Buy organic
Conventionally grown cotton is responsible for as much as 10% of pesticide use in the world and up to 25% of insecticide use annually, according to Grist. The chemicals can impact workers and leach into the groundwater. Because the United States produces more cotton than all countries except China, much of this is on our soil.

Next, ask about the processing method for cotton, wool, and other fabrics. Look for those that use natural dyes and avoid chlorine bleaching. Organic Consumers estimates that 1/3lb of chemicals are used in the production of a cotton T-shirt, so buying secondhand comes second to buying a product that avoids the conventional cycle.
 
Image: CreativeCommons/Cosmic Kitty More...

Do you blog about local food, sustainability, or local living, and want a free Chinook Book? Link back to a recipe or farmers market how-to which we post between May 8th-22nd, plus add us to your blogroll, and we'll mail you a free Chinook Book. Limit one per person, ends May 22nd or when/if we hit our book limit, at which point we will post a notice on the homepage.

We will use the pingback at our site to identify you, so expect an email from us to your blog email. Please note you must link to a recipe or how-to article to create a pingback, linking to the directory does not create the necessary link.

Update: Due to a site glitch, you need to email us directly at editor@ecometro.com with your link to show that you wrote about us. Please include your mailing address so we can send a book.

Tell your friends! More...

Toby Ng Design created images of the world's statistics including water, food, energy, HIV, computers, fear of attack, and more. Where do you fit in the village? The World of 100. More...

Mother's Day is May 10th, are you prepared? As always, we promote giving the gift of a donation or experience instead of giving stuff.

Why not give mom a sea turtle nest sponsorship ($45) from the Sea Turtle Restoration Project? She'll get a certificate, a photo of the nest, and one year subscription to the project.

Kiva is a non-profit that gives micro loans (as low as $25) to the developing world to move lives out of poverty. Pick a project and donate in you mother's name--she'll get updates and can re-gift the loan when it is paid back by the original entrepreneur. More...

Organic cotton men's jeans for $39.99? And from Loomstate? Thank you, Target!

Loomstate is a hip organic cotton clothing company that we've long adored, and they've paired with Target for a more affordable line of 100% certified organic cotton, beach-inspired clothing for men and women. Nothing in the collection is over $50, a serious savings since Loomstate brand jeans are rarely under $100.

Shop the Loomstate for Target collection online, or visit Target at Northgate, one of 250 stores with the limited collection. More...

Register for the environmental site Grist.org (or if you're already registered, refer a friend) to receive a free download of their book Wake Up and Smell the Planet. We have a paper copy of this book and recommend it highly. Pass it on to friends, especially those who are new to the green scene.

Inspired by Earth Day? We have a complete list of the local websites and phone numbers you need to take action in five major areas of climate impact: transit, eating local, recycling, saving energy, and natural pest control.

Download our Quick Resources for Seattle, and take a look at some of our worksheets for home energy and recycling while you're at it. More...

How I passed Home Ec in middle school is a mystery to me. I wonder about this between Google searches on uses for stale bread and other things I would’ve simply tossed in the trash in my pre-care-about-the-Earth/need-to-save-money days. My mom has lost more than a little sleep wondering how I was going to make it as an adult in this world, what with my willful ignorance regarding all things domestic. I heard her mutter, more than once, “necessity will teach you!”

Oh, has it ever. Let’s just say school’s been in session in a big way since I became a mom and had to stop calling a can of Red Bull breakfast. Since my son was born and saving money became my way of earning it, I’ve come up with a few Home Ec hacks of my own. A while ago it dawned on me that ultimately everything we do has an environmental impact. Everything. Including, of course, the way we go about the care and feeding of our families. More...

Here's a great example of greenwashing that got called out by bloggers and caused a stir. Crane Paper, the makers of many beautiful high-end papers, have come out with a new line of 100% cotton paper. Their identity firm C&G Parnters is claiming (this link has been removed from their site): "This is the world's greenest paper. No trees or wood fiber go into it because is entirely made of cotton." In addition to some hasty copywriting, their Green Claim (GC), doesn't hold up.

It's easy to spot the lack of trees does not equal green, but savvy green minded people are increasingly looking all the way back through the production process to determine the total impact of a product.

The cotton used at Crane is a byproduct of industrial mills, where fibers are swept off the floor and become paper, just like how the company started by collecting rags in 1805, or so goes their story. But the original cotton product has already done its damage, something which carries over to all products associated with it. Conventionally grown cotton accounts for 25% of the world's insecticide use and 10% of its pesticides, according to the Pesticide Action Network. Detectable levels of these chemicals then appear in the groudwater of states where cotton is grown. And with a growing period of 6 months, cotton also requires an enormous amount of fresh water.

Crane's own environmental site has information on their commendable environmental efforts, including using water-based inks and treating wastewater to be composted to topsoil. More...

This past Saturday, March 28th, all over the world buildings shut off their non-essential lights at 8:30 pm local time. From Hong Kong to Paris to Las Vegas to our own city, downtown buildings darkened.