The Supermodel and Me

I'm very lucky in my job. It can be challenging, exhilarating, frustrating -- but it's never dull, and the reason for going to work in the morning is all around me. But it's rarely belly-laugh amusing. Last Thursday was an exception, as I co-hosted "Be EcoChic," a glitzy fashion show being held as part of New York Fashion Week. My cohost, supermodel Angela Lindvall, was dramatically more glamorous (and taller) than I am, but the cause, trying to make sustainability and environmental sensitive design glamorous and cool, was important. The venue, the Museum of Natural History's marine mammal display, was very cool; we had a huge crowd, and a stunning number of cameras and media. I was quite agog the whole time.

But my opening line was utterly authentic: "Angela," I said, "this was a sacrifice. I never knew that going EcoChic meant shopping." (Truly how I feel about retail therapy!) But I must concede that the shirt I was wearing, made of seaweed fabric, was probably the most comfortable I've ever worn, and the whole scene had a genuine passion for walking the walk that was commendable. Angela made it clear to the organizers that she was not OK with having us go onstage with a throwaway shopping bag -- so we found a reusable bag made from recycled plastic in the museum's gift shop.

No, I didn't become a fashion maven. And couture is not one of the quantitatively huge stresses on the biosphere. But if we are going to transform our culture, we'll need to transform all of it -- even realms that are not really my personal cup of tea.