As Green As You Can Be

More and more clothing manufacturers are recognizing the need for a more sustainable farming practice.  The “new” farming practice uses up to 73 percent fewer chemical inputs than conventional cotton and that directly benefits the local environment.

Sustainable Cotton encompasses biologically-based, IPM, and organic farming practices in the production, manufacturing and use of cotton. The Sustainable Cotton Project’s grower programs help move farmers through the changeover from chemically-dependent to more biological sound approaches. Composted manures and cover crops replace synthetic fertilizers; innovative weeding strategies are used instead of herbicides; beneficial insects and trap crops control insect pests; and alternatives to toxic defoliants prepare plants for harvest.

The ultimate goal of “sustainable cotton” is to move sustainable production, manufacturing and use practices throughout the cotton value chain in order to create a healthy and profitable industry for growers, their communities, manufacturers, retailers and users of all cotton products.

Another good thing about the organic clothing, unlike organic foods, is that the price isn’t much different than non-organic clothing.  Here are a few examples of shirts that I found online.  A $10 t-shirt is a pretty good deal where I come from, and if it helps me be as green as I can be, all the better!

Organic Arthur T-Shirt, Men’s Price: 12.98	Organic Horizon T-Shirt, Men’s Price: 11.98	Organic Logo T-Shirt, Long Sleeve, Men’s Price: 12.98
Organic Ice Axe T-Shirt, Long Sleeve, Men’s Price: 12.98	Organic Stance T-Shirt, Men’s Price: 9.98	Organic Boot T-Shirt, Men’s Price: 9.98
Organic Vision T-Shirt, Men’s Price: 9.98	Organic Moose T-Shirt, Men’s Price: 12.98	Hawksbill Turtle 2 Organic T-Shirt, Women’s Price: 14.98
Pra Piping Plover Organic T-Shirt, Women’s Price: 14.98	Henslow Sparrow Organic T-Shirt, Women’s Price: 14.98	Organic Acadia T-Shirt, Men’s Price: 12.98
Organic Joshua Tree T-Shirt, Men’s Price: 12.98	Organic Yellowstone T-Shirt, Men’s Price: 12.98	Organic Long Trail T-Shirt, Men’s Price: 11.98

The greenest recreational activities that I can think of are hiking and low impact camping. Just recently I took my family on a nice little hike, the kids loved walking in the woods, picking up every stick and looking at every bug along the way. Hiking with children isn’t usually a record setting pace, but its important to get your kids outside and away from the television. I like Spongebob as much as the next guy, but walking through the woods or along a river is just so much nicer.

Little Frog

When your kids spend time out in nature, its easier to teach them about conservation and being “green”.  If they see first hand what they are saving or even see the consequences of environmental irresponsibility, it sinks in and stays with them longer.

Down the path

One of the things I really like about hiking and camping is the gear! You can’t tell me you can go into a store like EMS and not get all excited.  I go in their store, or even on the website and I could spend thousands on tents, backpacks and bikes. But in an effort to be as green as I can be, I try to gang my purchases as much as possible to cut down on individual shipments.  I also try to time my big orders with a sale.  It just so happens that EMS is having a pretty good sale right now, the sale offers Free Shipping and a $25 “Gear Bucks” Card on all orders over $125.  No coupons are needed and the sale ends on Tuesday 8/26. Take advantage of the back to school sales going on to gear up!

Hammock camping is getting more and more popular and is about the lowest impact form of camping I know of, that is still comfortable and bug free. Here is the type of hammock I am looking at. It gets you up off the ground and protects you from mosquitoes, Perfect!  Get yourself a little backpack, stuff your hammock, some food and a campstove in there and you could be gone for days!  Some of you might cringe at the freeze dried food, But I swear to you, some of it rocks!  Mountain house brand is all I get and I haven’t found one that I didn’t enjoy.  There is nothing better than swinging in your hammock after a long hike, eating a big bowl of hot Chili Mac.  Mmm Mmm.  I know, I’m going off on a tangent, I just love gear!

So get outside and enjoy nature while you still can!  Some of our national parks are a shadow of what they were when our parents were kids, so imagine how bad they may be when our children take their children.  Anyway hiking and camping is a great excuse to get some really cool gear!

Photo credit: Flickr user Odalaigh

Air travel is a hassle. From parking to negotiating the crowds inside to getting onboard only to find that you can barely fit into your tiny seat, it’s an uncomfortable luxury for which we pay dearly. But, there’s another option if your flight is short. Trains are often cheaper, more comfortable and less of a hassle. America’s train system is far from perfect – hopefully it will be greatly improved upon in the years to come – but it’s still a great option that many people seem to have forgotten about.

From the Traveler’s Notebook:

Consider a 5 hour train ride from Boston to Philadelphia. The equivalent flight takes over two hours; however, after adding in time spent arriving early plus waiting in baggage claim, you can easily spend close to 5 hours in transit. If you take the train instead, you’ll spend $157. The cheapest flight available is $265. That’s a 43% savings over flying, and you can get an additional 10-15% if you are a student, AAA member, or military.

Now that airlines are raising airfares and tacking on more and more fees, it’s a great time to look into whether train travel could be a good option for your next trip. The Traveler’s Notebook has compiled a list of 21 trains that are cheaper and faster than flying. Brilliant! And, taking the train is better for the environment – mile by mile, trains use 28% less fuel than planes and cars.

Link [The Travelers Notebook]
From EarthFirst.com