So why are we doing so much about fashion and clothes? It doesn't sound very green to me.
But it is, Dex. YOU may wear the same t-shirt every day, but MOST people have more than one outfit. They buy clothes made all over the world. They wash their clothes in different kinds of soap. And then they get bored or grow out of them. All of that does something to the planet. Do you want to know more?
Well, the show I was going to watch is a repeat. And it's raining. And I don't want to do my homework. So, go on, Izz, tell me more.
I feel so loved. Let's start here: who made your jeans?
Ummmm...a jeans maker? A jeansologist?
It could have been someone on the other side of the world who made, like, 10 cents for her work. And let's say you washed or ironed your clothes. How much energy does it take to do that? And when you're sick of your clothes, do you throw them out or recycle them? Or just leave them in a pile under your bed?
Excuse me: it's not a pile. It's a heap. Big difference.
Things You Maybe Didn't Know About Fashion
- Swapping clothes is the cheapest way to change your wardrobe.
- The world spends more than a $1 trillion every year on clothes and textiles. And, unfortunately, some of those are striped legwarmers.
- Most of the energy used in homes goes on heating water: you can reduce your energy costs by washing most clothes in cold water.
- Clothes washing detergents often end up in the water supply, rivers or ocean. Try to use clothes detergents that are biodegradable — they're better for the environment.
- Old denim jeans can be recycled to be used to make insulation in walls.
- 4% of landfills contain old clothes that were just thrown out. So try giving YOUR old clothes to a friend, or your kid sister, or to Goodwill or the Salvation Army.
- Ever wonder why many clothes are so cheap? The average worker making clothes in Bangladesh gets paid about $16 per month. That's 50 cents a day! Kinda hard to live on, don'tcha think?
- Being green just takes some imagination. Principal David Waters and Timberland High School collected used prom dresses to give to the daughters of servicemen and women who may be stapped for cash.
That was a lot to take in. So in the next few pages we'll try some of these ideas on for size, from "swishing" to shark-skin swimwear.
Wait. "Try them on for size". I get it. On with the sharks.
