FEATURE ARTICLE
Kimberly Pinkson of San Anselmo in a hand-loomed bamboo tunic/dress, $216, Lara Miller, USA; beneath it, a tank dress made of modal (a beechwood tree fiber) and silk, $98, Nicole Bridger, Canada.

ECOMOM ALLIANCE: JUST LIKE HAVING MOM ON OUR SIDE

Like having a mother at our side, the EcoMom Alliance, says founder Kimberly Danek Pinkson, shown above, provides a hand to hold as we maneuver the sea change in living that global warming demands.

Education, community, personal connections: These are the cornerstones of the nonprofit EcoMom Alliance, which Pinkson formally launched last fall with the help of supporters, including actress Robin Wright Penn and Pinkson's sister, Nicole MacNaughton. Says Pinkson, who grew up in Marin, the mission of the alliance is to help "align good intentions with action . . .to offer advice and information, to create advocates, to inspire our collective power."

The EcoMom message has hit a nerve with moms and grandmoms worldwide. A front-page story in the New York Times on the alliance and its national chapters ranked as the paper's number one forwarded article of the day -— testament to what Pinkson sensed all along. "There is a shift taking place, a struggle to change."

EcoMoms want to make that change easier and less stress inducing. "We’re keeping it positive," Pinkson says. "We’re about taking it one step at a time."

The EcoMom Web site offers 10 first steps toward sustainable living and urges new members to take the EcoMom Challenge. And members are encouraged to organize their own EcoMom Circles -- social get-togethers that feature guest speakers on sustainable-living issues, from global warming to healthy home interiors.

Newspaper and TV coverage has put the alliance in the spotlight, and Pinkson says the phone has been ringing like crazy, with calls from across the United States and the world — India, Ireland, Brazil, Australia, Greece. The outpouring confirms what she had suspected: that change is being embraced not just in Marin but everywhere.

For more information, visit EcoMom Alliance > www.ecomomalliance.org
STORY BY JOAN LISETOR  |  PHOTOS BY JOCELYN KNIGHT  |  MODELS - MEMBERS OF ECOMOM ALLIANCE  |  CLOTHES - EMBODIES/LARKSPUR

STYLE THAT'S OF THE EARTH


Make room in the wardrobe -- organic clothing is ready to wear

Kimberly Rider, author and interior designer, in a wrap top made of organic hand-twisted silk, $534, Linda Loudermilk, USA; trousers, organic cotton denim, $244, Linda Loudermilk, USA.
Liz Held of San Rafael wears a bow-tie top of organic cotton, $96, from Peligrosa, topped with shrug made of hand-loomed bamboo, $120, Lara Miller.
On the Cover: Kimberly Rider wears a blue tank tunic of hand-dyed organic linen and organic cotton voile, $270, Tinc.
Nicole MacNaughton wears a black smock made of Seacell, a seaweed-derived fiber, $400, Tinc San Francisco.

Eco-conscious consumers are driving demand for like-minded clothing - and Marin is aiming to please, with a major clothing manufacturer and a growing number of boutiques offering fashion made with the Earth in mind. In this issue, we take a look at what's pretty in green this spring.

SHADES OF SAUSALITO

Organic clothing isn't new, of course. The difference now is greater availability and a wider range of styles as major designers and manufacturers begin heeding consumer demand, among them Sausalito-based CP Shades.

Founded in the late 1970s by Daniel and Denise Weinstein, today CP Shades produces more than 75,000 men's and women's garments annually, including the recently launched 100 percent organic "earth" line, which accounts for approximately 15 percent of the company's business; its sHiRt line is 90 percent organic and accounts for 25 to 30 percent of the total business, says Daniel Weinstein.

No pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, rodenticides, radiation, or genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are used when growing the cotton used in his organic clothing, Weinstein assures.

Not only is CP Shades an Earth-conscious company, it's also a sustainable one: All clothing is made in Sausalito, which contributes to the local economy; and by avoiding the long-distance transportation that offshoring requires, CP Shades is a footprint-friendly manufacturer.

STYLE WITH NATURAL SUBSTANCE

When Kenlynn Wilson opened her Larkspur boutique, Embodies, in January 2007, she thought that women in their 40s would likely be her primary customers. What she discovered was an additional demographic for her all-organic upscale clothing -- "women in their 60s who are looking for stylish fashions that don't pollute the Earth."

Wilson describes eco-clothing as being "gentle on the Earth and fashionable," and she advises that clothing with less impact on the Earth also has less impact on the body -- and that promotes healthier living.

As concerns about pesticides and other chemicals increase, Wilson notes that toxins in conventionally made clothing can be absorbed by the skin. "It takes one-third of a pound of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers to make one T-shirt," she says by way of example.

Designer clothing at Embodies comes in a range of soft-to-the-touch natural fabrics, from organic silk, cashmere, and cotton to bamboo and even seaweed. Some pieces are made from possibly the greenest of options - recycled materials, including denim, army tents, reclaimed hides, and sails.

When possible, Wilson buys from Bay Area designers. She doesn't use plastic in her shop and is working with her suppliers to cut down on its use in packaging. She also makes her own nonpolluting mannequins.

GREEN IN AND OUTSIDE THE SHOP

Typical customers at Valerie Teijero's Fairfax shop, Yeah Baby!, are eco-smart mothers and daughters, and they know what to expect when they drop by.

"You won't find them shopping here for prom dresses or anything that is only worn once," she says. "I try to carry merchandise that has a light carbon footprint" from start to finish.

Teijero, who opened her shop six years ago, looks for clothing and jewelry that is locally designed and manufactured. Some of her merchandise has been recycled for new uses - earrings of old pennies, belts of recycled rubber, rings crafted from vintage buttons. She also offers racks of used and recycled jeans.

Lessons learned from being an eco-facing merchant now define Teijero's outlook beyond her shop: "Clean and green" is her mantra as a member of the Fairfax Chamber of Commerce, where she is working with others to help further green her community by planting more trees and encouraging the use of solar energy.