Stay Green on the Sand with Eco-Panda Swimwear (+Win!)

When it comes to eco-fashion, I have a lot to learn. I have a hard enough time finding everyday wear that is sustainably made. I had never even considered the idea of an eco-friendly swimsuit — until I found Eco-Panda. It would be just my luck that I discovered them right at the end of the summer, but its still hot enough here in Georgia to warrant some trips to the pool.

Their suits are made of recycled nylon made from fish nets, and it is combined with Creora Chlorine resistant spandex. This addition is supposed to make the suits  last up to ten times longer than your average spandex swimwear. And if you’re wondering what all those green credentials look like in real life, let me tell you, these suits are cute!

They feature bold prints in gorgeous colors, and you can get them in a variety of styles, including bikinis, tankinis and one-piece suits. Because the bikini tops and bottoms  are sold separately, you can mix and match and really have fun finding a suit that works for your body type. As a full-figured woman with an ample bust, I was a little worried that the photos of the gorgeous models on the Eco-Panda site didn’t reflect what the suits would look like on a “real” woman.

Eco-Panda kindly sent me a tankini suit in an XL to review. I wasn’t disappointed at all by the color and styling. The boy short bottoms fit perfectly with no riding up, which is a welcome surprise given that I typically avoid boy shorts because of this unfortunate side effect. The top, however, was a different story. As I mentioned, I have an ample bust, and lets just say I got very little coverage and almost no support from the tankini top. To be fair though, I am probably much larger than many women, and I have problems fitting into almost any swimsuit top — not just Eco-Panda’s. Needless to say, I couldn’t take a photo

While I’ll have to pass this suit onto a smaller-chested friend or family member, I still love what Eco-Panda is doing. And if they ever make suits that will actually cover my Ds, I’d definitely buy one. Until then though, I recommend these suits to women who are more in the “average” B or C range of bra sizes.

Why It’s Green:

• Made of recycled nylon

Price: $32-84.  Don’t miss their Two for One Summer Sale.

(review)

Want to Win?

Eco-Panda has generously offered to give away a bikini of the winner’s choice to one lucky reader of Green & Gorgeous. So how to you enter? Just follow both me and Eco-Panda on Twitter and tweet the following message: ” Want to be green on the sand? Win an eco-friendly recycled nylon bikini from @ecopandaonline & @greenyourdecor :  http://bit.ly/13RXsb ”

Then come back here and leave a comment with a link to your tweet. It’s that easy! You have until 11:59 p.m. EST August 30, 2009.

Want more chances to win? Do any of the following after you complete the first entry method to receive additional entries. PLEASE be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry so they will be counted accurately:

1. Subscribe to Green & Gorgeous via email or RSS. Email subscribers MUST confirm their subscription for their entry to be valid. Leave a comment letting me know that you subscribed.
2. Stumble any page at Green & Gorgeous, and leave a link to your StumbleUpon profile so I can verify your entry.
3. Blog about Green & Gorgeous and leave a link to your blog post here.
4. Fave this blog on Technorati and leave a comment with your user name.
5. Become a fan of Green & Gorgeous on Facebook and leave a wall post.

You have until 11:59 p.m. EST on August 30, 2009, to enter. U.S. mailing addresses only! A winner will be chosen via Random.org and contacted via email. Good luck everyone!