Go Green with Sustainable Clothing

In all aspects of our lives, there are ways to lessen our impact or carbon footprint on the Earth. Much has been written about how to save electricity, paper, trees and fuel. Believe it or not, there are ways to help the environment through your clothing choices.

Organic and sustainable clothing are two separate concepts. Organic clothing became popular with the onset of the organic agricultural movement. Organic textiles are made from organic crops. The notion of sustainable clothing is more recent, coming about as part of the "Earth Day" or "green" ideology.

Both have the same goal: to preserve the environment and create less waste and pollution. The website Lotusorganics.com defines sustainable clothing as "Clothing that reduces the environmental impact. Clothing that supports and nourishes the earth and the lives of all people involved in the processes of growing, manufacturing and distributing the clothing. Reuse and recycling, organic fibers, Free Trade worker conditions, and animal welfare are important principles for sustainable clothing and fashion, but it isn't necessary to have them all together."

The most obvious way to make sure you wear sustainable clothing is to purchase secondhand or used clothes. Ebay and consignment stores are great resources for this. By wearing secondhand cloths, you're breathing new life into something that would have been thrown away.

In 2005, the company Patagonia has established a "Common Threads Garment Recycling Program". Through the program, customer can return their Capilene® Performance Baselayers to the company. According to the company's website (www.patagonia.com), the following types of clothing items can also be recycled: Patagonia® fleece, Polartec® fleece clothing (from any maker), Patagonia cotton T-shirts, and now some additional polyester and nylon 6 products that come with a Common Threads tag.

Products made with Lyocell are now available. Lyocell is made from cellulose which is the main material found in plant cells. It's a sustainable material made from wood. According to the website www.fibersource.com, it's a suede or silk-like material that is soft, absorbent, strong, wrinkle resistant and 100% biodegradable. It can also be hand washed.

When you see the Tencel® brand on clothing, it was made from lyocell. You can find clothes made with Tencel® through the women's clothing lines of Orvis and L.L. Bean and also through the Speigel catalog.

Don't forget about your shoes! An online company called "Simple Shoes" (www.simpleshoes.com) sells sustainable shoes for men, women and children. The materials used in their line are hemp, organic cotton, jute, and wool felt made from sheep's hair. The soles are made of recycled car tires, cork and latex (considered a natural rubber). Of course, the boxes are produced from 100% post-consumer recycled paper.

There are endless creative ways to go green. With all of the new sustainable designers and clothing lines available, you'll look great!