Sustainable Fashion has become somewhat of an elusive concept in the past few years. Is it fair-trade? Is it organic? Recycled? Slow? Green? With such broad language, how do we know exactly what we’re buying? What we do know is the conversation has brought much attention to the not just the “what” of design materials but the “how” of design processes – buying, trading, making and selling.

Argentina, eager to join in the conversation, has suddenly found itself bursting at the seams with eco-conscious fashion designers expressing their talent through endless mediums. From sustainable knits to recycled fabrics, not to mention traditional artisans hand-crafting their goods which inherently fit the green profile, eco-minded shoppers have plenty to choose from without compromising values or quality. The following ten eco-designers in Argentina and their creations top the list.

1. Sustainable knits produced in Toba indigenous community

Sustainable knits produced in Toba indigenous community for Agostina Bianci.

Agostina Bianchi Thames 1733, Palermo.

2. Bracelet made from fabric scraps and paper beads made from discarded magazines

Bracelet made from fabric scraps and paper beads made from discarded magazines by Lua Chea.

Lua Chea Borges 2029, Palermo

3. ‘Bolso Pescador’ Shoulder Bag made from aluminum can tops, $868

Aluminium

4. Unisex Scarf made from sustainable knits (100% Llama), $180

Cubreme, Godoy Cruz 1720, Palermo

5. Wallet made from Tyvek materials, $55

Confitte

6. Dress made from recycled neckties

Salve

7. SURI sweatshirt hand-printed with water-based inks onto unbleached canvas, $255

Bill et Bill

8. Laptop case made from recycled coffee sacks, from $140

Carro

9. Rococo necklace made from recycled textiles

Marina Callis

10. Unisex messenger bag made from recycled vinyl, $174

Baumm

If you’re unfamiliar with the ‘carrot vs. stick’ analogy then you would be forgiven for thinking that a ‘Carrotmob’ is a new strain of militant vegetarianism. To clarify for the uninitiated, in the simplest of terms, it is a form of positive consumer action. Instead of boycotting a product or shop, consumers are encouraged to positively support one, not just in principle, but with the might of their purse strings.

Stands like this fruit and vegetable stand benefited from an increase in visitors as a result of the Carrotmob. (Photo by Brian Funk)

The founders of the movement describe it as “a positive model where there are no enemies and everyone wins”. The shop wins, the consumer wins and in the long term, society and the planet win. In a world where fighting for the cause that you believe in can be frustrating and disappointing, the Carrotmob concept certainly appeals to a more optimistic and positive side of human nature.

The basic premise of a Carrotmob is that a community of consumers pick a shop or business and on a chosen day all ‘mob’ the venue with their hard-earned cash. The shop isn’t chosen randomly; rather a number of shops are contacted and asked what socially or environmentally positive action they would take if the Carrotmob descended on their business. The shops might be asked to bid to see who would take the greatest action, spend the most from their takings on the Carrotmob day on a social or environmental cause or simply have a particularly powerful or impressive suggestion. The Carrotmob community picks one, promotes the event and lets day run its course.

The idea is that we all need ‘stuff’ (food, clothes etc), but wouldn’t it be so much better to buy that stuff’ from a business where some of the proceedings will be spent to make the world a better place? The originators of the idea are purposefully ambiguous on the rules of a Carrotmob: they want to let the movement regulate itself and evolve rather than force it to exist within strict guidelines. They are also extremely transparent about what it is and what it isn’t. They aren’t anti-business, they aren’t trying to tell people to consume more or less, they are just trying to encourage people to think about where they get their stuff. They hope that in a world dominated by consumer power, if communities of people join together to decide how to spend their money, businesses will start to listen.

Janne Andersen the organizer from the local environmental group Ambientate organized the Carrotmob at the Federico Lacroze Galpón. (Photo: Brian Funk)

The Carrotmob website states: “The world economy needs a new sheriff that directly applies the will of the people to companies. If enough people use Carrotmob to help make or break the reputations of all the world’s businesses, then we can make the business world into something that advances the interests of all people. We could succeed where government have repeatedly failed. Carrotmob can expand the reach of democracy to directly affect businesses, with no middlemen.”

The first Carrotmob took place in San Francisco in 2008 and since then the idea has spread across the United States to Europe, Asia, Australia and recently Mexico. On 27th March the first Carrotmob in South America took place here in Buenos Aires. The event was organised by Ambientate, an environmental awareness group, which despite only being six months old, had the infrastructure to make the Carrotmob happen. Janne Andresen from Ambientate told me: “A few attempts have been made to have a Carrotmob in Buenos Aires before, but with no success.” The founders of Carrotmob are keen for NGOs and community organisations to get involved in events. They believe that a Carrotmob is an effective way for an NGO to promote and fullfil its mission: “So far, various experts and non-profits have been very excited about partnering with Carrotmob organisers to make these campaigns successful.”

This is exactly the approach that Ambientate took to the Carrotmob in Buenos Aires. The organisation is currently running a campaign about responsible food and eating and the actions that consumers can take to make a difference: a Carrotmob was the perfect demonstration of such action. When asked what they hoped to achieve from the event Janne responded, “I hope people will be motivated by today to change their consumer behaviour. People in Argentina are becoming more aware of environmental issues, but they’re not yet committed to making changes to their lives.”

El Galpón house a community market which offers a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, cheeses, bread, and ice cream. (Photo: Brian Funk)

So Ambientate asked the Buenos Aires Carrotmob to go down to El Galpón, a community market near Federico Lacroze station. I was intrigued as to how a true version of a Carrotmob would transpire in Buenos Aires. The idea normally requires a gang of people to turn up at a pre-organised time – all at once! Getting people to arrive on time in Buenos Aires was going to be interesting. However, Ambientate had taken this into account and had instead asked people to ‘mob’ El Galpón from 3 until 6pm. The result was a wonderful ‘Argentinised’ version of a Carrotmob. People flowed into the market throughout the afternoon, buying food, taking it outside to eat and relax in the sun, then going back in to buy more!

A view from an abandoned train near El Galpón. (Photo: Brian Funk)

El Galpón was the perfect spot for responsibly-minded shoppers in Buenos Aires to exercise the power of their dinero. For the past five years this community market has enabled producers from the countryside to sell their organic produce directly to consumers. Driven by the principles of fair price and responsible consumption, the vendors gather twice a week to sell their goods; cheese, vegetables, bread, ice-cream, fresh juices and clothes. It’s a wonderful place to visit and the food on offer is delicious and very reasonably priced. On the day of the carrotmob the stallholders at El Galpón were delighted with the increase in market-goers and interest in their products. Micaela Sounigues, a stallholder in the market said: “A Carrotmob is a great idea. It gives power back to the consumer.”

It is true that, within reason, we all have the power to decide where to spend our money, but there’s something exciting and refreshing about being part of a bigger decision and movement. Many people shrug off the idea of doing their bit for the environment with comments such as “How can the action of just one person make a difference?” A Carrotmob allows individuals to become a community and to see the effects of the collective decision in a relatively short amount of time.

For their part in the deal, El Galpón committed to use the extra money that was raised from last month’s Carrotmob towards two projects; the expansion of their space to include more producers and the reconstruction of some derelict trains next to El Galpón into space where workshops will be run to teach people about environmental issues and practical action they can take to defend the planet.

A couple of community volunteers help prepare compost for a community garden. (Photo: Brian Funk)

The Carrotmob afternoon was a thoroughly positive and enjoyable experience and other customers certainly felt the same way. Fellow shopper and Carrotmob participant Rachel Heydemann told me: “I think it’s important to spend your money in a responsible way. This [Carrotmob] is a great strategy to encourage environmental action. Being a completely consumer based economy, it is so important to choose the where we spend our money wisely.” I was certainly convinced to return to El Galpón for my weekly food shopping and I look forward to participating in the next Buenos Aires Carrotmob.

El Galpón is on Av. Federico Lacroze 4171 (the yellow warehouse at the end of the track) and is open Saturday 9am-6pm and Wednesday 9am-2pm www.elgalpon.org.ar

Photo by Sanra Ritten

To most people, steak, mate and malbec are the bastions of Argentina’s gastronomy. Yet according to Slow Food, an international grassroots, eco-gastronomic non-profit organisation, the three bastions that truly demonstrate the country’s biodiversity are yacón, Andean corns and Andean potatoes.

Slow Food is a movement that challenges the current industrialised food industry and global economy, which are threatening communities, native foods and environments around the world. Slow Food is dedicated to strengthening the relationship between the world of food producers and that of consumers. It strives to transform food policy, production practices and market forces to ensure equity, sustainability and pleasure in the food we eat. Founded in 1986 in Italy in protest against the opening of a McDonald’s near the Spanish steps of Rome, it is now a global movement, with headquarters in over 100 countries.

Of the 750 regional conviviums, or branches of Slow Food, in the world, there are seven in Argentina. The Argentine conviviums cover the vast country from the altiplanos of Tucumán and Salta all the way to the capital.

While steaks made from grass-fed, free roaming cattle, fair trade yerba mate and artisanal wines certainly have a place under the umbrella of Slow Food, Slow Food Argentina strives to preserve and promote an extremely diverse array of foodstuffs. But, in order to fit into the philosophy of Slow Food each item should be good, clean and fair.

Carlo Petrini, founder of Slow Food, defines these simple words in their relationship to sustenance in his book Slow Food Nation.

That food should be good signifies that it should be a quality product that brings pleasure to the person consuming it. Food is to be savoured; it is not only what fuels our bodies but can also bring us joy and happiness through sensory pleasure.

Photo by Sanra Ritten

That food should be clean means that it should not contaminate or harm the environment in any of the processes that it undergoes from the field to the table. It also should not contain chemicals or genetically modified organisms, it should be as close to its natural state as possible.

That food should be just means that the people who plant it, cultivate it, harvest it, transport it and cook it should be paid fairly, treated properly and respected for their dignified work, on which all human beings ultimately depend.

A unique element of Slow Food Argentina is its Network of Cooks. According to Petrini, their involvement in the movement is extremely important.

By incorporating a network of cooks, Slow Food Argentina ensures that there is a growing body of people utilising and thus spreading awareness about the indigenous and local ingredients that are struggling to enter the market, such as Argentina’s bastions.

Yacón

Yacón is a sweet Andean root, whose origin has been lost in Argentina’s past. In Aymara, the region’s indigenous language, the root is known as aricoma or aricuma. The cultivation of yacón requires a great deal of water and well-fertilised earth, and it grows well in the area of Quebrada de Humahuaca, in the north-western province of Jujuy. The towns most noted for the production of yacón are Barcena and Volcan.

The plant is cultivated using ancient techniques and tools like the taclla, a wooden tool that can be traced back to the Incas. The taclla is used to prepare the land for planting and is then used to place the bulbs in the furrows. In the cool months of August to September, yacón is harvested. The shrub has a thin trunk that can grow to one and a half meter in height and lanky green leaves. The edible part of the plant grows below ground, where the root, after being peeled of its dark brown skin, boasts sweet and succulent pale yellow flesh similar in texture to an apple’s. With time, the root sweetens further as the starches transform into sugars. Once the root has been left out in the sun long enough for the skin to shrivel up, the flesh can be enjoyed raw.

Photo by Sanra Ritten

The people of the Quebrada also use yacón to make juice, jams, and fruit jellies. Dried, the plant’s leaves can also be used to make a very fragrant tea. Today, the vast majority of yacón is consumed locally. However, yacón has great potential; it is wholesome, versatile and has important dietary properties. The fruit contains inulina, a natural substitute for sugar, making it suitable for diabetics.

Andean produce

The history of corn, today one of the most highly consumed grains, dates back thousands of years. In northern Argentina, particularly in the province of Catamarca, many ancient varieties still exist, including capia, blanco criollo, amarillo socorro, morocho and chullpi.

These native corn varieties are raised in small plots, grown along side peppers, potatoes, and aromatic herbs, primarily for family consumption. The fields are sown by hand during the first days of October and the corn is ready to harvest in April. Before it is ready to eat however, the corn must go through a lengthy arduous process of drying, after which the kernels are cut off the cob and peeled. Because the capia variety has tender grains that shred easily, the corns are first baked in water and lime and then peeled and dried in the sun. Andean culinary traditions have played an important part in safeguarding the biodiversity of these crops. Each variety has a role in the local cuisine and festivities, and cooks prepare a great variety of distinct dishes with each one.

Andean corn, along with Andean potatoes, provides the foundation of the local population’s diet. Yet potato biodiversity, much like that of corn, in the world is under serious threat. Ancient varieties cultivated for millennia have been lost and wild species are threatened by climate change. In the north of Argentina, perija, papas azules, lisa verde, negrita, oca papa, lisa overija, are just a few of the Andean potato varieties that continue to sustain local populations, both as alimentation and a source of income.

While Slow Food brings attention to and gives technical and financial support to preserving these three culinary bastions, it also brings something else. According to Susana Martinez, president of the Patrimony Agriculture Cooperative, ever since yacón was designated a Slow Food bastion, people and producers began to look at yacón production and agriculture in a different way, with much more respect and appreciation.

Slow Food Argentina has a lot of work to do seeing that these three bastions are just the beginning of Argentina’s incredible biodiversity and food traditions.