by Hillary Marshall

Created on: July 30, 2007

With all the recent attention that has been focused on global warming and the environment it comes to no surprise that more people are attempting to live a more " green " lifestyle. Switching to organic food and making a more concerted effort to conserve are really just the tip of the iceberg as far as green living is concerned. Another way people can live a more environmentally consciences lifestyle is to purchase organic clothing. With a wide variety of fabric choices and styles organic style has really come into it's own recently and it is no longer difficult to find.

Of course many people view cotton as an organic fabric, however that is a misconception in many ways. The standard t-shirt made from 100% cotton is in actuality far from organic. What many do not realize is that it takes about one third of a pound of chemicals and pesticides to make your basic cotton t-shirt. Organic cotton does exist, but because there is a lack of consumer demand for organic cotton one does have to do a little research to find products made from organic cotton. Although you can find organic cotton at some of the major retail chains, knowing what to look for on a label is important. Next time you pick up your cotton t-shirt or undies look for the USDA Organic logo on the label. This will ensure that what you are buying is in fact organic cotton and not something that was once organic and has since been chemically processed.

Often when people think of organic clothing, they instantly conjure an image of a ghastly hemp garment. Contrary to popular belief hemp fabric is quite capable of looking stylish and garments often look similar to cotton garments once they are constructed. Hemp can be produced easily without the use of chemicals, making it ideal for organic uses. Hemp is more durable and often softer than cotton and other fabrics, making it a natural choice for clothing. Being that hemp is one of the more obvious choices for producing organic clothing, it is very easily found both on and off the Internet.

Generally people view wool as a naturally organic fabric, however that simply isn't true. Conventional wool production entails not only the use of pesticides in the very pastures the animals graze, but it also use an extensive amount of chemicals after the wool has been collected. Wool can be purchased organic as well. Organic wool would label that it has not been chemically treated at any point in processing from farm to store. The Organic Wool Network has more information

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>