Slate T-shirt

George Carlin once observed that a house is where you keep all your stuff, until you have too much stuff, and then you get a bigger house so that you have enough space for your stuff. I appreciated the Annie Leonard digital video The Story of Stuff. The site details the social and environmental impact of consumption, and the fact that in a consumerist milieu, the entire sense of self-worth appears to be predicated on what you buy, what you wear, and having new and more “stuff.” Getting new stuff becomes a duty: wearing things to the point of disintegration is unAmerican. Whether terrorist attack or fiscal meltdown, the admonition is to “buy more.” Regardless of impetus, it is good to know that people are attempting to provide conscious alternatives.

Recycle a Tee makes organic cotton clothing with the environment in mind. The lifecycle of the shirt—from cotton field to landfill, from root to chute—is considered. They watch their waste at point of manufacturing, and give the shopper options if the top becomes too threadbare for further wear. Shirts can be sent back, shipping gratis, for a twenty-five percent store credit, or donated locally. Just log your donation at the site, and your account will be credited.

The jersey is light and resilient, and items include plain tanks and tee styles with v-necks for men. The t-shirts are printed with water-based inks with your choice of either a three-bent-arrows recycling logo or a tree design. Low-impact dyes color them white, red, yellow, pink, pomegranate, slate, and sky. Considering the earth and the sky? Consider Recycle a Tee.

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