Digital Soapbox - Fashion is not Green

I've never been much of a fashion person - designer labels and ever changing expectations as to what is "in" have always been frustrating to me. So when I see lots of articles touting "Green Fashion" I get annoyed. In my opinion, there is nothing green about the world of fashion.

Fashion, Not Clothing...

My argument is with the fashion industry. You cannot expect me to believe that you can be environmentally responsible by changing the styles, colors, sizes and shapes of clothing every 3-6 months. This tends to lead to a never ending cycle of purchase and toss - natural resources being used to create clothes that are designed to be "obsolete" by the next season. It doesn't matter to me what certification you get or what you make your stuff out of - if I can't wear it two years from now because it's not cool, then it's obviously not green.

Clothing is different. I have nothing against people who try to reduce their personal impact by making smarter clothing choices. All of us need clothes (unless you live at a nudist camp), and doing what we can to make better choices makes sense. And there are a number of ways to make better choices:

• Buy "used" - whether it's at a yard sale or a consignment shop, buying used is a good way to reduce your impact. This avoids the impact of new production and can also save some money if you are a sharp bargain hunter.
• Buy items that will last - we've all bought that $2 tee shirt at the bargain store, only to have it shrink or fall apart after a couple of uses. It's a far better use of resources (both fiscally and environmentally) to buy something that can be worn for a long time.
• Fix it - clothes can be repaired; you can mend rips and holes, sew on buttons and make alterations - or you can ask a friend to do it for you. The best way to reduce our impact is to not consume - repairing an item has less impact than pitching it and buying something new.
• Material choice - some materials have less impact than others; while organic cotton is better than regular cotton, for example, there are other fibers (linen, silk, and hemp to name a few) that require fewer resources to produce. There are even items made from recycled materials (such as PET bottles being turned into tee shirts).

Now What do I do?

A lot of our current economy is built on a model of personal consumption that is not sustainable if we want to continue living on this planet. And because these behaviors are part of our society, they will be hard to break. The first thing we can all do is simply stop - take a step back for a minute and evaluate our choices. Then we can decide to take action.

Have a closer full of fads? Some options:

• Can you reuse it in a different form? I've lost count of the number of ripped up shirts I have reused as shop rags, helping me avoid the purchase of disposable shop towels in the process.
  
• Depending on what it is made of, that old clothing may be recyclable. Some curbside pick up and collection centers will take old clothes - just check their list of acceptable items.
• Costume party - if all else fails, take those legwarmers, mini skirt and pastel jacket and dress yourself up next Halloween. At least you won't have to buy a costume.

Or if you are a slave to fashion and are ready to clean out your closet for the next season, here's what you can do:

• Donate your gently used items - there are some very good organizations out there such as Goodwill or Dress for Success
  
• Have a yard sale or take those items to a consignment shop so that someone else can benefit from your fashion sense
• Hand it down (or sideways) to a family member - or better yet, share clothes back and forth and buy half the clothes
  

Challenge!

My challenge to the fashion industry is to set aside the ever changing designs and to provide society with durable clothing using materials that can be produced with minimal impact. I don't need fads that will die off in three months or things that are not functional. But that's just my opinion - and I'd love to hear yours!

When it Rains.....

A big question beginning to confront a lot of cities across the US is what to do about stormwater. You know - all of the water that goes rushing down the street and into the gutters after a nice Spring rain. These torrents of water can bring problems, both in terms of their volume and quality.


Why It's a Problem


Some cities have what is called a combined sewer - this simply means that the city catches and treats both stormwater and sewage. Many of these same cities have not updated their wastewater treatment plants as often as they should (that pesky thing about paying for infrastructure through taxes), so large volumes of stormwater in a short period of time can overload the treatment plants. This causes some stormwater (which is now mixed with sewage from homes and businesses) that is not fully treated to be released into the nearby river, lake, ocean, etc. This is starting to get the cities in trouble with folks like the EPA, who will make you upgrade your treatment plant.


The other issue with too much water is that it can end up where you don't want it - like your basement. If you are on the wrong end of a hill, you can end up with a lot of water in a short amount of time. Large flows of stormwater can also damage roads and bridges - and all of this costs money to fix. And in many cases, the money isn't readily available or is taken away from something else. Either way, the local citizens lose out.


Then there is the problem of water pollution. Stormwater coming off of roads, driveways, parking lots and commercial or industrial buildings is often loaded with various pollutants. When this water dumps into bodies of water, it can pollute those areas and harm the various critters living there. And since there are a lot of these sources of pollution, it is extremely difficult to treat as we have in the past.

Stormwater Management

Now, instead of trying to catch and treat all of this stormwater, people are looking to the past to help better manage the stormwater so that the water cycle can be returned to a more natural state. One of the key issues with cities and towns today is the amount of impermeable area - water does not normally absorb/pass through pavement, concrete and roofs. All of this impermeable area means most of the stormwater runs off and goes somewhere else.

But before we developed the land, the vast majority of stormwater would either soak into the ground or be taken up by the trees and plants growing in the area. This kept stormwater run off to a minimum and kept the water in the natural cycle. So now people are taking steps to try and return things back to the way they were - at least a little.

Green Roofs - by placing vegetation on a roof, some stormwater can be captured in place and either used by the plants on the roof or held until it evaporates. While these are starting to catch on, it does require special considerations that include the style of roof and the local climate.

Rain Barrels - an old technique that is coming back into style. By placing a container under your downspouts you can catch stormwater and use it for something else (like watering your garden). There are a number of sites that show you how to build your own, and others where you can buy rain barrels. One caution here is to make sure that installing a rain barrel does not conflict with local laws. Some parts of the US have strict water rights laws, and the installation of a rain barrel may be in conflict with those laws.

Rain Gardens - this is a way to turn a portion of your yard into an area that is designed to catch stormwater and allow it to soak back into the soil. There may be organizations in your area (like this one) that can help you design your own rain garden. Another benefit of these is that it reduces the amount of grass you need to mow! And if you design it using native plant species, you may also see an increase in beneficial wildlife (such as butterflies and birds).

New Materials - now there are pervious versions of both concrete and asphalt. These special mixes allow water to pass through the surface and into a collection area below where the stormwater can then soak back into the ground. While the construction techniques used to prepare the area are a little different, the materials are still placed in the same way as the older materials. Some cities are beginning to restrict new developments with how much area can be impervious - by replacing large sections (like parking lots or driveways) with pervious materials, developers can reduce their impact and meet the new requirements. And if you integrate a storage system into your parking lot you can reduce your water use for things like irrigation or flushing toilets.

Summary

Proper management of stormwater helps improve the environment around us. Allowing water to soak back into the soil helps replenish local aquifers that may supply drinking water. Reducing high volumes of runoff can prevent damage to homes, businesses and infrastructure. And keeping pollutants out of our local waterways helps keep local ecosystems healthy. Just a few changes by each of us can help - so let's get started!