Environment | Eco-Friendly Essentials

The Value of Bamboo

: Image via Wikipedia

The world is changing. The standards of the past, the once accepted rules, are being redefined — proven inadequate for an environmentally conscious public and their demands for safety. The reliance on carbon drenched products is being slowly (but steadily) replaced. The denial of future troubles is disappearing. Instead individuals are becoming aware of how they effect ecology and wish to lessen their burden through smart choices and careful planning. And this extends even to clothing and currency. If you were interested in forex currency trading online, bamboo is profitable form of currency to invest in.

Consumers have suddenly realized the dangers of using materials that can’t be sustained, soaking them instead in synthetic dyes and non-recycled buttons. The effect (though never before considered) can be devastating. And alternatives are now being presented to offer clothing longer lifespans and fewer worries.

Bamboo is one such alternative.

Though too often confused as a simple plant, bamboo has proven itself to be among the most versatile materials known to man. Its resiliency, strength and ease brand it ideal for a variety of uses: from food to flooring to even clothing. Products shaped from this are known to retain their shape, be resistant to wrinkles, breathe well even in stifling heat and — most importantly — be renewable.

Simply explained: a renewable resource is one that can be constantly resupplied. It appears naturally and can be found in infinite abundance. Bamboo is among the fastest growing plants in the world. It can survive in most climates, able to sustain itself with scarce amounts of water or sun. It’s perfect therefore as an outlet for style.

Outfits created from bamboo offer sustainability (they will not lose their designs, even through persistent washings). They will not need to be constantly replaced and therefore offer each consumer longevity. This allows them to aid the environment, requiring fewer warehouse productions and lessening the strain of other resources.

Bamboo simply works.

It’s the eco-friendly choice for a fashion conscious world. And the impending years will prove it to be an undeniable wisdom.

Filed Under: Eco-Friendly, Environment Tagged With: Bamboo, Clothing, Renewable resource

How to Make Mesa Buildings Environmentally Friendly

When it comes to making a business or dwelling eco-friendly, Mesa property management specialists know some good tricks. Not only can you make changes that benefit the environment, but the changes can benefit you personally, too. You’ll find increased performance in your tools and reduced costs in many of your bills.

Appliances

One of the smartest moves you can make in creating an eco-friendly house in Mesa is replacing your appliances. While this might seem like an expensive step to take, you will find that it actually saves you costs in the long run. Look for appliances that are labeled as environmentally friendly and have an energy efficiency rating (EER). These tend to use less water and electricity. You can help the environment and your pocketbook even further by running appliances that generate heat in the evening when temperatures are cooler. This keeps your air conditioning costs down in the summer and helps with heat in the winter.

Lighting

Use compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) light bulbs instead of your energy-hogging bulbs. These use up to three-quarters less electricity than an incandescent light bulb. Many property managers keep energy in mind when landscaping, using trees to provide shade near windows where heat is intense and light where heat is less intense.

Insulation

Go through your home or business and make sure everything is well insulated for optimal energy efficiency. You might want to add weather stripping to your windows and doors. This keeps the cold air (or hot air depending on the season) out so your energy bill doesn’t go up. You can use padded strip sets or vinyl bulbs as weather stripping devices. Or, you can use thin brass or bronze strips nailed to the inside of a door jamb.

Follow advice from the experts, like Mesa property management, when turning your house or office into an eco-friendly environment. You can rest easily knowing you are helping the environment.

Filed Under: Business, Environment Tagged With: Business, Environmentally friendly

Eco-Friendly Clothing for the Great Outdoors

Buying eco-friendly clothing from clothing re-sellers is an easy way to be fashionable while still supporting an environmentally-friendly lifestyle, but what happens when you need to purchase quality outdoors clothing for your next camping, hiking, or outdoors adventure? When you need quality clothing goods, it can be harder to rely on recycled clothing stores. So use these tips to hunt down a clothing manufacturer that keeps to fair trade and sustainable practices.

New fashion with truly sustainable clothing is not easy to find. After all, no matter how earth-conscientious a clothing retailer is, it is still difficult to find, produce, and market a product or line of products that are completely sustainable (unless perhaps you are willing to wear loincloth). Consider the incredible amount of resources that went into putting your favorite pair of jeans together and put them on the shelf where you could buy them. Although you will be hard-pressed to make a purchase that eliminates the resources that are drained from the environment and economy to bring you those jeans, you can at least make purchase that will lessen that resource drain.

If you have to make a purchase of brand new clothing from a quality outdoors clothing retailer, know what you are buying. Generally, certain fibers and fabrics are more eco-friendly than others, such as recycled polyester, wool, and cotton rather than nylon. If you want to get even more serious about eco-friendly clothing, you can use completely recycled materials or sustainable materials like soy, hemp, or bamboo.

There are some outdoor clothing retailers that are manufacturing eco-friendly clothing on the cutting edge of technology as well as a dedication to environmentally-sound resources, labor, manufacturing, and marketing practices. Instead of buying a new quick-dry running shirt made of nylon and other materials, you can now purchase outdoor apparel made from coconut shells or wood pulp. Shop for recycled cotton long johns or recycled polyester outer shell jackets that are not only going to perform well, but are helping to decrease the negative impacts of clothing resource surplus and exploitation.

Filed Under: Eco-Friendly, Environment Tagged With: Clothing, Environmentally friendly, Retailing

Where to Shop for Recycled Fashion

The good news about the environmental debate is that environmentally-friendly and sustainable living has become wildly popular among the fashionable trend-setters in first world countries. Soccer moms love to carry their grocery tote-bags into the store. Young students enjoy wearing shoes made from recycled material and by fair-trade standards, such as the Tom’s Shoes brand. Many people shop at organic health food stores like Whole Foods. Sustainable, eco-conscious living is the hip thing. And eco-friendly clothing is another way that eco-friendly hipsters are expressing their concern about the environment.

There are several ways to wear eco-friendly clothing. One is to shop at consignment stores, thrift stores, or other stores where you can buy used clothing. Consignment stores and thrift stores are just as popular as ever with fashion-conscious hipsters. Consignment stores such as Buffalo Exchange have opened a chain that accepts used clothing at discounted prices, and then resells the clothes at a slightly higher price. It’s possible to exchange clothing, or to buy clothing at the discounted price. The chain is very selective about the type and quality of clothing that it accepts for re-sell, as it caters to a picky group of fashion fiends who do not want to waste time searching through stacks of old bathrobes. Consignments stores and clothing resellers are often more fashion-conscious than thrift stores, since they are more selective, and cater to a specific fashion audience.

Another great option for buying recycled clothing is via online shopping in auction sites like Ebay, where individual owners will re-sell their unwanted new or used clothing at discounted prices. These sites allow unwanted clothing to end up with the owners who specifically want them, taking the principle of a thrift store or consignment store and expanding it across the country or even across the world. It is possible for a woman in the MidWest to order a pair of jeans from a woman in Singapore, and to have the jeans mailed to her house within a few days. All of these methods make recycled fashion more readily available and easier to find than ever before.

Filed Under: Eco-Friendly, Environment Tagged With: Charity shop, Clothing, Consignment

The Sewing Machine: The Eco-Friendly Fashion Fiend’s Best Friend

Image by Bekathwia via Flickr

For the eco-friendly clothing fan, one of the best investments you can make for your recycled materials wardrobe – and for your budget – is a quality sewing machine. Sewing can be time consuming and technically challenging, but if you have time to spare, want to pick up a new hobby, or are dedicated to making eco-friendly clothing a part of your wardrobe, then consider making the purchase. You will be able to mend old clothes in a jiffy, transform old clothes into wearable, fashionable outfits, and have fun getting creative with your projects. Best of all, you will be helping to minimize the demand for new clothing, which contributes to the exploitation of labor as well as the environment.

Sewing fanatics can make the old new with a few sewing tools. While it is possible to do your mending with just a needle and threat, it can be even more time consuming, and more technically challenging, than using a sewing machine. A machine can sew quickly and accurately, and all you have to do is know how to operate the machine on a very basic level. First, pick out the right color of threat, make sure it is long enough, then thread the needle, turn on the machine, place the area of the clothing item underneath the foot of the needle apparatus, and then begin sewing.

Besides mending and alterations, you can cut fabrics to add on or subtract from a favorite piece of clothing. You can think as big or as little as you want – perhaps just a fun fabric pattern around your headband would make you more willing to wear it. You might be surprised by how a small sewing job can transform your clothes from mediocre into hip and cute.

Lastly, once you have got the hang of your sewing machine, you can use it to make just about any article of clothing. Think beyond the typical sweater vest or pajama shorts, and try something totally unique, like a Japanese-inspired kimono as your new bathrobe or a matching handbag and coin purse.

Filed Under: Eco-Friendly, Environment Tagged With: Clothing, Sew, Sewing machine

How to Transform Your Grandma’s Jewelry Box into Fashionable Accessories

Ever rummaged through your grandmother’s jewelry box and wondered if there would come a day when those bulky necklaces would come back into style? Or have you ever come across a piece of heirloom jewelry that you cannot bring yourself to wear, but also could never bear to give it away? For those fashionistas who love to make the old new and restore old clothes or jewelry, do not be afraid to use those hand me down necklaces, anklets, brooches, and jangling earrings in your next do it yourself arts and crafts project. Your grandmother would more likely be happy to know that you have found a way to incorporate her jewelry into your wardrobe than find out it has just been collecting dust. Plus, you will be getting creative with your jewelry stash and being just as eco-conscious about your accessories than you are about the rest of your eco-friendly lifestyle.

What to do With Brooches
These outdated accessories can be tricky to salvage, but if you have one with potential, consider making it into a necklace. Use a necklace chain from another old necklace, or pick one up from the jewelry store or crafts store. If you have two brooches that are similar, consider making them into earrings, or use hot glue and magnets to turn them into refrigerator magnets.

What to do With Anklets and Armbands
If anklets and armbands are not your thing, try resizing them into bracelets. Resizing metal jewelry involves precision cutting and heating, so take your jewelry to a professional who can do it for you.

What to do With Handkerchiefs
Heaven knows your grandmother probably has a horde of handkerchiefs that she probably has not used in decades, if at all. Turn them into headbands or scarves and you are in luck.

Filed Under: Eco-Friendly, Environment Tagged With: Earring, Jewellery, Necklace

Searching for Recycled Fashion Stores in Your City

If you are conscientious about the environment and want to make sure that you incorporate eco-friendly clothing into your wardrobe, one of the best places to start shopping is at your local thrift store. Thrift stores typically hold hundreds or thousands of used clothing items, many of which can be made into fun and fashionable outfits. Sometimes you will find clothing items that you could never have found anywhere else.

However, it can also be a challenge, and very time-consuming, to sift through the rows of used clothing in search of something that will work for you. Consignment clothing stores, vintage clothing stores, or buy and sell clothing exchanges might be a better fit for you. These stores offer recycled clothing based on individual donations or in bulk from sale items at other stores, but they are more careful to weed out the clothing that is of low-quality, damaged, or would most likely be considered unfashionable to their customers. Prices are generally a bit higher than at thrift stores, but the quality of clothing is better and you are more likely to find something that fits your style.

If you are searching for a specific type of clothing, such as baby clothing, there might be a consignment store or an exchange between mothers at a mom’s group. Ask friends or do a quick online search to see if there are any eco-friendly recycled clothing stores located near you. During an online search, try different keywords such as “recycled clothing” or “consignment stores” plus the name of your city.

Buying eco-friendly clothing is an important step in the trek towards sustainable living. Resold clothing helps minimize the demand, and therefore the supply, for new clothing manufacturing. No matter where you buy your clothes, make sure that you are making smart choices about your fashion. Research the clothing manufacturer to see what their labor policies are.

Filed Under: Eco-Friendly, Environment Tagged With: Fashion, Recycling, Shopping

Using a Survey to Gauge Brand Performance

Anyone who has a fashion brand wants it to do well, but he or she also knows that fashion can be very fickle. Your clothing can be in one day and out the next, so you’ll need to keep making changes if you want to stay on top of your game and ahead of the competition. It’s important to get feedback from your customers in order to have a good idea of how you’re really doing, so don’t be shy about asking your customers what they really think of your clothes. You need to know if they like them, and if there are any issues with them.

You should also find out whether they would be willing to share your information with others as a good company to buy from, if they like the customer service that they get from your company, and if they are going to continue to buy clothes from you. If they aren’t, finding out why may help you change their mind. Even if you can’t convince that customer to keep buying from you, you may be able to make some changes that will keep other customers from leaving, assuming there really is a problem that you need to deal with.

By creating and utilizing a customer satisfaction survey, you can easily see what problems your company has in the eyes of your customers, and whether your fashion brand is successful overall. If there are big issues, it’s a good idea to do something about them. One of the biggest areas of fashion today is clothing and materials that are eco-friendly, so you might want to use part of your survey to see how your fashion-conscious customers feel about that. It may be an area that your business really needs to explore, and that’s something that a survey can easily tell you.

Filed Under: Business, Eco-Friendly, Environment Tagged With: Business, Customer, Customer service

Your Ticket to the Green Fashion World

If you have the amazing ability to make handcrafted clothing items and accessories, then why not make your hobby profitable while doing your part for the environment as well. Selling your handmade goods on Etsy is your ticket to the green fashion world. Here are a few tips to get yourself started.

Make a Name for Yourself

This is the first, and biggest, step in your journey to green fashion. One of the main things you need to think of is what types of items you want to sell. After you decide that, you need to make a brand name for your company. Since you’re trying to do your part for the environment, make sure you choose a name that reflects your company’s views. “Green,” “Eco Friendly,” and “Organic” are great words to use.

Get Started

The next thing you need to do is produce your inventory. This way, when the orders come in, you can ship right away. Since this step will require funds to buy all the needed materials, you may have to get creative. A couple ways you can do this are saving up, borrowing from friends or family, or taking out a loan from a company like Payday One. Whichever road you decide to take is up to you.

Get Your Name Out

The next item on your to-do list is to get your name noticed. Send mass e-mails to friends and family and ask them to pass it on, sell at local events or stores, or even start up a page on Facebook. Whatever you decide to do, just make sure to go for it 100% and keep it eco friendly (so avoid printing mass amounts of flyers).

Start Posting

The last step is to just start posting your products to Etsy. You’ll never know how much people will like your green fashion items unless you give it a whirl!

Filed Under: Environment Tagged With: Environmentally friendly, Etsy, Facebook

Use Word of Mouth to Go Green

There are undoubtedly many people in various communities who are very environmentally-conscious. They make efforts to recycle, to ride or bike or walk, to wear environmentally-friendly clothing, and to conserve energy whenever possible. Their efforts should definitely be appreciated, but they should also be the people who promote what they are doing and try to get others involved.

A lot of individuals who give back to the environment are very outgoing people with a good network of people around them. But a lot of their friends and family may not be into the whole “going green” thing as much as them. Whether it be bringing a friend to volunteer with them or promoting an eco-friendly water bottle; there are many ways to show people it can be a lot of fun to “go green.”

But you do not have to just force people to go to events or to buy things to make them feel eco-friendly. Although advertising is an effective medium, one of the most powerful ways of communicating is through word of mouth. Show your friends how much fun you are having and how good you feel about yourself. Tell them about how your power bill is fifty bucks cheaper because you keep the television off and turn out your lights when you leave a room. Write a blog and post a link on Facebook for all of your friends to see. Word of mouth is a powerful way to get support behind a product or an idea. There is no reason why it cannot be just as effective when trying to promote “going green.”

People will of course be skeptical and think certain “going green” concepts are dumb and lame. But once people start getting involved and hearing all the buzz from those who have been eco-friendly for a while, they’ll realize: “Hey dude, this is a pretty cool thing.”

Filed Under: Eco-Friendly, Environment Tagged With: Go Green