Going green is an international movement with the goal of a cleaner, safer environment. To go green is to do whatever part you can to assist in achieving this goal. This could be something small like maintaining a compost bin, or something larger like opting for a gravel driveway over a concrete slab to prevent harmful runoff. Here are a few ideas to go green that won’t cause much impact on your daily life.
~Take public transportation or carpool to work to reduce CO2 emissions.
~Purchase grocery tote bags and use them at the store over plastics and paper.
~Recycle your newspaper, mixed paper, cans, and bottles.
~Purchase organic products, including food and clothing.
Though babies can’t assist directly with our global climate and pollution crisis, mothers can offer their assistance through the purchase of safe, environmental products. Purchasing whole, unprocessed foods for an infant is healthier for them, and for the environment. Babies go through clothing like wildfire; purchasing organic baby clothes and donating them to charity afterward is a helpful tactic. Blankets, bibs, and burp cloths made from organic material will further help the environment.
When your infant is old enough, ensure to make them aware of how we can help the environment by recycling paper and cans, and other little things. This will help them to grow up with the right ideals.
With climate change, global warming, and pollution as increasingly hot topics in the mainstream, organic clothing (clothing made from natural materials with no chemicals) is growing in popularity. Cotton, as one of the most common clothing materials, is now available in organic cotton. Organic cotton clothing, as the name implies, is made without chemicals during both the manufacturing of the shirt and in the harvesting from the actual cotton plant.
When buying an organic cotton shirt, or any article of organic cotton clothing, you can rest assured that you are doing a small part to help the environment. And while it is a small part, a lot of small parts can add up to a big difference.
When people think of bamboo, the first thing that likely comes to mind is the bamboo tree of Asian descent, followed by bamboo chutes (common in asian food dishes). Few people would think of bamboo as a fabric. But bamboo fabrics made from pure bamboo fiber yarns can make excellent clothing. The trait of interest in bamboo material is its unusual ability to breathe, and its coolness. Because bamboo fiber is filled with micro-gaps and micro-holes (a physical trait of the material), a bamboo fabric has better moisture absorption and ventilation. Bamboo fiber apparel absorbs and evaporates human sweat in a split second, and thus garments feel cool and comfortable in hot weather.
Despite bamboo fabric being on the fringe of the mainstream, products such as bamboo shirts, pants, and fabric accessories are manufactured and are available for purchase over the internet and in specialty stores.
Compost is the result of combining plant and animal-based organic materials with the addition of some air, water, and nitrogen. Decomposition of such substances occurs naturally in most cases. The most notable exceptions are landfills or areas with extreme climates, where decomposition still happens, but more slowly. Many people who are trying to go green using compost for gardening as a natural way to enrich soil fertility and encourage healthy roots in the plants that they grow.
Anyone with a few extra square feet, even out on a patio, can produce compost, which makes it a feasible choice even for people with small living spaces. A compost bin is your best bet for participation in this process if you live in a small home, apartment, condominium or mobile home.
Fair trade is a social movement and approach to commerce that aims to extinguish global poverty, working with marginalized populations to further the economic growth of those groups. Fair trade practices advocate payment of a fair price for goods, as well as positive social and environmental standards in the depressed areas where the goods are produced. The central focus of the fair trade movement is exports from developing countries, especially coffee, sugar, cocoa, tea, bananas, honey, and organic cotton, which makes up a majority of the fair trade clothing available for sale.
The fair trade movement also strives to encourage those they serve to achieve greater equity in international commerce by becoming more active within their own organizations. Fair trade advocates include many well-known international organizations who aid environmental and social causes, such as Amnesty International and Oxfam.
Bamboo clothing is either 100% bamboo or blended with cotton or Lycra for a silky soft feeling. Since bamboo natural clothing feels so gentle on the skin, it stands to reason that it would benefit from gentle washing as well. Check the garment label for specific instructions.
It is recommended that bamboo clothing is washed in cold water with like colors on the gentle or delicate cycle, using a minimal amount of soap. Because bamboo has a fiber that provides a natural antifungal agent, it will keep your clothes from picking up unwanted germs, bacteria, or odors. Avoid bleaching or using fabric softener on your bamboo clothing. Line or air drying is recommended. Bamboo clothing can be dried on the cool setting, but it may shrink. Never dry bamboo clothing on the warm or hot dryer setting. It can be ironed with care, using a dry iron setting no higher than “low”. If you steam iron bamboo clothing, rings can form in the garment that cannot be washed out.
When you think of go green products, how often do you think about briefcases? Ours are made of 50% recycled fabric—polyester, which keeps it shape and color whatever the weather and wears like iron.
Available in banker or regular style in twenty-six fashion colors, these stylish bags can take you from home to the office to the gym and beyond, with innovative designs, comfortable handles and plenty of compartments for all of your necessities while on the go.
It can be hard to find fabrics that are gentle enough to be comfortable for a baby’s delicate skin. Organic baby clothes are a great choice, being made of the softest natural materials.
Organic baby clothes are friendly to the planet and are usually simple, cute designs that are easy to care for. The happiest babies are in the ones in clothes that don’t itch!
Bamboo is one of the fastest-growing fabrics on the market. It is antibacterial, breathable, and suitable in a variety of climates. Bamboo shirts have a flowing quality and elegant drape, rarely need ironing, and are usually easy to clean.
Bamboo is classified as a grass and may be one of the planet’s sustainable resources.
Not all bamboo shirts are made of organic bamboo, however, so if that is important to you as a consumer, be sure and verify that before purchase.