Monday, August 4, 2008

Eco-Friendly Clothing: How Can You Help The Environment By Wearing Eco-Friendly Clothing?

We can help the environment by using clothes that are made of eco-friendly garments for supporting the natural method and that means without the use of pesticides and fertilizers that harms the soil. And by going green, it encourages the plants and trees to reproduce.

Eco-friendly clothing helps us to reduce the damage already present in nature because of man-made pollution. That is why more and more people are demanding, buying and using these environment-friendly garments. These garments are made of different natural products like the organic cotton, bamboo, soy and hemp to name a few. These organic products are alternative to the fabric we are used to like wool, rayon, silk and fur, etc.

Organic cotton has been the origin of T-shirt, and it is better to use them than natural cotton that is produced with pesticides and fertilizers. These chemicals pollute the soil and harm nature in the process. Yes, it could be a big help for the growers of the cotton industry to use pesticides in preventing pests and diseases as well as put fertilizer to promote growth. But, it is very harmful for all the living things surrounding the farm, including the farm soil.

Bamboo is a highly renewable grass and is now taking a big hit and joining the classy ranks. The Bamboo fabrics are soft and have anti-bacterial qualities.

Fabrics that are produced from any soy like soymilk can be an alternative source for silk, better than using the modern method where silkworms are boiled to death forcing them to produce silk. That’s just so cruel. At least, there is a better way to produce silk like the natural way of producing one, allowing the silkworm hatch in a natural way on the trees.

The most eco-friendly clothing textile is the hemp. Hemp plants grow very quickly and densely which makes it difficult for weed to take hold. These natural wonders require lesser amount of water to grow and they are pest-resistant too. Hemp has natural long and heavy-duty fibers which makes it suitable for spinning. It also comes in variety of weights and textures.

There are many other sources of Eco-friendly clothing. Calico, also known as Muslin, is a fabric made from unbleached cotton. Ramie fibers are one of the strongest natural fibers. It can be 8 times stronger than cotton and even stronger when wet. Organic wool is wool that has been produced in a harmless way for the environment’s welfare as compared to that of non-organic wool. Jute is similar to hemp. It is a vegetable fiber that has been used for thousands of years and it has a promising future in the fashion industry.

For dying, we can use non-toxic dyes which is better for our health and environment. Using toxic and unnatural dyes are very harmful especially to those who are making the clothes because they can cause skin rashes, headaches, dizziness, and nausea, diarrhea, breathing difficulties, fast heart beat and other illnesses.

Most people buy clothes based on comfort and style without checking if the clothes are eco-friendly. I myself am not aware of this before, so I just bought any blouse that I liked, and wear them without reading the labels. Because, clothes have a constant contact with our skin, the chemicals are absorbed by the skin through our pores and can enter our liver, heart, lungs, kidney, and brain. Eco-friendly clothing is produced chemical-free and it will not affect our health. It even alleviates the beauty of the environment.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

At first my reason for searching out organic cotton was medical.

At only a few weeks old my son developed severe eczema and his pediatrician suggested organic cotton as an alternative to the harsh steroidal creams they wanted to put him on. The search for organic clothing was not easy, and just plain expensive, but I knew his baby skin could not take the harsh chemicals used in regular textiles.

The more research I did, the more I knew our entire family needed to make a change, for us and the planet.

That was when I founded a company that supplies eco friendly clothing, and since it is a family adventure, the prices are very reasonable. ($12-$30)

You will probably see the same products in your local boutique for twice as much, I know I did. But best of all, after about 6 months of wearing organic, our baby has no sign of eczema.

http://www.peacefuldisorder.com