Leather and Environment (sources may surprise)

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I suppose leather is "green" too?????? (HealthNewsDigest.com) - Leather is everywhere—from shoes and belts,to purses, wallets, jackets, furniture and car seats. Most probablyassume that the leather that finds its way into our wardrobes andliving spaces is a byproduct of the meat industry. But while cows arecertainly the most popular animals to use for leather goods, in truthmost of our leather is sourced from overseas, from countries likeChina and India, where a host of animals may be raw material for ourbags and belts, including horses, deer, sheep and, in more exoticcases, alligators or snakes. All of which may make an animal-lover

orvegetarian queasy.But environmentalists have reason to forgo leather, too. Processingleather requires copious amounts of energy and a toxic stew ofchemicals including formaldehyde, coal tar, and some cyanidecontaining finishes. The tanning process is just as pollutant-laced,and can leave chemicals in the water supply (as described in thebest-selling book and popular movie, A Civil Action) and on the hands(and in the lungs) of developing world workers.Tanneries are top polluters on the Environmental Protection Agency's(EPA) "Superfund" list, which identifies the most critical industrialsites in need of environmental cleanup. ......CONTACTS: Alternative Outfitters, www.alternativeoutfitters.com;Heartland Products, www.trvnet.net/~hrtlndp; Organic Leather,www.organicleather.com; Vegetarian Shoes and Bags,www.vegetarianshoesandbags.com.-- full story:http://www.healthnewsdigest.com/news/Environment_380/Leather_and_the_Environment.shtml http://pets.Fortheanimals7/join