http://www.care2.com/greenliving/sensuous-sensible-sustainable-sheets.html
Sensuous, Sensible, Sustainable Sheets
By Melissa Breyer, Producer, Care2 Green Living.
I’ll take cotton sheets over their synthetic sisters in a heartbeat—but the thought of all those pesticides used on cotton crops has been elbowing me in the psyche lately. Looking for organic cotton bedding, I found these instead and couldn’t believe my skin when I first slipped into a set of such soothing, eco-friendly sheets. So soft, so supple, so sustainable.
Who would have thought that bamboo—yes, bamboo!—could be spun into such a miracle fiber. The resulting textile is durable and strong, and its resilience allows for superb color retention through multiple washings. It has excellent wicking properties and dries faster than cotton, which results in decreased odor accumulation. It is even hypoallergenic and antibacterial. Performance aside, it is the feel of the textile that leaves me swooning—sleek and silky beyond compare. This is how I imagine one million thread count cotton sheets might feel, but with a better conscience.
According to the Organic Consumers Association, cotton is the most toxic crop on the planet. (If you are utterly devoted to your non-organic cotton sheets, you may want to skip this paragraph!) Cotton crops account for more than 25 percent of all the insecticides and 12 percent of all the pesticides used in the world. And these aren’t in the “gentle” category of toxins—we’re talking some of the worst of the worst. As found in an EPA report, in California (one of the only states to require pesticide-use reports) 12 of the top 15 pesticides used for cotton caused birth defects, 10 caused multiple birth defects, and 13 were toxic or very toxic to fish or birds or both. Yikes. If that isn’t bad enough, cotton crops generally use up to seven times more fertilizer than they do pesticides. Cotton fertilizers are best known for spoiling the air and polluting rivers, groundwater basins, and aquifers everywhere the crop is grown. Bamboo, on the other hand, is rapidly renewable and flourishes naturally without the use of pesticides, insecticides and fertilizers.
Enough said, right? So let’s just cut to the chase here, and sleep a little easier:
100% Bamboo Sheets
Bamboo/Cotton Blend Sheets
related stories
-
As we all suffer at the gas pumps, and with summer…
(1 comment)
-
Tossing and turning on a hot summer’s night, it is hard to…
-
What was used for the filament in Thomas Edison's first…
(6 comments)
Annie B.
Melissa
Jana
Kelly
Lily
Terri
Betsy
Cait
Eric
Andrew
Dave
Robyn
Deepak
24 comments
add your comment »yes, but, sadly, i have read that the process of making bamboo into fabric is a very toxic process, with damaging chemicals used to make it, and a lot of toxic byproducts. i cannot remember where i read it, but it is worth looking into further. of course the companies that produce these products might not be advertising about that. which i see concurs with susan t's comments. it is not easy to make responsible choices in this very complex world we live in!
flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
Thank you Annie...the title of this article "Shopping green is a vote" is excellent. One has to start somewhere; by becoming more aware of what you buy is also making a choice for the good of our world a powerful vote indeed. Now that more people are reading the lables and finding out what toxic chemicals are in the product or sometimes even by smelling the toxic fumes upon opening them especially cleaning agents, is damaging to health and to the enviornment. This was happening for years and nobody did much about it until people began to highlight the issue and shoppers started becoming more aware of what they were buying. Thanks again Annie.
flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
If you've been around cotton fields you would know this in order to remove the cotton from the plant it is sprayed with a defoliant...anybody old enough to remember Viet Nam? And that's just one of the poisons ut on the cotton.
flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
http://organicclothing.blogs.com/my_weblog/2007/09/bamboo-facts-be.html
flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
Bamboo the plant is wonderfully sustainable; bamboo the fabric isn’t so easy to categorize. There are two ways to process bamboo to make the plant into a fabric: mechanically or chemically. For more info check out this website http://organicclothing.blogs.com/my_weblog/2007/09/bamboo-facts-be.html It tells how it can be done mechanically which would is the best way but a lot more expensive and then the chemical way which pumps it full of toxins which makes it no better than the cotton full of toxic chemicals.
flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
I'll embellish on Danielle F's comment...
Another thing to consider when purchasing your sustainable products is that cheaper may not necessarily mean better. Someone may not be receiving fair wage to make those sustainable products you are purchasing so cheaply.
Research the labor resources of the places you are purchasing from. Sustainable living can also mean supporting the businesses that pay their workers wages that afford them the cost of living - or to "sustain" their families.
Just another concept to keep in mind! Thanks for caring everyone!
flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
i like cotton this is better to warm up your mind your body and maintain the blood currculation is very good.in running during marathon i weare cotton custom.this is very comfort during running 21k. i like very well.
thanks
sanjay saklani
91-9810691820
i use cotton sheet also when give massage to peoples. this is so impresive.
flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
in comparing two of the companies listed above i noticed viva terra being absurdly expensive whereas target offers sheet sets for under 60 bucks. now, mind you, viva terra has some VERY nice items, like silky night gowns that look lovely. but still: the prices of some organic manufacturers is really off-putting some times. and it can't always be put down to small production/lower purchasing power. right?
flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
Hi Pam,
Denim can be both good and bad, just like cotton. There are many parameters to look into, renewable rate, recycable, resource, renewable at all. The biggest inpact you can do as a final user is wash less in low tempratures, dry natrually, use good washing powder and no softner. Use the garments for long time.
Bad cotton: See this movie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCZ9yV9l50k
Levis are doing "good" denim: read more at:
http://www.levistrauss.com/News/PressReleaseDetail.aspx?pid=784
Do you want to read more?
From a UK perspective: http://www.ifm.eng.cam.ac.uk/sustainability/projects/mass/UK_textiles.pdf
Brand new book:
http://www.amazon.com/Sustainable-Fashion-Textiles-Design-Journeys/dp/1844074811
flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
Where does Denim fit into the good/bad fabrics? I know it's cotton but is it "green" or full of pesticides in the growing process? I approve of Bamboo because it grows so fast it's considered a weed here. Maybe just needs some improvments in the methods used now.
flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?