Meet Shana Yansen: Jute & Jackfruit

“Ask, ‘How can this be done better?’ Then do it better.”
Jute and Jackfruit founder, Shana Yansen, once squeezed a scorpion to death with her bare hands. How could we not interview her?

Okay, first things first. The question we ask everyone: how would you explain your business to a five year old?
We sell clothing, jewelry and gifts that are good for the environment, but we also help the people around the world that make them. I also write two blogs.

Do you think a five year old would know what a blog is?
Depends on the five year old, but some are probably “tweeting” already.

What are your blogs about?
My company blog highlights the designers, products and the mission of Jute & Jackfruit. My other blog Green Cotton is focused on raising awareness about the importance of organic versus conventional agriculture, plus eco-fashion and organic textiles.

OK, before we move on, tell us about this scorpion and could it possibly have any relationship to Jute & Jackfruit?
Well, years ago while I was living in Honduras, I accidentally grabbed (and crushed) a scorpion in my hand. The scorpion happened to be hidden in the mosquito net I was folding. I will never forget that moment, nor the hours of sheer numbness that followed. However, I would also add that while there were many life-changing and memorable moments during my service in the Peace Corps in Honduras (including the scorpion!), that it was working with local women’s groups and artisans that impacted me the most, and that first led to the idea for Jute & Jackfruit.

So, you’re probably a little too familiar with all of the “green washing” out there. As a genuine eco-conscious business owner, what do you do to reduce Jute & Jackfruit’s global footprint?
At Jute & Jackfruit, we source organic and sustainable fabrics for our clothing, and we also place strict environmental (and fair trade) criteria on the jewelry and accessories we carry. For example, one of our core clothing designers is Indigenous, a pioneer in fair trade and certified organic cotton knits. A good environmentally sustainable example in our jewelry collection is AnnaBuilt, which is handmade by Brooklyn-based artist Anna Johansson from unique, recycled metals. We also have Nahui Ollin handbags made from factory over-run and misprinted candy wrappers.

Wow, candy wrappers? How does that work?
Using Mayan weaving techniques, the designer handbags are woven by Mexican artisans using wrappers that would otherwise be burned or sent to a landfill. We have some great photography on our Web site.

Speaking of wrappers, I know packaging is a big issue for eco-conscious retailers. How do you handle it?
We spent months trying to find eco-friendly packaging materials! Our postcards, clothing tags and other materials are all made on recycled paper, most of which are Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified. We also source recycled content gift-wrapping, such as tissue paper, boxes and ribbon. We use biodegradable plastic bags for garments (when additional bags are needed to protect from the elements) and recycle our boxes for shipping. We are also developing reusable fabric gift wrap for the holidays made from over-run and unused fabrics. In general, we are constantly looking into ways to reduce our impact. We are currently exploring carbon-offsetting for our shipping among other initiatives.

Impressive! Now, how about as an individual?
I started riding a bicycle last year and ride it almost everywhere now, including trips to the grocery store with my pannier bags. I also gave up water bottles and improved my recycling habits. For the last few years, my husband and I have participated in a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). This year, we joined Picadilly Farm, a New Hampshire-based farm that has a local pick-up location. We really make a conscious effort to shop locally.

What habit was surprisingly easy to change … and what was the hardest?
The easiest to change was bringing my own bags to the grocery store and other places; the hardest was giving up water bottles. As someone who has always been an avid water drinker and is frequently on the go, I used to grab a disposable plastic bottle and go. With consistent and conscious effort, I gradually moved away from this practice. I stopped buying bottles and now bring a reusable Sigg or bicycle bottle with me.

I love my Sigg water bottle, too. In fact, I got it at D2E last year. Which segues nicely into our last question: why did you decide to participate in D2E?
My experience with similar green events is that they provide wonderful opportunities to strengthen the local eco-conscious community, and I believe D2E will do that for the Boston area. Plus, my impression is that D2E is going to be a fun-filled weekend with a remarkable line up of speakers, videos and events—including the eco-fashion shows, eco-living seminars, tasty organic marketplace and green-conscious exhibitors.

You are exactly right.

Interview by Anna Goldsmith of The Hired Pens

Tags: boston, eco fashion, Fashion, local

A local business and church making a difference

Anton Cleaners are accepting winter jackets. They clean them and then pass them on to someone that needs it.

This morning on the way to work I stopped at my local Anton Cleaners to drop off an old winter jacket. It was in great shape, but just did not fit me right. No matter how much I like to think I am still a small, I really need to wear a medium these days. So it felt great to know that this slightly used jacket was going to be cleaned and then given to someone who needs it. While there I noticed that they have an eco-clean program. So here is an example of a local business that is thinking about the community and the earth.

We at D2E love to hear about our local organizations pitching in to help the greater community. Sustainable living is about everything – not just “going green”. It’s about people and business and how we all affect one another.

I came across another great local effort from one of our local Unitarian Churches. I grew up a UU and I learned a lot about community with our church.

Learn about the growing green economy

Join UU Mass Action and the Boston Green Justice Coalition this Sat to kick off an exciting and innovation campaign to ensure that our region’s growing green economy will create quality jobs, healthier communities and energy savings for low-income residents.

Saturday, December 6th @ 10:00am
Twelfth Baptist Church Roxbury (150 -160 Warren St.)

Green Jobs are a major component of the UU commitment to address the effects of Global Warming. Please support this coalition in their efforts to realize this goal in Boston. The Green Justice Coalition is a partnership of community groups, labor unions, environmental organizations and other allied organizations who are building a broad-based effort in support of a sustainable, equitable and clean energy economy in the Boston region.

For more information, please visit our website: uumassaction.org

Tags: business, green jobs, local, sustainable

I’m thankful for conscious fashion

Deborah Lindquist, available at Suneri in Davis Square.

On the week of thanksgiving one might consider it odd to blog about fashion. But I have learned through life that fashion is about more than being trendy. Fashion is an important aspect of our culture. Fashion helps define us as individuals and as a community. Fashion matters.

This past week I attended a fashion show at Simmons College that was titled Fashion with Impact. The theme was sustainability and I loved that they talked about entrepreneurship as well. We can’t expect change to just happen, we have to be a part of it. Each person can figure out what that means to them, but it is important for all of us to be engaged. The simple act of choosing only to buy from responsible companies, to shop locally as much as possible and to be thoughtful about purchases makes a difference.

On a personal note, while in college I did not put any thought into what I wore. I was so concerned with my studies, that I did not want to spend an inkling of time contemplating my wardrobe. I did not see the value in caring about my appearance. That seemed shallow to me. What mattered was what was inside of me.

That all changed when I studied developing countries and I learned about Ghandi. One of the lessons I took directly from Ghandi’s book is the importance of our outward appearance. The morning after I read that passage I decided to wake up a bit early, wash my hair and wear something other than work-out clothes. Since that day I have found that feeling good about my appearance helps me in other aspects of my life. I began to feel more confident socially and this helped me significantly when it came time to look for work in the “real world”. Now fashion is a way for me to cultivate my image as a small business owner, and an individual. I chose styles that reflect my creativity while choosing fabrics and brands that reflect my values.

So on this Thanksgiving holiday I am thankful to Ghandi for setting me straight. When he said  “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” he was not just talking about voting and volunteering. The daily decisions we make about the clothes on our back and the food we eat are just as important.

Shannon Glasheen, a local designer, makes the old new again.

Tags: boston, deborah lindquist, design, eco fashion, Fashion, local, local fashion, shannon glasheen

Policies for our future

Sometimes we have to be told what to do. As stated in earlier posts, we are learning how important policy is to our future. And though responsible businesses are taking the lead, we need policy to make everyone play nice in the sandbox.

Since it is difficult for the normal person, busy trying to make a living, to keep up with what is going on in our local governments, D2E is working to organize a panel discussion on policy. We want to create a forum for citizens to listen to and speak with their policy makers. The goal is to shed light on how our government can help us move faster towards a more sustainable world. Town, city, state, national and international policy makers have to step up to the plate and help us move forward. What have we done? What are we in the process of doing? And what should we do? Unfortunately the US is behind the game compared with other developed countries, but I have faith that we can catch up.

In today’s Globe I read an article by Erin Ailworth:

Under an ordinance set to be considered by Boston city councilors today, commercial waste haulers could lose their licenses if they don’t offer recycling services to customers. …. “If there’s an area that we can improve in, it would be recycling,” said City Councilor Michael P. Ross, who drafted the proposal.

Go Michael! I love hearing that elected officials are taking their responsibilities seriously. This is great news. Our cities have to make these rules, otherwise it might never happen.

Tags: boston, globe, Government, local, officials

Vermont was green before green was cool

Though we normally blog about changing habits, great sustainable businesses and organizations that are making a difference – this is a little human interest entry from the office of D2E.

Like all small business owners, we never stop working. Even while we are relaxing over the weekend we will be reading up on the latest sustainable topics or reviewing blogs and talking to people about our mission. On Sunday Oct 5, during the 50 states in 50 days tour, Good Morning America came to Killington, VT. Ted and I spend a lot of time up in Vermont, so when we heard that this was happening we decided to try our first attempt at Guerilla marketing. What the heck? Right? My grandfather’s voice was in the back of my head saying “There aint no free lunches Missy” but I shrugged if off for the excitement and rush of my smiling face and our website being on the screen while America watches the weather report.

So we made a sign – a simple sign – that had the D2E website url on it, and nothing more. I figured that if someone was going to get a glance of it, it should be clear and to the point. I don’t watch much TV myself, so I was not sure what size the sign should be… I realized upon arrival that we had made the muthuh of all signs. It was big.

I was able to get into the front row of people that would be standing behind Marisol the weather woman. I decided to use the small sign, since I was up front – and Ted took the big sign to the back. I could see my sign in the monitor that was facing us, so I was sure that I was successful. I strategically put my sign right next to the little girl next to me, thinking the camera would be attracted to her cute face. Reveling in my success, I easily ignored the pain in my knees from kneeling on jagged rocks for an hour while we waited for the two minutes of live TV that we had.

After the weather report, I met up with Ted again only to learn that he was in the back of the crowd with our big sign, holding it above people’s heads while they were filming. Apparently he was doing this while they asked us to keep our signs down, so he was scolded and asked to leave. Ted started to really like this guerilla marketing stuff.

In the end, we did not get on national television. They cropped us out! The nerve. But all was not in vein, we did make it to the front page of the Rutland Herald in VT. : )

Considering this was our first attempt we felt that it was a success and it definitely was good fun. The whole crew at GMA was great and Wendy, the producer of the Vermont segment, did a great job. I think they enjoyed their time at the peak as well.

On another note, one of my fellow sign holders was wearing a beautiful IBEX jacket.

Tags: human interest, local, promotion, small business, vermont

Citizen Democracy; taking action

MY NEIGHBORHOOD – before taking action
(The trash bag is what I used to collect all of the trash)

The more I learn, the less I know. This is part of the curse of working on Down:2:Earth. I keep learning about more issues that inspire me to change. And change is something we humans don’t do so easily. As I have said on earlier posts, I have found that I am better off focusing on one change at a time. If I try to take on too many at once, I get overwhelmed.

So now I am finally reading Diet for a Small Planet by Frances Moore Lappe, who was one of our keynote speakers from D2E 2008. One of the topics she brings up is Citizen Democracy. At first, this sounded like a weight on my shoulders. I thought that she was going to convince me I have to get involved with a political campaign. But as I read on, I was relieved to learn that though she is talking about action, she encourages us all to find our own form of action. I have never been good at following directions, so when someone inspires me to find my own direction I am much more responsive.

I love that she outright said “stop complaining”. This inspired me to get up early and walk my neighborhood with a trash bag. For the past few weeks I had been complaining about the litter that was left behind from one of our local church festivals. After one morning of work the litter is gone, and I don’t get upset when I take Lucy for her walks. Of course, I am also thinking that though this was a great initial venture into Citizen Democracy, there is more in store for me.

LUCY JOINS ME AS WE FINISH UP OUR CLEANING MISSION

Tags: Diet for a Small Planet, Frances Moore Lappe, local, political