The Journal

America Recycles Day is the only nationally recognized day dedicated to promoting and celebrating recycling in the United States. Each year, on November 15th thousands of communities across the country participate by promoting environmental citizenship and taking action to improve recycling. 

Unisex clothing has taken the world by storm more than once before, but this time it’s more than a matter of style. It is being used as a way not only to challenge traditional norms for male/female gender roles but to do so for all genders and anti-genders too. It’s a statement made about being oneself as opposed to playing quietly by the rules of others. It Makes Everything Normal Unisex clothing has something for everyone, and that’s the beauty of it. With gender-neutral and normcore clothing, you can wear whatever the hell you like, and people can deal with it. It’s a form of passive protest that trickles into the very fabric of our society. It Slows Down Fashion Cycles Fast fashion is one of the largest contributing factors that is quickly leading to the destruction of our planet. So, anything that slows down rotating trends is better for everyone. With unisex clothing, there’s less need for adaptation; helping slow the turnover and give the earth a somewhat of a break. “Sustainable” clothing isn’t just a buzzword; it’s literally what we need to wear to be able to promote our actual survival. And sustainability is just one mitigating piece in a larger puzzle. It is, however, an extremely influential piece. It’s One for The Ages Perhaps one of the biggest wins for gender-neutral clothing is how it’s helping children understand their personalities and express themselves more freely at a young age. Girls who like cars and superheroes are at more liberty to ditch the dresses if they want to. Similarly, boys who like to wear dresses are leading the way for others to do the same. Unisex clothing is breaking the glass ceiling of gender-associated stereotypes by starting at the beginning of the human lifecycle. It Advocates Gender Neutrality Modern unisex clothing is all about gender neutrality. When the term “unisex clothing” was first coined in the 1960s, it was partially about giving power back to women. More recently, it can mean that the wearer has adopted or is supportive of a nonbinary lifestyle–no matter what gender they identify with. It’s more about donning what you like to wear than wearing what the fashion industry wants you to wear. It’s a courageous push in the right direction. It Promotes Gender Equality Unisex clothing promotes equality by stripping away gender ideals. By making the same clothes available to both genders, it manifests the radical concept of true self-awareness. Although this train of thought is taking a while to catch up, self-awareness can also lead to gender equality. If you can wear the same clothes, then why not get the same pay, the same opportunities, and the same recognition.    Shop our New Unisex Fleece Collection. 

It's Zero Waste Week and a reminder to rethink what we buy and how we dispose of it. Practicing a "Zero Waste" lifestyle supports a circular economy that makes the most sustainable use out of our resources. Zero Waste discourages using natural resources to make new products and by doing so it creates far less pollution, helps to mitigate climate change, reduces water usage, prevents the creation of toxins, and stops ecosystem destruction. 5 Day Zero Waste Week Challenge We'd like to challenge you to go zero waste this week and to make it easy, we've put together a 5-day guide. Meatless Monday  Shifting to more plant-based foods is essential to combatting climate change, soil, air and water pollution, ocean dead zones, and a myriad of other problems caused by industrial livestock production. If we decide to eat fewer meals with meat or dairy each week, we can have a huge impact on our collective health and the health of the planet. Just by cutting meat out of your diet for 1 single day can save 1,100 gallons of water, 45 lbs of grain, 30 square feet of forested land, and 20 lbs CO2 equivalent. That's insane and one incredibly easy way to help the planet.  Disposable Tuesday Look around your house and start replacing items that are disposable with a reusable alternative. We've put together a list of our favorite Ten Single-Use Plastic Replacements.   Go Outside Wednesday Spending time outside is a great reminder why you're trying to save the planet. Go for a walk to your favorite coffee shop, the farmers market, a book store...etc. Walk your dog, explore your town, get on a bike, enjoy mother earth. Repair not Replace Thursday Eventually, the stuff you own is going to break or wear out. When that happens, it’s easy to throw the old item in the trash and simply replace it with a new one. After all, we live in a toss-and-replace culture —however, it wasn’t always that way.  Instead of tossing an item, look for a way to repair it. Depending on the item, manufactures will repair worn or damaged items. Paying someone to repair broken items may not be as common as it once was, you can still find people who will happily restore your stuff to like-new condition if you're unable to do it yourself. Recycle Friday  That stuff you're parting with might not be trash. Deciding to recycle items is just the first step, you also want to make sure the items are recycled correctly. Republic Services shows you everything you need to know to be a good recycler, click HERE to learn more.  Looking for a longer challenge? Click HERE for the 30 Day Zero Waste Challenge via the Zero Waste Nerd. 

We're excited to announce our involvement in this year's Art in the Pearl Fine Arts & Crafts Festival this upcoming Labor Day weekend. The festival will feature over one hundred artists, a stage with a variety of live original music, an education pavilion for children, and plenty of food options. 

Being close to nature can help remedy and prevent a whole host of illnesses. Hiking, walking, gardening, or just being outside increases cognitive performance and reduces stress.  It’s ironic that being “connected” makes us disconnected from the world around us. Studies have shown that stress of being indoors and having constant digital stimulation takes its toll on our health. What if you could counter that by changing the nature of your work? Here are five examples of badass jobs that will get you closer to nature. Wildlife Rehabilitator The National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association handles around 250,000 calls, regarding injured, abandoned and distressed animals, each year. Seventy-five percent of these cases are due to cars, illegal wild animal trading, hunting, poaching or some other type of human interference. The role of the wildlife rehabilitator is not only to return these injured animals to full health (and, hopefully, the wild), but also to educate the general public about the effects we have on wildlife.  According to the Animal Behavior Institute, wildlife rehabilitators can expect to spend 35% of their time caring for animals, 35% working with the public, 15% handling administrative tasks, and 15% managing the facility. So, having a way with people as well as animals goes a long way in this job.  You can learn about how to break into this field by visiting the National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association. Green Architect Sustainable buildings literally come in all shapes and sizes. According to the U.S. Green Building Council, the sustainable building sector is wildly outpacing overall construction growth. A yearly study by CRBE also found that 41% of commercial space across the top 30 metros is green-certified as of 2018. The rapid growth of sustainable construction has lead to an increased need for green design professionals. Contributing to sustainable building is just the tip of the iceberg for this career. Green architects also design living roofs, living walls, procedures for greywater reuse, rainwater harvesting, salvaged material use and much more. Urban Growers  The city is usually the last place you’d look for a career in nature but it’s the place that needs it the most. Urban growers have been around for a long time with community vegetable plots and collectives set up to share their fruitful bounties. Recently, however, urban growing has made its way into big cities as a means for sustainable restaurants to feed their guests.  These incredible gardens can be found on the rooftops of warehouses, buildings, and apartments. As an urban grower, you can sell fruits, veggies, and products to local restaurants and farmers markets. Some urban growing companies have also expanded to helping design gardens, as well as teaching people how to design their own. Nature Photographer Sure, the average photographer makes $36k a year but don’t let that deter you. Many of those stats are based on not just fulltime photographers but also part-timers.  The www. is full of possibilities for amateurs and professionals. You can sell your photos online on the regs or just as one-offs. Of course, it helps to also showcase them on places like Unsplash, Instagram, and Pinterest to really get some eyes on your masterpieces. Also, a decent Instagram following could even have you raking it in as a micro-influencer. So, if you’re the next Ansel Adams, pick up a camera and let people see. Reforester Want to up your gardening game? Well, roll up your sleeves because reforestery is kind of like extreme gardening. The job entails a lot of manual labor as the key tasks include planting, managing, and pruning trees.  Trees have the extraordinary ability to turn harmful gases, like Carbon Monoxide, into oxygen–making this a very rewarding job. You will usually need a Bachelor’s degree in Forestry or Environmental Science. However, if you want to try it for size, and have the ability to volunteer, there are lots of reforestation programs all around the world.

Plastic Free July is a global movement that helps millions of people be part of the solution to plastic pollution. To help encourage others to join the movement, we’ve curated a list of our 10 favorite items we carry every day replacing the need for single-use plastics. Onyx Stainless Steel Straws Sometimes we just want a straw and adults should have fun straws, too. We love this set of 10 polished steel straws from Onyx. Available on Food52. Byta Travel Cup A double-wall, vacuum-sealed stainless steel bottle made to take with you wherever you go. Comes in a variety of sizes and we’re obsessed with the chrome collection. Shop MyByta. Swell Water Bottle A bottle this aesthetically pleasing is a nice accessory to have. Lots of fun prints to choose from and the new sports cap is very convenient —no need to unscrew the lid to sip on your favorite beverage. Shop Swell Bottle. Beeswax Roots Wrap  A sustainable, natural alternative to plastic wrap for food storage. Use the warmth of your hands to soften the wrap, create a seal, and once cooled, the wrap holds its shape. Shop Roots Wrap on Etsy.   Bamboo Cutlery Kit  Stylish, lightweight, and totally natural, the perfect kit for those on the go. Our partners at Renewal Workshop put these together as a special gift last December for a few team members, but you can find something similar here: Bamboo Cutlery Kits on Etsy. Dot Menstrual Cup Save time and money, preserve trees and protect panties, all while empowering a girl in need. For every cup you buy, they also give one to a person who needs it. Shop Dot. Lush Naked These Lush inventions are formulated with little to no water, so they don’t need any synthetic preservatives and make it easy to do away with plastic. They have solid shampoo bars, conditioners, soaps, scrubs, massage bars, bath oils and more. Shop Lush Naked. Aesop Hand Balm A blend of fragrant botanicals and skin-softening emollients that delivers rich hydration to labor-wearied hands and cuticles. Ditch the plastic for an aluminum tube that can be recycled. Shop Aesop. Baggu Reusable Bag The perfect size to keep in your purse. Comes in a wide assortment of patterns, colors, and sizes. Shop Baggu. Biodegradable Bogobrush Compostable Bogobrush handles are made from a bio-composite material with flax particles, hemp, cotton, or coffee. You can toss the handle into your backyard compost pile, or into your curbside compost bin, just as with any other organic matter. Shop Biodegradable Bogobrush. Primecut Hobo Bag If we’ve learned anything, when it comes to going plastic-free you need to carry a really big purse! We love this handmade bag from Portland, OR. Shop Primecut Hobo Bag on Etsy.  

This season we are proud to feature a collaborative capsule for spring/summer ’19 that features the first cooperative work between Nau’s design teams in Portland, Oregon, and Seoul, Korea. We’ve teamed up with a handful of influencers with unique styles and savvy social skills to give us a new lens on the Capsule Collection—or at least a new way to style it. The Capsule Collection tastefully fuses the expressive and artistic Seoul street fashion genre with Nau’s versatile, urban performance styling. It features a variety of linen styles that suit Korea’s hot, humid summers while retaining anywhere—urban appeal, and outerwear that pays homage to Seoul’s use of experimental fabrics with a new coated linen. The result is East meets West collaboration that is a nod to the future of international, sustainable fashion. Shop the Capsule Collection.

Rain is a fact of life in the Pacific Northwest. Some people feel totally fine from season to season—others (like me) are more likely to feel down during the winter and early spring months. When the rainy season is in full swing, one of my favorite ways to beat the blues is to pack up the van with bikes and head south—where the sun is shining and the trails are dry. We’re part-time van dwellers—living on the road during weekends & holidays only. We rarely drive during the week, as we both prefer to get around on bicycles. Van builds are often referred to as DIY camper van conversions, and our DIY camper van has made it affordable for us to travel more often. For this adventure, our main destination was Moab, Utah—but we planned to spend time at a number of locations along the way. Salinas, California Our first stop was at Sea Otter Classic—the largest cycling event in North America. While there, we were invited to park our van at The Hacienda House—a beautiful 20-acre organic vineyard and olive orchard in Salinas, California. Jason wearing the men’s Hyperspacer Long Sleeve Crew and men’s Daytrippen Chino Pant. We really enjoyed the early morning vineyard stroll with a cup of our favorite coffee. The property is absolutely gorgeous—and the chardonnay was delicious as well. Las Vegas, Nevada The Strip dazzles, sure, but the real adventures lie outdoors. With all the sweeping desert landscape and varied terrain, Las Vegas is filled with popular mountain biking trails for all experience levels. One of my favorite trail networks is the Southwest Ridge Trails. Located less than 30 minutes from the Las Vegas strip—it offers some of the best desert single track trails in the area. Inga wearing the women’s Dardariel Shirt. Jason is wearing the men’s Cascade Shirt, and men’s Stretch Motil 5 Pocket Short. I also have family in Vegas and enjoy stopping for a day to visit. The grill typically gets fired up and we hang out poolside. Always one of the best pit stops on our road trips. St. George, Utah St. George, Utah is often overshadowed by the mountain bike trails in nearby Hurricane, but skipping it would mean missing out on some amazing terrain. The Green Valley Trails start at the edge of a neighborhood and is a popular spot for motorized recreation as well as cycling. There’s also some free camping at this site and with all the short loops accessible from one location, it’s a great spot to meet up with fellow travelers. Moab, Utah Moab, Utah has become one of the top mountain biking destinations in North America—and it’s hard not to see why. Mountain bike trails like Captain Ahab and Porcupine Rim are just a couple of reasons—the exposure and views of Jackson Hole and Canyonlands are outstanding. We also came across the Scott M. Matheson Preserve—875-acre wetland area on the outskirts of Moab. Walking the trails and boardwalks early in the morning with a cup of coffee was a great way to ease into the day. We saw several Yellow-breasted Chat, Great-tailed Grackle, and Indigo Bunting birds. Jason is wearing the men’s Hyperspacer Long Sleeve Crew and men’s Stretch Motil 5 Pocket Short. Inga is wearing the women’s Introvert Crop Jacket. After 3 days in Moab, we packed our gear up and headed back north to Portland, Oregon. To break up the long trek home, we stopped in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Boise, Idaho to visit a couple of urban bike parks. This trip was just what we need to reboot and revitalize our spirits. Looking forward to many more van adventures in the near future. Follow the #LiveNau Adventures on Instagram.

Technology has many benefits, but too much of a good thing isn’t always a good thing. For many people, the difficulty of disconnecting from work is a chronic stressor. These days, it’s no longer just your boss leaning in and asking you to do the TPS reports over your weekend – it’s that they can ask you to do them while you’re on a plane, in a movie theatre, on the back of a motorcycle, etc. We’ve included 5 helpful tips on ways to unplug when you leave the office – and let your boss and others down gently. Build Your Digital Boundaries We’re always available, so it’s easy to answer just one quick text here and another Tweet there. The problem is that while you’re busy doing that you’re also busy ignoring your favorite people and/or activities. If you put boundaries in place, it should help you and whoever is at the receiving end of your impending breakdown. By not answering work texts, emails, carrier pigeons, etc. between certain hours, people will quickly get the picture (or you’ll get fired, but who wants to work for that boss anyway). If the problem persists, just talk to whomever the offenders are and tell them clearly which times they can and which times they cannot contact you. Take a Break from Social Media “This Instagram post will make or break my life”–said no one in the history of social media. That post will be there and gone in a flash. If you find yourself navigating back towards your Facebook account, even after promising yourself you wouldn’t, programs like Self Control and Freedom allow you to take breaks. If you’re a heavy user, you will get withdrawal symptoms, but it’ll feel so powerful to come out as the victor over the lifesuck that is social media. Get Out of Town The next time someone you know complains about the lack of internet connectivity somewhere, ask them where it was and jot it down. Going to places where people can’t contact you is really the best way to get away from it all. Being constantly connected may be a major reason why events like Burning Man are growing at an exponential rate. It’s widely understood that you won’t be answering your phone while there, and that’s for a multitude of reasons. It’s an unspoken “don’t ask, don’t text” kind of agreement. Not even your mother can get ahold of you there. It’s just glorious. Meditate Meditation is kinda like going to the gym, for many of us, it takes a while to pluck up the courage and actually do it. Studies show that meditation makes people feel happier. Just 2 mins a day can make a significant difference. Apps like Headspace offer free meditations to get you started. Turn off your phone This is a bold move. We haven’t tried this, but we’re hoping to get there one day. In this case, the power button could be seen as a life switch; turn it off and real life is suddenly on. It’s the moment when Will Smith finally disables the main computer in iRobot, it’s the crowning moment where you beat the digital world at its game, it’s the revenge of real life.