Thursday, January 29, 2009

Why buying organic clothes can help your health

By MJ Erwin

As the call for the awareness of global warming spreads, many people today try to live a 'greener' lifestyle. People are choosing to eat more natural foods and try to make use of renewable energy sources. But these are not the only things we can do in order to save the environment. What most people don't know, even the way we dress can leave a huge impact on the environment.

Organic clothing is identified as clothing that is made from resources that are raised or grown without the use of chemicals in the form of pesticides - herbicides or other chemicals. Its key material, cotton, is grown entirely naturally in farms the same way cotton has been grown long before the appearance of chemicals like pesticides began.

Though organic cotton has less environmental impact than growing conventional cotton, it costs more to produce. Side-effects of conventional production that are avoided in organic growing methods include:

High levels of agrochemicals are used in the production of non-organic, conventional cotton. Conventional cotton is responsible for nearly 25% of the insecticides and 10% of the pesticides used in the world, though is it grown on only 3% of the total cultivated area. The extreme use of chemicals in conventional cotton ranked it fourth as the most heavily-fertilized crop.

The chemicals used in the cotton-processing pollute the air and surface waters. Eco-friendly farmers try to find different ways to lessen the amount of harmful chemicals they put into the ground, as these chemicals mix into the soil. This will in time affect vegetation and animal life through the years to come. These chemicals may also seep into natural fresh water deep underground and pollute it. As many other farmers realize this, instead of using synthetic fertilizers which throws off up the soil's PH balance, many are now using natural composting. Pesticides can mess up the food chain and affect larger animals, so organic farmers introduce useful insects and predators, as well as setting up insect traps to have a specific area for insect control.

Residual chemicals may irritate the skin. Since the production of organic clothing involves no chemicals, it causes fewer irritants, making it the perfect textile for infants' delicate skin and people who are prone to allergies. It can also give off a pleasant smell and is believed to reduce respiratory problems.

Organic cotton clothing is much more expensive than non-organic cotton clothing but the price is definitely worth it. These type of clothing wear better and are much durable than conventional cotton and is often more breathable than synthetic materials.

Organic cotton has distinctive properties that set it apart from synthetic cottons found on most major retailers. The colour brown, for example, darkens faintly during the first three washings. Since organic cotton is not removed of its natural wax by harsh chemicals, most weaves have special smoothness and weight which makes the fabric particularly flattering. Organic cotton can be tinted using natural dyes as well. Aside from being eco-friendly and beneficial to health, organic clothing can also be a beautiful and stylish material. - 16651

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