aFewSteps.org
  • About Us
  • Our Initiatives
    • Green Energy >
      • how to switch to green energy
    • Shade Trees
    • Waste Free Parties >
      • Dinner & BBQ
      • Block Parties
    • Walking School Buses
  • Green Tips of the Week
  • Recycling
  • Workshops
  • Contact Us

Clothes have environmental impacts based on their agricultural sources.

1/22/2021

 
Reporting on a podcast called "For the Wild," Treehugger writier Katherine Marinko underscores the connection between fashion and its agricultural origins, pointing out that, like food, has environmental impacts.  These impact include land use practices and such as "fashion industry's role in illegal deforestation and seizure of land across the Global South, and its connection to serious soil and land contamination and degradation."*  Processing materials also has hidden impacts.  Dyes and other chemicals that are used to treat clothing end up contaminating local waterways. "A range of finishing treatments, such as wrinkle preventers and stain guards, as well as screen-printed designs, contain chemicals such as bisphenol A, formaldehyde, and phthalates. The same chemicals that we don't want in our water bottles go onto our clothing without question, and then enter waterways via the washing machine."*  The source of materials can be problematic as well.  "Tree-based fibers such as eucalyptus and bamboo, Tencel and modal, may use closed-loop chemical processing,"* but some sources include tree farms or virgin rainforest.

The original article can be found here​.

*Katherine Martinko, October 26, 2020, "Your Clothes are an Agricultrual Choice,"  Treehugger.com
​

Keep the plastic out of your food

1/15/2021

 
Writer Kevin Loria describes the various ways plastics can make their way into foods and ultimately into our bodies and suggests ways to reduce this exposure in this article from consumer reports.  He reported on "a preliminary estimate by some scientists that the plastic the average person may be eating and drinking totals as much as 5 grams per week. One research review published in 2019 calculated that the average American eats, drinks, and breathes in more than 74,000 microplastic particles every year.   Some scientists say it’s likely that ingesting these tiny bits of plastic could expose us to harmful chemicals."*  Properties of different types of plastics are determined by various added chemicals which "have been linked to serious health effects, including other bisphenols (in the same family as BPA), phthalates, and styrene"*  He also points out that safety assessment and regulation of these chemicals has been insufficient. 

To minimize the impact of these chemicals on your health, Loria lists six ways to reduce exposure to plastics: 
1) Drink tap water, not water from plastic water bottles.
2) "Heat food in or on the stove, or by microwaving in glass,"* not in a plastic container in the microwave.
3) "Buy and store food in glass, silicone, or foil,"* not in plastic.
4) Eat fresh food rather than processed, plastic wrapped food.
5) Vacuum to reduce household dust.
6) Think about the bigger picture: "Legislation to limit the use of single-use plastics and plastic production may pull the biggest levers, but joining forces with community-level recycling groups can truly make a difference. Look for so-called zero-waste groups, which can offer guidelines for how to recycle or compost all your garbage—and which lobby for local rules that can restrict throwaway items. When possible, shop at markets that source goods locally, so they don’t require as much packaging and shipping. Seek out groups such as Upstream, a nonprofit working to create reusable takeout packaging for restaurants. And when possible, educate yourself about and support any city, county, and state legislation limiting single-use plastics."*

*Kevin Loria,  April 30, 2020, "How to Eat Less Plastic," www.consumerreports.org 

    Categories

    All
    Chemicals And Plastics
    Electricity
    Environmental Impacts
    Food
    Gasoline
    Health
    Heating Fuel
    Home Energy
    Lawn And Garden
    Outdoors
    Recycle
    Reduce Waste
    Reuse
    Toxins
    Transportation
    Waste And Recycling
    Water

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    September 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    November 2012
    July 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012

Donate
​About Us
Our Initiatives
Green Tips
Recycling
Workshops
Contact Us
​Mailing Address:
info@aFewSteps.org
P.O.Box 330
Wallingford PA 19086-0330
©2022 aFewSteps.org  |  All Rights Reserved.