Newspapers / Meredith College Student Newspaper / Jan. 26, 2011, edition 1 / Page 2
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I How “Green” is my Meredith T-shirt? Janice C. Swab, contributing writer, Professor of Biology emerita Today I noticed a T-shirt Design Contest announced by the Sports Science Association on the Meredith e-riews. The purpose of the T-shirt, as with all the others that Meredith students order, is to send a message about Meredith to all who see it. There is nothing unusual about this way of communicating. But what additional, unseen messages do these T-shirts convey? Can the un seen messages have anything to do with Meredith sustainability efforts? You betcha they do! In order to understand how T-shirt decisions should be a part of Meredith’s sustainability program, we can look at some of the underly ing issues of T-shirt production. Most Meredith T-shirts are probably made from cotton, a crop that when conventionally-grown accounts for 25% of U.S. pesticide use and which accounts for 85-95% of tho use of Al- dicarb, an acutely toxic pesticide, ac cording to World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF). Although pesticides are used only when cotton is being cultivated, a T-shirt requires 256 gallons of water (our most precious, diminishing resource) to produce because water is required not only by the growing plants but also all during the “life cycle” of the T-shirt. The “life cycle” includes all the steps in the process from crop produc tion to final product as sold in stores to the use and ultimate disposal of the article. This life cycle is clearly outlined in the section “My Cotton T- shirt” (pp.45-51) of The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard (Free Press, 2010) and on web sites such as: waterfoot- print.org/?page=files/productgalleiy 8q)roduct=cotton. Cotton is grown largely in the U.S., Uzbekistan, Australia, China, India, African countries including Benin and Burkino Faso, and Turkey. Using U.S.-grown cotton as an example: the crop is grown, harvested, and processed through many steps to produce the thread that is woven or knitted into fabric. The fabric must then be treated with harsh chemicals to get the soft fabric with the desir able qualities that we look for in T-shirts. It is then typically shipped to Europe, Asia, or elsewhere for cut ting and somewhere else for sewing before being sent back for distribu tion in the U.S. According to the Wall Street Journal (July 22, 2010, Di), “Some of our clothes have circled the globe twice by the time they arrive in stores.” Further, we learn that in 2008 Americans tossed out 12.4 mil lion tons of textiles, compared with 1.8 million tons in i960. How long is the average T-shirt ordered by a Meredith student worn before being discarded? And what is its “afterlife”? In addition to environmental con- cerns, human rights issues abound STAFF herald@meredith.edu heraldadvcrti.sing@ eniail.meredith.edu Editor .tmvHnibv Staff Writers , Joy Close Emil)' Hawkins Anne Caitlin Griffin Emily Gamiel Ashieigh Phillips Layout Editor Emily Haw kins Literature Advi.sor Suzanne Britt The Meredith Herald is published by the Coilese tliroimhout the academic ye"jr. The ]»pcr c- funded by llic CoUeaeand through indepemdent advertising;. .\11 aihvrtisements should hi' sent to heraldaih'crtisinsft: emailmeredith. cdu. Tlie opinions e.xpressed in the editorial columns do not necessarily I edect those of the College adminis tration, facuttv’. or student hiKly. Tlif policy of this paper requires that submissions be made by .5 p.m. one week before publication and that contributors sign all subrnksions and provide necessary contact information. The editor and staff welcome submissions meeting the above.guidelines. Puhlishi'd by Hinton Press Mission Statement; The staff of The Meredith Herald is committed to representing our diverse community by publicizing local events, by addressing controversy,, by cultivating civic ' engagement and by empowering women. . Spring 2011 Publication Schedule: Januarv' 26th Februaiy 9th Februar)' 23rd March 9th March 30th April 13th image via treehugger.com in the fabrics industry and mostly concern females who work in un healthy conditions for pitiful wages under conditions of harassment and constant threat if they dare to speak out against their plight. Anyone can go to http://www.sew- green.org/sew_shopping.html for in formation about green T-shirts and a list of questions that should be asked of any vendor from whom Meredith students might order T-shirts. They suggest the following as a minimum of questions to ask: ~Are the shirts 100 percent certified organic cotton? ~ Are the dyes non-toxic? ~ Is the ink used for printing pon- toxic? If not, ask if the shirts can be shipped directly to a non-toxic printer. ~ Ask what “recycled” means. Is the product 100 percent recycled? ~ Where is the product made? Are the workers adults who are paid fairly and treated with respect for their health and wellbeing? ~ How far must the products be shipped? If you have a choice, consid er using a vendor that is closer to you. In 2010, an Eco Index was devel oped for use by the clothing industry. This is a software tool that assigns a “green” score to brands according to the resources required for an article’s life cycle, from growing the natural raw material or making the synthetic material through to its ultimate dis posal. Only the companies can pro vide the information and no proof of accuracy is reqifired; however, it is a step toward informing consum ers of these issues. Wlien this Eco Index is eventually made available to buyers at least they have some basis for “green” comparisons and can make their decisions accordingly. As can be expected, some companies have embraced this idea and are impatient for it to be widely used while others will likely not make their scores available until forced to do so. But eventually the Eco Index might be a standard as common as LEED certification is to the building industry or Energy Star ratings are to appliances. Although cotton is my primary focus, since these T-shirts often contain polyester it might be help ful to note that the WWF also points out that polyester requires three to five times more energy to produce than natural fibers, largely because polyester production requires crude oil and other “dirty” chemicals that release volatile molecules. I hope this brief discussion will encourage Meredith student leaders, and indeed anyone who reads it, to put sustainability issues foremost when purchasing T-shirts. Eco- friendly products are available in today’s markets; Meredith activities lead to strong T-shirt sales; Mer edith students can make a difference by buying “green”!
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