eco-chic design

yoga apparel that combines style with sustainability

Quite fittingly my favorite jacket these days is called the Nirvana Jacket by Soybu. There’s no better way to describe the state of bliss after making it through my yoga practice. I bought the eco-friendly jacket at the onset of spring at Paragon for exercising or running errands on the weekends and absolutely love it. It has a great sleek fit and never seems to wrinkle plus it contains 44% recycled polyester made from recycled PET.

Not sure why but lately I seem to be on a recycled PET kick. According to Soybu’s website PET is one of the most common consumer plastics used in packaging such as soda or detergent bottles. The Nirvana jacket also has 12% spandex to give it a contoured fit and it feels super-soft. So far I’ve it in black and I’m flirting with the thought of ordering a second one in blue glass for summer. The cute belled arm sleeves make it fun to wear. Most of Soybu’s apparel line combines style, sustainability and performance through their choice of materials. Other eco-friendly fibers include soy, organic cotton or bamboo that’s used in their inner voice tank. The Nirvana Jacket is the first product I bought but I’ve a feeling I’ll be back for more.

detoxify your body, mind and mat

Still new to yoga I finally bought my very own eco-friendly mat before my trip to a yoga retreat in the Bahamas last week. Now I’m back here in Manhattan trying to give my mat its first cleaning. Part of me still wants to hold on to the smell of the ocean breeze. But let’s face it: pranayamas (breathing exercises) are much easier without any distracting odor from previous sessions.

The yoga and fitness cleaner from Stirlen does just that thanks to its natural and plant-based ingredients that are citrus scented but won’t linger. The proprietary blend contains coconut surfactants to remove body sweat, body oils and floor dirt, citrus oil to remove body oils and deodorize and potassium sorbate to extend the life of your mat. Not only are the ingredients non-toxic and break down when released back into the environment, but also the wipes are 100% biodegradable and the packaging is recyclable. I love how clean and simple the bottle design is – it gives you room to breathe. And luckily with the Stirlen Chi Mat Cleanser you can make that a deep breath.

saves space and the planet

A few weeks ago I had to visualize a future commute as sustainable as possible without petroleum or other fossil fuels being burned in my class for sustainable design at MCAD. The exercise was quite simple because 82% of Manhattanites like myself go to work by public transportation, by bike, or on foot as per “The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook”. Since I love great modern eco-design I chose to commute on the very cool Strida 5.0 folding bike.

What I love about the Strida 5.0 as a space deprived New Yorker is that it’s perfect to be stored in small apartments. Its triangular frame of lightweight, rustproof aluminum lets you fold it in 5 seconds. You can’t beat that. If you go to Strida’s homepage there’s a cute little animation that quickly shows you how it works. The Strida 5.0 weighs only 22 pounds and can be rolled once folded. You can easily carry it inside an office or take it on a train since it’s about the size of a stroller. I really love the idea that I could take it anywhere, since I had my bike stolen once before here in the city. And best of all it would help me stay in shape with green style.

sporty green bottle design

This weekend I rediscovered my CamelBak Better Bottle that I had received as a promotional gift from google last year. Being a devoted Sigg fan I haven’t used it since, but I decided to give it a try at the gym and really liked it.

The CamelBak Better Bottle is spill-proof thanks to its innovative “flip, bite-N-sip” design. It’s made out of Eastman Tritan copolyester and completely BPA-free. In case you’re a creature of habit and can’t let go of lifting and tipping the bottle, simply remove the straw on the inside. Or get the Better Bottle with a classic cap. The opening is big enough for ice cubes during the summer. My CamelBak Better Bottle is a gorgeous blue, but they come in many vibrant colors. If you’re looking for attitude check out the stylish designs ranging from graffiti to houndstooth. Either way I love that you can see what’s on the inside. You won’t have any excuse anymore to not hydrate at the gym or hikes since it comes with a loop that easily clips to a backpack with a carabiner. And think about all the disposable water bottles that you’ll keep out of landfills while exercising. I can finally say: thank you google.

sustain yourself this year

One of my resolutions for the New Year is to start yoga and I already found my first exercise. Inhale: check out the great designs of yogoco yoga bags. Exhale: notice they are made of recycled t-shirt scraps.

The yogoco yoga bag was designed by Avi Woolman to have a mat section with mesh fabric to keep the mat aired and another section to hold your towel, bottle of water or keys. All patterns are fun, whimsical and motivating, but my favorite design is buddha's garden in red and black floral. The best part though is that the fabric is made from pre-consumer T-shirt scraps, discarded during the apparel cut and sew process. This reduces incinerator and landfill use plus it saves water, since it requires no new dying and adds no pollutants. Yogoco prints all bag tags, business cards and brochures on recycled paper with soy and vegetable-based inks. I can’t think of a more stylish way to take better care of myself and the environment. Please leave a comment once in a while to make sure I follow through.

cutting-edge design on the go

On my weekly run to Whole Foods Market last weekend I passed their wide selection of Sigg water bottles, which reminded me how great these products are. The company combines 100 years of Swiss quality and craftsmanship with cool and constantly evolving design. They are a chic alternative to plastic PET water bottles of which over 30 million land in America’s landfills every single year.

The bottles come in over a 100 different designs utilizing 30 artists from all over the world. Their designs include the playful kids collection, the stylish city collection and the more monochromatic sports/classic collection. I love the timelessness of the classical collection, which is a daily reminder that you can reuse these stylish water bottles over and over. The Sigg bottles are made out of aluminium and 100% recyclable. And that's hopefully only after you used them for a very long time.