Spring/Summer 2018
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Issue 8
AESTHETE MAGAZINE
(adj.) someone with deep sensitivity to the beauty of art and nature.
Sustainability, a topic heard but not understood, it is the essential key to ensuring the future of life on Earth. Protecting our home should not be a mission to be accomplished, but a lifestyle we should be living everyday. By applying consideration and putting effort into taking care of the environment during every action in our daily activities is the least we can do. Find out how and why in this issue, with article “The Path to a Sustainable Lifestyle”, (page 15). We have also guided you with ways to maintain sustainable yet aesthetic lifestyle, with categories of fashion, interior and garden. Such as articles of sustainable fashion brands (“These Designers Prove Sustainable Fashion Doesn’t Have to Be Drab,” page 3) and fashion styling (“Minimalistic Styling with ZARA,” page 9). In addition, eco-friendly interior brands (“Eco Friendly Home Brands That Are Actually Chic,” page 23) and discovering ways to sustainable gardening for your home (“7 Sustainable Garden Design Tips,” page 31).
Editor In Cheif, Melody Pan
Melody Pan
Live sustainably, breathe in the clean fresh air of nature, embrace and cherish the beauty in every corner of our home, Earth.
Letter from ediitor
content
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The Path to a Sustainable Lifestyle
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These Designers Prove Sustainable Fashion Doesn’t Have to Be Drab
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Minimalistic Styling with ZARA
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The Path to a Sustainable Lifestyle
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Eco-friendly Home Brands that are actually Chic
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7 Sustainable Garden Design Tips
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Interview with Sustainable Living Expert
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CREDITS EDITOR IN CHIEF
EDITOR
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
WRITERS
Melody Pan
These Designers Prove Sustainable Fashion Doesn’t Have to Be Drab
Emanuel Pratalaharja
ART DIRECTOR James Bay
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Sustainable Gardening Design Tips
Melody Pan
Anne Gibson Becky Freeth Emily Farra
PHOTOGRAPHER Noah Shaw
FASHION BRANDS 1
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1. & 3. SUNAD 2. Where Mountains Meet
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FASHION BRANDS
These Designers Prove Sustainable Fashion Doesn’t Have to Be Drab by Emily Farra
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very year, Earth Day rolls around and gets us thinking about fashion’s environmental impact, and every year we vow to shop less, educate ourselves (and others) about manufacturing and production, and prioritize ethical designers in our closets. But to be honest, that’s easier said than done. What’s often repeated around the Vogue offices is that sustainable fashion has to be fashionable first, and ethical second; women won’t buy or wear clothing they don’t love just because it’s good for the earth. For decades, eco-fashion has been associated with a hippieish, bohemian look, often in varying shades of beige. Part of it is due to technology—hemp, cotton, and canvas were the hero materials—but technology has changed, so the stigma should, too. There are lots of designers who are making colorful, vibrant clothes that just so happen to be sustainable—in fact, you probably wouldn’t know they were “eco” if we didn’t tell you first. Below, discover three of the brands on our radar now.
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Sunad: Your new go-to source for striped, solid, and floral shirts, all made ethically in Spain. Paloma Canut and Ana Marroquín started their label, Sunad, in 2015 with one goal in mind: to combine their shared passion for nature and shirting. But supporting their home country’s manufacturing business was also top of mind. “We both studied at Parsons, and it wasn’t until we moved back to Spain that we realized the country’s long tradition and history of fashion had been lost due to fast fashion,” they tell Vogue. “So we wanted to do something about it and start an ethical brand in Spain.” There’s a shirt for every taste in their new collection: crinkled cotton button-downs, mustard silk floral blouses, safaristyle shirts, boxy eyelet tops. Each one is named after a desert (Sunad is an anagram for dunas, or dunes in Spanish) and made from all-natural textiles, many of them produced locally. But those luxurious silks and cottons aren’t always easy to find: “Synthetic fabrics have experienced a big boom in the past few years,” they say. “They’re cheaper and faster to produce, so a lot of textile companies have stopped offering most of their 100 percent natural fibers.” The shirts are competitively priced—the range is around $130 to $170—and Canut and Marroquin candidly admit that going lower would compromise their safe practices. “We pay ethical salaries to our manufacturers and source the bestquality fabrics, and we try to keep our prices as low as possible. But it’s impossible to compete with our fast-fashion competitors,” they say. “Our aim is to raise awareness around purchasing a good-quality garment at a reasonable price.” You can shop Sunad shirts directly from their website, Sunad.es.
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FASHION BRANDS
Where Mountains Meet: Artistic, vibrant daywear made with responsible and artisan-made textiles. Think of Genevieve Saylak and Corissa Santos’s label, Where Mountains Meet, as the right balance of arty and minimal. Alongside organic cotton blouses and simple wrap dresses, you’ll find Mondrian-esque printed silks and jacquard tops handmade in India; there’s something for the earthy naturalist as well as the fashionforward risk-taker. “The business is built on a foundation of incredible product, but we wanted to create a company that does good and allows us to be part of a new generation of responsible, socially conscious designers,” Saylak and Santos tell Vogue. On their priority list is knowing exactly where their raw materials come from, working with and championing artisan groups around the world, and producing everything in New York’s Garment District. “We love that we’re able to develop a committed, personal relationship with our factory owners, as well as keep a close eye on production quality,” they add. “Shopping locally and supporting the local industry are the best things you can do to be a part of the environmental and social responsibility equation.”
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Where Mountains Meet is also a strong example of just how much sustainable fashion has evolved. “A few years ago, handmade fabrics and stateside production might not have been selling points for a label,” they explain. “But now, [those things] differentiate our product and are part of our storytelling. People love the history, richness, and smallbatch nature of the fabrics we use, and they believe in the high quality of made-inthe-USA products.” They also believe the crunchy-granola stigma is quickly changing. “Eco-friendly and socially conscious brands were [once] generally low-brow, kitschy, and crafty. But so many incredible brands with elevated and sophisticated aesthetics, some even at high-end designer price points, have revolutionized this niche.” You’ll find the label at select retailers and their website, WhereMountainsMeet.com.
Mayamiko: Clothing, accessories, and home goods ethically made in Malawi, Africa. Many of us are hesitant to wear another culture’s traditional clothing; no one wants to be charged with cultural appropriation. Consider the Navajo-labeled prints made by fast-fashion chains or Chinese pajamas, which have drawn criticism for being “trendy.” The U.K.-based label Mayamiko uses traditional African printed cotton, or chitenje, for simple (and very affordable) dresses, tops, and jumpsuits, but the collection’s production actually supports the people of Malawi.
Paola Masperi started the label in 2013 as a natural extension from the Mayamiko Trust, which she launched back in 2008 as a way to benefit the most disadvantaged people in Malawi. Mayamiko is dedicated to ethical production, which encompasses fair wages, humane working conditions, provided meals, training, and the use of natural, often recycled materials. Proceeds from every sale go back into the Malawian communities—and a dress starts as low as $37, so it’s tempting to stock up on more than one. You can shop the full collection on its website, Mayamiko.com.
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Mayamiko The Label is a respected ethical fashion brand that has been named ‘one to watch’ by Vogue and voted ‘Innovative brand of the year’ by Veggie Magazine.
FASHION STYLING
Minimalistic Styling with ZARA Zara UK’s Spring Summer 2014 collection will get you seriously excited for summer. Never one to disappoint, this high street fashion favourite presents another hit-by-hit collection of must-haves. Zara’s characteristic muted palette comes into its own this spring, with deep blues and yellows swapped for whites, creams and pretty pastel hues.
ZARA Spring Summer 2014 Collection
by Becky Freeth, 11th February 2014
It’s all about the accessories, too, with summer’s must-have chunky metallic necklaces and perfect pool sliders on on our new season wishlist. Zara’s Spring/Summer 2014 Collection has landed, awash with spring delights from gorgeous palettes to patterns. The Zara SS14 collection features pops of spring-like colour to get us in the mood for the new season. Weave in some block pastels and brights to give your clothing collection some added interest, freshening up work and weekend wardrobes alike. Floral patterns and monochrome prints are another way to achieve the iconic Zara look this spring, with leopard and botanics having a strong presence in the new season collection. Plus, while the weather’s changeable, Zara offer a variety of separates, perfect for layering up a versatile transeasonal wardrobe.
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ZARA 2014 Spring Collection, ZARA official
Monochromatic and minimalistic clothing style. Simple yet chic.
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ZARA 2014 Spring Collection, ZARA official
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the path to a sustainable lifestyle 15 AESTHETE Issue 8
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LIFESTYLE
How to Create a Sustainable LifestylE: Three Essential Steps for Sustainable Living
Three essential steps for living sustainably:
i. SIMPLIFYING: Simplifying as much as possible – minimizing clutter in all areas of life – is the first of two essential steps for kick-starting a sustainable life.
ii. TAKING A FULL INVENTORY:
I. SIMPLIFYING Only keep in your life things and activities that you find useful and/or you love. The rest is cluttering your space and time. Donate unneeded goods to charity or a freecycle program. Getting rid of everything you don’t need – and cutting out any activities that don’t add value to your life – is one of the most effective ways to kick start a sustainable life. Your surroundings really impact what your mind focuses on.
Taking a thorough inventory of ones life – our purchases of products and services, our modes of transportation, etc. is the second critical step. It helps us really understand how we are living now in order to identify and shift away from unsustainable choices.
By creating a de-cluttered home, you are declaring your intention every day to live sustainably. Simplifying gets rid of a lot of garbage (including mental) that you no longer need. It is a way to let go of the past and become focused on how you want to live your life going forward.
iii. MAKING A LIFELONG COMMITMENT:
Simplifying also leaves you committed to not re-clutter your life. You end up buying much less at stores – which makes it easier to buy sustainably.
An earnest, lifelong commitment to make the most loving choice each and every time. The first two steps build sustainability into our lives, making this commitment easier to keep. It also gets easier as our satisfaction with our new lifestyle grows.
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II. TAKING A FULL INVENTORY While simplifying, conduct a thorough inventory of all your purchasing choices. This is the second critical step in creating a sustainable life – and also helps with reducing clutter. By getting a clear picture of how we are living our lives currently – at a detailed level – we can kick start the process of shifting toward loving choices. Below are recommended tools for achieving this. These tools provide a clear picture of what kind of world we are supporting – and creating: • Eco Footprint • Water Footprint • Consumption Inventory • Home and Garden Inventory • Water and Recycling Inventory
III. MAKING A LIFELONG COMMITMENT The final step is to make a lifelong commitment to making the most loving choice each and every time. It involves re-defining how we want to live our lives. This step is at first the most difficult but, through its practice, we gain a real sense of purpose – we come to know that we really are treating others as we would like to be treated.
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LIFESTYLE
The Golden Rule Creating a sustainable lifestyle takes a lifelong commitment to learning, experimenting, exploring, committing to increasingly sustainable practices and, above all, loving. Because beyond all of the frightening news; beyond the frustrating politics; beyond the failed international agreements, there is one question – how do you want to live your life? With fear or with love? The fear route feels defeated and helpless and frustrating. The love route, on the other hand, feels purposeful and hopeful.
Our Impact It is such a simple principle – and yet if it is extended to include all living beings (an essential component of sustainability), it requires a complete shift in how we live our lives. Because we do unto others all day long – through the clothes we buy, the energy we use, the food we eat, even the toothpaste we brush our teeth with. Every choice we make impacts others – through its creation, its distribution, its use and its disposal. And most likely we’ll never know – or even see – who we are impacting. But they are out there, nonetheless, suffering – or thriving based on our choices. Because we live in such a global, profit-atall-costs world, the number impacted is astounding – hard to grasp really.
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Extraction: bauxite ore, the primary raw material source for aluminum production, is extracted from open pit mines primarily in Brazil, Guinea, Jamaica, Guyana and Australia. Transportation: bauxite is shipped to multiple countries to complete processing. Processing: processing bauxite ore into aluminum cans requires several energyintensive steps including alumina refining, smelting, ingot casting, can sheet fabrication, can making and can filling. Recycled aluminum is also incorporated into the final product, the processing of which has its own (reduced) impacts (the recycled content of a beverage can in the U.S. in 2007 was 67.8%). Packaging and Distribution: aluminum cans are packaged and transported to individual stores and from there to homes and businesses. End of Life: While some cans are transported to recycling centers and reprocessed (about half in the U.S.), far too many still end up in landfills.
Happiness It quickly becomes clear then that choosing a life of love requires us to change just about every aspect of our lives – to change how we spend our days. It involves shifting our lifestyle away from consumption and toward more sustainable activities such as: • •
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Volunteering on local sustainability project and activities Shifting entertainment to low impact activities such as spending time in nature and reading downloaded or library books Possibly even downshifting from a higher paying job toward something that earns less but has a sustainable, beneficial impact on the world
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LIFESTYLE
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Biking or taking public transit Collaborating with others (i.e., sharing tools, bartering for services or produce, carpooling/ridesharing Becoming more self-reliant (i.e., learning how to repair belongings, sewing, growing food or taking skillbuilding classes Learning how to cook with local, sustainable produc Buying or finding used equipment, clothing, furniture, appliances, etc. (i.e., from thrift or consignment stores, craigslist, ebay, freecycle programs from neighbors or family Joining a local sustainability community or group
Making the Shift Shifting to a sustainable lifestyle may involve making radical shifts in how we spend our days. Integrating these changes into our lives involves first shifting toward wanting to change:
‘‘ As long as you derive inner help and comfort from anything, you should keep it. If you were to give it up in a mood of self-sacrifice or out of a stern sense of duty, you would continue to want it back, and that unsatisfied want would make trouble for you. Only give up a thing when you want some other condition so much that the thing no longer has any attraction for you, or when it seems to interfere with that which is more greatly desired. ’’ - Mahatma Gandhi (“Vishnu-Bharati” 242)
Reading sustainable blogs and books and watching videos, taking classes on sustainability and joining local sustainable communities are all effective ways to shift mindset. Also making smaller shifts leads to larger shifts as the benefits of each shift becomes clear. What follows is an effective path for shifting into a sustainable lifestyle.
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HOME DECORATION
Eco Friendly Home Brands That Are Actually Chic
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All Across Africa
Bottle Cloth
All Across Africa’s gorgeous, vibrant baskets and vessels are hand-woven in Rwanda using sisal and sweet grass. Similar to bamboo, these plants grow abundantly in the region, which means their use is less taxing on the environment. It also partners with nonprofit organizations to bring education and skill training to people in the communities with which they work.
BottleCloth makes its line of graphic, punchy table linens from 100-percent recycled woven fabric, sourced entirely from recycled plastic bottles. Because of their construction, table coverings and placemats are stain resistant and super low maintenance. We love them for a bright, summertime outdoor gathering.
appy Earth Day, fellow Earthlings! If you love this planet and home design as much as we do, listen up. These days, minding your environmental and social impact right along with inspired design is easier than ever. Yes, “eco” can often conjure up crunchy associations, but we’re here to open your eyes to a new class of eco-conscious retailers that prove green is gorgeous.
2 1 All Across Africa 2 & 3 Bottle Cloth
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HOME DECORATION
Chairish
Cisco
Buying secondhand is naturally good for the environment—it’s a form of recycling that takes something old and makes it new again. Chairish brings this environmentally sound practice of scouring flea and vintage markets to the masses, curating an incredibly wide range of home goods, vintage furniture, décor, and more under one easy-to-shop website.
You wouldn’t necessarily know it right away, but all of the furniture and home goods available at Cisco are made with natural materials and friendly to the environment. Cisco’s offerings include every manner of home goods, as well as specialty products, like John Derian’s debut furniture collection, which falls under Cisco’s eco-rigorous stipulations.
1. Chairish home furniture 2. Cisco’s eco friendly interior design 3. Coyuchi’s organic fabric and textiles
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Coyuchi Coyuchi’s range of deluxe textiles, bedding, mattresses, and more are all produced from 100-percent organic cotton. It’s more rare than you’d think: Less than 1 percent of the world’s cotton is organically grown, so Coyuchi is a good pick if you’re passionate about products made with natural fibers free of dyes and bleaches. The best part is that the textiles don’t skimp on style and luxury. They’re some of the softest fabrics you can get your hands on.
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Eskayel Known for their beautiful, intricate patterns and unique colorways, Eskayel operates on a print-to-order model, which is a significantly more eco-friendly alternative to traditional wallpaper and fabric manufacturing. Eskayel also uses chemical-free paper and water-based inks in producing their homewares, which include pillows, rugs, furniture, and more.
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GARDEN DESIGN
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Sustainable Garden Design Tips by Anne Gibson
1.Be organic, avoid chemicals
2.Find ways to reuse resources
3.Choose your plants wisely
Designing a sustainable garden – one that will create a healthy environment for the plants and life within it – and your own health, means committing to never using any chemicals. Chemicals create massive damage and have harmful consequences. Spraying pests with petrochemical pesticides, annoying weeds with toxic herbicides and feeding your plants with inorganic fertilisers that contaminate and pollute your soil and underground water, should never be an option.
Every material or resource has embodied energy that was needed to create it. Some materials such as pots or landscaping supplies have a greater environmental impact than others, so please do your research! This comparison chart for choosing pots is a good place to start. Use renewable local resources where you can or plant your own. e.g. bamboo. Consider recycling and repurposing household items to use in your garden, instead of always buying new. Try to give old things new life.
Grow more perennials and locally adapted native plants and less annuals. Select waterwise edibles and plants that use less water than thirsty varieties. Some edibles suck up water so if you live in a dry climate, consider buying these and grow drought tolerant and low-waterneeds plants instead. Grow a diverse range of plants to create a balanced ecosystem that supports itself. Even if you have a tiny space, always include some flowers for beneficial insects.Planting flowers like marigolds and sweet alyssum attracts beneficial insects. Keep a journal, be observant and take note of what grows well during tough conditions. Grow more of the resilient, healthy plants that like your soil and climate! Don’t fight nature, work with it.
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“ We don’t live or garden in isolation. The choices we make affect the plants, soil life, insects, birds,animals, water, air and our neighbours. ” – Anne Gibson
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GARDEN DESIGN
4. Passively harvest water
7. Build healthy soil
Try to collect as much rainwater, grey water or storm water as you can. A few easy ways to save and reuse water are: • buckets in the shower; • rainwater tanks or rain barrels; • swales; and permeable surfaces like mulch rather than hard landscaping, that allow moisture to soak into the soil.
Imitate Nature. In a forest or native bushland, you see a carpet of leaves, ground covers, flowers, bark, grass, weeds and living plants like fungi and moss growing on fallen logs. Nature covers the earth … and so should we! Apply mulch to your garden so your soil is NEVER bare.
Harvesting your own water helps reduce erosion, maximises moisture available for healthy plant growth, minimises costs and reliance on town water supplies. All sustainable gardening options.
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5. Create a zero-waste garden
6. Save seeds and propagate
Think about it: In nature, there are no garbage bins. No landfills. No dumps! Everything that was once living, decomposes and those nutrients are recycled back to feed new life. Compost and recycle ALL your kitchen scraps and green garden ‘waste’. Even many household items can be reused outdoors. Everything that goes into your garden to feed it should ideally be locally sourced. Even better, if it comes from your own property. There are a wide variety of compost systems, worm farms and bokashi bins to suit just about every space and situation. If you don’t have room, contribute your food waste to a neighbour’s compost or worm farm and use the composted nutrients to feed your soil. Think ‘win-win’!
If you have to buy seeds or plants to get started, then maximize your USE of them. Start with organic and open-pollinated varieties so you can save the seeds, reducing your need to buy year after year. This is one of the most sustainable actions you can take. Propagate new plants for free from species that grow well in your garden. Regrow food from kitchen scraps. If you make your own compost, you’ll also get free volunteer self-sown plants popping up!
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= Indoor Plants for Your Home + The string of Pearls
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The Cactus
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6 The Jade Plant
The Mother-in-law tongue
The Golden Pathos
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The Zanzibar Gem
The string of pearls plant grows well in bright light, including sunlight. You should provide this string of beads houseplant with average indoor temperatures.
In the spring and summer, when the plant is actively growing and blooming or both, water whenever the compost begins to dry. Light is essential for healthy cacti, especially in the winter.
Plants grow 2-to-4 feet tall and feature long, wide, green yellow striped leaves. Avoid prolonged contact with the leaves because they can cause skin irritation.
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Jade plant care is easy and simple. Many people enjoy growing jade plants in their homes and offices, and they are considered to be symbols of good luck.
A type of cycad with thick, glossy green leaves. While Zanzibar Gem can be grown outdoors, it’s been described as the ultimate indoor plant because of its tolerance to low light and lack of water.
Basic pothos care is very easy. These plants enjoy a wide range of environments. They do well in bright indirect light as well as low light and can be grown in dry soil or in vases of water.
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ASK THE EXPERT
Laura Turner Seydel
INTERVIEW with SUSTAINABLE LIVING EXPERT
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s daughter of one of the leading forces in environmental conservation (Ted Turner), Seydel is on the board of organizations such as the Captain Planet Foundation, the Turner Endangered Species Fund and the League Of Conservation Voters, working tirelessly on a daily basis to make the world a better place for our children to inherit. She’s also a prominent sustainable living expert, doling out advice on simple ways we can all go green. We were honored to speak with Seydel on subjects ranging from teaching kids about conservation to key environmental concerns of the 2012 election.
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Q: Your dad has been a leading light in conservation for years. At what point did you realize you wanted to dedicate your life to environmental concerns? A:
My passion for the environment developed at an early age and has grown with time. My parents and grandparents created a “no waste zone”– food residuals were composted to nourish the garden; if you were cold, you put on a sweater; we recycled bottles and cans for money; and my father drove a fuel efficient Japanese car. They hated to waste money. We learned important lessons that helped us develop a strong ethic. My dad has continued to lead by example for his grandchildren, leading walks where exercise and litter patrol are combined, and giving of his time and treasure for the benefit of mankind. In the past 20 years, our real live Captain Planet has donated $1.5 billion to charitable causes vital to the quality of life of everyone on the planet, including women’s rights, endangered species, and protecting the natural systems that support all life. When Rutherford and I had children it took our commitment to a new level. We realized we were going to have to work harder to protect what belongs to future generations.
Q: The Captain Planet Foundation emphasizes the vital role children can play in environmental conservation. What are some of the CPF program initiatives that you, as chairperson, are utterly proudest of? A:
The goal of the foundation is to provide grants to schools to promote hands-on environmental projects for children, including recycling programs, restoring wetlands, planting trees, and monitoring water quality. But my favorite grants are our Gardens in Schools program. School gardens are a great way to get kids’ butts out of chairs and get students connected to the natural world. They can learn science and other core subjects in an interactive way, and it also helps teach kids about healthy eating. We have an epidemic of obesity and type 2 diabetes today. One of the best ways to get kids to kick the salt, fat and sugar addiction is to have them retrain their palate. The best way I’ve seen is to have them propagate seeds, and plant and nurture their food to ripeness. All of a sudden the pickiest eater is competing against classmates for a slice of a vine-ripened tomato.
Q: If you could encourage parents to teach their children three central concepts of environmental stewardship, what would they be? A:
You have to begin with the premise that a child has to experience and connect with nature. Our children must learn to understand, respect, care for, love, and sustainably use the resources in our garden of Eden. Number 2, don’t waste anything, which saves money and allows us to reduce the amount of pollution we emit. Lastly, lead by example by turning off lights and electronics when not in use, conserving water, refraining from using plastic straws, using reusable bags and water bottles, and recycling everything.
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“I have nature and art and poetry, and if that is not enough,what is enough?” - Vincent van Gogh
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