Bamboo is something I and everyone looking for sustainable eco-friendly fabrics and more sees about on the daily. This got me to thinking about bamboo as a plant and in awe of how something so hard and fibrous could be turned into soft fabrics. With bamboo being touted as a sustainable product I decided to look into it further. What I found is the reality of bamboo is a bit of a complex mess.

Is bamboo sustainable? Well, yes if you are looking purely at the plants ability to grow quickly, hardily and in mass quantities. Comparing it to other sources such as forest wood it does seem ideal when we are trying so hard to cut back on the loss of our forests world wide, but the environmental impact may not be being completely accounted for. It is very possible bamboo is just the newest material in the grand scheme of greenwashing (AKA making something sound more environmentally friendly than it is).

At present there seems to be no studies or observations on how much land is being potentially cleared to make bamboo as a crop, nor is there really any regulations on how it is grown. While it is known to not need pesticides etc. it doesn’t mean it isn’t being grown with them or that the land it’s on isn’t being treated with some other chemicals.

The next huge issue is in the processing. Remember that ridiculously soft and comfortable bamboo clothing or bedsheets you have? Well it turns out that to get to that point requires a major and highly intensive chemical process. About 50% of the hazardous waste that is a byproduct of making bamboo rayon goes straight into the environment and cannot be re-captured. When you see something labeled bamboo it typically means this process.

From the perspective of a seller bamboo is less costly to produce then say cotton, but from an environmentally conscious consumer perspective hemp and organic cotton are at the top of the list for being the most eco-friendly options. The moral of this story is do your homework. What may seem like an eco-friendly choice often has a nasty side to consider. Due to the chemical process of bamboo production you are barely a step up from plastic when it comes to environmental impact.

Perhaps in the future a better production method will be able to make bamboo a truly good option, but right now we aren’t there yet. We have to get manufactures and technology on board and our choices as consumers are how we do that.

Mirco-plastics…the word brings up feelings of helplessness to all who know that it means teeny tiny pieces of plastic that are nearly unstoppable. They are in nearly all water systems and now in the very earth and air around us. I read an article last year from the Global Citizen that stated when eating a single meal you are likely ingesting 100 pieces of micro-plastic and over the course of a year the average person consumes 70,000 pieces. It all makes you want to live in a bubble, but unfortunately even at the farthest reaches and deepest depths micro-plastics can be found.

I know at times it feels like it is a defeat before the battle has begun, but while we may not be able to stop them from being part of our reality we can help prevent them from spreading further in larger amounts by starting with items like our clothing and how we wash them.

I’ve recently invested in a Guppy Friend Washing Bag. This bag is essentially an innovative filter bag designed to delicately collect all the tiny mico-fibers that are released during a wash cycle from your laundry. In some cases those micro-fibers may not be a huge danger, but have you looked at what your clothes are made of lately? Nearly everything is made of synthetic-materials which equates to plastic. These plastic fibers shed during the wash and are dumped into our waterways with no way to get them out.

The guppy bag has a handy liner that collects the fibers that shed allowing you to scoop them up rather like removing lint from your dryer. From there you can dispose of them instead of releasing them into the waterways. The bonus of this is because of how your clothes are being washed it actually reduces breakage of the fibers allowing for a longer life of your clothes.

Ultimately trying to purchase natural fibers reduces the amount of waste, but it is not always an option and even natural and organic fibers can have a wealth of issues that also aren’t the best, but that is a conversation for another time. For now, to do your part, I recommend ordering one of these online. You get to do your part to stop more plastic entering into the water of the planet(that we all drink from) and get to preserve your beloved clothes. It’s a win-win for all.

I’ve been on the search for more than basics that are made ethically with sustainability in mind. While one might think with the prevalence of ethically available brands like PACT carrying all the basics that finding something a bit more fashionable should be easy. My own search found it was far from.

Like so many other issues of inclusivity still effecting even the fast fashion brands I am on a borderline size that puts me out of range of many of the up and coming ethical fashion brands, which limits a short list even shorter. It was eye opening to go through and research brands I thought might be at least ethically based even if not sustainably to find out I was dead wrong.

I was ecstatic to find out Anthropolgie was releasing an extended sizes line thinking surely with everything their brand appears to represent they would be an excellent candidate for purchasing some lovely dresses. As I researched them more though I was met with shock and disappointment over what appears to be ill treatment of their workers with promises for change made, but not kept. The lack of transparency put a bad taste in my mouth and I decided to keep searching elsewhere.

While I know enough about fast fashion to be disturbed when I see a $20 dress. I’m not yet sure what price range equals fair wages, ethically made clothing and supports a business for the future. I tend to value quality over quantity; so I am very choosey about what clothes I invest in these days. About half my closet is vintage, if not antique, but I still have modern and new pieces as well. I value the vintage as it is a testament to how well clothing used to be made that those pieces survive today as well as helping keep my values on sustainability for the planet.

In my searching, thus far, I have come across two brands that I am adoring. The first is Symbology, which I will discuss a bit more in another post. The other is Christy Dawn, which I am so in love with.

Christy Dawn Petersen decided to invest her own money into creating a brand that is unlike anything I have heard of. In her own brilliance she decided to put focus on sustainability.

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In that vein, she creates small batches of well made feminine dresses that are made using dead-stock fabric, AKA fabric remnants, from major fashion houses. By doing this she insures that tons of perfectly good fabric scraps aren’t just getting dumped into the landfill. This is a much needed solution to a problem that is far more serious than people might realize.

She and her husband have created a small factory that is also their office where they employ highly skilled sewing teams that are paid for their work with full benefits. Their focus on creating a business where their workers are taken care of and sustainability is a must just makes good fashion sense with an eco flair. You cannot help, but admire their determination and hard work to make this into such a successful business.

I had to see one of their famous limited dresses for myself so decided to purchase the “Dawn” dress as one of their most popular styles. I was not disappointed and was treated to some of the most lovely packaging I’ve ever seen. You cannot help but be romanced by the clear love, care for the planet and craftsmanship given by the team that makes up Christy Dawn. You’ll find no plastic here, which makes me love Christy Dawn all the more. They continue to grow, which to me says that there is a tide of change coming and I hope that in these enlightened production choices they are but the first of many.

Take a walk…go. Right Now. Leave your phone or put it in your pocket, but leave it somewhere that will leave both your hands, eyes, and mind unfettered by texts, calls, app alerts etc. Walking itself is a great and gentle exercise that easily includes people of all ages and abilities. So no excuses on it being to hard or not inclusive enough. As you step out into the air and let the sun light hit your face and you realize things outside of the internet exist, take some steps along your street. Take it all in. Now look down. I will take a gamble that within 5 feet of you probably is some trash that has made its way to the world.

All of us are guilty of walking around through many parts of life with blinders on. It’s time to take those blinders off and walk with purpose. Recently, my partner and I volunteered and went on a trash pickup with our local Surfrider chapter. I was amazed at what we picked up in only a couple blocks in the city and in a very short amount of time. This one experience volunteering with other like minded individuals making a small difference in the world inspired us both.

We started looking around at our own neighborhood. Living in the suburbs you typically don’t think of litter as an issue, but as we walked around our neighborhood we realized it was not litter free. We promptly got a bucket and invested in some grabbers so we could pick things up without needing to bend over constantly or touch questionable items.

It’s becoming part of our daily walks with the dogs. One of us walks the dogs and the other is on litter duty. We trade off and so far we have not had a walk that hasn’t impacted others in some way. We have had numerous thanks and nods of appreciation and approval.

I know putting litter in a garbage bin that eventually goes to a land fill is not the end all solution, but perhaps it means one less cigarette butt making its way into the waterways where it poisons the water and helps manage the waste and contamination of plastics that are quickly ruining our world. My hope is that my walks inspire others to become more awake and aware of the litter and maybe just maybe make the earth a little cleaner for all to enjoy.

My journey and sometimes adventure towards conscious living and conscious consuming began about two years ago. What inspired it? Well I could say that I have always loved animals and nature, but really it was all because of a turtle. I was on my first sessions of really snorkeling in Maui when I encountered so many of these gentle giants in the reef. 

There was one special turtle that was resting on the sandy bottom about 20 feet below me and I could swear it looked straight at me with intention. With what intention I will never know. We locked eyes and it began to swim straight up towards me. I was in absolute awe of this beautiful giant turtle coming my way. It so effortlessly and calmly swam through the water with the light playing off its shell. It was truly beautiful to behold. 

My awe was broken as I realized it was coming straight to me and would likely bump right into me if I didn’t get out of the way very quickly. Turtles are protected and you are to give them their space; so I frantically paddled myself out of the way as it broke the surface. 

The turtle took some deep breaths of ocean air looking at me with wise eyes only a couple feet away as though it was acknowledging me and then dipped back below the surface swimming away into the blue abyss of the sea. It was a magic moment. 

I felt like I had been blessed or at least given an experience that would always be with me for the rest of my life. It wouldn’t be the last turtle I would see or swim with and even inspired me to become a scuba diver the following year, but that turtle set me on a journey that has changed and is continuing to change my life in the best ways possible. 

What follows is my discoveries, ponderings and research on a variety of topics, items, and more!