By Topic :: Blog Postings by Chicago Green Loop :: Conscious Living TV

04.15.11 |Blog

Fun Ways to Spend Earth Day

Spring marks the 41st anniversary of Earth Day, a holiday adopted globally on April 22, 1970 to foster greater levels of environmental awareness and protection. With Chicago’s commitment to being one of the greenest cities in the U.S., there’s no shortage of fun events this season to help you and yours celebrate Mother Earth and learn how to live more sustainably.

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04.08.11 |Blog

Top Eco-Shops in Chicago

Whether you’re a certified tree-hugger or just looking for fun ways to live more sustainably, Chicago’s shopping scene is chock-full of green gems. From eco-fair trade clothing, accessories and one of a kind vintage finds, to cutting-edge environmentally-friendly furniture, Chicago is sure to delight your shopping senses—so get out there and vote with your spending dollars. Happy shopping!

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11.12.10 |News

And the Emmy Goes to...

And the Emmy goes to…Bianca Alexander for Soul of Green on Next TV This week, Soul of Green Correspondent Bianca Alexander, Esq. took home the coveted Chicago/Midwest EMMY for Outstanding Achievement for Individual Excellence on Camera: Programming – Program Host/Moderator/Contributor. The EMMY honored her work on the groundbreaking first season of Soul of Green on nextTV on Saturday, November 6, 2010.

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11.01.10 |Event

The Catwalk Will Never Be The Same

Vert Couture 2010: Sexy & Sustainable With a rising crop of designers around the world creating high-end, environmentally-friendly garments, gone are the days of choosing between high fashion and sustainability. Helping to bridge the gap between both worlds, last week, green TV production company Conscious Planet Media wrapped Chicago Fashion Focus Week with its second-annual Vert Couture eco-fashion show and benefit. With a theme of “Sexy & Sustainable”, this year's show debuted some of the top up and coming eco-friendly, fair trade designers in Chicago and beyond. Profits from this charitable event benefited Chicago Gateway Green, an environmental non-profit dedicated to planting 15,000 trees by the year 2015.

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10.01.10 |Event

Chicago Fashion Week Goes Green! Sunday October 24th

Mercedes Benz of Chicago Presents: Vert Couture, Sexy & Sustainable Eco-Conscious Fashion Show and Benefit. As part of Chicago’s commitment to becoming the greenest city in the U.S., Conscious Living TV, Mercedes Benz of Chicago and Chicago Gateway Green are pleased to present the second annual eco-fashion experience, Vert Couture, as a culmination to Chicago Fashion Focus 2010. Vert Couture is an eco-conscious runway show and charity event benefiting Chicago Gateway Green. The catwalk will feature the SS2011 lines of some of Chicago’s top sustainable and fair trade designers, including: Modahnik, 71Jules, Crescendo Apparel, Vintage Style by Bryant McLemore Smith and sustainable jewelry and accessories by Choosy Jewels by Manny B. & Susan Pool, Fanta Celah, and Sophia Forero. Mohop Shoes and Kailia Footwear will equip the runway with conscious, fabulous footwear. Karyn’s on Green, Chicago’s pre-eminent luxury vegan restaurant, will provide the cuisine for the VIP Reception, with sustainable, gluten-free, ultra premium cocktails by Krome Vodka. Kehoe Designs will provide sustainable and fabulous decor. Native Energy will offset all carbon generated from the event. Invited celebrities include: Oprah, Cindy Crawford, Christie Hefner, Anna Getty, Alicia Silverstone, Amy Smart, Vince Vaughn, Ginger Zee (confirmed), Joffrey Ballet's Fabrice, IL Governor Pat Quinn & Chicago Mayor Daley.

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10.01.10 |Blog

Balancing the Scales

The true cost of cheap fashion and the case for Fair Trade. According to the Department of Labor, over half of the garment factories in the United States are sweatshops. The popularity of sweatshops began at the turn of the 20th century, as consumer demand rose for trendy but inexpensive off-the-rack clothing. Given the difficulty of mechanizing the clothing manufacture process, cheap human labor was needed to produce more garments by hand. Manufacturers reacted by outsourcing production globally to countries like Asia for low-wage, union-free “sweatshop” contractors, allowing them to cut costs and increase profits at the expense of human labor.

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09.01.10 |Blog

Keep Loving Each Other

For some children, heading back to school is about more than saying goodbye to summer, stocking up on school supplies and deciding what to wear the first day of school; it’s about returning to violence. Last year, 39 Chicago Public School students were murdered. Local teen violence made national news when 16-year old honor student Darrien Albert was beaten to death during a gang fight on his way home from school. The entire incident was filmed and posted on YouTube, which put Chicago on the map as a hotbed for youth violence.

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07.15.10 |News

Seeds of Change

There’s a shocking statistic in the city of Chicago: over 600,000 of our 2.8-plus million residents live in so-called “food deserts.” Local food policy consultant Mari Gallagher’s groundbreaking reports on food deserts have helped put our city on the map as a national focal point for food disparities. According to Gallagher, food deserts are neighborhoods where residents lack access to fresh, healthy produce. In Chicago, the majority of food desert residents are African-American women and children.

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06.16.10 |News

Guaranteed Green: Chicago’s Green Restaurant Co-Op Sets the Bar High for The Windy City Food Industry

Chicago’s food scene is going green--one restaurant at a time. A destination known worldwide for its decadent cuisine, the windy city will soon be recognized for having some of the greenest restaurants in the U.S. This summer, the Green Chicago Restaurant Co-op launched the Guaranteed Green Restaurant certification program. The Co-op was formed last year in order to provide a clear path for Chicago restaurants to become more environmentally friendly, and a way for consumers to choose to dine green when eating out. The Guaranteed Green program launched with an inaugural class of twenty of Chicago’s finest restaurants, including celebrity chef Rick Bayless’ world-famous Frontera Grill, and local favorites like Uncommon Ground and the Bleeding Heart Bakery. To qualify for Guaranteed Green certification, each restaurant must demonstrate adherence to a rigorous checklist of sustainability practices, including the purchase of eco-friendly food, cleaning products, serviceware, furnishings and environmentally-friendly management of energy, waste, and water.

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05.01.10 |Blog

Do Black and Green Go Together?

What’s a black girl from the Nation’s Capital (aka: the Chocolate City) care about compact fluorescent light bulbs, reforestation in the Brazilian rainforest, or endangered wolf packs in Colorado? Had you met me ten years ago, I would’ve told you “not a damn thing!” But today, I stand proudly as an advocate for renewable energy, toxin-free personal care products, and organic food for the masses.

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