As published in the Lafayette Today newspaper.
________________________________________
It can feel pretty satisfying to get a deal on a brand new outfit, but there is also an environmental cost to consider. Imagine walking out of a store with a single cotton polo shirt. Seems like a harmless purchase, but that shirt, on average, has traveled more than 14,000 miles, required 400 gallons of water to produce, caused 27 pounds of carbon emissions, expended 33 kilowatt hours of energy, produced its weight in waste, and it depended on heavy use of pesticides and insecticides (cotton producers use 10% of all pesticides and 25% of all insecticides worldwide). And with a constant need to free up closet space, the average American discards 68 pounds of clothing and other textiles each year, adding up to 10 million tons of unwanted duds, that mostly go to U.S. landfills. Following are some tips to minimize your impact:
Give Something a New Life - Sometimes you can get that new feeling without buying anything new. One idea is to re-imagine the clothes you don't wear anymore: Cut tees into tanks, make jeans into shorts (or capris or a skirt), sew patterned clothes into purses, unravel an old sweater and knit it into a new style, cover stains creatively, or turn any item a different color (with planet-friendly dye, of course).
Buy Used or Swap - It was cool in the '90s and it's cool again. Buying used is the ultimate way to keep your closet's carbon footprint small. Drop by Nifty Thrift, Wayside Inn or “They Grow So Fast” right in Lafayette. Another great idea is to host or attend a clothes swap with friends. Have everyone bring fashions and accessories that are still in decent shape and pick out pieces that are new to you.
Look for Eco-Friendly & Recycled Materials - If you have to buy new, look for materials like organic cotton, bamboo, hemp, or recycled anything. There have been many recent developments in fabrics made of recycled stuff, including plastic bottles. What to avoid? Synthetic fibers (polyester, vinyl, nylon), animal products (leather, suede), and cellulose materials (rayon).
Buy Things That Will Last - Make sure your choices are well-made and durable and consider paying more for pieces that’ll take longer to land in the landfill. Buy classic styles, not trendy ones, to ensure timelessness.
Go Online - There are a wide array of new online stores that feature eco-friendly clothes. Just search on “eco-friendly clothes” or similar. For some great ideas, check out Lucky's April issue. http://www.luckymag.com/sites/sourcebook/eco/eco_fashion
For more ideas on how to reduce your environmental impact and to read success stories about how others in Lafayette are living more sustainably please visit www.sustainablelafayette.net.
link to PDF of Lafayette Today that
included article on page18