I’m enjoying a few moments surfing online while E is napping.

Yesterday, I wrote a post on how buying less, not more is a key idea in living green (despite all the fancy new green products being marketed to consumers these days). Today, I encountered a few images from an ad campaign by UNICEF about child labor that anyone who wants to live a greener, more socially responsible lifestyle should think about. Here’s one of them:

Other than I simply don’t need any new clothes, there are a couple of other reasons why it’s easy to NOT go shopping:

1. Do I know how the stuff was made? Does the company who makes [insert article of clothing or accessory here] procure their materials responsibly and treat their workers fairly? I don’t care how good my ass will look in those jeans; I’d rather know that I’m not supporting a company who abuses children or who continually rapes the environment.

2. Price. There are things out there that are more socially and environmentally responsible. However, they are also usually at a premium. Some things, like fairly traded coffee, I’m more than willing to shell out extra dough because it’s worth it to give my support to those farmers. For other things like clothes and accessories, a “want” can easily become a “don’t need” when I see the price. Besides, I can put the money in more yummy coffee and tea instead!

View the other UNICEF ads here.

Categories: social responsibility, organizations, fashion, shopping
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The Global Roundtable on Climate Change (GROCC) released a joint statement yesterday on where policy and industry need to be with regards to climate change and responsibility. The Path to Climate Sustainability statement is the result of three years’ worth of discussion by the roundtable, an initiative of The Earth Institute at Columbia University. What’s impressive about this group are the names behind it: CitiGroup, DuPont, GE, Patagonia, Volvo, and many, many more. I am, of course, somewhat skeptical of these big names and their true commitment to affect climate change. Are they promoting energy efficiency in their offices around the world? What steps are they taking to reduce their CO2 and other GHG emissions??

“Global businesses are assuming their just place as catalysts for action on climate change. But action by business alone is not enough,” said Jeffrey Immelt, Chairman and CEO of General Electric.

Here’s to hoping that they follow what they preach.

In lighter news, Brit retailer H&M will soon stock organic cotton clothing! Sure, it’s nothing new in many department stores (in fact, TreeHugger thinks they’re kind of late in the game), but with H&M’s reputation for providing affordable wares, this could mean we don’t have to blow our entire income when purchasing the stuff. Of course, the true test would be looking at how (socially responsible) their organic line is procured in the first place.

Categories: organizations, fashion, environment
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I have another confession: I have a slight addiction to buying and owning bags. It’s nowhere near as bad as it was before; I haven’t purchased a designer bag in years, mostly due to the idea that it’s money spent frivolously. Plus, these days, as someone who’s trying to be a more conscious shopper, I’d rather not waste my hard-earned money on something that’s not only unnecessary, but also isn’t eco-friendly.

So imagine how I squealed when I read about Momaboma this morning on TreeHugger. Oh my, I LOVE their collection, especially the Bombo bags, which come in varieties (I think are) made from recycled army textiles, maps, jackets, magazines, measuring tape, and rubber. Sadly, their entire site is in Italian, and having taken French and Spanish while I was in school, I really have no idea what they’re really saying. Still, as TreeHugger mentioned, this doesn’t stop me from drooling at their lovely offerings.

Categories: fashion, shopping
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I read an interesting article on New York Times web site this morning about how polyester clothing could possibly be more eco-friendly in the long run than cotton. Basically, while the creation of polyester textiles produces more CO2 than cotton, over time, caring for polyester garments takes less energy because they clean easier and dry faster.

While I love the idea of possibly being more eco-friendly by wearing more polyester, I’m hesitant to start replacing my entire wardrobe with synthetic fibers. I love cotton, plain and simple. They’re soft, versatile, and in my opinion, easy to clean anyway. The majority of my clothes consist of cotton jeans, tees, and sweaters, which all need little care except for a quick turn in the washing machine and tumbled dry in low heat. As it is, I’ve already started washing ALL my laundry in cold water. My clothes aren’t THAT filthy that they need a high temp wash. Plus, as I’ve mentioned, doing laundry is one chore I usually procrastinate about, the indicator being that I’ve completely run out of clean underwear.

Categories: fashion, environment
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