How Fashion is Going Green

When the average person considers eco-friendly clothing options, they may have images of the wardrobe from The Matrix (not the cool trenches and skintight pants they sported inside the Matrix, but the unfinished, no-color sacks they wore on the Nebuchadnezzar).  But green fashion has come a long way from the rough, un-dyed, homespun garments of yesteryear.  In fact, you may not be able to tell the difference between textiles that have harmed the planet at every turn and those that have done very little to increase your carbon footprint.  Thanks to changes in the industry that have turned an eye towards the future of fashion and how it relates to the environment, green fashion has grown.  Here are just a few ways in which the clothes on your back may be getting a little greener.

Schooling

The crossover between green living and the fashion industry starts with education and the new batch of designers entering the field.  This is why it’s awesome that so many fashion schools are now offering courses that explain the goals and possibilities where green fashion is concerned, as well as offering instruction in how to make eco-friendly clothing and accessory.  Even well-known schools like the Fashion Institute of Technology have embraced the possibility of greener clothing options by hosting exhibits and offering seminars and courses in eco-fashion.

Textiles

Organic cotton, hemp, bamboo, eucalyptus, and plenty of other plants are all being used to create fabrics that are free of chemical pesticides and fertilizers, doing less harm to your body as well as the environment.  And peace silk and organic wool are gathered humanely so that no animals are killed to give you the shirt on your back (which is good for your conscience as well as the animals).  In addition to the many environmental benefits that come with these textiles, you’ll be happy to hear that they’re good for your wallet, too.  Although they may be a bit more expensive initially, they can last up to ten times as long thanks to the fact that no chemicals are present to break down the fibers prematurely.  And many designers are now opting for these fabrics in their lines, thus supporting the organic farming movement.

Manufacturing

If you knew how many chemicals went into producing a garment (bleaches, dyes, flame retardant, stain-proofing, and even formaldehyde, amongst other things), you might not be so keen to put them on your skin.  And in addition to the potential for bodily harm, the processes used to manufacture textiles for clothing are a source of pollution and waste.  But concerned designers and manufacturers are beginning to seek ways to reduce the damage caused by clothing creation, from using natural dyes and skipping chemicals to recycling scrap cloth left over from the production of garments.

Accessories

You can’t have a fashionable ensemble without a few accessories, and while some green changes are obvious (faux leather belts, shoes, and handbags, for example, or accessories made from recycled materials), others may be things you never even thought of (fair trade precious metals and gemstones for jewelry, shoes that can be recycled to create playground surfaces, etc.).  Many companies in the fashion industry are finding creative ways to go green not only with clothing, but with accessories, as well.

Designers

Perhaps you haven’t heard of up-and-coming eco-designers like Casey Larkin, Kizzy Jai Knight, and Ada Zanditon (although you should definitely check them out), but you’ve likely heard of Stella McCartney, who espouses eco-friendly fashion along with her vegetarian values.  And with more and more designers going green, it won’t be long before some of your favorite fashion houses start offering clothing options that will make you feel as good as you look.

Carol Montrose is a writer for www.tshirtprinting.net where you can create your own custom tshirts, hoodies, and much more.

Always tweeting and surfing the web and not sure how much data you have used from your limit? All you need to do is the following:

1. Go to iPhone settings
2. Sroll down and select General
3. Then select Usage
4. Scroll down and then select Mobile Usage
5. The screen will show you a detailed breakdown of your Mobile Network Data, how much you have sent and received.
6. If you want to reset your statistics so you can monitor how much yo use over a certain time period, click on Reset Statistics and then check back in a week to see how much you have used.

The new, improved Porn Detection Stick Pro is now capable analysing your computer’s video and determining if it is of a pornographic nature, an improvement on the original stick that could only scan for porno images.

The Porn Stick can scan external hard drives as well as flash drives and the software uses 11 different detection methods to scan images and video in various formats like MOV, Mp4, MPEG1 – MPEG4, ASF, AVI – and many others. It works on both PC and Mac so no computer is left untouched. So before you download Debbie Does Dallas 2012 Edition beware, you can’t say we didn’t warn you!!

Available on line for around £60

Using clever QR technology that allows you to create your own personal barcode, the ScanMe interactive tee turns an outfit into a walking identity card.

ScanMe.com uses personalised QR barcodes to get people in the real world instantly connected online. Your unique ScanMe barcode stores your personal contact information and links others to your social network profiles with one quick scan on a Smartphone. The range of scan-able T-shirt designs from ScanMe incorporate your personalised QR barcode to create a totally individual look, and give your own interactive, digital style.

From as little as £9.95 you can choose an exclusive T-shirt design into which your personal barcode will be artistically incorporated. There are 16 different tee designs to choose from and ScanMe has teamed up with a number of top name graphic artists to design many of the collection.

You can create your own personal QR barcode and get your modern, interactive T-shirt over at ScanMe.com or download the ScanMeBarcode app from the Apple App Store.

Today’s tech-connected kids live in a high-definition world. They are bombarded by sound from music players, game consoles, tablets and in-vehicle entertainment systems. Studies show that overexposure to loud sounds leads to hearing damage seen later in life. Parents can take steps to help their kids hear for a lifetime with Etymotic’s ETY·Kids™ Safe-Listening Earphones for Apple products. The ETY·Kids3 headset features three-button control and a mic designed for use with iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.

Sound heard through ETY·Kids earphones will not exceed safe levels, so parents can rest easy. Even at the maximum volume setting on portable players, kids can listen safely for up to four hours per day. ETY·Kids earphones also block out background noise, and provide high-definition sound quality so kids will be able to hear every detail, and won’t complain that the volume is too low.

ETY∙Kids are available in two versions – the ETY·Kids3, a three-button control headset with mic designed to work with Apple products, and the ETY·Kids5 universal earphone that works with any portable device.

The ETY·Kids3 headset will feature AWARENESS! for Etymotic, an app that “listens” to users’ surroundings and mixes any noise louder than normal background sounds directly into the earphones, so kids can hear traffic, announcements or any other important sounds while they are listening. Both products provide clear, high-definition speech and music reproduction and come with kid-friendly eartips to ensure a seal that blocks outside sound.

Pricing and availability – ETY Kids 5 –  £59,  ETY Kids 3  - UK pricing and availability is to be confirmed.