I was recently awed by the beauty of a tree – God’s handiwork. The reality of God was evident to me in that tree.

In the Bible God gave man specific instructions regarding the earth:

And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. – Genesis 1:28 KJV

With the celebration of Earth Day today, the awesomeness of God’s creation is brought to the forefront of my mind.

Earth Day reminds me:

• of the tremendous responsibility we have as humans to nurture and maintain the earth (… “replenish it…”) and its wonderful resources that have been put here for our benefit and enjoyment (…”subdue it”).
• of how precious water is to us.
• of how precious and delightful food is to us.
• of how important and beneficial healthy living environments are to us.
• that what we wear affects our interaction with the Earth. Either our attire helps us to benefit from as well as adapt to the climate in which we live or it hinders us.
• that once we’ve utilized a resource we should do what we can to encourage its restoration.

With the authority over the earth given to us by God comes the responsibility of taking care of it also given to us by God.

What does Earth Day mean to you?

This is the fifth and final post in the organic clothing series.

As I wrap things up, I’d like to share with you a few more things you should know about organic clothing.

How To Tell If A Garment Is Organic.

1. First of all, the USDA does not certify clothing as organic.

The fibers used to make the garment may be but not the finished piece. Therefore, you won’t find the USDA’s certified seal on clothes you purchase.

However, the USDA has stated that Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) certification can be used to designate garments sold in the US as organic.

GOTS Grades of Organic Certification

2. GOTS has two levels or grades of organic certification.

Grade 1 – On labels you may see “Organic” – which means that at least 95 percent of the garment is made with certified organic fibers and no more than 5 percent non-organic or synthetic fibers.

Grade 2 – On labels you may see “Made with X percent Organic” – which means that at least 70 percent of the garment is made with certified organic fibers and not more than 30 percent non-organic fibers but no more than 10 percent conventional synthetic fibers. Socks, leggings, and sportswear are allowed up to 25 percent conventional synthetic fibers.

For garments that are made with fibers that were grown during the land’s conversion period from conventional to organic, you may see “organic – in conversion” or “X Percent Organic – in Conversion”

For more information about the GOTS visit  www.global-standard.org.

When There Are No Certification Labels

3. Not all manufacturers display a symbol of GOTS certification on their labels.

In this case, you will have to do some research and call the manufacturer to ask about a garment’s organic certification.

More Than Clothing

4. In addition to clothing, there are many other products made out of organic fabrics.

They include bedding, table cloths, kitchen towels, bath towels and even mattresses.

So, there you have it. Are you as excited about organic clothing as I am?

I must say, however, that my enthusiasm wanes a bit when I consider what it takes to purchase organic clothes. I find the items to be quite costly and not available in many mainstream store fronts. (There is greater availability online.)

Due to this, I purchase natural fiber clothing. Although, conventionally grown, they are less problematic for me than totally synthetic garments. (There have been items that were so chemically laden that I could not wear them.) They are less expensive and can be found at most stores.

If you know of any budget friendly and or easily accessible organic clothing retailers, please leave a comment and share your sources.

I hope you found this series of posts helpful. You can find the other posts here:

Part 1: Organic Clothing

Part 2: Health Benefits of Organic Clothing

Part 3: Organic Clothing Aids Environment

Part 4: More Benefits of Organic Clothing

 

This is the fourth in the series of posts on organic clothing. We’ve looked at why we would want to go beyond food and take the organic mindset into other aspects of our lives. We touched on the health benefits of organic clothing as well as environmental.

There are some additional benefits of buying organic clothes that you may not have thought about. I know some of these surprised me.

Here are five of them:

1. There are more fabric choices than cotton.

 Cotton is just one of the many fabrics that are produced organically. These include wool, silk, hemp, soy and bamboo.

2. Organic clothing is durable.

Organically produced fabrics don’t break down as quickly as the conventionally produced counterparts because no harsh chemicals are used. Colors are longer lasting as well.

3. You are improving the economy world wide.

Through our purchase of organic clothing, we are supporting the efforts of organic farmers and manufacturers. Many of these producers are operating on a smaller scale and often within smaller economies than the conventional ones.

4. Organic fabrics provide natural sun protection.

The sun-blocking features of organic fibers are not stripped away by harsh chemicals. So, they are natural sunscreens.

5. Organic clothes are quite easy to maintain.

They are machine washable and may require some steam ironing but that’s about it. There’s no need for toxic and costly dry cleaning.

Are you surprised by any of these benefits?

Next, we’ll look at how to determine if a garment is really organic.

This is the fourth in a five-part series. You can find the other posts here:

Part 1: Organic Clothing

Part 2: Health Benefits of Organic Clothing

Part 3: Organic Clothing Aids Environment

Part 5: Is It Or Is It Not Organic?

 

In the previous posts of this series, we looked at how going beyond organic food can enhance our lives, and some of the benefits of purchasing and wearing organic clothing. We also touched on a couple of the ways buying organic clothing benefits the environment. We will review those and explore even more benefits.

Last time, we covered how buying organic clothing leads to fewer chemicals being dispensed into the air, and less runoff into soil and water. Some of the chemicals used in the manufacturing of non-organic clothing include pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, chemical dyes, and many others.

Methods used in the manufacturing of organic clothing are far more environmentally sustainable.

Here are four examples of how:

1. Organic fabric such as cotton decomposes without contributing dangerous toxins to the soil, air, and water.
2. Organic farming utilizes much safer production methods. Instead of toxic pesticides, insecticides, and fertilizers; crop rotation, weeding by hand, and beneficial insects that are predators to harmful ones are utilized.
3. Nitrogen-based fertilizers – often used in conventional farming – are not used in organic farming. According to the EPA, these fertilizers are major contributors to greenhouse gases.
   

   Pesticides kill millions of birds in the U.S. each year.

4. Organic farming methods help to maintain balance within ecosystems. Conventional farming methods actually contribute to the destruction of ecosystems. For instance, dead zones are now present in our oceans. Also, it is estimated that approximately 67 million birds are killed by pesticides in the United States each year.

So, you can see that each organically produced garment that you purchase greatly reduces the amount of toxins in the environment.

Next, we’ll explore a few more benefits to buying organic clothes that you may not have expected.

This is the third in a five-part series. You can find the other posts here:

Part 1: Organic Clothing

Part 2: Health Benefits of Organic Clothing

Part 4: More Benefits of Organic Clothing

Part 5: Is It Or Is It Not Organic?

 

 

 

In the introduction of this series, we reviewed how eating organic foods benefits us and determined that going beyond organic food can enhance our lives in many ways.

This time I will share what I’ve learned about some of the benefits we can enjoy by purchasing organic clothing for ourselves and our families.

Are Your Clothes Chemically-laden?

First, let me say that I love the idea of purchasing all organic clothing but I haven’t accomplished that yet. However, from what I’ve learned through my research which I’ll be sharing with you in this series, I’m even more excited about it.

One of the benefits of eating organic food is not having to worry about ingesting residues of harsh chemicals such as pesticides, insecticides and chemical fertilizers which have been shown to cause many health problems including allergies, immune dysfunction, and cancer.

Did you know that these same chemicals are found in your clothing unless they are organic?

You might be wondering why this is a problem since you don’t eat your clothes.

Well, the skin is the largest organ of the body and is very porous. In other words, what we put on it – good or bad – can be absorbed into the blood stream.

Clothing fibers break down over time. Imagine a plethora of chemicals breaking down and outgassing while you’re wearing your favorite outfit.

Having chemical sensitivity myself, I can attest to the negative health effects of wearing conventionally manufactured fibers. I’ve experienced irregular heart beats, headaches, and dizziness from wearing chemically-laden garments.

I’m not just referring to synthetics (chemically-based) which include nylon, acrylic, and polyester.

More Than ‘Natural’ Needed

Natural (plant- and animal-based) fabrics can be problematic as well. Let’s look at cotton as an example.

Your everyday cotton is one of the most chemically-laden fabrics. I’ve actually owned some 100 percent cotton garments that I just could not wear even after many washings. The production of cotton involves more than 25 percent of all pesticide use in the world. That amounts to nearly 50 million pounds of chemicals each year.

So, each year these chemicals are ending up on our skin, in our water, food, the air we breathe, and ultimately in us.

Alternatively, organic cotton is a much healthier option. It is grown without the use of pesticides, insecticides, and chemical fertilizers.

Also, the treatment process during the manufacturing of organic cotton fabric is a lot less toxic than its conventional counterpart. No harsh dyes or chemicals are used when transforming these fibers into our sweaters, scarves, pants, and other clothing items.

Five Health Benefits of Organic Clothing

With all of this in mind, you may have already thought of some of the health benefits of wearing organic clothing.

Here are five:

1. Fewer chemical pollutants in the air – Since organic crops are not sprayed with chemicals, this diminishes the addition of pollutants into the air.
2. Fewer chemical pollutants in the soil and drinking water – Organic farming does not contribute to chemical runoff.
3. Less exposure of your child’s sensitive skin to chemicals. Children are more vulnerable to chemical exposure than adults.
4. Fewer allergic reactions which includes skin rashes as well as other symptoms.
5. Less exposure to formaldehyde – a known human carcinogen. Many conventionally manufactured clothing items are treated with formaldehyde – used to prevent significant wrinkling and to extend life of the garment – including those made with cotton.

Just these few improvements can make a huge difference in your quality of life.

Did you notice that some of the health benefits listed are also beneficial to our environment?

Next time, we will delve more deeply into how purchasing organic clothing improves our environment.

This is the second in a five-part series. You can find the other posts here:

Part 1: Organic Clothing

Part 3: Organic Clothing Aids Environment

Part 4: More Benefits of Organic Clothing

Part 5: Is It Or Is It Not Organic?