5 Ways T-Shirts Can Fight Climate Change: Blog Action Day 2009

Today is Blog Action Day, a world-wide annual event where blogs focus on one specific issue to increase discussion about it within the community. This year’s Blog Action Day (with more than 8,000 participants) focuses on climate change, an issue which will affect us all, if it hasn’t started affecting us already.

Every product which is produced has an effect on the environment. T-shirts, and especially the cotton they are made from, are undeniably one of the many, many products contributing to climate change. This can be seen in the short video “Rebel with a Cause”, which I posted back in September. 200 grams of cotton can use up to 5 tons of resources throughout its life. That’s not what you normally think about every day when you put on your shirt. These resources are what we need to start considering when we consume just about anything.

1. Buy Organic Cotton T-Shirts
Our organic apparel assortment has grown to more than 10% of our entire product range. Buying organic means that less resources and chemicals are used in the production of the cotton. Companies like Continental with their EarthPositive products take this even an extra step further providing “wholly ethical” textiles: 100% organic, fair trade, low carbon during production, environmentally friendly materials, low water footprint and low carbon footprint (reduced by 90%).

2. Recycle Shirts
Every product has a life cycle and shirts are no exception. Your favorite shirt will get a hole, the print can fade (but, not flex or flock! ) or you simply don’t wear the shirt anymore. You don’t have to throw it away. Create a shirt blanket, shirtain, shirt seat, frame it or one of these 50 other t-shirt recycling ideas. Donate the shirt. Use it as a rag. Just don’t throw it away – it’s not good for your karma and not good for the environment.

3. Use less chemicals / Wear shirts more than once
Stains happen. From tomato sauce and red wine to grass stains and chocolate, stains can be a nuisance which cause us to throw away or use harsh chemicals to clean. Again, those aren’t your only options. There are many ways to easily and environmentally get rid of all types of stains, and we have a blog post with stain removing tips!

Washing machines, tumble dryers and the chemical soaps used all have an impact on the environment. Use them as sparingly as possible. Everyone’s wearing habits are different, but I usually give a shirt a second (or even third) chance, a thorough sniff test and then make the final decision.

4. Use totes for shopping and frown away plastic bags
We’re not just a t-shirt company, and happily offer totes for personalization (also organic EarthPositive totes from Continental). Some staggering estimates place plastic bag consumption between 500 billion and 1 trillion per year. I always have my custom cotton tote handy for the trip to the store and am happy to refuse the plastic bags offered to me. Bonus: brand free - no one gets to know where I go shopping!

5. Use t-shirts to show your opinion about climate change
Some t-shirts are practical and keep you clothed, other t-shirts look really good – but, many t-shirts have a message, too. Tell the world what you think about climate change. Your message will often invite discussion, dialogue and the ability to share ideas about the future of our environment. That is what the Blog Action Day itself intends to do. Climate change is serious and must be discussed. Use your apparel to tell the world your opinion about the environment!

The Copenhagen Climate Change Conference is coming up in December. It’s not just up to the politicians to make a difference here. Here’s the “Rebel With a Cause” just in case you missed it the first time: