A Lot To Say, Inc. was founded by two sisters.

Both having successful first careers, they wanted to do something outside of their primary businesses. Something that they could not only do together, but something that was fresh and timely and that would inspire them as well others.

One sister’s career was in advertising, where she worked as a writer and Executive Creative Director for major global advertising agencies. The other sister founded and was the CEO of her own legal and consumer oriented marketing and advertising company for over fifteen years.

Both wanted to get into the environmental space and saw that “green” products in retail were just not exciting (nor very cute). Their thought was that for people to spread the eco word via t-shirts, tanks and other apparel, there had to be something that was hip, interesting, fashionable and wearable. Every day, in every day lives.

They came up with a concept for a green t-shirt line that utilized the power of the written word. They proceeded to give it a voice and a place in the world. The voice was one that was smart, provocative, factual and easy to understand. The message was informative and empowered people to do more, even if it were only one small thing a day. They believed this kind of “in me, on me , around me” approach would be successful in educating people on the green space to embrace a new awareness about sustainability and responsibility to the planet.

The environmental line that was born was not only all these things, it was also super cute, which was super important. It was made completely of environmentally respectful materials and organic fabrics. And it was made in the USA, which meant no sweatshop labor.

It was a great hit and snagged placement in the gift bags at the Grammys, Sundance and The Image Awards.

But the sisters had more work to do before this line would be all they could make it. They uncovered a true, but startling fact: it took an average of 15-25 gallons of water to traditionally dye just one t-shirt. To them, 15 -25 gallons too many.

They educated themselves further. Not only about the statistics concerning global water shortage but also more regionally about the challenge of California’s strict water conservation policy over the next 5 years. That paired with the issues of toxic dyes and the fact that bamboo and cottons aren’t all that healthy for the planet (they require a lot of processing to make them soft and therefore are not so environmental) they sought to be the pioneers of the ultimate sustainable, environmental shirt.

Their journey paid off. They found amazingly soft material that people would love to have rub against them. And the best part was, this amazingly comfortable fabric was made entirely of RECYCLED BOTTLES. The materials saved from not having to grow, harvest and process the raw materials not only helped conserve our planet’s limited resources. At the same time, it also played a huge part in removing non-biodegradable materials from our landfills.

Next, they went in search of a more respectful printing process for the tees. One that was low in toxins and kind to the environment.

Traditional textile dyeing can consume 56 to 600 times a garment’s weight in water. Water that is often taken from critically scarce sources and polluted before being released back into the environment.

The sustainable alternative to these methods is AirDye® technology from Colorep®, a forward thinking company that pioneered this technology that uses NO WATER in the application of color to fabric. That meant almost no water would need to be destroyed in coloring our shirts, thus helping to preserve precious water supplies. If everyone employed AirDye® technology, it could save trillions of gallons of water a year around the globe that are currently used to apply color textiles. This preserved water could then be used to feed the world and provide a cleaner, safer environment.

This use of AirDye also meant we could contribute to the protection of babies, children and adults because no toxins are used in the process. And it got better. The process reduces energy consumption by up to 86%, green house emissions by up to 84%, and eliminates PVC products altogether. (PVC is a highly carcinogenic plastic with a lifespan of hundreds of years in our landfills.)

But the story continued.

From a fashion and fit standpoint, they learned, after seeking out samples from all lands and retailers, that basic t-shirts were limited. If it had a good neck, it didn’t show case arms well. If it had a modern cut, it was too small for the average woman. After all this scientific research, they wanted one important thing: for both men and women to look great and feel comfortable in any A Lot To Say shirt they put on. So they pushed on and found a great mill, right here in the USA, that would both cut and sew the perfect women’s and men’s fit t-shirts.

In order to supply the need for making these shirts, they looked for a manufacturing plant to fulfill them. They felt strongly that even though this process would be more than 50-60% percent less expensive to make outside the USA, that keeping jobs here in the USA was an absolute must to them. They hoped people would understand that this decision could be reflected in the price, but they also believed they would realize that every time they bought a shirt, they were keeping people employed, keeping jobs here in the USA as well as protesting the conditions of sweatshop labor.

And last but not least, they believed people would see that they were relaying a great message of inspiration, change and sustainability to this generation and the next.

Because of the material, the printing, the revolutionary dye process and the powerful messaging, these “ULTIMATE” in environmental t-shirts were a hit with conscience minded people as well as fashionistas. Case in point, the executive board of SU2C.org, a newly formed cancer foundation that raised over 100 million dollars for cancer treatment and research last year, fell hard for these shirts.

They loved A Lot To Say’s environmental line, from the messaging to the material and sought out to work with them hand in hand on a new and impactful line for their SU2C organization.

The goal was to create awareness that there was a new way to go about finding a cure for cancer. That without the bureaucracy, the best researchers and the most advanced technologies could make a critical difference. This campaign was also designed to remind and educate people on who, when, where and how cancer can affect us. But mostly, it was meant to empower each and every one of us to stand up and fight.

Like the company’s flagship green line, this collaboration resulted in another line that was both inspirational and educational.

So that is the story of A Lot To Say. There is most definitely, more to come. To purchase the green, inspirational line as well as the Stand Up To Cancer line, please go to www.alottosay.com to shop. If you don’t see what you’re looking for, just e-mail us and we guarantee we’ll get you what you need.

And most importantly, remember this. Every time you buy a shirt, you are helping to preserve our planet’s resources and helping to ensure a greener, healthier, happier way of life.

You are also giving back to amazing, deserving charities, because we donate a generous percentage of all our sales to support various cancer, green and animal foundations.