http://motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2011/12/your-fleece-killing-ocean

excerpt ...



In its 2008 heyday, the blog Stuff White People Like took aim at the ubiquity of "outdoor performance clothes"—people's penchant for marching down city streets and suburban strip malls dressed as if they were slogging the Appalachian Trail.

It turns out, our devotion to outdoor wear might be more than just a crime against fashion. It might also be a crime against the outdoors itself—or at least, that vast swath of it that's covered by ocean.

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In the meantime, it looks like people should put away their fleeces and focus on fibers like wool and cotton—organically produced when possible. The best way to minimize their impact is to simply consume less of them. According to Institute for Local Reliance researcher Stacy Mitchell, "In the mid-1990s, the average American bought 28 items of clothing a year. Today, we buy 59 items." I predict that we have only begun to reckon with the ecological consequences of that trend.

Tom Crackpott. Plays fast and loose with his research to up the alarmist feel of his articles. As a science journalist he's the equivalent of a tabloid hack.

I'm going to take all this polypro and whatnot, right on down to the beach and throw it in the Ocean. Let it spiral around with its kin.

Then, I will rush right out to a local purveyor of free-range, vegan wool gear and stock up on renewable fiber clothing, maybe even some insulated with organic waterfowl fibers donated by willing birds. This may, in fact, finally justify that Filson Mac I've been wanting since 1982.

Lucky for me, I'd have used this synthetic stuff for years more. Now I can invigorate the economy and dispose of this stuff in holistic landfills or the gyre.

Fleece has joined the ranks of killers, right alongside cotton.

I personally witnessed a Paty R1 shooting a dolphin last week. The R1 is believed to be behind the deaths by stabbing of several cod too.

There's an easy answer: don't wash your fleece!

>The R1 is believed to be behind the deaths by stabbing of several cod too.

I'll give you the dolphin, but c'mon...the cod deserved it!

OK, I may be biased ...

> people's penchant for marching down city streets and suburban strip malls dressed as
> if they were slogging the Appalachian Trail.
For that you can blame the marketing spin doctors.
Mind you, outdoors gear is usually a touch more sensible that some of the 'fashion' items I have seen advertised. (Exceptions acknowledged.)

> people should put away their fleeces and focus on fibers like wool and cotton — organically
> produced when possible.
Which is precisely NEVER EVER.

The environmental impact of sheep on the Australian outback is very bad. When sheep graze they rip the vegetation right out of the ground, unlike cows (and native animals) which crop it off at the surface so it can regrow. Superfine wool is grown by penning the sheep in sheds and keeping them half-starved. (No, I kid not: I know the wool industry.)

As for cotton farming - the irrigation sucks massive amounts of water out of the rivers to the point that the rivers are being destroyed, while the sprays pollute what ground water is left.

As for processing both of these fibres: that too creates a lot of down-stream pollution. Some rivers in Europe are known for it in fact.

It makes the creation of synthetic fibres seem almost benign at times, and a far better use (much higher value) of the remaining oil supplies too.

The reporter guy's a bit of an idiot.

Cheers

Edited by rcaffin on 12/15/2011 13:50:47 MST.

Uzbekistan is the 3rd cotton exporter in the world, almost half of the production is harvested by forced child labor. That cotton is everywhere, even in banknotes.

OK, I may be biased ...

The reporter guy's a bit of an idiot.

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Doesn't sound biased to me.

Lets all just harvest roadkill deer and make our own buckskin clothing.

OK, I may be biased ...

The reporter guy's a bit of an idiot.

I would say irresponsible journalist and hack writer, but "idiot" is more succinct. ;)

Belongs in Chaff. Formal complaint to BPL needed.

go ahead john complain ...

fleece is used by many here ... this is easily a "philosophical" issue as to whether its sustainable or not

but hey if it doesnt matter where your down comes from, since that is now in chaff, then i guess this doesnt matter at all to you at all

but then i guess threads on music, a-holes drinking light beer, advice to refugees are more relevant ;)

Starting to sound like the not-in-my backyard mentality. Don't use petrol, but don't put that wind turbine farm up, it spoils my view.
Duane

... for the chaffstarta.

I remember reading that Patagonia and others use recycled plastic to make their fleece.

Fleece and other synthetic clothing are more durable than natural fiber clothing and so theoretically require the purchase of less clothing.
Of course we know that consumerism pretty much ruins that argument:-)

I've come to realize that no matter what I do, or how I do it, my existence is killing the earth. I've asked the earth. She doesn't care. In the end, she's not really even hurting. When I push her too far, she'll shake me and all the rest of the human infestation off like an annoying case of fleas.

I've largely stopped worrying about choosing the lesser of evils as the determination of "lesser" varies depending on who you ask (or more accurately, who decided to impose their unsolicited opinion).