Red Bamboo Tank

admin — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 08:36:00 +0000

Cotton is a quandary. To me, no fabric is more comfortable, but its environmental impact is vast. Cotton is sprayed with reservoirs of pesticides, dumping tanks of volatile organic compounds onto the soil. The wide spacing necessary to cultivate cottons also diminishes soil fertility. Also, if you use cotton, odds are that you are exploiting a child in Uzbekistan. Is there anyway to avoid culpability?

Synthetics make me feel like I'm wrapped in plastic. Bamboo, on the other hand, takes in five times the volume of greenhouse gasses as an equivalent stand of timber trees and releases thirty-five percent more oxygen. Bamboo does not require replanting or fertilization, and its roots provide an infrastructure that help prevent erosion.

Fortunately, bamboo-material clothing is becoming more available. The labor conditions of the workers who produce it may be compromised, but at least it's creating less damage at the ground level. Dear Lil Devas purchases material from factories from who meet Oeko-Tex and ISO 14001 standards, the highest international standards for protection of workers and the environment. They offer splendid high-coverage tanks in a full spectrum of shades—white, natural, baby pink, light blue, red, cobalt, green, brown, and black—made from lightweight bamboo fabric. The fabric is reported to have hypoallergenic and antibacterial and antifungal properties, and the top is designed with a lined bust and a length that keeps the belly covered when executing the Tree, Triangle, or Cobra. Their pants and bags are manufactured locally. Pants are available in two styles and five colors. Now, if I can achieve something more than the lotus position. Tadakasana, I can also handle. Time to go practice.

Photo depicts Dear Lil Devas bamboo tank in brown.

Written by: Erika Mikkalo, September 8th 2009

Slate T-shirt

admin — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 23:32:00 +0000

By Recycle A Tee

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.

Written by: Erika Mikkalo, August 17th 2009