Eco Citizen San Francisco, CA

After a couple of years on the west coast I packed my bags and moved back to the east coast. It was a last minute decision and I can’t quite remember what spurred the move. I have no regrets about returning home. Still, despite being near family and having both Philadelphia andNew York Cit in close proximity, there are so many things about the Bay Area I miss. And it hasn’t even been a full week since my return home!

Like a typical Jerseyteen I spent much time driving from one mall to the other. The Bay Area doesn’t really breed teased hair mall walkers, instead there are boutiques nestled between organic bakeries and vegan cafes. There are three cars in my driveway and they’re all SUVs. No Priuses and hardly an effort to car pool, though like many east coast families living in a fairly metropolitan area we all work 12 hour days and hardly have time to shop for organic food, let alone drop someone off and pick them up in an effort to save gas.

It’s a frazzled lifestyle I have been absent from for two years. I had to separate the trash the other day because no one around here received the memo about cardboard being recyclable. It’s quite unnerving to return to an area I’m so familiar with yet feel so disconnected from.

The Green movement has taken the west coast by storm, while it seems the north east corridor I call home, a notoriously fast paced arena, is slow to keep up with the Joneses.

Joslin Arsdale is one of those Joneses. Arsd ale has an impressive resume traversing different facets of fashion and art, her most recent post before opening Eco Citizen was as a Gallery Director in New   Mexicowhere she promoted emerging photographers. Arsdale left her position in order to start creating a boutique inSan Francisco, an area that is known for its dedication to maintaining a green lifestyle.

In October of 2007 Arsdale opened a shop of clothes hung on bamboo hangers and folded onto bamboo tables. The merchandise hanging and folded is not only fair-trade and sweatshop free but mostly organic. In an SF Chronicle interview Arsdale mused, "It's thinking about the real cost of things - how much was that person who made that jacket paid, and how did it get here?"

Let’s be real though. . .anyone can open an eco-friendly boutique. The proof has to be in that vegan pudding, right? It sure is! Though the success of the boutique is based largely on its social and environmental consciousness, the crux of the business is the fashion.

Designers like  Kelly B use 100% organic cotton, meaning no pesticides or other toxic chemicals. Kelly B also uses other organic and natural fibers like bamboo .

Del Forte Denim is another fabulous eco-conscious label. Their denim is luxurious and sleek .  Their company “interprets luxury as a combination of distinctive design and ethical production” which is why they use only organic fibers.

One of the coolest and most innovative designs Eco-Citizen carries is Noon Solar Bags.  Besides using natural dyes on their bags made of materials that can be buried in the backyard and deteriorate without harming the environment, there are solar panels built into the bags. Keep your bag in a window while you’re not using it and the panels will collect enough light to charge your iPod or cell phone! If you’re ready to dispose of the bag in your garden just take out the panels and recycle or reuse them. WOW!

If you’re weary of going green because you fear you’ll turn into one of those tree dwelling hippies from Berkeley, believe me, an east coaster, someone close to the epi-center of fashion, Eco Citizen will change your mind about what means to go green.

Comments

[Carlina]

Lindsay have you really left the Bay? I am glad you are still writing for BH though! Good luck in the East Coast, I am sorta jealous, I wish I lived in NYC.