Green Products

“Unveiling Fashion”: Addressing the Hidden Problems of Waste, Environmental Sustainability, and Labor Issues One Garment at a Time

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George Washington University, Washington DC, Sept. 29, 2018

 

Even after years of hearing and writing about sustainability issues in the clothing industry, I still shudder at the enormity of the problems. But, I also feel inspired by the innovative thinkers who are helping to solve them, some of whom were at the Unveiling Fashion event I attended on 9/29/18 at the George Washington University Textile Museum, run by the DC Sustainable Fashion Collaborative. (I was happy to be a sponsor and raffle off the Green Wardrobe Guide!) It is extremely gratifying to see how interest and solutions are growing in the field of fair, eco-fashion! From the amazing expert speakers, I learned these 15 surprising facts all clothing-wearers should know:

  1. 1 in 6 of the world’s laborers work in some aspect of the fashion industry, and 80% of garment workers are women. A recent NY Times article highlighted how some big name luxury items are often produced by people earning $2/day. There is modern slavery happening in garment-producing countries, and female workers are threatened with violence if they attempt to unionize. Fashion Revolution ran a campaign called Who Made my Clothes? to pressure companies to institute better transparency. They also have a program to offer clothing swaps and promote upcycling at high schools.
  2. Fashion industry = 5-10% of global greenhouse gases
  3. There are now “sewbots” that can sew basic clothing together like sheets and socks, which may bring big change to the garment industry.
  4. There is a product called Guppy Friend that helps take polyester microfibers out of your laundry.
  5. Household waste has grown overall 6% since 2000 but textile waste has increased 71% in that time, due to “fast fashion” (or “junk food fashion,” as one speaker put it) that keeps us buying cheaper goods that don’t last.
  6. Only 1% of textiles are re-made into new fabrics. 85% ends up in landfills. Thrift stores can only handle about 20% of donations so 80% end up being shredded into “shoddy” for seat cushion stuffing or sent overseas where it disrupts local economies.
  7. Though product producers and distributors like Amazon create a lot of packaging and shipping waste, they are not responsible for dealing with the waste – municipalities are, which means more taxpayer dollars spent for hauling and disposal. Re-Thread DC is an initiative to collect and repurpose disposed textiles to reduce waste. DC has passed a law that producers must take back at least 10% of the products they sell for recycling. There is a great economic development opportunity in materials re-use…
  8. India has banned genetic engineering of food crops, but that does not apply to cotton. One Indian farmer trapped in a cycle of expensive chemical use commits suicide every half hour.
  9. 52% of organic product shoppers are millennial so this is not a trend that is going away anytime soon.
  10. There is a “Regenerative” movement that is going beyond organic to focusing on replenishing depleted soil so it can better sequester carbon; soil from which our food and clothing fibers are grown.
  11. Stretch fabrics like Spandex are hard to make in an eco-friendly way and often cannot be recycled.
  12. Some textile dyes can be made using seaweed.
  13. Vogue magazine Australia, just hired a sustainability editor – (which is a big deal for a magazine that usually promotes many not- eco-friendly products)
  14. Greenwashing – sometimes stories told about products are misleading- one speaker said sometimes Guatemalan women may give up their handwoven textiles for a few dollars to put food on table, only to have them resold in the U.S. for hundreds because they are traditionally hand-made items.
  15. Idea: To help customers shop sustainable items, couldn’t Amazon have a sort function based on various standards such as Fair Trade?

So what are shoppers to do? There is no perfect answer right now, but as I said in the Green Wardrobe Guide—don’t buy what you don’t need, shop in thrift stores, seek out plant-based fabrics with natural dyes, and mend, donate or swap your clothes so they hopefully get another life. Do your homework and ask questions—consumer demand brings about change!!

Kudos to the DC Sustainable Fashion Collaborative! If you want to know more about the above, here are the groups to follow that are making a huge difference towards a more sustainable, equitable world:

5 Gyres

Brooklyn Fashion + Design Accelerator

Fair Trade America

Fashion Revolution

Fashionista

Fibershed

Free the Slaves

Goodweave

Green America

Guppy Friend

Lady Farmer

Metawear – Founded by author and ecopreneur Marci Zaroff

RRS Recycle

Textiles.com

#unveilingfashion #sustainablefashion #5Gyres #BFDA #FairTrade #FashionRevolution #Fibershed #FreetheSlaves # Goodweave #GreenAmerica #GuppyFriend #LadyFarmer #Metawear #MarciZaroff #Recycle #Textiles #Green_Wardrobe_Guide

Eco-destination Malta: 3 places to help you live a green lifestyle, Maltese-Style

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During my recent visit to Malta I got to visit three places that are helping the Maltese to live a greener lifestyle.

Peppi Gauci
Aquaponic system (fish below)
geodesic dome

 

 

1) Permaculture Research Foundation Malta, run by Peppi Gauci, maintains the Bahrija Oasis. After passing via a small path through a stand of bamboo, one enters a beautiful area transformed from previously unproductive land into a peaceful, lush and self-sustaining green sanctuary. Based on principles of permaculture which embrace nature as its prime example of design, Peppi and his team grow fields of vegetables organically, and grow plants via aquaponics– plants grow over a small man-made pond–as the plant roots feed on the waste of the fish, the fish feed off the nutrients provided by the plants. The Bahrija Oasis site is solar powered, and there is a system of composting toilets also called “humanure” toilets, which do not use any water and produce compost that can be used on ornamental plants. The site features circular geodesic domes which are used for meditation and meetings. The Foundation offers retreats and training courses for those wishing to learn by this inspiring example.

 

Paul Debono

 

 

 

 

 

 

2) Vincent’s EcoFarm is a certified organic farm in Mgarr. I visited while in Malta, and it was a real treat to see the large variety of beautiful plants growing there including numerous vegetables, herbs olives and red Gellewza grapes, which are indigenous to Malta. The farm has a mobile trailer for chickens who naturally fertilize the soil with their droppings, and are not killed– they are left to live out their natural life. People can come to pick up vegetables and preserves on a daily basis. The farm is owned by Gloria Camilleri (who drives an adorable electric vehicle), and is named after her father Vincent. The farm is operating a beautifully decorated, modern yet rustic bed and breakfast, and hosts healthy eating and yoga workshops.

 

 

 

 

 

3) D Street – Dressed by Nature ecofashion store in Sliema features stylish clothing made from eco-friendly, plant-based fabrics including organic cotton, Tencel (from eucalyptus), and bamboo. Owned by a young Italian woman, there are clothes for both men and women, for work or casual, and there are even socks and hemp shoes for sale. Items are made in Italy the US and other countries and are fair-trade conscious.

More Green Malta tips: There is a Vegetarian Society of Malta and a growing number of healthy eateries, such as The Grassy Hopper and Gugar in Valletta. Health food stores such as Casa Natura in Sliema and Good Earth in St. Julian’s help support a healthy lifestyle. While most local farms may use pesticides, as part of the European Union, Malta does not allow the growing of genetically modified crops, and GMO products are labeled. And, Malta was the first country to ban the use of the chemical Glyphosate (Roundup)!

Reimagining New Year’s Resolutions

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by Marisol Maddox

The beginning of a new year in our Gregorian calendar is culturally a time of renewal and fresh starts. We often focus on trying to improve ourselves as individuals, but maybe it’s time to re-envision what it is we are striving to achieve. I posit that we have been underestimating our capabilities, and we should realize that the self-reflective resolution making process creates an opportunity for more meaningful introspection and change. Perhaps in addition to a personal wellness goal, we can choose a goal that relates to our larger values system, and our footprint on the world.

Impact. The word has largely come to be associated with something negative, but there are positive impacts too. Spend some time thinking about the ways in which you impact the world and its inhabitants. Do your actions result in the kind of impact that you want to have? Focus on tangible actions. What are some small changes that you could make that would lead to a greater positive impact?

  • Pledge to not buy clothing you do not need.
  • Buy a certain percentage of clothing from fair-trade, eco-fashion companies.
  • Avoid buying plastic- seek out non-toxic alternatives.
  • Only buy non-toxic/ eco friendly gifts for kids’ birthdays.
  • Volunteer for a local organization that could use your help.

Play. “What is the extinction of a condor to a child who has never seen a wren?” – Robert Michael Pyle

If you have kids, consider how much of their play time and interactions include screens and technological devices. How often are they getting to enjoy the outdoors in an unstructured way, so that they get the chance to use their imaginations? Pledge to consciously unplug a bit more than you have been.

Listen. With tremendous partisanship and polarity comes the challenge of finding ways to bridge that gap (from both sides) so that respectful dialogue is once again possible. In order to do that effectively we need to hear what the other person is saying. In order to hear, we need to be quiet, and actually listen. Do you feel yourself not so much listening but just waiting for the chance to speak? What is the difference between listening and really hearing? Perhaps you could aim to be more present in conversations with others, and try to notice the difference in the way that it feels. Becoming a better listener will impact all of your relationships, not just the political divide.

Share your thoughts in the comments section. We would love to hear your new year’s resolutions! We wish everyone a blessed and green ‘17.

GreenFestival NYC 2016

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This year’s Earth Day Greenfestival at the Javits Center was informative and inspiring as it always is. It is an annual expo of green product innovators, natural body care products, green gadgets, healthy food, eco-clothing, and sustainability organizations. It was co-sponsored by Green America and the film Cowspiracy, which is an exposé of how the meat industry impacts the environment.

I always like to mention my favorite finds, and this year one of them is from Long Island:

SOS Natural Products is a Bay-Shore based company that makes natural mosquito repellent products, that includes a key ingredient—lemon eucalyptus. This has been found by the Center for Disease Control to be effective at repelling mosquitoes, an important thing to have on those balmy summer evenings.

SOS Mosquito product

A second favorite was Mariclaro, a Canadian company who makes upcycled briefcases, wallets and accessories for men from high end car parts such as Mercedes and Cadillac. They literally go to the landfills and pull out the usable seat belts, leather, etc. and hand-make impressively chic, stylish products.

Mariclaro Upcycled Seatbelt wallets and purses

A final mention goes to the Unitensil for clever design. It is a re-usable “spork/knife” that folds up and can fit in your pocket for anytime you are eating take-out to avoid the need for disposable plastic-ware.

unitensel

There are Greenfestivals around the country each spring; see greenfestivals.org.

Earth-friendly Fashion: a Movement, and a Mission

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When I walk into my local mall looking for a last-minute eco-friendly gift for a friend’s birthday, a wave of dread washes over me. I wish I could find natural hemp leggings or cute pair of fair-trade sandals—but instead I find an overwhelming selection of human rights and environmental horrors.

In one store there are racks of chemically dyed shirts. In another there are stacks of sweatshop-sewn blue jeans. I vow to next time to order an eco-friendly gift online. Frustrated and saddened, I leave the mall and instead buy her a Visa gift card.

Finding Earth-friendly fashion shouldn’t be this difficult. Clothing also shouldn’t be thought of as “disposable.” That’s why I’ve made it part of my mission to make it easier for people to access fairly, sustainably and beautifully made clothing. For the past several years, I’ve been working on a book explaining about sustainable and ethical clothing and where to find it (due later this year!), so people can appreciate more about what goes into making their garments.

Just last week Green Inside and Out co-presented its first film screening, The True Cost, an eye-opening (and tear-jerking) documentary that gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look of the fashion industry. The film was shown at the Cinema Arts Centre in Huntington, NY.[1] [Read more…] about Earth-friendly Fashion: a Movement, and a Mission