Swim Trunks for Guys Who Care About The Ocean

Not only does Livity make their entire line from recycled materials and organics, but everything is produced in equitable trade. These trunks are made from recycled plastic and hemp. They are quick-drying, and feature some cool patters and prints.

Loomstate’s Baja Board Short in organic cotton are less bold, and feature a leaf-inspired print.

Baja Board Short Baja Board Short

Patagonia also has a handsome khaki, or khaki check board short in organic cotton.

Patagonia Men's Cotton Board ShortsPatagonia Men's Cotton Board Shorts

If you care about the oceans, there are some great resources out there for ethical surfers, like EcoBusinessLinks page on surf companies.  Country Feeling Surfboards uses soy-based and sugar-based foams; deck inlays made from hemp, organic cotton, bamboo, and resin that is catalyzed by the sun.  The best surf accessories, like hemp boardbags can be found at Wave Tribe. If you have an old board to recycle, send it to ReSurf! I also highly recommend joining the efforts of Sea Shepherd.

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We know that The Cove has won an Oscar for Best Documentary of 2009, and if you haven’t seen End Of The Line, you must!

The Normal Guy, Bamboo Sportcoat & Recycled Socks

Fall, Sr. Year, 1989

Terrence in 1989 at 225lbs

I’ve been following and documenting a pretty surprising story that is unfolding as we speak.

Terrence, a real man’s man who was a high-school football star, scoffed at vegans, worshiped Filet Mignon and scotch, and threw caution to the wind concerning his love of pleasure through food and drink, switched to a 100% vegan diet on November 1st on a quest to reclaim his health and return to his high-school-hay-day weight of 225lbs. I travel with him to Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s office once a month and document him as he has his vitals and blood work analyzed. From Terrence’s blog:

The Former Anti-Vegan

November 1st, at 302 lbs

“On November 1, 2009 I started this 6 month vegan quest because I had no choice. Moderation was a failure, actually, moderation to me was an anathema. If I was going to lower my cholesterol which was at levels that made the Devil salivate, and if was going to reach back to a time when I was my healthiest, a time when the Berlin Wall still divided East and West, I was going to have to push all my chips to the center of the table and go all in. Not moderation, not portion control, not more exercise – I was going 100% vegan, work-out every other day, and belly up to my favorite taverns and order a seltzer water.”

Did I get used to it? Of course. But the real change is that I actually ENJOY it!

From unexpected vegan gourmet meals at the legendary (and not for being vegan-friendly ) “21 Club” to his social struggles with the stigma, to the triumphs of losing weight and cholesterol, to cooking for skeptics and sharing the grill while tailgating, and with the help and guidance of Heather Mills and her product line VBites, Terrence’s is a compelling tale thus far of a normal guy who went vegan – and is still a normal guy. And it’s only halfway over.


My 6′4″ frame carried around 302 lbs on November 1st. Today, I am 265 lbs. Exactly half way there both in time and weight loss. My cholesterol dropped 100 points down into a safe and healthy range. All this without medication. I take Vitamin D and a multi-vitamin every day. That’s it.

You can follow his inspiring story, too, at http://myveganquest.blogspot.com/

It’s more than my rent, but check this Armani Collezioni Pickstitched Two Button Sportcoat in Bamboo Rayon. $855 at Nordstrom.com

Armani Collezioni Pickstitched Two Button Sportcoat

Now, these are affordable. Nordstrom’s 1901 Recycled Cotton Blend Crew Socks. $7.50 at Nordstrom.com in argyle and stripes

1901 Recycled Cotton Blend Crew Socks1901 Recycled Cotton Blend Crew Socks

1901 Recycled Cotton Blend Crew Socks 1901 Recycled Cotton Blend Crew Socks

Eco Easy, LinkSkin & Tassels

In addition to doing an entirely line of vegan bags for women, London’s Hyde SK by Sacha Knight features some fashionable unisex tassel-action. If you like the look of a belt-loop accessory (but don’t want the disgusting, severed tail of a raccoon or fox hanging from your waist) or just an eccentric necklace, the vegan leather tassel could be your main squeeze.

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Trendwatching.com’s “10 Crucial Consumer Trends for 2010” includes, at number 6, Eco-easy.

6. ECO-EASYECO-BOUNTY

Eco-easy picks up where their extensive report from last March on Eco-Bounty left off. Eco-easy is stealth mode for green. In other words, industry needs to get green in a way that the consumer may not even notice, and legislation needs to be passed making choosing the “right” thing – well, not exactly an option to avoid. For example, Mexico City recently followed San Francisco in restricting businesses from giving out any plastic bags that are not biodegradable. I’d call it eco-common-sense.

These reports are a must-read for anyone who runs a business with sustainability, ecology, and animal advocacy in mind.

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http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rEtijg9Zriw/SvNOsJplooI/AAAAAAAAB8Q/E6rfKKnpS1o/s320/Calico+Wild+Horses_June+2009.jpgWild, Wild Horses. Today, thousands of Nevada’s wild horses are being rounded up by the Bureau of Land Management unless there is a public outcry. Join IDA and contact the government to put a halt to this! Read the article, then Write a letter and call the White House:
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414

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.Wild

LinkSkin, one of the only eco eye-wear brands, has a call-to-action on their website about global warming and polar bear extinction. Their products are recycled, recyclable, RoHS compliant and approved by an independent eco-label. Their frames are made without screws, soldering, or hinges.

Linkskin1Linkskin4Linkskin2Linkskin3

Haute Holidays

VegNewsHOLIDAY2009

Pick up a copy of the latest VegNews Magazine to see my featured green holiday guide, or click above to see my spread! And check out the rugelach recipe mentioned in the article right here:

inspired by mom, veganized by me!

55 Bottle Bags, Marshmallow Ghosts & New Laws

55bottles

Check this gorgeous “Kenner” bag from Matt & Nat, made from 100% recycled materials. Get it now at mattandnat.com for $255

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Sweet & Sara is Perfect for Halloween! The scariest thing about most marshmallows is that they are made of the boiled hooves, cartlige, skin and tendons from animals. Boo!

But guess what? These fluffy spirits from Sweet & Sara are made of their 100% vegan vanilla marshmallow, with chocolate detailing. We can’t wait to see what else they come up with. I heard a rumor about vegan peeps!

Progress Made: Two New Laws to Protect Farm Animals

Thanks to Farm Sanctuary, The Michigan Humane Society, and The Humane Society of the United States Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed a bill which will ban tail docking by the California dairy industry and Governor Jennifer Granholm of Michigan has just signed legislation to ban cruel battery cages, gestation crates and veal crates in her state. California is the first state to ban the tail docking of dairy cows. Michigan is now the second state to ban battery cages, following the example set by California last year with the passage of Proposition 2. It is also the fifth state to ban veal crates and the seventh to ban gestation crates.