-Elliott Mamauag, EcoMetro Guide East Bay Market Director

Every knitter's heart does a little purl every time they see a sheep. Not simply because of the inherent cuteness contained therein, but because they are imagining the lifetime of warm and cozies that can come from the irrepressible growth of wool. 

Knitting has always been the ultimate sustainable craft; the purest, most organic materials used in the craft grow from an animal's back. More...

Organic cotton men's jeans for $39.99? And from Loomstate? Thank you, Target!

Loomstate is a hip organic cotton clothing company that we've long adored, and they've paired with Target for a more affordable line of 100% certified organic cotton, beach-inspired clothing for men and women. Nothing in the collection is over $50, a serious savings since Loomstate brand jeans are rarely under $100.

Shop the Loomstate for Target collection online, or visit Target at Walnut Creek, one of 250 stores to carry the limited collection. More...

Tom Friedman, in his new book, Hot, Flat, and Crowded makes a case that "green is the new red, white and blue."

Not to say I'm ahead of one of our countries most progressive thinkers, but, well....I said this exact thing a year ago when I designed my logo. It's always been the way I have lived my life. I am a patriot and the work I do is fully committed to that fact. More...

Last week on Craft Thursday we profiled the Portland, OR based non-profit Trillium Artisans. This week we're looking at an international group that unifies crafters by family (ok, city), the Craft Mafia. Originating in Austin, TX, the reign of craft has spread to cities small and large, including EcoMetro cities St Paul and Portland. An East Bay familia is suspiciously absent, giving you, dear readers, a chance to start one and be the big boss.  More...

What the heck is eco anything, these days, let alone something as ambiguous to begin with as fashion? Good question. I don’t know. I gather that few people really do. I monitor my annual carbon footprint, bike to work, avoid excessive plastic purchases, unplug appliances. But the footprint of my fashion haunts me. Pesticide use in cotton, let alone the synthetics with petroleum bases...it's hard to shoulder that. Yet there is no fashion impact calculator, no quick online test. This will be my attempt at one, and exploration of alternatives.

What am I getting into? More...

Earlier today when I was talking with our intern about fashion, I asked her "if you could write an article about fashion, what would you write about?" She answered that she would talk about how it doesn't matter where you shop-- that your clothes are your statement, not about how much you can pay for clothing, but about who you are. She said that it seems that more and more people are moving away from the idea that we wear our financial status on our sleeve. We agreed that the statement that our clothing makes will never go away, but that at least the statements are getting a bit better. More...

Did you know that 18 tons of mine waste is generated in the production of one simple gold ring? More than 80 percent of all newly mined gold goes to making jewelry, yet there is enough gold already mined to satisfy all demands of the jewelry industry for the next 50 years. I'll cover the alternatives in this brief overview on how gold is produced. WARNING: It’s not very romantic! More...

Each Thursday we'll bring you our favorite gems picked out from scouring local craft markets, Etsy, Lov.li, and local craft sites. We'll also give highlights from our other EcoMetro cities. Materials must meet our environmental criteria, which include recycled/reclaimed materials and eco fabrics such as organic cotton, hemp, and soy fabrics and yarns.

Custom Bicycle Helmet Cover by RidingPretty, $135
A head scarf and shades have long been a symbol of a weekend drive in style. These custom bonnets bring the fashion to a new form of transportation--bikes. Made to fit over a bike helmet, with a visor and chin tie, this is our pick of the week for crafty fashion statement.

More of this week's crafters after the jump... More...

Every season of project runway (and I’ve watched them all twice) has challenges where they deal with uncommon fabrics. One of my favorite season three challenges was when they took the contestants to a recycling center and had them compose outfits from the "waste" materials they found there. That brought a win to the fabulous Michael Knight and a pass-over-but-should-have-won to the genius and overall winner of the season Jeffrey Sebelia. Michael created a lovely ensemble from peanut sacks with a wrap made of plastic bag. Jeffrey created an incredible dress out of paper, but, in my opinion did not win because he used so much paint to create the final product (including the cutest tromp l'oeil belt), while Michael used the products as-is.   More...