Last year, Eric Brody of outdoor-apparel company Nau excitedly chatted with Grist readers about his new enterprise and its ambitious sustainability plans. This week, the company announced that it’s closing its doors: “Just as we could not have predicted the sudden groundswell of environmental consciousness that blossomed at the time we launched our business, we did not foresee the current crisis in the capital markets. At this time, investors are loathe to invest in anything — especially, it appears, a company like Nau that has the audacity to challenge conventional paradigms of what a business should be.” The oh-so-thin silver lining: You can now buy their clothes at 50 percent off.
