The clothes we wear have a drastic impact on our environment. Eco- fashion or “going green” are relatively new terms that involve all the different types of fabric and production methods that lessen the damage to our mother earth and to our health. Eco-fashion includes
the use of natural fabrics made from hemp, organic cotton and linen, bamboo, and even fabrics made from recycled plastic bottles.
Traditional cotton is grown using a variety of pesticides, many which are known to cause cancer. These pesticides not only end up in your cotton tees, but they run into the rivers (killing animals), contaminating groundwater (contaminating drinking water), and pollute the air when the when the crops are sprayed with acrop duster. Traditional fabric production also uses harmfulchemicals in the production and finishing of fabrics. Many of the bleaches used on our clothing are also linked to cancer and even formaldehyde is used (yes, embalming fluid) to make fabric “wrinkle free”. It is a fact that 17 teaspoons of chemicals end up in the soil for each cotton tee.
Many synthetic fabrics are made out of oil, so not only are they increasing our dependency on this non-renewable resource, they are polluting the environment in every step of production. Moreover, the cotton T’s we have all worn and enjoyed sadly ignore that our $5 T-shirt often use sweat shops for production and use child labor so we can enjoy what we ignorantly thought to be just regular cotton that seemed so earthy and natural. Most companies that engage in eco- fashion do not use sweat shops and pay their workers a decent wage having consideration and love for those in other countries working as hard as they can to
support their families.
So what are the alternatives? What remedy does Eco- Fashion seek? And what exactly does “organic” actually mean?
Organic fabric is grown in a managed environment, aiming to have no bad effects on our ecosystem. Organic means it is free of pesticides, agrochemicals, and formaldehyde. Bamboo actually has a positive effect on our environment because it can grow a foot per day and when its full grown it has a biomass of 40% larger than a hardwood forest, making it great for the air. The Eco- fashion industry relies on natural fibers that are biodegradable, and toxin free, so they won’t leak out chemicals once they’re in the ground
Eco- fashion is a vital part of the overall environment movement. People are good decision makers, but it is hard to make decisions if we do not know the facts. This is especially true in fashion. Thanks to well know brands such as Banana Republic, Nike, Ked’s, Guess and Juicy Couture dressing “green” or eco consciously does not mean you have to wear a scratchy hemp skirt with Birkenstocks. There are numerous stores and websites that offer the trendiest of clothing all while keeping the environment in mind and supporting fashion with a conscious.Eco-friendly websites that offer some of the trendiest clothes:
www.Ecologue.com
www.Gigglefishgifts.com
www.go-green-promos.com
www.thegreenloop.com
www.cheekymonkeyjewelry.com
www.mohop.com
www.nimli.com
We are living in a great period of transition. Celebrities such as Oprah, Cameron Diaz, Edward Norton and so many more have all publically announced their love of our planet and shared their views and concerns for our environment. Buying organic, and living an organic eco-friendly lifestyle is not just about money or trends or rock stars throwing a concert. The choices you and I make every single day with our dollars are so important. We do not need to just accept chemicals in our food, clothing or drinking water. Every day, more and more organic products become available to us. An eco-friendly lifestyle is teamwork. If we all do little bits and make a conscious decision to save our planet and become informed and at least know the basics, we can all make a difference.
Making eco-conscious decisions can reduce pollution, lighten landfills, reduce consumerism, and unite humankind. Wearing eco- friendly clothing is a great way to honor your body and mother earth. No need to wait for St. Patrick’s Day to wear green...make a decision to “GO GREEN”
today!

A native of McAllen, Crystal Felici currently works as a feature writer in Los Angeles, California. After studying business at the University of Dallas, She spent two years in Italy studying fashion merchandise
and worked for a top Italian fashion designer then later in Florence as a fashion forecaster & consultant. Crystal now enjoys writing monthly fashion columns and is writing a series of inspirational/bilingual children’s books in L. A.