Earth Day is an annual call-to-action holiday that encourages organizations and individuals in 192 countries worldwide to pause and think how to effect positive environmental change. It first began in 1970 as a reaction to an oil spill that had occurred in 1969 to promote environmental reform. It is one of the most participated events, with over a billion environmental advocates globally. Individually, there is a multitude of ways to save energy and reduce landfill waste. Here are 6 fashion related ideas to get you started:
1- Repair 5 items from your closet. Before you buy something new, look through your closet for clothing that still fits, but needs to be repaired. If there are ripped seams, small tears or broken zippers, mend them yourself or bring them to a tailor. You can also hem dirty, frayed edges, reattach a strap, or sew-in loose buttons. Repairing just five items equals around 3 or 4 lbs of textile that stays out of the garbage. (Note: An average person in the United States throws away about 70 lbs of textile waste every year) Here are some repair tips: http://www.marthastewart.com/
2- Hang up your clothes to dry. An average dryer uses 3.3 kilowatt hours of energy. You can buy steel collapsible clotheslines for indoors or simply tie a rope between two trees outside. Here’s a fun example of a DIY outdoor clothesline made with wooden posts: http://diydiva.net/2012/07/
3 - Use Cora balls to catch polyester microfibers. A new product on Kickstarter, Cora balls are said to catch the microfibers that are released when poly-blend clothing is machine washed. The microfibers build up in the waterways and shorelines, potentially damaging the marine life that swallow them. University of California at Santa Barbara researchers recently found that manmade fleece jackets release around 1.7 grams of microfibers every wash. As the jackets age, more fibers, almost twice as many, are released. Learn more about Cora balls here: https://www.kickstarter.com/
4 - Don’t wash your clothes after every use. To air out clothing between uses, place clothing on a hanger on the back of your closet door, or on a drying rack or in a roomy place in the closet. Jackets, sweaters and jeans can all be worn multiple times before they need to be washed. Save daily washing for undershirts, underwear and socks. Otherwise, if it doesn’t smell, hang it. ;)
6- Get to know your cobbler. Good quality shoes can last a long time if a cobbler repairs them. Don't throw them away if the soles are worn out or have a hole. Broken zippers on boots are also easily repaired at your cobbler. Unsure if they can be fixed? Here is a list of what you can and cannot repair. https://www.liveabout.com/what-show-repair-can-and-cant-do-2990247
What are your favorite things to do for Earth Day?
