Sean Schmidt a.k.a. Sustainable Sean

Sean Schmidt, a.k.a. “Sustainable Sean,” is one of those characters you can only find in a place like Seattle. A self-proclaimed expert on sustainable industry, design, and lifestyle, Sean has spent the better part of his professional career developing and sharing “fun, positive, cheap, and easy” ways to live an environmentally-friendly lifestyle. His projects include the Sustainable Style Foundation, which promotes the union of sustainability and great design; Haberdash for Humanity, a men’s guide to sustainable living; and The Smart Set, which aims to increase interest, literacy, and involvement in the science, design, and culture shaping our future. In this Q&A, he tells us all about his “a-ha” moment, exciting developments on his radar, and his secrets to sustainable style (no tie-dye or Birkenstocks required).

The Sustainable Style Foundation promotes the union of sustainability and great design

JESSICA MARATI: How did you first get interested in the concept of sustainable living?
Sean Schmidt: Looking back, I can trace my interest in what I call “living within the natural cycle of things” back to growing up on a small farm in Nebraska. My grandmother, Rosie, in particular taught me early on to respect people and the planet. My “a-ha” moment for realizing that we can all make more sustainable personal lifestyle choices came while I was working at Nordstrom in the 1990s. Several of my personal customers were trying to match their values regarding the environment, animal rights, or child and sweatshop labor to their purchases … From that point on, I realized that whether you were the mom next door or Madonna, we all had ways we could make more sustainable personal lifestyle choices at home, at work, and at play.

J.M.: Is Seattle a good base for your projects?
S.S.: Seattle is great because you’re out of the New York or Los Angeles craziness. People are passionate about issues and they act on them. It is interesting, though, that “sustainable style” seems to get more attention in other cities.

J.M.:What are some locally-based sustainable projects or businesses that you’re digging right now?
S.S.: Two things are on my radar right now. First is the local food movement. I love hearing stories about this, whether it’s buying from a local farm, growing your own, or restaurants serving local food. Second is the acknowledgment of and interest in the wisdom and traditions of indigenous peoples, locally, nationally, and internationally.

J.M.:You and your partner, Rebecca Luke, started the Sustainable Style Foundation “with the idea that we shouldn’t have to give up looking fabulous and living well in order to be socially and environmentally responsible.” Can you expand on this notion?
S.S.: Back when we started SSF, everyone thought you had to sacrifice something to be socially and environmentally responsible, that you had to eat bland food, work in the dark, and sell your car in favor of a bike. We wanted to show that you could still look fabulous, live well, and do good. We wanted consumers to know that true style — the essence of style — is expressing yourself and your individuality, which included matching your values with your purchases. Step one was certainly buy less stuff, but step two was buy better stuff. That’s where we chose to focus. Our goal was to demonstrate the amount and the breadth of sustainable personal lifestyle options available, so that people would realize that their choices involved more than wearing only tie-dye and Birkenstock. Giorgio Armani was making fabulous hemp jeans; Gibson Guitars was making guitars out of sustainable wood; and Lexus was just introducing its new hybrid. Target and Walmart started using organic cotton in their apparel, and Method home cleaners offered stylish but effective home cleaning products that were sometimes cheaper than their chemical-filled counterparts. Today there are so many options to look fabulous, live well, and do good that we can’t keep up with them all.

Haberdash for Humanity is a men’s guide to sustainable living

J.M.:What do you think is the future of sustainable fashion?
S.S.: I think people will always want to express themselves and their individuality in the clothes they wear. Now that consumers realize they can indeed match their values around social and environmental responsibility and great design, I think the fashion world will continue to respond. All cotton will be organic cotton because consumers won’t put up with wearing chemical-laden apparel themselves, and they won’t want farmers and their families to put up with chemicals either. PVC will be phased out of all products (yes, including the ubiquitous polyester) because it contains chemicals that impact human health. Soon there will come a point when all aspects of fashion are completely sustainable, and we won’t even know it because it is the standard. Sustainability and style will coexist seamlessly.