Green Hero of Chicago-Jessa Brinkmeyer: Making Chicago Stylish and Sustainable

Many people look to incorporate their environmental responsibilities into their daily lives yet don’t know how. However, what if showing your green pride was as easy as simply picking out your outfit in the morning. Jessa Brinkmeyer, owner of the stylish eco-friendly boutique, Pivot, shows Chicagoans that by dressing with the environment in mind we can reduce our impact while increasing our style factor. For this reason we recognize Jessa as this week’s GreenWerks Green Hero of Chicago.

Walking into Jessa’s Pivot Boutique, you’d never suspect it was filled with clothing made from organic cotton, surplus materials, or recycled wood (in terms of the jewelry). Jessa understands that consumers today aren’t interested in being bombarded with environmentally savvy tips so she only adds subtle green touches—like her clothing tags. On the back of every tag there is information on what that piece is made of that makes it more sustainable than conventional cotton. “The tags are meant to not be too overwhelming. I want people to walk in and feel like you’re in any other boutique,” Jessa stresses.

Started in September 2007, this boutique was the first of its kind in Chicago. Jessa never dreamed of owning a retail store, yet she saw a need in this city and feeling passionate enough about the benefits of alternative materials she felt inspired to open her store, “I felt there was a void in Chicago for a place dedicated to eco-fashion and its education and promotion…yet there were great designers here.”

Jessa sees a lot of business as Chicagoans are slowly catching the green fever. Despite this recent increase in environmental enthusiasm, people are still a bit hesitant about eco-fashion, “There are lots of misconceptions out there. People think of burlap sacks when they think of this business,” Jessa admits. Another issue is the fact that Americans go for the cheaper price along with cheaper materials. This trend only leads to clothing that needs to be thrown out in a year as it lacks durability and quality—making this constant cycle of buying and re-buying an unsustainable cycle. Jessa shares that we, as a nation are lost in our efforts to be more consumer conscious, “Right now, we’re focused on fast fashion—people don’t think of the process and where things came from.” Her one request is that people become more informed about where their clothes were made and how they were made—from there, people will see for themselves the harmful and unnecessary steps that exist in conventional clothing and products.

Jessa attributes a lot of her success to Chicago’s recent focus on environmental responsibility. She’s actively involved in Chicago’s green community, something she describes as “vibrant and thriving.” She believes it’s a great community and they’re even seeing new people come into the mix on a regular basis. Having people with the same interests and desires for this city can only positively influences these businesses, yet there still is some progress to be made. “Some people don’t come in to my store because they might not feel connected with the green movement or they’re intimidated—some people can be intimidated by the process of greening your lifestyle but it’s just about making different choices,” Jessa notes.

We recognize Jessa for her dedication to the green community and her desire to inform conventional consumers to think differently about the products they use and wear. Simply by reevaluating these processes she urges that we can make better choices for the planet and even make better choices for our appearance. Jessa has made it easy for Chicagoans to make this happen, “I want people to realize that you don’t have to sacrifice style and comfort to create a conscious wardrobe.”

Sustainability Efforts at SXSW

Greetings from Austin! I’m GreenWerk’s resident Social Media guy and I’m down here for the annual South by Southwest conference. I’ll be attending the interactive portion of SXSW, and while I’m down here taking in panels, networking events and parties, I’ll also be observing the green efforts of both the city of Austin and the conference as well.

Austin is definitely one of the most progressive cities in America for sustainability and green building, and South by Southwest seems to be following in the cities footsteps. The sustainability page on the SXSW site outlines the green efforts that are taking place this year. Nothing earth shattering, but it’s still nice to see the organizers actively promote sustainable practices related to the event. Large conferences like these have huge carbon footprints, so even small efforts can become powerful when scaled out over thousands of people.

Some of the green highlights include:

• Registration is entirely paperless
• Event publications and directories are printed on FSC paper
• Wide selection of bike rentals
• Pedicabs are frequent

In addition to the existing green choices, marketers were encouraged to be as mindful as possible about their impact for this event. Having materials printed in Austin and on FSC paper, making non-stop flights, renting Hybrid cars (if a car must be rented), using public transportation, even partnering with an event management company that focuses on creating environmentally friendly events.

On top of all this, Microsoft has partnered with TreeFolks, a “non-profit urban forestry organization whose mission is to grow and protect the urban forest of Austin and central Texas through tree planting, education and community partnerships.” Their combined efforts will help reforest the Balcones Canyonland Preserve. Microsoft will plant one tree for each SXSW attendee that opts to have a tree planted via a Microsoft survey.

Finally, even the hotel I’m staying at (Hyatt Regency Austin) is making efforts to reduce their carbon footprint. CFL bulbs can be found in every room, in all fixtures. In addition, linens and towels are only replaced when prompted by the guests.

Come back often as I provide updates from the conference this weekend.

You can check out my photos from the event on my Flickr page.