The Discerning Brute: fashion, food & etiquette for the ethically handsome man » fabulous fanny’s

ULTIMATE Father’s Day Guide for the Ethically Handsome Dad

joshuakatcher — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 17:36:56 +0000

Every Father's Day, we get dear-old-dad the same old stuff, but being a dad is cooler and braver than ever! Most fathers want what's best for the family- and now he can also help protect animals and the planet too. The best part is, when getting these ethically handsome gifts for pop, you don't have to sacrifice style, taste, or pleasure. Nor do you have to compromise on what dad likes! These cool gifts are a spin on traditional Father's Day presents, from geeked-out gadgets and tools to socks and ties to sports gear and suits. I've even got recommendations for dads who have it all, from electric sports cars and motorcycles to Armani Bamboo Sports coats! Your father will be proud to be a personal hero to you and a superhero to the planet. Let's not underestimate what it means to be protector this Father's Day!

GIFTS:

• No one in the office will know! Organic Cotton Dress Shirts from Culturata, Velour, and Nordstrom. Organic cotton blows conventional cotton out of the water – growing conventional cotton requires the use of enormous amounts of pesticides, which has a huge environmental impact and presents health risks for those working around it. 25% of the world’s insecticide use and more than 10 percent of the world’s pesticide goes to cotton crops. In 2003, that amounted to about 55 million pounds of pesticides being sprayed on 12.8 million acres of cotton, according to the Organic Trade Association. • Organic cotton, bamboo, and banana fiber underwear & socks from Aussiebum & Nordstrom. Supporting sustainable and ethical fashion is more than just an outer layer. Keeping pesticides away from sensitive areas is something any man will get behind. . . • Sports gear: Carpenter Trade, professional baseball glove $280 In addition to superior performance, most people don't realize that the #1 cause of greenhouse gas emissions is from raising livestock for food and leather. Avoiding leather is one of the most powerful things to do for the environment. So have a custom made, professional-grade glove made with your dad's name on it. • Mens organic, cruelty-free grooming products and scents. The last thing you should give pop is a guilty conscience with products that have been tested on animals. Most razors and many mainstream grooming products are still tested on animals and are not made from recycled plastics, but these items are totally cruelty-free and sustainable. (Preserve, Jack Black, Herban Cowboy, the Body Shop) • Get your dad back into health with cookbooks, health guides, and diet books for dudes! The fireman's Engine 2 Diet, the Triathlete's THRIVE book series, Skinny Bastard, Meat is for Pussies, Vegan Bodybuilding and Tal Ronnen's amazing cookbook, the Conscious Chef. • Stock the Pantry with delicious, gourmet food! Who says eating healthy means eating sprouts? What dad doesn't love dark chocolate, smores, gourmet sausage, jerky, dips, and healthy, meaty meal-starters? • Cruelty-free Accessories from NOHARM, Novacas, Bourgeois Boheme, Matt & Nat, Truth, and The Vegan Collection. Also check out the solar-charged briefcase from Voltaic, or a recycled canvas and vegetable-based faux-leather handbag. All sustainably leather-free.

• Buy your dad a gift or experience on Charity Buzz and support your favorite charities. Hang with celebs, get backstage, go on trips, amazing experiences, sports tickets, memorabilia, delicious meals, and more!

• Satin Ties & Ties diverted from Landfills. With Jaanj's high-end, luxury, non-silk ties, you'll never miss the worms that get boiled alive. For cotton ties, the Hill-Side makes ties and pocket-squares from selvedge fabrics, diverting them from landfills and making really cool, classic square-end ties, pocket squares, and handkerchiefs. • For the Handy-Dad: Gadgets and tools or a Gift Certificate to GREEN DEPOT, an environmental living & building store. From recycled cotton insulation and a home composter to soy based paints and finishes, any dad into home improvement will love these gifts. • Lawn Order with Greenworks tools. From mowers, blowers, and log-splitters, to hedge-trimmers and cultivators, these greener lawn tools don't use fossil fuels and make self-sufficiency easy and green! • Vintage Sunglasses / Frames. The greenest gifts of all require no new resource extraction or manufacturing. Vintage is always an amazing option. Classic sunglasses are big right now, from aviators, wayfarers, and John-Lennon frames to the 50's Halo frames. • Enthralling DVDs of Oscar winner's and award nominees "The Cove", "Food Inc", and "End of the Line".

For the Dad with it All:

• Tesla Electric Sportscar. 0-60 in 3.9 secs, 288 hp, 236 miles per charge. Starts at $101,500 • Electric Motorcycle from Zero $9,995, or Brammo at $7,995

Blinded by the White

TheDiscerningBrute — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 06:52:33 +0000

Snow isn't the only white thing out there! These bright-whites will make make any guy stand out in a crowd. The Carnaby from Vegetarian Shoes UK could point you in the right direction. Matt&Nat's new Pool collection offers up this 'Warhol' shoulder bag with 100% recycled faux-suede lining. The vintage Wayfarer knock-offs can be picked up at Fabulous Fanny's, and the gorgeous 100% recycled glass Fern Plate collection from Riverside Design Group is perfect for a warm, winter meal. Autonomie Project's fair-trade, organic cotton scarf will keep the chill out. Finally, what is better than Soy-Whip to top off a cup of hot cocoa?

Fresh Friday Finds

TheDiscerningBrute — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 05:09:27 +0000

1. If you thought they couldn't possibly be any more disgusting, the parting Bush Administration has denied dwindling, drowning and starving Polar Bears protection under the Endangered Species Act. Human generated global-warming, mostly caused by meat & dairy production, is the #1 culprit. Read the full article here.

“This rule makes a mockery of the Endangered Species Act, our nation’s most important wildlife protection law,” said Defenders of Wildlife executive vice president, Jamie Rappaport Clark. “The polar bear doesn’t have time for political maneuvers. Its habitat is melting away, its food is becoming scarce and the science is clear that the cause is global warming - yet the rule this administration released today affirms that little will be done to save the species from sure extinction.

2. If you wear glasses or sunglasses, and you don't know about Fabulous Fanny's, you are missing out! Get the most amazing selection of thrift & vintage frames and shades. Buying thrift is the greenest way to shop! It's one of the East Village's best kept secrets, and one of my personal favs. 3. Farm Sanctuary strikes again! With an awesome party, of course! With Miss Guy on the turn table, more amazing vegan food than your eyes and tummy can handle, and the most inspiring crowd of activists and celebs from Danilea Sea and Alison Becker to Jennifer Coolidge, Corey Feldman & Inder Bedhi of Matt&Nat - this Winter Wonderland fundraiser was not to be missed - but if you did miss it, make sure to make it to next one! Farmsanctuary.org 4. Our friend Karl at PARTYBOTS has designed some awesome, 100% post-consumer recycled, originally designed notebooks! These are sweet and under $6 each! Cheap gifts for everyone this holiday! 5. This holiday, you may be feeling philanthropic. However, be very aware of organizations like Heifer International - whose promises of alleviating malnutrition and poverty through providing animals, actually has disasterous results. Like the little fact that over 90% of the Africans who are given dairy cows are lactose intolerant. Our friends at WFAS school us on this, and tell us how we can really help: "While this might sound good on paper, the water and land needs of livestock in areas that are often short on both quickly outweigh the benefits -- instead it increases human dependence on an unsustainable food-system that depletes the environment and does not fulfill all of a community’s real nutritional or long-term survival needs" Read the full article. 6. Organic Cotton from Alternative Apparel is so much better than conventional cotton from the notoriously homophobic Urban Outfitters. 7. December 20th is National "Adopt, Don't Shop" day. The Saturday before Christmas is the biggest puppy-buying day of the year. This year, In Defense of Animals is teaming up with activists in dozens of cities around the country to educate the public about the horrors of pet factories (puppy mills) and encourage people to adopt a homeless animal from a shelter or rescue group instead of buying one from a pet store. Enzo and I say you should adopt! 8. In case you missed it on Ecorazzi, Chloé Jo Berman, and yours truly were interviewed about ethical fashion. Read the interview! 9. Elephants should not be in zoos. For example, the Los Angeles zoo has killed 13 elephants. Help close down this horrible slave-trade, and save Billy from the same fate that his previous 13 fellow elephants experienced. These intelligent, emotionally complex and gorgeous beings belong in their native habitat, not in captivity. You can view video of Billy and the Los Angeles Zoo here. You can donate to IDA's campaign to Free Billy here. 10. The sleek Pool Collection from Matt&Nat has arrived! Get it while it's hot, then take a dip in the pool. 100% vegan, recycled lining, and cool as hell.