“With Indigenous Designs, we haven’t created just a charity situation,” says co-founder Matt Reynolds.  “It’s about taking responsibility to better our communities.”

This Fourth of July, Indigenous Designs and Feelgood Style are giving you the opportunity to win a gorgeous piece of clothing, constructed from all natural and organic fibers and eco-friendly dyes!

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In response to the pending act, parents, small business owners, and online websites have joined together as a means to have their voices heard and encourage government officials to make changes to the act before it puts so many folks out of business.

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“Do laundry”… what does that mean to most of us?  It means carting a large pile of clothes in a bin or basket to one’s home washer and dryer, or if you’re one of the many unfortunate bunch like me, you cart it to a nearby laundromat’s washer and dryer.  I’ve only “done laundry” once since moving into my new apartment, and as I don’t own a car–you guessed it–I packed my clothes into a massive backpack and pedaled it across my neighborhood to the laundromat, swaying all the way.  Obviously not an impossible scenario, but surely an uncomfortable one!

But as with so many other things about living a modern American lifestyle, my conscience shouts louder and louder each time I subscribe to certain activities that I know to be environmentally harmful.  The toxic chemicals in many common soaps aside, purely the use of electricity (when knowingly powered by coal plants, as is true for my region) is a harmful act.  I don’t like living with the idea that I must contribute to environmental devastation each time I want to wear fresh-smelling, tidy clothing!  Not washing clothes at all, ever (as many of my “crust-punk” friends do) is not a reasonable option for most of us.

The clock was ticking. I had only an hour or two to make my decision, before I had to leave for work.

Today was the periodically dreaded day when my laundry bin reached critical mass, and I realized I needed to do laundry.

Do I take it to a laundromat, dump it into appliances, and read a book while my clothes become easy-breezy clean?  The consequences of that are: energy use, travel energy, and cost!  Washing and drying clothes at a laundromat can cost up to $5 a load!

But what if we could re-invent our notion of what “doing laundry” means?  Forget “high-efficiency” washer and dryer appliances that, while an improvement in terms of water and energy use, still perpetuate widespread and probably-ultimately unsustainable practices.  Where can the energy–and water–come from that would be sustainably sourced?

Your hands.  And your sink.  (And for clothes-drying?  The air.)

It’s such a simple solution that I might almost have missed it!

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Knowing how to reattached a button is a great skill to learn, especially because a loose button is not only inevitable, but you can find great deals at stores. I once scored a particularly lovely wool coat when it was on the sale rack, missing several of its buttons. The extra ones were still attached along the tag and by pointing out the missing buttons at the register, I was able to get another 10% off the already discounted coat, all the while thinking that the buttons were such an easy and quick fix! So onto the how-to:

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This post, by our own Cassie Walker, was originally published on Friday, August 1, 2008

Over 80 million children and adults are enrolled in schools across the nation, representing about one-fourth of the population age three and older. With all of these students headed back to school, it’s no wonder that this period has become so important to retailers. August clothing sales, alone, are second only to the holidays in terms of dollars spent.

But before you head off to the mall willy-nilly, stop to think about how you can make choices to reduce your environmental impact.

You are what you wear (in junior high, at least)

First, the most important category to many kids: clothes. Of course, the greenest thing to do is to wear last-year’s clothes. Exaggerated eye roll. Hand-me-downs? Irritated stare. Thrift stores? “Gah-ross!” (Hint: try calling it “vintage”–much cooler.) And so the challenge begins.

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If you find yourself needing to use a clothes dryer, cleaning the lint trap before every load will decrease the energy used by 30%, according to the Sierra Club. Not only will removing lint save you energy, it will also reduce the risk of fire associated with gas dryers and extend the life of the appliance (whether gas or electric). Lint gets in your dryer beyond the trap, so using a lint brush with a flexible handle will help you into the vent. In addition, cleaning your lint trap with warm water, a scrub brush, and mild detergent will further increase the efficiency of your clothes dryer, especially if you use dryer sheets that can leave a waxy build up on the screen.

Ever wonder how your dryer works? A fan pulls fresh air into the dryer over a heating element or gas burner. The heated air is channeled into the tumbling drum containing the wet clothes. The warm air absorbs the moisture from the clothes, which passes through the lint trap and is then vented outside. Fresh air replaces it, and the cycle begins again. When your lint trap is dirty, the warm air cannot pass as easily and efficiently through the trap to the outside vent, and thus drying time increases.

If you must use a clothes dryer, for whatever reason, cleaning the lint trap and vent to the outside will increase the efficiency of the appliance. You can save the lint and use it for a variety of purposes, such as crafts, firestarter, and mulch. Don't forget to periodically wash the lint trap as well, to remove the fine particles and build up (if you use dryer sheets). Of course, hanging the laundry outside is the best option. Sure, it may take more time, leave your clothes a little stiffer, etc., but a little sacrifice to reduce our impact on climate change is worth it.

Swap 'em. Hold your own swap party. Invite your friends or co-workers to bring unwanted clothing to swap with one another. Set the ground rules first. All exchanges are free, and items should be in good condition. Of course, shoes and accessories might be more swappable if you and your friends don't wear the same size clothes. (Read Rebecca's tip on throwing a swap party.)

Want to swap on a larger scale? Find an upcoming Swap-o-Rama-Rama near you. For a small monetary donation (usually around $5 or $10) you bring as much as you can carry in and take as much as you can carry out. Volunteer staff sort donations by type (women's skirts, men's pants, children's shirts, etc.) and the best part is Swap-o-Rama-Rama events have DIY stations and sewing machines so you can alter and redesign your new finds.

There's also sites like Freecycle and Craigslist if you've got a special treasure to give away (Craigslist has a 'free' category).

Sell 'em. Hold a garage sale (or yard sale, or stoop sale.) Get your neighbors involved too. That way you can get them to clear out their closets and have some help promoting your location.

Donate 'em. National charity organizations such as Salvation Army and Goodwill will accept clothing donations. Check around in your community for homeless shelters, women's shelters, churches, and other non-profits that accept clothing donations. Some second-hand stores accept lightly-used clothing and donate what they don't think they can sell. By donating, you'll also get a tax write-off, so make sure to get a receipt.

Amy says: I've got bags and bags of clothing my roommate and I have ready for donation, which are stored right now in our entry way. I'm currently looking for a local donation center that picks up (the Salvation Army has too wide of a pick-up window, 8a-4p). If I can't find one, I'll probably sign up for a car share service and take them myself. That way I can call some friends and take their unwanted clothes too.

Salvation Army
Goodwill
Swap-o-Rama-Rama
Freecycle

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Municipal Solid Waste: Textiles

Tip o' the Day: Free Swap Party!
Tip o' the Day: Super Cool Hand Me Downs
Switch/Planet: The Trading Site With A Green Mission
Got Stuff? New Site Will Help You Reuse It

Buy your kids clothes and toys at garage sales. We've been doing this for months for our newborn. Kids outgrow clothes and toys so fast that you can get almost-new items for next to nothing. We pay on average fifty cents for each piece of clothing. Not only do we save money, but we are also contributing to buying less, which will hopefully encourage manufacturers to make less. And if you walk, you save gas and get exercise!

Thanks for the tip, John! You've just offset two months of your life! You've also pointed out something that we've been noticing lately, too. Babies get lots of presents. And since they are, well, babies and all, they tend to receive a lot of clothing. It's tough to lay the blame on this one - those clothes are so gosh-darned cute.

But it's true - babies grow fast, and they really don't need to put on a new outfit every day. In fact, most days they'd probably prefer a simple organic onesie. Many babies we know have so many clothes that they only get to wear an outfit once before they grow out of it.

Plus, garage sale shopping is a bit of a sport and can be pretty fun! Thanks for the tip, John!

Rebecca says: I don't have kids yet, but I'm planning on trying a little experiment. I bet (if I wanted, I'm sure I'll break down at some point) that I could go the whole first year of my baby's life without buying him clothes. Between gifts from the grandparents and aunts & uncles (both official and unofficial), and hand me downs from the rest, I'm pretty sure we'll be in the clear. And maybe I'll take John's advice and hit up garage sales for the rest.

Suggest a tip that gets posted and you could win 2 months of wind offsets, too!