Environmentally Suave

Following companies as they "go green" is a perverse hobby of mine. I say perverse because even though I truly believe that the private enterprise is crucial to environmentalism in this country, I am usually quite cynical about voluntary attempts by corporations to be more environmentally correct (see previous blog post about Coke's new campaign). In a similar vein, Nordstrom's, an upscale department store, has recently declared that it will phase out its old shopping bags and replace them with 100% post-consumer material bags. Kim, a blogger at the Nordstrom's blog, "From the Floor", see: http://fromthefloor.nordstrom.com/my_weblog/2008/03/eco-chic.html)
writes, "Hi friend! You know how I feel about being environmentally suave. It's a priceless quality, and becoming almost as important as a sense of humor."

I love that, "environmentally suave." Of course, the real question is, what the **** does that mean? That it is important to be environmental, but only if the effort will also make you more chic, cool and fashionable? That environmentalism is a fad, as uncomplicated as buying vintage clothing or the latest cut in fabric? Am I alone in believe that a true commitment to environmentalism forces us to ask difficult questions and make important choices for the long term?

Well, I am being a bit too harsh. In fact, post-consumer recycled material in shopping bags seems like a great idea. I know that in Europe, this same effort has met with considerable success. It makes sense that shopping bags (which are only briefly used and then thrown away) should be made out of recycled material. In addition, tote bags seem like a great idea. For inspiration, and a laugh, check out the shopping tote bag manufactured by Origins (an organic beauty store).