This is exciting! My first fashion review!

My ever-perfect wife Andi (of the nation’s premier ethical-apparel store, Arboretum) brought home to me a new pair of black pants by Edun. Owned by the ever-righteous Bono, Edun is, according to its website, “founded on the premise of trade, not aid as a means of building sustainable communities. The company works on a micro-level to help build the skill sets of the factories where the clothes are produced.”

I own a few Edun pieces, but never before had I sported the pants (Omega Twill Chinos), as I’m a Rag & Bone man to the core (my all-time favorite men’s line - also available at Arboretum, btw). And while I love you, Bono, these pants pretty much suck hard. The fit is fine for a skinny bastard like me, but two massive complaints:

UNO: No belt loops. While this is absolutely rad in a pair of women’s pants, it’s a joke for men. Men are generally bigger (though at 6′1″/165 I’m not exactly massive) and fluctuate in actual pounds more than do women. This means we need belts to make adjustments for those days when our bowel movements are exceedingly large. Without a belt loop, I have days where they fit just right and others where I can’t wear them.

DOS: The front “pockets” are laughable! They’re deep enough to hold six, maybe seven Tic Tacs. Try putting a mobile phone or a money clip in there and you’re bound to be frustrated. After some work, I did manage to squeeze my money clip in, but it came popping out whenever I sat down. Oddly enough, shallow front pockets are another feature commonly found in women’s pants. I suspect women are quite concerned with maintaining nice lines in front. Most men need those pockets to put things in. Hence the pocket in the first place. I won’t even get into the ‘flying wings’ that are the back pocket flaps. When I have time I’m going to unstitch them by hand.

There are darned good reasons clothes are built differently for boys and girls. The reason is called gender-differentiated ergonomic requirements. Whoever is designing for Edun seems to live in a fantasy world where men and women have identical builds and social requirements.

Bono, if you’re out there, I’m rooting for your line. Your wife’s line. I’m rooting for just about everything you do. I highly respect the noble mission that you’ve set out to achieve with the Edun line. The Africa-to-Africa production cycle is fantastic.

I’m sure my wife and her partner are going to be aghast that I’ve given a less than glowing review to a product they carry. However, my duty is to be honest. And, honestly, these pants are shite. Bono - pick up the phone and call Rag & Bone. Maybe they can loan out their designer.

[tags]africa, arboretum, bono, clothing, pants, rag & bone, bono[/tags]

Not my typical fare (for this blog, at least), but as this article isn’t getting enough press in the U.S., I feel compelled to point you to it, dearest reader, lest you’ve not paid attention lately to the horrific disease that may well claim a number of those close to you:

WORLD LOSING FIGHT AGAINST AIDS

Is AIDS an environmental concern? Absolutely. Environmental degradation leads to environmental poverty leads to physical poverty equals lack of education, sanitation and medical facilities all of which contribute to rampant HIV/AIDS. Further, HIV/AIDS increases physical poverty which exacerbates environmental degradation. Yes, this is an overly-simplified loop but it’s accurate in its rough sketch.

[tags]africa, AIDS, poverty[/tags]

Over at the great and grand Treehugger site, Lester Brown is posting a series of articles entitled “Plan B Budget” in which he lays out how to create and manage a budget that will eradicate poverty and stabilize global populations. As you know, doing so will take a huge strain off the environment. Brown is, as many of you know, my eco-hero. When he talks, I listen. I’m hoping you will, too.

Follow this link to the Treehugger article.

This just in from the Earth Policy Institute:

**********************
Earth Policy Institute
Plan B 2.0 Book Byte
For Immediate Release
April 3, 2007

PLAN B BUDGET FOR ERADICATING POVERTY AND STABILIZING POPULATION

http://www.earth-policy.org/Books/Seg/PB2ch07_intro.htm

Lester R. Brown

The twenty-first century began on an inspiring note when the countries that belong to the United Nations adopted the goal of cutting the number of people living in poverty in half by 2015. And as of 2005, the world is ahead of schedule for reaching this goal. There are two big reasons for this: China and India. China’s economic growth of 9 percent a year over the last quarter-century and India’s acceleration to close to 6 percent a year over the last decade are together lifting hundreds of millions out of poverty.

In China, the number of people living in poverty dropped from 648 million in 1981 to 218 million in 2001, the greatest reduction in poverty in history. India is also making impressive progress on the economic front. Under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who took office in 2004, poverty is being attacked directly by upgrading infrastructure at the village level. Targeted investments are aimed at the poorest of the poor. If the international community actively reinforces this effort in reform-minded India, hundreds of millions more could be lifted out of poverty.
Read the rest of this entry »

Finished two great books on my recent trip to Los Angeles, both of which I HIGHLY recommend to anyone interested in the economics of a sustainable future. Yeah, I know - economics is not a sexy topic and considering the fact that I am a very sexy man, it’s a bit of a conundrum for me to even mention un-sexiness, for fear of contamination. Nevertheless, I present to you:

1. The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Times - Jeffrey Sachs One hot little read. Even has a forward by Bono that essentially elevates Sachs to and far beyond that of rock star. That is, Bono implores us to consider Sachs one of the real heroes, to not waste our time idolizing icons who are devoid of real worth. In the book, Sachs details how the World Bank and various governments and organizations can immediately reduce global poverty. Doing so would, of course, mightily lessen our incredible depletion of the Earth’s natural resources. If you don’t follow this logic, don’t worry - it’s all in the book.

2. Banker to the Poor - Muhummad Yunus

Recent Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Muhummad Yunus’ story about the founding of his incredible Grameen Bank details the perseverance of a man who quickly learned that traditional poverty fighting tactics are thoroughly flawed. His account is rather inspiring in that it demonstrates the rapidity with which massive change can take place, once plotted and executed. Rather than try to give a review when others have done a much better job of this (click the book’s link), I’ll simply urge you to pick up a copy and read it.

When many think of Ethiopia, one of the poorest african nations, they likely don’t think of a nation that devotes much energy to the creation of a well-thought sustainability plan. Well, that depends on your definition of the nebulous term “sustainable”.

Take a peek at the IMF’s report: Ethiopia - Sustainability and Poverty Reduction Program, PDF file linked below. It’s not your typical view of sustainability, but it reminds us how much basic work many nations have to do (and how much we need to help them via loan cancellations and other measures) before they can even consider the luxury of devoting resources to tackling climate change.

IMF ETHIOPIA REPORT

The great thing about the internet is that it draws awareness to so many great causes. Unfortunately, that attention is all too fleeting. That’s why, even though Kiva.org was all the rage in the blogosphere just a few short months ago, I feel it necessary to bring it up again.

Organizations like Kiva.org organize microlending programs the help the poorest onto the first rung of the ladder of economic growth. The more of the extreme poor that can be brought to the level of sustainable existence, the better it is for the global economy and the environment.

I recently read a great piece, “Millions for Millions,” in the New Yorker. The article discusses the burgeoning world of microlending/microfinance, it’s key players, and the divide between for-profit and non-profit organizations who are pioneering the business model. The non-profit icon is Nobel winner Muhammed Yunus, whose Grameen Bank has helped countless people achieve economic independence. In the for-profit world, we have eBay pioneer Pierre Omidyar, whose adherence to Adam Smith’s economic principles is unrelenting. In short, Pierre believes that profitable lending institutions are more likely to spread, therefore giving greater opportunity to the largest number of people whereas Muhammed rocks the “profiting off the extreme poor is kind of evil” ideology.

KIVA is a great, small example of yet another approach, that of peer-to-peer lending. Take another look.

The photo above is of Aggrey Kasango of Uganda who is using the $800 supplied by a group of 30 different investors to expand the scope of his business of buying and selling assorted grains. There are many Aggrey Kasangos out there. Why not loan them twenty bucks right now? You’ll get your money back and these individuals and their families will be one step closer to a sustainable future.

Lester Brown of the Earth Policy Institute, in a brief interview with American Public Media has declared that the U.S. government has vastly underestimated the demand for corn by the ethanol industry. Brown warns that this will lead to higher costs at not only U.S. supermarkets but around the world. You can listen/read to Brown’s statement HERE.
In short, Brown asserts that the current ethanol production model pits the fuel industry against the world’s poorest individuals in a bidding war for food. It doesn’t take an economics wizard to predict who will win that battle. It’s also pretty clear what the impact will be of the inflated costs of basic nutritional staples.

For more details on the ethanol debate, check out Earth Policy Institute’s release, posted today, titled “DISTILLERY DEMAND FOR GRAIN TO FUEL CARS VASTLY UNDERSTATED.” Even better, read Chapter 2 of Brown’s “Plan B 2.0″. You can access the text for free, online HERE.

It’s very odd. The most horrific genocide in the past sixty years is developing, but nary a soul seems to give a damn. Where is Israel on this? Where is our Superhero, Al Gore?

No, only George Clooney is sounding off on the Darfur/Chad genocide. The man is meeting with the Egyptian government to plead for sanity. Unlike many eco-warriors, he clearly sees the link between the Darfur strife and environmental catastrophe AND he is willing to try to do something about it: ARTICLE LINK HERE

Updated ARTICLE LINK IS HERE.

Call me crazy, but I’d cast my vote for Clooney before Gore any day of the week. Not to disparage Gore, but I feel that Clooney has more integrity.

[tags]al-gore, george-clooney, darfur, genocide[/tags]

This is so much more than pathetic. From the UNHCR, no less. Do we have NO leadership, anywhere on the globe?

CLICK HERE FOR ARTICLE