Green T-Shirts Catch Next Wave: Going Global : Earth Crisis hopes its planet-friendly messages on its sportswear, now selling in Germany and Australia, will help improve society.

NEWPORT BEACH —  Earth Crisis T-shirts have always been popular among local surfers. But now the company is trying to catch the next wave--the growing swell of environmentally conscious consumers throughout the world.

Formed to promote certain environmental and social issues, Earth Crisis is a loose-knit network of about 20 Orange County artists and activists who hope graphic designs and thought-provoking messages plastered on T-shirts, sweat shirts and canvas bags may actually shape society for the better. The group plans to capitalize on the burgeoning consumer market for so-called “green products.”

“Through our clothing we want to create awareness about different issues, including AIDS, homelessness and the environment,” said Mark Sperling, 23, of Newport Beach. Sperling, a graduate of UC Irvine, said he and his partner, Jeff Heath, 24, of Newport Beach, joined Earth Crisis in January to rejuvenate the group. Neither have titles, Sperling said, because the group shies away from labels.

Established four years ago by two female graphic artists, Earth Crisis in Newport Beach is just starting to market its products in Germany and Australia, where exporters see a strong demand for clothing with environmental messages. The company plans to open its own environmental shop, called Green, in Laguna Beach by fall, although they don’t have all the official approvals or a lease signed. Earth Crisis is also negotiating with a local Nordstrom store to carry the T-shirts.

The group once made only white T-shirts with black designs but is now using different colors and moving into organic materials, such as soy ink and organic and recycled cotton. Organic cotton is grown without pesticides and is not treated with bleaches or dyes.

Popular Earth Crisis designs include a T-shirt which says “EXXON DON’T SURF,” a response to the Exxon Valdez tanker spill off the coast of Alaska, and a T-shirt depicting a rhinoceros and the words, “Extinction is Forever.” A T-shirt showing a group of soldiers propping up an oil rig, based on the famous Iwo Jima image, was controversial during the Gulf War.

“Our main purpose is to create awareness and sometimes you have to be bold and straightforward,” Sperling said. “Instead of using art to advertise some sensational product, we can use art to educate. “

Since Jan. 1, the group has sold about 5,000 T-shirts for about $10 each at Earth festivals, swap meets and trade shows, said Sperling. Earth Crisis expects to sell up to 10,000 T-shirts by the end of this year because of several big trade shows coming up, he added. This is quite a departure from 1992, when the group sold only a few hundred T-shirts, because Earth Crisis had no leadership, he said.

Local surf stores such as Zero Gravity in Newport Beach sell the T-shirts for about $12 to $16. “They’re good sellers,” said Jim Stahl, owner of Zero Gravity, who said he sells at least 25 of the T-shirts per month.

Sales proceeds are either plowed back into the company or distributed to several local charities. A percentage of shirt sales at local stores are given to a nearby charitable group, such as a homeless shelter, selected by the store.

However, most disappointing for Earth Crisis has been the reaction from the garment industry and retail stores.

“The seem to think we’re some hippy activist group and that there is no market for this stuff,” Sperling said. “But then you look at other companies like Esprit and O Wear, both of which have organic cotton clothing and are being innovative.”

Sperling noted that environmental festivals draw big crowds and predicted a growing market for environmentally friendly products. He said the group targets “closet activists,” noting that baby boomers over 35 are the biggest buyers of the T-shirts.

Earth Crisis was founded by Lisa Collins, 29, and her best friend Kari McDowell, when Collins was a graphic artist with a Newport Beach surf wear company called Maui & Sons.

“We were sitting up one night and decided while we loved what we were doing, we didn’t feel we were giving back enough to the community,” Collins said. “When you live inland, I don’t think the problems are as obvious as when you walk on the beach and see the needles wash up.”

After doing well for several years, Earth Crisis started to deteriorate in 1991 because it “wasn’t generating enough for us to live on,” said Collins, who now lives in Manhattan Beach. She works as a free-lance graphic artist for Mattel Inc. and serves as a volunteer consultant to Earth Crisis.

“We found out we were artists, not business people, and artists should not try to run a business,” she said. But Sperling and his partner, who both have some marketing experience with other companies, think they can rejuvenate Earth Crisis.