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When I was younger I use to go to this youth center and hangout with my friends all day long, before I left I remember just talking to architects about this green building. Now, years later the United Teen Equality Center in my home town is the oldest, Platinum LEED Certified building in the country. This new building is an amazing step for the staff to continue to help the trouble teens in my town of Lowell, MA. And their not only doing it in a big way but a way that is good for our environment as well.

An impressive accomplishment! LEED Platinum is difficult to reach. They must have some strong supporters. You should go get a tour when it opens.

This article is about the Superbowl going green and how big an impact there could be because of it. The Superbowl is the highest viewed program each and every year and the amount of influence it has over people and how they act is unmatched

MLB is one of the first major sports leagues to put a huge focus on going green. They formed the Green Sports Alliance.

Thanks to organizations like the Green Hotels Association, Economically Sound, WTTC, and the ITP, hotels are on a trend to become more involved in environmental issues. The Linen Reuse Program is most popular currently, hotels simply ask their guests if it is necessary to wash the sheets every night. This program has been on the rise for awhile now but the newest trend is for hotels to calculate their carbon footprint. I can only see the interest in hotels becoming more environmentally friendly increasing.

What is cool about the cards in hotel rooms about reusing towels is that psychologists have studied it extensively. They have found that tweaking the wording can have a huge impact on towel reuse rates. http://csi.gsb.stanford.edu/room-viewpoint

As a studio art minor, I'm always interested in ways to create "green" art. One artist in L.A. is taking it a bit further by attempting to make billboards green. With the donated money he is going to plant a bamboo garden on a billboard. Hopefully the beautiful sight will calm stressed drivers.

This article talks about what each major league sport is doing and who they have partnered with to create a green initiative

This article doesn't really apply to my fashion major, but I found it so interesting. It talks about how skateboard have become the leading cause of maple deforestation, even beating out other large sectors like furniture! Bamboo is becoming a more sustainable option for the construction of skateboards because it grows quickly, does not need to be replanted after it is cut down, and helps prevent erosion. Bamboo farms are also helpful in reducing greenhouse gases and producing oxygen.

I would like to see more about the studies that found skateboards the leading cause of maple deforestation. I find that difficult to believe.

I found this article to be very interesting. Their goal is to become a "zero carbon club."

A housewares store in New York is displaying sustainable garments created by CFDA fashion designers. Some of those designers received awards for having a business that is at least 30% sustainable. I think it is great that these eco friendly garments are being featured in such a cool, unique way and the fact that they are recruiting and honoring CFDA designers who have created sustainable garments shows that the fashion industry recognizes the importance of going green.

A Minnesota fashion group has created a set of standards for sustainable and "green" fashion. The group hopes to better put the consumer at ease by informing them of the strict standards that are carried out to ensure their garment is ethically made and environmentally sustainable. The group offers their certification requirements free of cost to the designer so it is not difficult or expensive to attain for companies just starting out. 

A set of standards is a good idea. The USDA can set organic standards but most of the environmental harm is from the chemicals used on the textiles later in the cycle.

The Spanish fast fashion company Zara has come under intense fire recently. This article discusses how Zara has failed to do anything about the hazardous chemicals they are releasing into the same water that residents rely on. They are now being pressured to re-evaluate their environmental policies. Since they produce so many garments every year they have a very profound environmental impact. They hope by setting an example with Zara that it will lead to a toxic-free future. Obviously it's not going to be that simple though. 

This article discusses how climate change could affect the major food crops of the world. It also talks about how food drives up the rate of green house gases. From production to transportation and refrigeration-emits up to a third of human-generated greenhouse gases. The purpose of the article is to get people to search for a more sustainable food industry.

Amsterdam fashion week had an actual competition for top designers on eco fashion. This shows that the big designers care about the environment and are doing their part to help it