Recycle Your Blue Jeans To Change The World

A well-worn pair of blue jeans are right up there with apple pie and baseball when it comes to American icons. Now, when your favorite jeans are beyond repair, you can donate them to be remade into natural cotton insulation for communities in need.

The Cotton. From Blue to Green® denim drive is a call-to-action to donate denim and give it “new life” by converting it to UltraTouch™ Natural Cotton Fiber Insulation. The insulation is then provided to communities in need to assist with building efforts.

From now until March 14th, old denim clothing can be brought to any Gap, GapKids, or babyGap stores for recycling. Those who donate will be presented with a coupon for 30 percent off new denim purchases. (Click here to find a store near you).

Both insulation and the production of cotton have long histories of being hazardous to human health and the environment. Those who are seeking to make their homes more energy efficient often struggle with the high cost of more eco-friendly options.

The Blue to Green program allows cotton waste to be diverted from the landfill, while also providing an affordable, highly efficient insulation material for those that are seeking sustainable alternatives.

According to a 2007 study by the Environmental Justice Foundation in collaboration with Pesticide Action Network UK, “Cotton is considered the world’s ‘dirtiest’ crop due to its heavy use of insecticides, the most hazardous pesticide to human and animal health. Cotton covers 2.5% of the world’s cultivated land yet uses 16% of the world’s insecticides, more than any other single major crop.”

Internationally, Turkey and the United States are the largest organic cotton producers.

Since the start of the Blue to Green denim drive program in 2006, a total of 89,799 pieces of used denim have been collected, resulting in over 185,000 square feet of UltraTouch™ Natural Cotton Fiber Insulation. Over 180 Habitat for Humanity affiliated homes received this insulation during their construction.

Image Credit: www.alrdesign.com

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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Beth M.

1:15PM PDT on Mar 15, 2010

Too bad they aren't going to keep this up as an ongoing thing.

send a green star

No fwd v.

6:19AM PDT on Mar 15, 2010

Great idea

Yulan L.

2:58PM PDT on Mar 14, 2010

Great idea. There's so many things you can do with them.

Donna F.

10:52AM PDT on Mar 14, 2010

Reduce! Reuse! Recycle! EVERYTHING!

Rahul M.

12:57AM PST on Mar 14, 2010

Is there any word of schemes like this outside the US? and do we know of any disadvantages to this rather iconic development in alternatives to direct recycling? if anybody has any answers to these questions, feel free to mail me.

Margaret D.

3:08PM PST on Mar 13, 2010

That is so cool! Now, I know what to do with my worn out denim that cannot be donated.

Elena E.

9:27AM PST on Mar 13, 2010

If we don't have where to recycle our jeans, I guess the best thing to do is to give them to charity!

9:24AM PST on Mar 13, 2010

I would love to recycle them, but I don't have where!

4:21AM PST on Mar 13, 2010

In Austria, we have a few choices by way of humanitary projects to donate them to poorer people.
Not just denims, of course, even pianos, books, skiing sets, and much more goods of daily usage...

Find it anyway as a good idea, to repair or recycle.

Monsanto: People sooner (hopefully) or later will discover their way, treating others and environment.
Everything will turn into light.

Thank you for the posting.
Ketchup Heinz, Naturheilt