For years, Rachelle would complain about organic clothing styles—or the lack thereof. But now a few designers are starting to use organic fabrics and create genuine couture, the kind of stuff fashion magazines feature not because it’s organic, but because it’s real fashion. As with anything, there’s a learning curve. Designers and manufacturers are having to figure out which fabrics will work for which styles. They have to research the way a material will hang, not to mention how it will wear over time and hold up to cleaning. And when we’re talking about some of the newer materials, like bamboo and coconut fiber, being used to make clothing, you can appreciate the steepness of the learning curve.
Rachelle used to complain about clothing made from hemp. She said it was too rough. But now fabric manufacturers have been able to blend it with silk or with organic cotton to make it more wearable. Advancements in the whole dye and fabric world are happening all the time, too. As demand for these organic fashions increases, we’ll see more money being spent on R&D.
Rachelle is actually working with a friend to design her own clothing line. I think it’s great. It’s a passion of hers, and if it can help the environment, too, I’m all for it.
Recycled Clothing
In Chapter 3 I talked a lot about the importance of recycling, and I touched on the value of purchasing recycled furniture—whether you’re buying antiques, thrift-shop bargains, or items made from reclaimed materials. Recycled clothing fits into the same category.
When you purchase something that already exists, you’re saving natural resources and all the energy used to mine or harvest them, to ship them to a manufacturing facility, to transform those raw resources into finished goods, then to transport those finished goods to warehouses and retail stores.
So, what do I mean by recycled clothing? I mean preowned clothes and also clothing made from recycled materials.
You can find preowned clothing—and shoes—in all sorts of stores and in all sorts of styles. Thrift shops, flea markets, and swap meets are great sources of inexpensive clothing that isn’t ready for a landfill—it’s ready for a new life in your closet. If you’re looking for something more upscale, some thrift shops do specialize in higher-end merchandise, or you might try shopping in a consignment store (sometimes called a resale store). These stores specialize in preowned designer apparel.
Another excellent option is clothing made from recycled materials. Some of the designers working in the organic clothing realm are using vintage buttons, so they’re recycling in that sense. Other companies are taking cool vintage clothing—sweaters, dresses—and remaking it in more current styles and sizes. Rachelle was telling me about companies that take old cashmere from sweaters and blankets and scarves and that sort of thing and recycle it into new clothes as well as scarves and quilts.
But scarves aren’t the only recycled accessories you can find. Some pretty impressive—you might even say mind-boggling—purses are made from all kinds of recycled materials, including automobile seat belts, license plates, bicycle inner tubes, vinyl records, 35mm slides, blue jeans, soda cans, old soda can pop tops, juice boxes, candy wrappers, skateboards, and magazines.
When you buy recycled clothing and shoes and purses, you’re keeping all of these items out of landfills and you’re reducing energy use and the use of natural resources.
Rental Clothing
Another great option, in terms of conserving resources (not to mention money) is renting.
What sort of clothing can you rent? For men, tuxedos are certainly the best-known rental option. But you can also rent a business suit for a job interview, say, and if you won’t actually need that suit when you start working, renting it makes a lot of sense.
The same goes for ladies’ clothing. How many times do you really plan to wear your wedding dress? Once, right? So why buy it, wear it once, then have it take up space in a closet or up in the attic for the rest of your life? Oh, and you can rent prom dresses and bridesmaids’ dresses, too. (Rachelle tells me your bridesmaids will be especially grateful if you choose this option!)
Vegan Shoes
Clothing isn’t the only thing we wear on our bodies. You’ve got to put something on your feet.
As you probably know, most vegans do not wear leather. They avoid leather belts, leather jackets, leather shoes—even leather upholstery on their furniture and in their cars.
My choice to wear vegan shoes (and belts and so on) isn’t just about animal cruelty issues. It’s also about the environment.
In Chapter 5, “In the Garden and Kitchen,” I discussed that it takes a lot more land, water, and energy to raise animals than to grow grains and produce. Choosing organic vegan shoes made from plant-based materials is environmentally friendly, too.
Don’t assume vegan shoes are much more expensive than other shoes. What did you pay for your last pair of name-brand athletic shoes? My vegan athletic shoes look just the same and they feel the same to me. Any minor difference in cost is a price I’m willing to pay.
A word of caution: You can find inexpensive nonleather shoes, but some of them are not all that well made. There are companies making really cheapo shoes out of plastic because it’s less expensive than leather. It’s hard for me to find those shoes in my size and in styles that I can tolerate, and when they’re badly made, I end up throwing them out after a few months. Plus they’re made from petroleum. Any way you look at it, those shoes are a bad investment.
So what are quality vegan shoes made from? In a lot of cases, they’re made from hemp, which can look like leather, canvas, even suede. You can also find shoes made from other plant materials, like rubber and jute and cotton. Some vegan shoes even have rubber soles made from recycled car tires. So you can make environmentally friendly choices when it comes to footwear, too.
Dry Cleaning Your Clothes
We covered the benefits of washing your clothes with environmentally friendly detergents in Chapter 1. But what about the stuff that has to be dry cleaned?
The chemical most commonly used in the dry-cleaning process is a solvent called perchloroethylene, or perc. It’s considered a toxic air contaminant, and studies have identified it as a carcinogen. It’s nasty stuff. Exposure to perc can cause dizziness, headaches, irritation of the eyes and nose and throat, even liver and kidney damage.
Experts will tell you that there’s not enough perc on clothing after it’s dry cleaned to pose any real danger to you—assuming that the clothing has been aired out properly. It’s mostly considered a problem for the people who work in the dry-cleaning industry. On the other hand, do you really want to risk having those chemicals against your skin? And do you really want to encourage the use of this toxic chemical?
I’ve never liked the smell of clothing that has been dry cleaned. I used to think, “So air it out and it’ll be fine.” But it’s not fine. Perc is a mighty bad toxin and you’ll have remnants of it against your skin for ten, maybe twenty hours. Years ago, a town near Boston was found to have a much higher rate of cancer, and it was attributed to the residents’ affluent lifestyle, including dry cleaning. They had the money to be exposed to more chemicals.
Fortunately, you can choose where you take your dry cleaning and to give your business to a nontoxic dry cleaner. Some of these cleaners use the practice of professional wet cleaning, which is far more environmentally friendly than using perc (and there are other nontoxic options now, too).
I am lucky enough to have one of these nontoxic cleaners within walking distance of my house, and you may, too. It’s easy to find out. I’m sure a quick Internet search for your area will turn up choices. For instance, the South Coast Air Quality Management District provides on its website a list of non-toxic dry cleaners in Southern California.
Traditional Skin Care and Hair Care
What you wear isn’t the only thing that matters. What you put on your skin and in your hair is important, too.
When you learn what goes into skin- and hair-care products, it’s really frightening. So man
y of the products on the market today—the vast majority of products out there—are full of parabens. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA):
I look for quality, natural, paraben-free products.
“Parabens are the most widely used preservatives in cosmetic products. Chemically, parabens are esters of phydroxybenzoic acid. The most common parabens used in cosmetic products are methylparaben, propylparaben, and butylparaben. Typically, more than one paraben is used in a product, and they are often used in combination with other types of preservatives to provide preservation against a broad range of microorganisms.”
There’s some controversy over parabens. The FDA will tell you the levels used today are safe, but groups like Physicians for Social Responsibility disagree. Parabens mimic estrogen and they’ve been found—undiluted—in breast cancer tumors. That means these parabens are being absorbed through the skin, because when you eat them, they actually get diluted in your digestive system.
I don’t know about you, but I’m not going to risk it. I don’t want to use hair- and skin-care products that are full of parabens if I can help it. So many people in my life have been affected by breast cancer, some in their thirties and forties and fifties. It’s on the rise, and there’s a reason for that.
And parabens are in almost everything on the market. They’re in most kinds of shampoo, conditioner, soap, bath gel, facial cleanser and toner, makeup, eye makeup remover, lotion, sun-screen, tanning lotion, and baby lotion, as well as in many other products.
Beyond that, there’s all the petroleum in stuff we use. If you wear lipstick every single day of your life, you eat a pound of petroleum products right there. Petrochemicals are in all sorts of things, from baby oil and Vaseline to anything that says it has paraffin wax as an ingredient.
The more I learn about this stuff, the more I want to learn. You’ve gotta learn it—and then you’ve gotta be willing to make changes in your life, because the exposure to these kinds of harmful chemicals is overwhelming, especially in the beauty world.
Organic Skin Care and Hair Care
Rachelle and I have become really attuned to concerns about skin- and hair-care products. We use the best plant-based, natural products that we can. That word natural doesn’t always have much meaning, but what I mean by that is products made with the healthiest materials, products that don’t have parabens. Parabens come mostly from fragrances, so I avoid fragrances.
You can find quality, natural, paraben-free products in health food stores. Most hair salons also now offer a complete range of wonderful, natural hair-care products.
Try to stay away from sulfates in hair-care products, too. Sulfates dry your hair out, big-time. Companies add sulfates because they cause sudsing. But suds don’t clean hair, and neither do detergents. My hairstylist, Derek Collins, says the best thing you can do is brush your hair with a boar’s-bristle brush every day. This stimulates the scalp and moves the oils away from your scalp and down the hair shaft, where they need to be. It also exfoliates. (Note: If you have hair extensions, I wouldn’t suggest this.)
Natural Cosmetics
I love makeup. Eye shadow, mascara, lipstick—all of it. I think putting on makeup is an art form. It can be more dramatic than any outfit you wear. I love trying different products and creating new looks.
Unfortunately, it’s been very hard for the natural makeup lines to compete with the premium brands we all swoon over at the department stores. There is not, as yet, sufficient demand for them to hold their own in Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s, where I usually buy my cosmetics. But I’m putting the extra energy into expanding my shopping expeditions beyond the mall because I’d rather be putting minerals on my skin, as opposed to petroleum-based products. You can find lots of really nice stuff at spas and at stores like Sephora.
Companies are coming out with mineral makeup that offers good sun protection and in colors that Rachelle assures me are appealing and fashionable. Some cosmetics companies have a complete mineral line with everything you’d want, from foundation to eyeliner. Many of these mineral makeup lines are endorsed by doctors—dermatologists and plastic surgeons. That’s because this mineral makeup, for the most part, is
• Hypoallergenic. It’s good for people with sensitive skin, and it tends not to trigger allergic reactions.
• Breathable. It feels lighter than traditional base or foundation and it lets your skin breathe. It doesn’t clog your pores. Rachelle also says most won’t gather in lines and creases and make you look older, either, so there’s a real plus!
• Calming. Many of the minerals in these products are soothing. Some are even recommended for use after things like laser treatments and chemical peels, when your skin is supersensitive.
• Natural sunblocks. Zinc oxide, in particular, helps block UVA rays. Remember that white zinc lotion lifeguards would always wear on their noses? You may look a little ghostlike when you wear natural sunblock with zinc oxide in it, but it works, and it’s better than all the chemicals in other sunblocks.
You know, you shouldn’t have to sacrifice. There are enough talented chemists and visionary company owners out there to create attractive, fashionable cosmetics that are natural, organic, and affordable, too. I’m sure as the demand for these products increases, more companies will invest in research and development.
Reducing Your Exposure to Toxins
Every day, you have the opportunity to be exposed to toxins. You can choose to wear pesticide-laden clothing. You can choose to eat pesticide-laden food. You can choose to wash your hair and your body with products that are full of parabens. Or you can make healthier choices that will also be kinder to the planet.
You can choose to support organic farmers, organic textile companies, organic clothing designers, and organic retailers. You can choose to support natural hair-care and skin-care companies. Even if you have a hard time finding these products locally, let me assure you, they are readily available online.
Just by simply choosing healthful options every day, you can make a world of difference. You can improve your own health and the health of the environment.
It’s just like choosing to change your lightbulbs or draw your drapes. Just like choosing to drive a greener car. Just like choosing to recycle and buy recycled. Just like choosing to reduce your energy needs and get your energy from greener sources. Just like choosing to eat locally grown, organic food.
It’s all about choices. And you’ve got the power to choose.
Don’t assume that natural fibers are automatically better than synthetics. Just because something is made from natural fibers doesn’t mean it’s environmentally friendly.
The pesticides applied to plants don’t just target insects; they may also encompass an herbicide, which kills plants, or a fungicide, which kills various types of fungus.
If there’s an item of clothing you hardly ever need, why buy it and have it sit in your closet, unused and practically wasted, when you can rent it for far less money and allow other people to make use of it, too?
Leather production involves a toxic soup of chemicals, many of which have been linked to all kinds of cancers and other health issues, including asthma.
Many dry cleaners have found that making the switch to green processes wasn’t just good for their health, it was good for their business. To ensure it remains that way, be sure to spend your dry-cleaning dollars with meerchants who follow eco-friendly practices.
When it comes to buying cosmetics and toiletries, read the labels and stay away from anything with ingredients that are hard to pronounce.
According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), there are about 36,000 dry cleaning shops in the United States, and about 85 percent of them use
perchloroethylene as their primary solvent.
Some types of hair dye contain lead acetate.
Hair bleach and nail polish may contain formaldehyde.
WORKBOOK
Want to know if this stuff
really works? Keep track of just how much money—and energy—you save by making some of the Little Changes, Not-So-Big Changes, and Big Changes outlined in this book. Each time you make a change, record the date you implemented the change. If, for instance, you replace ten incandescent lightbulbs with compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs) or institute a new policy, such as running only full dishwasher or washing machine loads, note the date. When your next utility bill arrives, calculate the difference, and then note which changes were made within that billing period. I bet you will be amazed to see how much it was lowered by making those simple changes.
You’ll also find a section for tracking your results. This includes changes in your energy usage as well as health benefits you’ve noticed, differences in your grocery bills, differences in your gasoline costs, differences in your water usage, and a lot more.
Keeping track of the changes you make and the results in your life is the best way to prove that these changes are good for you and good for the environment. After all, the proof is in the savings—and in your improved physical and mental health, too.
CHANGES
ELECTRICITY SAVINGS
Ditch the dirty air filter DATE:_____ COST:_____
Turn down/up the thermostat
I CHANGED THE TEMPERATURE ON MY HEATING SYSTEM FROM:
_____ TO:_____ °F. DATE:_____
I CHANGED THE TEMPERATURE ON MY AIR-CONDITIONING SYSTEM FROM:_°F TO:_____ °F. DATE:_____
Clean the refrigerator coils DATE:_____
Reseal the refrigerator DATE:_____
Living Like Ed Page 20