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A Greener
Palouse promotes ‘upcycling’
By Andy
Boyd | Moscow Recycling
During times of an economic downturn, most people, in
their own way, become a bit more thrifty. Did you know
that thriftiness is also a great way to act more
sustainably?
From a sustainable standpoint, thrift would be defined
as a the wise use of resources, being an educated
consumer and waste reducer.
A Greener Palouse (AGP),
a regional
non-profit promoting
sustainable options
available in the
Palouse region, is
also promoting
thriftiness. AGP, in
conjunction with
Whitman County Solid
Waste and Recycling
and Moscow
Recycling, are
providing workshops
throughout both
counties promoting
thriftiness.
These workshops, entitled “Tossed & Found: Upcycled
Apparel and Art,”
are designed to
educate regional
residents about
waste reduction
options in our
region, while at the
same time, provide
hands-on training
creating fashion and
apparel out of items
destined for the
landfill.
All too often we don’t consider the impacts of the
items we send to a
landfill. This
workshop will help
unveil the potential
of items we throw
into the garbage
everyday through
Upcycling.
Although there are many uses for items we throw away,
creating fashion out
of this ‘stuff’
helps the
environment in many
ways.
First, it keeps materials from being shipped to a
landfill where it is
likely to never be
used again, not to
mention the fuel
used and pollution
created when
shipping garbage
close to 200 miles
away.
Second, by reusing items to make new items, it reduces
the need to for new
raw materials to be
harvested from the
earth (also reducing
energy use and
pollution created).
Finally there is the industry itself:
-- A study by the nonprofit Earth Pledge found
approximately 8,000
synthetic
chemicals are used
throughout the world
to turn raw
materials into
textiles
--According to figures from the U.S. National Labor
Committee, some
Chinese
workers make as
little as 12–18
cents per hour
working in poor
conditions.
--The USDA states that one-quarter of all pesticides
used nationwide go
toward
growing cotton,
primarily for the
clothing industry
--The EPA considers many domestic textile manufacturing
facilities to be
hazardous waste
generators
--According to the EPA Office of Solid Waste, Americans
throw away an
average of
more than 68 pounds
of clothing and
textiles per person
per year
--AGP hopes that you will consider joining us at these
workshops for some
fun
activities that will
help you become a
better consumer and
environmental
steward.
There are still several workshops that have yet to be
scheduled in our
rural towns, so
please feel free to
call: in Latah
County, Andy Boyd at
208 882 0590; and
Whitman County, Judi
Dunn-Gray at 509 397
5213 for more
information.
Please also consider
entering each
county’s recycled
art contest at the
county fairs this
September as
upcycled fashion is
the theme for these
contests. You can
enter something made
at a workshop or
another fashion item
you have made from
trash, recyclables
or old clothes.
AGP will also be holding a “Tossed & Found: Upcycled
Apparel and Art”
fashion show in
November of 2011.
This will be an
extravaganza of
couture fashion made
from trash,
recyclables and
reworked clothes.
Green advertisers
were invited to
submit copy for the
publication. This is
one of those
submissions. |
