WHAT TO WEAR

[Guest guest]

WHAT TO WEAR

by Sheryl Eisenberg

I've been partial to cotton since I was young. Back then, synthetics were incurably tacky and wool gave me an intolerable itch. Cotton was not only comfortable and good-looking, but a versatile chameleon that met all my needs. It was sturdy in blue jeans, crisp in button-down shirts and wonderfully soft in flannels, velvets and corduroys. I also liked the fact that, coming from a plant, it was pure and natural. That's where I was wrong.

Maybe the cotton plant is natural, but what's done with it is certainly not. Cotton is grown with more insecticides than any other crop. These include relatives of nerve agents developed for chemical warfare in World War II and other broad spectrum insecticides. "Broad spectrum" means that the chemicals are effective against a wide array of organisms, including beneficial insects and other innocent bystanders. The honeybee, for instance, is one beneficial species that both loves cotton and is susceptible to some of the chemicals used on it.

It is not only organisms in the fields that suffer from exposure; farm workers do, too. Moreover, insecticides and other pesticides often drift, when sprayed, into neighboring areas where wildlife or people may live. They also wash into waterways and seep into groundwater, where they can contaminate drinking water supplies.

Nor does the use of chemicals stop at the farm. Additional toxins are applied during processing, as cotton is transformed into clothes. Chlorine is used to bleach the fabric, heavy metals to dye it and formaldehyde to make it wrinkle-free. All of this nasty stuff ends up in our air and water.

Other so-called natural fabrics (such as linen and hemp) are grown and processed with chemicals, too -- though with much smaller amounts. So they're a considerably better alternative, environmentally speaking, but still not perfect. Wool production, which involves chemicals at different stages, has a particularly ugly side: the sheep are dipped in an insecticide bath to remove parasites.

It's a pretty grim picture, but not hopeless. Here are some important steps you can take:

Buy organic. Clothes made with organic fabrics are increasingly available. The labeling is regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, just as it is for organic foods. One hundred percent organic is obviously best, but blends of organic and conventional fabrics are still a step in the right direction -- and often easier to find.

Avoid "easy-care" clothes. Features that make clothes easier to care for, such as wrinkle and stain resistance, require additional chemicals. Avoid these features when possible.

Try hemp and linen in place of cotton. Both come from hardy plants that are less susceptible to pests than cotton and so, require fewer pesticides.

Look for recycled fleece. Polar fleece is soft, lightweight, warm -- and made from petroleum, which puts it on the environmentally unsustainable list. However, some fleece is made from recycled materials (including soda bottles). This is the kind to buy. When shopping, check the list of materials on the labels for recycled content.

Recycle your clothes. Hand them down when possible to family and friends or drop them off at a clothes bank or thrift shop.

Buy less. It goes without saying that most of us in America have many more clothes than we need. I doubt we'd even notice the difference if we cut back by a few items a year, but the environmental savings would be substantial -- in energy and water use as well as chemical abuse.

—Sheryl Eisenberg

 

"If God only gave me a clear sign; like making a large deposit in my name at a Swiss Bank"

-Woody Allen

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