How Do You Define Eco-Conscious?
I was recently asked how toy define the term eco-conscious . The questioner then went on to ask if I really felt one person can make a difference and where one would begin. With all the “green” this and “organic” that being thrown around, people start to wonder if it is all just a big made up story so people can charge an extra ten bucks for a shirt. I will lead off by saying this, I am most definitely not here to try and convince you that the earth's climate is changing and that making use of sustainable resources and recycling is a necessity. If you don't believe any of that at this point, then you are either really naive or frankly just a little off.
Time to define Eco-Conscious...
In terms of eco-conscious, the general consensus defines it as someone who is aware of what they are doing, buying, and using and that effect on the environment. This seems pretty good for us, but I would take it a step further and say most people are somewhat aware of what they are buying and how it affects the world. If you pick up a shirt and its “Made in China” and all you can see is the pretty colors, then you are mostly blind. If you fail to recognize that a majority of the work from that country comes from facilities that are inadequate or that they employ underage labor, then you are deaf. Granted a lot of work from those countries comes from great facilities, but be informed. If you buy something overseas, then consider what it is made from (renewable?), how far it travelled (emissions?), and who actually made it (working conditions, child labor, fair trade, etc).
So what is Green Apparel?
Generally when we refer to green apparel we are encapsulating a number of areas, but the idea is really to look for items whose production had little to no impact on the environment and if it did, it should be sustainable. For this reason, clothing made of bamboo and hemp are great options because they are heavily sustainable resources. Additionally, we look at goods that are also considered fair trade. These goods are typically from underdeveloped countries that have a particular strong natural resource such as cotton. The idea is to empower these underdeveloped countries and make them stronger players in the world trade market. Next, we look at recycled goods which are kind of a new up and coming category. Historically, these goods have always seemed a little too homemade, but now designers are getting a lot more creative and some of the stuff is fantastic. Lastly, we look at items that come from companies whose worker and environmental policies are phenomenal and their goods reflect it. American Apparel is a great example of this category as their employee treatment has always been at the head of the class.
Can one person make a difference really?
Honestly, I wouldn't be here writing this if I didn't think so. I don't think necessarily one person making the change really does all that much in terms of overall reduction, but that initial change becomes a catalyst for more change. If you tell your friends and family and then they tell their friends and family and so on, then it does make a difference in the bigger picture. Get them a gift next time of something cool you found that is eco-friendly and get them hooked. They will find it is actually a whole lot more fun to seek out stuff instead of just hitting the mall and buying whatever everyone else is wearing.
So to my friend and to you I say the following, you can make a difference and you can inspire others to do the same. Start out small and see how much fun it really is. Buy local and buy green, think about it every time you pick up something on a shelf. This is just the beginning, but it needs to start somewhere.
Categories: guys, girls, local, sustainable, recycled, fair trade
