Green Scenesters

By Lexi Green
May 7, 2010

These four gorgeous gals, who we've lovingly dubbed "Green Scenesters," are truly at the forefront of what's happening at sustainable ground zero.

Green Scenester: Liza Dunn, Green Consultant

Liza Dunn describes her job as helping people take simple but significant steps to "go green" in their homes and at work. "Some people come to me concerned about toxicity in their home; others are worried about global climate change and want to decrease their carbon footprint," she says. Dunn recently helped a woman turn her bakery in Westchester, NY into a greener business. This included everything from taking the raw space and renovating it with non-toxic, recycled, and renewable building materials to introducing green packaging and greener daily practices into her business. A Manhattan resident for the last 15 years, this California native says of her own attempts at an eco-friendly lifestyle: "I'm not a 'no-impact' woman. If I can live, eat, work, and move around in a sustainable fashion about 80 percent of the time, then I'm doing a great job. Everyone must see the shades of grey when going green!"

Dunn's Green eBay pick:

New Expandable Drying Rack/Folding Metal Clothes Dryer (buy it now price, $35.58)

"One of the easiest ways to save some electricity is to line dry your wash inside of your home or your apartment. I like these drying racks, which bend and twist into different sizes and shapes so they can fit into any space. Not only do my clothes dry in a couple of hours, but this also helps them last longer, since they make fewer trips through the dryer."

Scenester: Annie Lescroart, eBay Green Team Member

"My job is to uncover all of the great things that the company, our employees and our buyers and sellers are doing to make the world a little greener. Sometimes that means talking to the media; sometimes it means writing reports; sometimes it means figuring out how to translate super complex issues like 'power usage effectiveness,' into plain English," says Annie Lescroart of her role on eBay's Global Communications team. A recent green program Lescroart is particularly excited about was launched at eBay's headquarters in San Jose. Called "No Waste for Green Space," it involved replacing the trash cans at employees' desks with a recycling bin and a compost bin. "This initiative could help us divert possibly as much as 95 percent of our waste stream from going to a landfill," the devoted Sigg bottle user tells us.

Lescroart's Green eBay pick:

Heart Original Vintage Concert Poster 1976 (starting bid, $9.14)

"I am obsessed with trolling eBay for vintage concert posters. I’m always on the lookout for shows or festivals that I’ve been to, or ones that my family and friends have been to. My dream is to one day have a room in my house that is covered, top to bottom, with them. They look so much better on my walls than they would in a landfill!"

Scenester: Elizabeth Suda, founder of Article 22 and A22 Trading Co.

Last year, Elizabeth Suda founded two sustainable accessories lines, both produced in Laos by local artisans. "Article 22 is a line of handbags that I design," she explains. "Trading Co. is a line of scarves, necklaces, and jewelry all designed by our artisans in Laos. Whenever possible, we use organic materials and natural dyes. Our jewelry is made from re-purposed Vietnam War scrap metal." Of her most stylish green moment, the frequent traveler tells us: "In 2008, I ended up designing four clothing collections for the closest thing Laos has to Fashion Week. At the shows, I wore a chocolate silk dress with horn buttons that I designed. I'm wearing it in this photo."

Suda's Green eBay Pick:

Mid Century Asian Inspired Round Foot Stool Ottoman (buy it now price, $289)

"I am redecorating my apartment and refurbishing vintage pieces with hand-woven and naturally dyed textiles. This ottoman would be great to re-upholster!"

Scenester: Abigail Doan, writer and environmental artist

Abigail Doan, who iis the textiles editor for Ecouterre and also writes for Eco Fashion World, The Ethical Fashion Forum, and Goodlifer, describes her work as follows: "I am a fiber and environmental installation artist, and I also write about sustainable textiles and fashion. My creative projects are essentially about examining contemporary attitudes about fiber, clothing, and our relationship with the environment. I write about these topics as I feel that it helps me to share the message that sustainable design can be beautiful and fashion-forward." Her favorite piece she's made to date, she says, is her Urban Fiber Flotsam series: "I spun and twined fiber, vegetation, and found materials from urban streets and parks. I walked through New York City neighborhoods as a hunter-gatherer of sorts. I was amazed how beautiful debris and street flotsam can be."

Doan's Green eBay Pick:

New Handmade Uzbek Natural Silk Ikat Adras Fabric (buy it now price, $29.99)

"I envision using fabrics like this to add an injection of color and vibrancy to older cushions and furniture that I currently have in my home studio. I love that this natural silk fabric is dyed with natural vegetable dyes and is a traditional textile from the Uzbek people."

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