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Sustainable Fashion

Episode 157 Garik Himebaugh, Eco-Stylist

Garik and Marianne are exploring the world of fashion. Did you know that the average American throws away 80 lbs of clothing per year? That is right - not donate - throw away.

If all the clothing is recycled instead of discarded, the impact is greater than all plastic and glass recycling combined.

These are just some topics we touched on during the interview.

Garik Himebaugh in His Words

clothing

Garik is the founder of Eco-Stylist, a stylishly curated collection of eco-conscious menswear. 

3 years ago he quit his corporate job to start chasing his fears, with his long-term dream of starting a social venture. Fear chasing lead him to the University of Iowa where he pursued an MBA and got the chance to push against many fears, including practicing public speaking, taking an acting class, and rock climbing.

This May he completed the MBA, but instead of pursuing full-time work, he took the leap and led Eco-Stylist through the startup accelerator at the University of Iowa, and is now bootstrapping the company fulltime from Iowa City, IA.

He helps men find clothes that look good and make a positive impact, while also sharing knowledge about sustainable buying habits, recycling your clothes, and much more. 

Some Discussion Highlights

Garik has a degree in peace studies. He left University with the dream to some day, after he had made a lot of money, to start a social conscious company.

He started working in Real Estate which was not making him happy. In fact, it let to, what he calls, a quarter life crisis at the age of 25.

There was only one solution. He challenged himself to overcome the fears that held him back and to try out all kinds of new experiences.

Back in college, he encountered a vibrant entrepreneur community. For one of the projects he did for his degree, he did a lot of customer discovery. That means that he interviewed a lot of people about their buying habits.

One thing became very clear to him. A lot of men do not like shopping!

Meeting the owner of Adelante Shoe Company ultimately sent him in the direction he is pursuing now.

He saw shoes that were beautiful. They were durable and made from sustainable materials. And, the best part, the artisans handcrafting the shoes are paid living wages.

Garik realized that he didn't have to wait to fulfill his dream of working in a social conscious field.

  • He knew that men hate to shop for clothing (for the most part)
  • He knew that men needed help finding clothing that fit their needs and style
  • He knew that it is not easy to research companies to see if they are as sustainable as they say they are.
  • He knew that much clothing ends up in the landfill - some not even worn once. That is creating a big problem.
  • He knew that he could provide a great service.

During our conversation, we explored all of that and much more. Including what we can do to shop sustainable, to avoid adding clothing to the landfill, and what kind of services Garik's Eco-Stylist company offers.

clothing

Sustainable Companies

Podcasts focused on Sustainable Fashion

Other Resources

Research Resources:

Movies:

  • The True Cost: Documentary available on Netflix

Eco-Stylist Recycling Article:

clothing

How to Reach Garik

Website:

Instagram:

  • @yourecostylist

Instagram Challenge

If you are on Instagram, we challenge you to post pictures of your sustainable clothing. Extra bonus for clothing you found in a thrift store and adapted to your style.

And show us creative uses for clothing you no longer want.

Make sure to tag @sustainablelivingpodcast and @yourecostylist

The Sustainable Podcast

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Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarianneEWest

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCA73SuaMBnBIaB5OdiL_y6Q

Other Podcasts You Might Like

http://sustainablelivingpodcast.com/online-clothes-swap-help-bees/
http://sustainablelivingpodcast.com/rise-organic-fair-trade-clothing/

A Blog on Dressing more Sustainable

http://sustainablelivingpodcast.com/5-steps-dressing-sustainably/

Teri Page – Homesteading with Children

 

Episode 154

Homesteading with Children - Teri Page

Homesteading with children has been Teri's normal. They were homesteading when their children were born and they continued homesteading after - only now incorporating the children in the daily tasks as is age appropriate. That might mean carrying the baby on the back while tending to the garden and animals or scheduling certain tasks around naptime.  Read More

Emily’s Zero Waste Tips

Episode 151

Zero Waste Tips

by Emily Gerde

Today, I am going to share zero waste tips with you. The zero waste movement it growing in stride, so this podcast gives you ways I have aimed for zero waste in my home but more importantly, resources of experts who are really committed to the movement. Zero waste is much easier in larger cities but several companies are catching on and communities are coming together for the common goal of minimizing waste in the community.

The hardest way to eliminate our waste for our family is food packaging. There are a few zero waste grocery stores across the country, but they don’t necessarily have chemical free or organic food, but it’s still a step in the right direction. Find a Store near you on this amazing website https://www.litterless.com/wheretoshop/.  When talking zero waste the best way to start it to see what your local recycling center excepts and actually recycles. You will be surprised to know what they can’t recycle such as certain plastics and you can donate things like yogurt cups, cardboard rolls, etc to your local pre-schools, schools, art teachers, churches, etc. Another great way to move toward zero waste is to use compostable or paper bags and garbage bags or better yet none at all. We have done all three options. Here is an option for compostable bags we like http://biobagusa.com/.

Another way to take steps toward zero waste is eliminating as much food packaging as possible. We can do this by buying in bulk when possible. Many grocery stores have it where you can bring your own mason jar and pour the bulk food into the mason jars. Several also have the option to refill things like soap, nut butters, baking soda, detergents, etc. You can also support the up and coming industries of hemp and mushroom plastics that biodegrade and are much safer. Below are articles to read up more on these two alternatives.  You can get involved in supporting these types of business and non-profits by going to your local sustainability expo.

Please share your zero waste tips with us!

Plastic Alternatives

https://www.greenbatch.com/blog/2017/10/10/mushrooms-an-ecological-alternative-to-plastics

https://daily.jstor.org/company-uses-mushrooms-grows-plastic-alternatives/

https://ministryofhemp.com/blog/why-isnt-hemp-plastic-everywhere/

http://hempwaterbottles.tripod.com/what-is-hemp-plastic.html

https://sustainableamerica.org/resources

Zero Waste International Alliance

http://zwia.org/

Zero Waste Nerd

https://zerowastenerd.com/

Sound Resource Management

http://zerowaste.com/sound-resource-management-studies-and-reports/

Zero Waste Marin  (although this is specific to a location…still has great ideas)

https://zerowastemarin.org/residents/zero-waste-resources/

Grass Roots Recycling Network

http://www.grrn.org/page/what-zero-waste

  You might also enjoy this podcast http://sustainablelivingpodcast.com/097-zero-waste-shampoo/  

Immaculate Cowception

Episode 148

Immaculate Cowception - What?

Cowception? What is that? That is a very good question and I am not going to tell you. Claire is in this short podcast and I highly recommend that you all are going to listen. Let me say that much. There were wildfires involved that came way to close for comfort - and, of course, cows. Read More

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