chemicals in them. Its actually quite disturbing. the hypocrasy of Este Laudder selling products for breast cancer research yet there products may potienatly cause cancer.

Buyer beware!!!

Comment on Thinking Sustainably by Joel Gonzalez

Joel Gonzalez — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 14:55:50 +0000

This article shows the roots and true meaning of sustainability. Sustainability means the capacity to support maintain or endure as Wikipedia presents it. Viewing it from a deeper sense; it extends to not only to a business aspect but also to maintaining that human element that is so important for our success and the success of our future generations to come. Ethics, integrity, care for one another,reducing inefficiencies and waste,and being conscious of the impacts our decisions make is key to our survival, happiness, and peace.

Comment on Thinking Sustainably by Justin Adkins

Justin Adkins — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 21:24:05 +0000

The reading on sustainability was interesting to me. I have always know what it meant and what companies that participated in it where trying to achieve, but I had never read an article on the subject that had so much information contributed by so many large figures in the industry.
I personally liked what Bill McKibben talked about. Stating that “society is facing a deep moral challenge”, and that “The decisions we make now will determine what life is like for 10 billion people, the next 30 and 40 billion to follow and all of creation”. When putting it that way, one can really grasp the monumental scale of the sustainability subject. Mr. McKibben also went on to talk about how a person or companies purchasing power is the greatest force of change. If the market demanded sustainability at all levels of the industry, manufacturers would have no choice but to adhere because the market demanded it.
I gain a good prospective from the reading. The more I read the more I believed that sustainability is not a new trend, but a key part of the industry that will continue to grow year to year.

Comment on Invitation to attend Special Guest Lecture Panel on “Global Sustainable Design and Marketing” at FIT on September 27th, 2012. by Sean Fears

Sean Fears — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 21:19:11 +0000

Presentation: Global Sustainable Design and Marketing
I really enjoyed the presentation focused on the rise of sustainability in the fashion industry today. I love the idea of how many people that are actually getting involved in this issue and are more concerned with saving the environment. Sas Brown was a great presenter on this topic as it seems her entire career is focused on the development and awareness of sustainable garments. She expresses her ideas regarding ecological fabrication; and represents designers who use eco-friendly fabrics or culturally influenced sustainable fabrics which I definitely support. Many new designers will now have a much easier time creating their designs if they are one of the many who are concerned with preserving the environment. Her new book titled “Refashioned” is sure to be a great success, creating more of an impact on this growing issue. Samata Angel who is the Global Campaign Director for the Red Carpet Green Dress competition is another presenter who definitely caught my attention. I love her idea of making this issue of sustainability such a dynamic movement by creating a competition which so many people would kill for an opportunity to take part of. She believes companies and designers are doing a great job and are socially responsible in creating a system to support the environment and sustainable fashion. The fabrics that are used to create the designs are mostly hand painted or dyed which has a low impact on the environment. I was very shocked to see how many people were actually concerned with this issue and how it is expanding on a much larger scale all over the world. With the awareness continuing to grow I am sure that soon majority of companies will start to use this method of production, making the world a much more environmentally friendly place to live.

Comment on Thinking Sustainably by Macarena Arriola

Macarena Arriola — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 18:34:55 +0000

This piece is very interesting. It was interesting to learn about these individuals that are very involved in making the world a better and sustainable place. I also think that John Perkins makes an excellent point when he mentions that “Every time you purchase or not purchase something, you vote, you cast a ballot; I don’t know what your passions are but you have talents to create a sustainable, just and peaceful world…you have the power.” It is up to individuals that live on the earth to decide the future of the world. There are many objects that are used and then disposed of and they create more waste. There are many ways that these objects could be reused and recycled and individuals either don’t care or aren’t correctly educated about how they can make a change.
There are so many organizations that support the sustainable movement and are trying to make changes starting by their own companies. Eco friendly is a new “trend” now and it seems that everyone is catching on to this trend and it is actually helping in many ways. Hopefully more individuals can become more conscious about the small changes they can make in order to help the environment.

Comment on Thinking Sustainably by Semee Kang

Semee Kang — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 20:00:33 +0000

This article was very interesting to me because I realized that I was the one who is unaware of sustainability. There are many eco-friendly product companies and I can easily see their activities nowadays than before. However, even though I understand that we need to something for the earth, I really didn’t do anything for it. After watching “Story of the bottled water,” I reflect on myself about using bottled water without any thoughts. Although the plastic bottle can be recycled, it is predictable that using tab water would be much more helpful for the environment. I’m so glad that I became mindful about the sustainability now after go through the articles here. I think the articles are really helpful, and they providing useful and important information about the global consumption. Now I can help for the world by recycling, using less bottled water, and buying eco-friendly products.

Comment on Thinking Sustainably by Miranda Huang

Miranda Huang — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 22:08:06 +0000

The sustainable movement all over the world is becoming increasingly popular as people begin to realize its importance. People certainly do have purchasing power with every item they elect to buy or not to buy as John Perkins describes. If people start demanding greener products, vendors will respond with more and more of those environment friendly products. For example, the bottled water industry is experiencing a decrease in sales since the news spread about our current pollution crisis. People need to be educated to find out the real dangers and problems with buying certain products. After watching the “Story of Bottled Water” I have become aware of the toxic lifestyle and know better. Global awareness is exponentially trending, and it’s because of consumers new choices in green products.

Comment on Thinking Sustainably by Andrea M

Andrea M — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 20:34:53 +0000

It’s funny how the whole “go green” rage happened a few years ago but it is only until recently that people are taking it seriously. I think it has a lot to do with Hurricane Sandy and the physical “proof” that we need to take action.
This article also suggests another trend I’ve noticed which is how everyone wants to fix the world somehow, make a difference and give back for a sense of purpose.

I’m glad all the businesses/organizations you listed address the need for social change and the importance of environmental impact.

The Story of Stuff was particularly interesting in that it investigates the part of the process not a lot of people dare to uncover. It’s like howstuffworks.com but after the fact.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts/for this article- I think everyone needs to be more mindful about the consequences of their actions big or small. In business and life its important to consider the moral and environmental implications of our fast paced lives to create a sustainable future

Comment on Invitation to attend Special Guest Lecture Panel on “Global Sustainable Design and Marketing” at FIT on September 27th, 2012. by Andrea M

Andrea M — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 20:24:54 +0000

This guest panel on global sustainable design was unlike anything I had ever attended before at FIT! Combining the topic of the environment (which is not one of the more popular topics) with Fashion and getting a well rounded view from different aspects of the industry was interesting and educational. I think it is especially important to address since obvious sustainability issues continue to grow.

Sustainable Fashion usually has the stigma or being boring or ugly, but like the guests suggested, it does not have to be that way.
While all the guests spoke about their individual projects, from Red Carpet Green Dress, to Eco Fashion talk, to Cradle to Cradle I think it addressed a larger problem in sourcing and international business.
It is important to spread awareness of this growing problem to consumers because that is where the power ultimately lies. Just by being aware of how our purchases make a difference we hold the power to send a message not only in how we dress but what we believe in and hope for the world. Samata Angel spoke about Red Carpet Green Dress which offers the opportunity to make a red carpet dress that is eco-friendly. This offers the unique platform to combine substance with style by presenting not only beauty but functionality in sustainability.

Sass Brown, a professor from FIT suggests Fashion is an aspirational and inspirational industry. In showing her photos to the audience she was able to communicate the beauty and power that eco-fashion has. As a professor and designer she suggested that we use Fashion as a medium to communicate what is exciting in this case, sustainable fashion. By putting an “appealing face on sustainable fashion” eco-fashion would be displayed and celebrated the way it should.

Eco-fashion and Sustainability is a “hard pill to swallow” but I think like the speakers mentioned, this is a better option than wearing clothing with chemicals dangerous to our health as mentioned: http://www.businessoffashion.com/2012/11/op-ed-toxic-chemicals-in-clothing-make-all-of-us-fashion-victims.html

Comment on Thinking Sustainably by Lai Ying Tang

Lai Ying Tang — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 06:40:42 +0000

The Story of Stuff is one of the most interesting environmental-themed online movies I ever seem. Annie Leonard mentions that customers have to awareness about consumption; we must consume what is really necessary! This is not only good to the environment but also good for our own personal finance. Example: “the story of bottled of water” which explained how did manufacture demand affect Americans to buy more than half a billion bottles of water every week when it already flows from the tap almost for free. Sustainability can remind people to endure, the very ways in which we define and measure value and progress. I think it must be a big challenge, and not just for business and economics, but also our society, culture, technology and behavior of people.
On the other hand, Bill McKibben, Co-Founder of 350.Org explained so well about environmental change, such as the climate has been increased 2 degree throughout the 16 years. And his quote, “The decisions we make now will determine what life is like for 10 billion people, the next 30 and 40 billion to follow and all of creation.” is the most impact me. So we have to preserve our planet, by reducing the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere, such as produce less trash (use filter bottle to fill tap water instead of buying a bottled water.) and recycle more!