Hundreds of homes could be weatherized with just over $4 million in funds coming to the north country from the recently passed federal stimulus package. The Community Action Planning Council of Jefferson County, St. Lawrence Community Development Program and Lewis County Opportunities will receive $1,664,797, $1,993,329, and $457,140 respectively. The U.S. Department of Energy Weatherization Assistance Program will distribute $5 billion to the states under the stimulus plan, with $394,686,513 going to New York. The three north country agencies are still awaiting their contracts, but they are expected soon from the Energy Department.TIMES STAFF WRITERFRIDAY, MAY 8, 2009
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Boardroom Eco Apparel on display at a Rio Rain store in West Vancouver. (Justina Wheale/The Epoch Times)
Vancouver, a city famous for its abundance of cherry blossoms, is now becoming known for another spring event: EPIC, the hot sustainability consumer lifestyle show that just keeps getting bigger and better.
Slated to take place at the new Vancouver Convention Centre this weekend, western Canada’s only green consumer tradeshow and eco-marketplace will host over 300 exhibitors, up from 200 last year.
EPIC provides a perfect showcase for people such as Mark Trotzuk who, with his environmentally responsible clothing line, has raised the bar for green standards in fashion.
Trotzuk’s Boardroom Eco Apparel has recently been awarded “Bluesign” certification, the highest standard possible for environmental preservation in the textile industry.
Boardroom Eco Apparel also happens to be the first—and only—company selling Bluesign-approved garments at the retail level in all of North America.
Bluesign is a global independent auditor based in Switzerland that monitors every step of the textile production cycle to ensure that it meets the highest environmental standards possible with the lowest environmental impact.
Trotzuk uses materials such as organic cotton, bamboo, recycled polyester, and tree pulp to name just a few. But to be Bluesign-approved, a company also has to adhere to strict requirements throughout the entire manufacturing process, taking into consideration water, chemical and energy usage, and workers’ health and safety.
He says most environmental damage occurs during the manufacturing process rather than from the actual materials used, an important point that is often misunderstood or overlooked by consumers and companies that claim to be “green.”
“Nobody understands that it’s mostly about [safe use of] water, chemicals and energy, because the biggest impact to the environment is during the dying and finishing phase of the textile. Eighty percent of the damage to the environment happens there. It’s not about cultivating an organic fiber or processing bamboo, it’s about the dying and finishing of the fabric itself,” Trotzuk explained.
Bluesign’s standards evaluate resource productivity, water emissions, air emissions, and occupational health and safety. This means every component of the garments are Bluesign-approved, from the fabric and the thread to zippers, labels and trim.
Trotzuk studied agricultural economics at the University of British Columbia and has a background in clothing manufacturing and design. After the birth of his first child, and realizing how harmful the clothing industry was to the environment and to future generations, he decided to take responsibility and began converting his existing clothing line to meet Bluesign standards.
Boardroom Eco Apparel is the first and only company selling Bluesign-approved garments at the retail level in North America. (Justina Wheale/The Epoch Times)
He says Vancouverites are very environmentally aware and therefore “more cautious about what they purchase,” which pushed him to raise his own standards.
“They ask the hard questions. They ask where the material comes from, who made it, what’s in it, was it made of a renewable resource… So what I’ve been up against in changing my business to being more sustainable is to be more transparent. I have to make sure I have all of my documents in place.”
He notes that although the green movement has become mainstream, there is a wide definition of what actually constitutes being green.
“Companies can claim all they want, but then somebody like me comes out with a standard that is so much higher than everybody else, and people find out about that standard and they look at the other guy and say, ‘Good on you for trying to do 10 percent organic cotton, that’s better than zero; however you need to improve and you need to get better.’”
Trotzuk hopes that by leading the industry in the highest and most exemplary eco-safe practices, his example will encourage other businesses to raise their standards as well.
“We keep pushing the envelope… which will push [other companies] to that standard, and that’s how we’ll get there… It’s about educating people and letting them know that [being environmentally safe involves] more than meets the eye. And then you let the consumer decide, you educate them and let them determine what is equal and what is not equal.”
Boardroom Eco Apparel can be found at Trotzuk’s three Rio Rain stores at locations in West Vancouver, Richmond, and Kelowna.
EPIC (Ethical Progressive Intelligent Consumer) is produced by The GLOBE Foundation, a Vancouver-based, non-profit organization dedicated to finding practical business-oriented solutions to the world's environmental problems.
EPIC will take place at the Vancouver Convention Centre in Canada Place from May 8-10. Tickets are available at the door or online at www.epicvancouver.com/Buy_tickets.aspx.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of the EPIC Sustainable Living Expo.
Fri, May 8, 2009
Headline, Residential