It’s April 1st. Are our thoughts still lingering on yesterday’s fulfillment of March’s “In like a lion, out like a lamb” adage (at least it was true in New York City)? Or are we fiendishly plotting “April Fool’s” pranks (or their revenge)? Perhaps your focus is on the impending April 15th IRS deadline. Or getting ready for a Passover Seder. Or packing Easter baskets. There’s a lot going on this month!

For some reason I've been fixated on Earth Day (April 22nd) this year. Not the day, per se, but more like what it means and what it's about. I'm not the radical environmentalist I'd like to be. Like a lot of Americans maybe I'm just too comfortable...or too lazy...or too cheap. But I try to recycle everything I can, and am happy about the fact that I have a great public transportation system available to me, and I use it every day to get to work and get around the city. My partner is a LEED certified architect, so these issues are often a point of discussion around our house. My concern is that, as the strictures of our current economy tighten around our personal and industry purses, will we let what appear to be discretionary costs get in the way of doing what we need to do to save our environment in the long-term?

To the contrary, I've been seeing lots of eco-friendly efforts on the part of manufacturers, and would like to draw attention to some of them in the next few weeks. I hope that you'll share my excitement and concern about our planet, and join me in celebrating Earth Day, and in making a few changes to our behavior that will, collectively, have a greater impact.

To kick off this series, I'd like to mention an event that I attended just yesterday. Teijin Fibers, Ltd., a Japanese company, hosted a breakfast spotlighting a new recycled polyester fiber made from PET bottles, as well as some great looking suits made by Bagir which will be selling at Sears! What impressed me about the presentation was not the fiber alone, but rather the holistic approach that the company is taking towards developing the business model around the product. One of the recycled yarns that Teijin produces is called ECOPET. That yarn is woven into a fabric called Eco-A-Wear, which can include blends of wool, viscose or cotton, or be 100% polyester. The whole process cuts down on CO2 emissions (47 percent less than polyester made from oil) and overall energy consumption (33 percent less). The suits Bagir makes from this fiber, called ECO-GIR, are machine washable and dryable, lessening the impact of dry cleaning fluids. One suit can be made from 25 500 ml bottles (I'll drink to that)! The 54% PET/ 42% wool/ 4% Lycra separates will retail for $175 for a jacket, $75 for trousers. The process isn't perfect—there are limitations with how the suits can be dyed and produced to make a salable product at the right price—but it's certainly a giant step in the right direction.

Photo: Models show off their green style suits.

I was also impressed with the company's Eco Circle program. Currently partnerships with companies like outdoor clothing company Patagonia and uniform giant Cintas exist where clothes that are completely manufactured from Teijin's Eco-A-Wear yarns can be returned to Teijin...to be recycled yet again into new fiber, rather than downcycled into landfill waste!

Great for the planet and great for the pocketbook! Now that will put some "spring" into all of our steps.