Prior to the 1920s, most clothing was repaired, mended, tailored to fit other family members, or recycled within the home as rags or quilts. But now, clothing has fallen into the realm of so many consumer products – that of planned obsolescence. Clothes are made poorly, sold cheaply, and as part of an industry that discourages us from wearing clothes for more than one season. The fashion industry is, by it’s very nature, a huge source of waste, pollution and cruelty.

I could say a lot about the cruelty of some aspects of the clothing industry (from animal cruelty to the mistreatment of human workers) but today I’m focusing on the environmental impact of clothing.

All industries that pose a model of planned obsolescence are inherently bad for the environment. Like many of these types of industry, fashion is worth a lot of money. In 2010 the UK fashion industry was worth £21 billion and with a figure like that it’s easy to see that this business model is working out for them – economically speaking.

However, environmentally, there are huge issues at hand. Where ever a consumer item is designed to become obsolete so follows a pattern of huge volumes of waste. According to a 2007 study every year in the USA over 11.8million tons of clothing, shoes and textiles are discarded and the vast majority finds it’s way directly to land-fill.

It doesn’t stop there – the manufacture of clothes is an extremely chemical and energy heavy procedure. Dyes are packed with harmfull chemicals, synthetic materials can come from dangerous raw materials and natural fibres can require huge doses of pesticides and water. Cotton – one of the most common clothing fibers – is the most pesticide intensive crop in the world.

Of course, once you’ve bought the clothes there is even more carbon to worry about. On average 60% of the carbon footprint of an item of clothing is used up on post-purchase washing and drying.

What can you do to help cut down on the impact of your clothing on the planet? Well, Linda Greer, PhD, senior scientist at the nonprofit Natural Resources Defense Council suggests three main points:

·      Buy recycled (or upcycled!)
·      If buying new, buy only basics that will last.
·      Line-dry and wash at lower temperatures.

• So if you are buying new, what considerations can you make?

• ·      The USA and Europe have stricter regulations on chemical use then countries such as China (which accounts for about 30 percent of world apparel exports, according to the UN Commodity Trade Statistics database) so always check where clothes are produced.
  

·      Fabrics such as hemp, bamboo, linen and organic cotton are some of the most sustainable options available.
·      Dyes can be high in toxic chemicals, so look for natural dyes.
·      When buying ‘outdoor gear’ there are some companies that use recycled polyester from plastic bottles and other similar materials.
·      Check brands out – find out if they have any ethical policies in place such as where they source their raw materials and how they treat workers.

Of course, if you’re anything like me one of the best places to start, if you feel like you want some new clothes, is the back of your wardrobe where the unloved and forgotten clothes hide. You might find something there that is just what you are looking for to spruce up your look!

For a while now I've been really interested in 'infographics' and their power to make complex information easy to understand and enjoyable to look at. I'm always on the hunt for inspiring graphics and recently I found one all about the carbon foot print of different foods. I've seen things like this before, but this graphic presented the data with a clever twist; it compares the amount of carbon used to produce the food in question to the distance that amount of carbon would get you in a car. A great way to put this in perspective. 

This excellent graphic was created by the Environmental Working Group on their 'Meat Eater's Guide to Climate Change and Health' page.

For more info on the carbon foot prints of our food and for an all-round great read check out a book called 'How Bad are Bananas' by Mike Berners-Lee

If this pug knows how to be green, we have no excuse...

And in case that wasn't enough for you (how could only one video of this adorable dog be enough?)...

According to the British Plastics Federation, the UK uses 1.7 million tonnes of plastic every year and three quarters of that comes from household waste. We’re talking plastic bottles, pots, tubs, trays, films and plastic bags to name a few. But it wasn’t always that way; plastic only became widespread during the 1940s and it wasn’t until the 1970’s that plastic bottles became common.

Back in the early 80’s a wise man said “I sometimes think that there is a malign force loose in the universe that is the social equivalent of cancer, and it’s plastic”. I’m inclined to agree.

Plastic causes huge amounts of destruction all over the planet. It takes hundreds of years to decompose, building up in landfills, leaching dangerous, cancerous toxins into the soil and waterways. It clutters the oceans and destroys wildlife. For anyone who hasn’t heard of the ‘great pacific garbage patch’ It’s certainly worth reading about.

I watched a great short talk on TED (see below) a few weeks ago about a woman who attempted to do away with plastic and it got me thinking or should I say, realising, it is about time I cut down on my plastic consumption. I’m taking it one step at a time trying to reduce my plastic waste and it started last week at the supermarket.

Sadly food shopping was a bit of a disaster; everything is wrapped in plastic. After just a matter of moments in the vegetable section I realised it was slim pickings. I came away with a leek, some mushrooms (in a paper bag) and a couple of courgettes. Fortunately I only have to feed myself and no one else so that worked out okay for a few days. I managed to get some bits and bobs in jars and tins which can very easily be recycled but I had to settle for my carbs in plastic-coated.

this week it’s time to replace my shampoo. My last one was ‘all natural’, ‘paraben free’ and ‘suitable for vegans’ but it inevitably came in a plastic bottle. After a little while researching on the internet it became clear that shampoo is always in plastic bottles. I was on the brink of re-adopting the ‘no-poo’ method (dear god who came up with that name!?) which has previously proven to be more than a little disappointing. Fortunately, however, in the nick of time I found a much better solution; shampoo bars. Off to Etsy I went and happily I quickly found some vegan, palm-oil free shampoo bars and the seller has offered to use alternative plastic-free packaging for my order. Now I can sit back and smugly enjoy my shampoo for all its earth-loving lovelyness.

The hunt is on for all things plastic free, so stay tuned for future updates on my attempts to cut down on plastic!

Today I found myself fighting back hot angry tears on the underground; feeling absolutely overwhelmed at the state of the world. Yes, the state of the world. I can’t describe it as anything other than that. Some times (probably more often than is really healthy) I feel crushed by the weight of the cruelty, wastefulness and greed that surrounds us.

It started today at Westfield shopping centre. I knew I shouldn’t have gone, but I needed some smarter shoes to wear to work; “Dress for the job you want!” mum always says.

The sales were on and there were thousands of people (literally - Westfield is insane) crawling all over the place like ants busily consuming shit they don’t need. The sales were pushing everyone to buy more, ‘Buy it now, while the sales are on, or forever regret your failure to buy this crap for what it’s really worth (read: very little)’. Of course when the sales come around, peoples' attitudes towards buying things changes completely. Suddenly something that would have been carefully considered becomes a quick-grab buy. Clothes get tossed to the floor without a second thought. They get trampled all over and no doubt, end up in a bin at the end of the day.

Everything I look at now, I view with more opened eyes then I ever have before. When I look at a pair of shoes I think about the animal that has died for the leather (and the way it was reared and slaughtered). The rainforest that was destroyed to make way for soy to feed that animal. The under-paid worker in some scummy factory on the other side of the world working all the hours god sends. The chemicals pouring out of that factory into the environment (and all the damage they cause). The trees cut down and oil pumped out of the ground to make the plastic and card those shoes were wrapped in for transport. The fuel used to power the lorry taking the shoes to a port and then to fuel the boat travelling half way across the world and then on to it’s individual destination. The plastic bag that the shop assistant gives the customer without asking if they need one. All that for a bargain shoe, at £15 that might last the summer and then will be thrown out and added to the ever growing land fill masses on our planet.

As I’m sure anyone can imagine, shopping becomes extremely stressful when every item is scrutinised to this level. When I got home and burst into tears my mum said I should stop reading about all this stuff (animal welfare, the environment and so on) because I can’t cope with it. But I know in my heart I can’t just revert to a life of denial, ignoring the greater impact of my choices. Arthur Conan Doyle once said the below on the topic of our treatment of farmed animals, but I believe it also applies to our understanding of the damage the way we live our lives causes in many ways.

“To perceive this … is to undergo a change of perception akin to a religious conversion.
Nothing can ever be seen in quite the same way again because once you have admitted the
terror and pain of other species you will, unless you resist conversion, be always aware of
the endless permutations of suffering that support our society”

Fortunately once I’d been talked back down (thanks mum, you and dad help me surface from many a moment like this) I was left feeling empowered. I will be a part of the solution and I will be a part of helping to make people aware of how much good they can do by making little changes in their lives.  All I have to do is work out where to start…

You use paper towels to dry your hands every day, but chances are, you're doing it wrong. In this enlightening and funny short talk at TEDxConcordiaUPortland, Joe Smith reveals the trick to perfect paper towel technique.

I'm about to start the process of looking for a new place to live closer to work and I'm hoping it's going to be a great opportunity to start growing some more of my own food. I'm fortunate enough to be looking for a place with someone else who is equally excited about the prospect of growing some of our own food. Sadly, however, budget is an issue and when looking for a flat gardens are few and far between. I decided it was time to start forward planning (the most exciting part of any project) and looking into our options for growing maximum veggies in minimum space!

A challenge like this is right up my street as it is something I have been mulling over in my mind for the last couple of years. Back at my parents home in London I have a small patch about 6ft by 2ft where I can grow vegetables and last year I had some great success with it, which really fired up an interest in packing veg in to every tiny space. My parents garden if packed to the brim so I actually had to build a big box to to grow my veggies in and once I had taken over that spot I started to spill out filling up pots and placing them where I hoped they might go un-noticed. In hind sight my choice of bright pink for my potato pots was probably a bad move.

I've written about urban farming before and the merrits of vertical farming systems, but this time I'm looking for space saving systems on a much smaller scale... I've gathered together some of my very favourite ideas here, perhaps once we get a little 'vertical farm' up and running I can blog about that too!

OK so, if i get a garden I'm sorted, and If i get a balcony I could cope with that too. But where could I find some more space? My window sil? Bring it on!

About one year ago, I heard about this amazing delivery company called B-Line. I wish I could tell you where I first heard of it, I have a funny feeling it was on a TED lecture or something like that, but who knows. I sort of forgot all about them, and then today they popped back up on my facebook feed, and I thought 'I've got to share this!'.

The basic jist of B-Line is an alternative goods transportation company that aims to drastically cut CO2 emissions and congestion around Portland, Oregon. Businesses love B-Line because they can get more deliveries to more customers in less time. I love B-Line because it is a sustainable urban alternative to fuel guzzling trucks that currently  invade the cities for even small deliveries.

Sure B-Line can't deliver huge bulk orders in one go, or great big items; but it is a fantastic alternative for so many businesses that are clustered up in the centre of cities. Companies like this inspire me. How amazing it would be to work as a B-Line courrier, doing your bit to help the environment and keeping fit and healthy at the same time.

I'd love to see something like this in London. Maybe there is such a service? Sadly I've never seen anything like it.

For more sustainability stories follow me on twitter @mossandmouse!