Fashion Week Goes Carbon-Neutral

There are sure to be at least a few fashion victims during the now-running Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week, but the ozone layer won't be one of them. Through a partnership between IMG Fashion, Tetra Pak, and the CarbonNeutral Company, the event's carbon output will be reduced to to zero for the first time ever. Nearly 1,000 tons of emissions will be offset by carbon purchases from a forest-management project in Mendocino, California, and two Idaho dairy farms which provide a sustainable source of natural gas.

This year marks New York Fashion Week's last under the tents at Bryant Park, its home since 1993. Let's hope hope the event maintains its green attitude when it moves to its new Lincoln Center location in September.

Other green catwalks deserving of applause:

• GreenShows Eco Fashion Week, which debuted last September, will return Feb. 15-17 with shows by ten earth-friendly designers, in a LEED-certified building in New York's East Village. Many of the pieces are sustainably constructed, using materials such as old flip-flops, organic wool, and chemical-free dyes.
• Sustainable designs were also featured on the runways at Nolcha during its Ethical Fashion Preview Thursday, including pieces from Haitian designer Catherine Charlot, owner of Himane, whose garments incorporate recycled and locally sourced materials. The proceeds of her show will be donated to her friends and family in Haiti.

--Jessi Phillips