Metro (allegedly ‘The world’s largest global newspaper) has decided to publish a series ‘on the subject of the environment, the changes to our planet’ and basically what the world is doing to fight climate change (10/14/08). SO, today the paper is tinted green, and the cover feature (at least in Philadelphia’s edition) is “The dresses, dreams and drama: Project Runway.” After sifting through the murder and McCain files, the Palinometer, criminals make headlines, free market woes, and TV’s watch list sections, we finally come to p.12: “green day.” What message is conveyed regarding the priorities of environmental issues when the cover features a half-page photo-montage of Project Runway finalists?

Note: I know there are some of you thinking, “who reads the Metro for reliable coverage of news, anyway?” and I say this to you: I’m handed a free Metro every day on my way to work, and have read it cover to cover by the time I get to work where I get the BBC delivered to my inbox. With the occasional exception of the BBC’s Science / Nature and Health sections and the Metro’s Entertainment section, there is rarely any difference in headlines. The BBC’s articles may be longer, but seldom do they offer more insight than that offered in the Metro.

In my effort to make positive things out of negative thoughts, I realized clothing actually is a factor to consider in minimizing our carbon footprint. Albeit, not in the PR sense. Consider the fibers clothes are made with (apparently polyester is one of the most sustainable fibers), the dyes that are used, washing and drying instructions, where the clothes are made, and what business practices the Label company employs. What happens to old clothes is another part of the picture. I grew up with a mom who I consider to be my “Sustainable Guru” on the homefront, which is an essential part of where our core values are learned including our value of the environment and our own actions toward it. My mom can find a way to re-use just about anything, the least of it all being clothing. She saved what could of our kids clothes for hand-me-downs, and then took the items that were still in good condition after 3-kids-worth of wear down to “Little Red Wagon,” our local second-hand store. The un-salvageable got turned into rags for dusting, my dad’s paint/ stain rags, doll clothes, material for crafts projects, and for cleaning up grease/ oil in the garage. What’s great about second-hand stores is there are many who offer a commission for your items that they sell - and in my book making sweet moolah while minimizing environmental impact gets my nod of approval. For those Philadelphians out there, Green Street Consignment is a win-win situation: they only take items that are still in style so it’s not only great to unload those things that you’ll just never wear again, but they also have some great finds for relatively inexpensive prices (range: $8-$30).

Another part of minimizing our carbon footprint is to take advantage of all the local resources that surround us. For this purpose, perhaps a more appropriate feature in lieu of Project Runway for the front page of the first “Go Green” Metro issue would have been the Swap-O-Rama Rama event that I just found out about. It’s the local, sustainable version of Project Runway, and it’s coming to a place near you. SORR was started by Wendy Tremayne and brings the concept of Reduce - Re-use - Recycle to our wardrobe. This Sunday October 19th, bring a bag of your old clothes to the Old Pine Community Center at 401 Lombard Street (Philadelphia) and get ready for “A recycled do-it-yourself extravaganza.” The basics are: bring a bag of clothes and $20.00, grab a bag of your own clothes, and either take ‘em as is or attend any series of workshops from learning how to make alterations, full modifications (make a dress/ handbag out of jeans), on-site silk-screening, embellish your new digs, sew in a DIY label, etc. Use your creativity, opt to participate in an impromptu fashion show with your new wares, grab a bite to eat, there’s even a DJ.

While clothing isn’t necessarilly designed to be recyclable, test yourself and see how far you can make a single item go - see some ideas below.

Can Polyester Save the World?

Swap-O-Rama-Rama

SORR Philadelphia

Make a quilt out of your favorite old T-shirts

ThreadBanger | the first network for people who make their own fashion

Ideas for recycling clothes (World Environmental Organization)

Do It Yourself Handbags

Tags: recycling

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 15th, 2008 at 12:40 pm and is filed under Lifestyle. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.