ENV211

The fashion industry is looking to improve how they manufacture textiles to make them more eco-friendly. They use a lot of chemicals in the making of textiles that harm the environment. They began using soy fiber and Tencel. Even though Tencel uses chemicals during production the chemicals can be reused many times. Tencel fibers are also biodegradable! 

I need to read more about the Better Cotton Initiative. Good article!

Inventor Izhar Gafni has constructed an Eco-friendly bicycle. The bike is made almost entirely of cardboard. The cardboard is very safe and extremely strong, it is also fireproof and waterproof, making the bike both durable and long lasting. The tires are recycled rubber and the material is solid, preventing punctures. The best part, the bike is only $20, very affordable!!

This will be great in developing countries.

The small country of Sweden is collecting trash and putting it to good use (and is getting paid to do so)! The article reads that the country is creating energy for around 250,000 homes. Hopefully this will keep waste out of places it doesn't belong (like the ocean). However this does pose the question of how many toxins from the trash will be released into the air?

The toxin question is a good one and how much CO2?

A Minnesota fashion group has created a set of standards for sustainable and "green" fashion. The group hopes to better put the consumer at ease by informing them of the strict standards that are carried out to ensure their garment is ethically made and environmentally sustainable. The group offers their certification requirements free of cost to the designer so it is not difficult or expensive to attain for companies just starting out. 

A set of standards is a good idea. The USDA can set organic standards but most of the environmental harm is from the chemicals used on the textiles later in the cycle.

Fashion retailer H&M has been named the biggest user of organic cotton for the second consecutive year. Their increase in the use is part of their plan to use more sustainable cotton in their clothing lines by 2020. The company has been using certified organic cotton for the past 8 years and their clothes are clearly labeled to inform the consumer of their informed choice. 

But the cotton is probably not from the U.S. Only 1% of U.S. cotton is organic.

This is such a good idea! Who would have thought that one day we could be doing good for the environment by just walking around!

Interesting idea. They should quantify the actual effect to help justify the energy costs of production.

A chemist/fashion designer has created jeans that can make the air cleaner. The jeans are coated with particles of titanium dioxide to neutralize nitrogen oxide emitted by vehicles and factories and the bi product of nitrates washes away in the laundry. Professor Storey, the creator said "Jeans were the ideal item of clothing for their invention because there were more denim jeans on the planet than people." 

Interesting idea. Why don't they put it on paint on buildings or cars instead?

A workshop was created and being offered free to anyone in Manchester to turn their old clothes and accessories into a new, updated and trendier article for their wardrobe. It encourages consumers to prolong the life of the clothes they purchase instead of disposing them. I wish a workshop like this was offered around here, it sounds like a lot of fun.

It seems like an idea that would be popular in the US. I bet it would be well attended in Boston or San Francisco.

When I was younger I use to go to this youth center and hangout with my friends all day long, before I left I remember just talking to architects about this green building. Now, years later the United Teen Equality Center in my home town is the oldest, Platinum LEED Certified building in the country. This new building is an amazing step for the staff to continue to help the trouble teens in my town of Lowell, MA. And their not only doing it in a big way but a way that is good for our environment as well.

An impressive accomplishment! LEED Platinum is difficult to reach. They must have some strong supporters. You should go get a tour when it opens.

This is a great way to get people informed on what exactly the fashion industry is doing to the environment. Garments were tested for chemicals that might harm the environment or human health. It found that 89 of the 141 contained detectable levels of nonylphenol ethoxylates or NPEs. The campaign is pushing for fashion brands to commit to zero discharge of all hazardous chemicals by 2020.  

Greenpeace loves doing stuff like this. They try to capture as much free media attention as possible. This one did not get much play though.

Creating denim using old recycled bottles! Really awesome idea, and a great new advancement in sustainability and fashion

Isn't fleece basically recycled bottles? Good idea for Levi's. .

Breast Cancer Awareness Month brings about a ton of events to raise money to find a cure for the disease. The idea of making art from recycled materials that are shaped liked bras is not only helping fight against breast cancer, but it is helping the environment. What a unique idea!

Clever idea. I hope they raise lots of money.

Sunglasses have become one of the most popular accessories in today's world of fashion. Creating sunglasses from organic processes and materials and donating the proceeds to reforestation efforts, while planting a tree for each parir of glasses that are purchased not only encourages shoppers to stay on trend with purchasing sunglasses, but it raises awareness to our environment and the impact that we can make on it.

They are all sold out on their web page. My kids would break them so fast!

Apparently a movie was recently made involving fracking, starring Matt Damon. The movie is called "Promise Land" and includes fracking issues in rural Pennsylvania. Producer's of this film claim to have no position on fracking but most likely the movie will portray the issue negatively. Movie premieres end of December.

I'll have to go see this. Thanks for the post.

Who would have thought that cardboard, steel/tin, recycled fabric and clothing, aluminum, plastics, paper cartons, chipboard, newspaper, mixed papers and glass could be used to design dresses, pantsuits, coats and more? I feel as though more and more people will participate in creating clothing made from recycled products, so long as the word about it continues to spread.

I feel like I've seen these projects before and even used as displays to promote recycling. At my last school, I took a fiber class and the professor had each of us make outfits from recycled materials she offered. It turned out to be a fun project and most of the outfits actually looked good. This is just one of many ways to get people more excited and aware of recycling and reusing materials.

Two years ago at our Earth Day, a student organized a Recycled Fashion Show. She created all the clothing, organized the models, and conducted the show on the quad. Look at page 16 of this report I wrote a few years ago: http://www.lasell.edu/Documents/Reports/2009-2010-Lasell-College-Sustainability-Report.pdf

Thanks to organizations like the Green Hotels Association, Economically Sound, WTTC, and the ITP, hotels are on a trend to become more involved in environmental issues. The Linen Reuse Program is most popular currently, hotels simply ask their guests if it is necessary to wash the sheets every night. This program has been on the rise for awhile now but the newest trend is for hotels to calculate their carbon footprint. I can only see the interest in hotels becoming more environmentally friendly increasing.

What is cool about the cards in hotel rooms about reusing towels is that psychologists have studied it extensively. They have found that tweaking the wording can have a huge impact on towel reuse rates. http://csi.gsb.stanford.edu/room-viewpoint

This article talks mostly about H&M;s low prices and how it might encourage the idea of disposable fashion. It also mentions how H&M is increasing its use of organically grown cotton by 50 percent every year until 2013. They are also working with its Chinese suppliers to reduce water, energy, and toxic-chemical use in its supply chains.

I like the candy wrapper analogy. This is a good issue for fashion students to think about. The most sustainable fashion is to keep wearing the clothes you already own!

This article discusses Fashion's Carbon Footprint and how recycling textiles can reduce the amount of CO2 emissions.

Thanks Meghan. To be honest, I had no idea fabric could be recycled into new clothes. We collect tons of clothing at move out time. Most is donated to organizations that can distribute the clothes. But some is so gross we toss it. Where can we recycle it?