A Place to Start

Once we decide that we need to, or want to green our lives we then have to decide where and how to make changes.  It can be mind boggling when you start to investigate, reuse, recycle, upcycle, carbon footprint, eco tourism, eco fashion,  greenwashing, oh my.   I want to be value minded and not get taken for a ride because I do believe in doing it right.  Greenwashing is somewhat of a pet peeve of mine.  In managing my life, I have tried to be as authentic as possible.  Integrity in business is very important to me, perhaps because I've been taken advantage of at various times and so I've vowed to never be that person.   I believe in being as true as possible, it's easier that way.  Hamlet's quote "oh what a tangled web we weave when at first we practice to deceive" has always struck a chord with me.  As I get older especially, it's just easier to tell the truth than get into a lie that will have a domino effect leading to more and more lies to keep it going, and then there's who you told which lie to worry about. Forget about it, life's too short, if you're authentic then you never have that stress. It's a challenge to remember what I had for breakfast yesterday or where my keys are, let alone keep track of a web of deception. So greenwashing is where I'm going to start.

Greenwashing, as defined in wikipedia, is the practice of companies disingenuously spinning their products and policies as environmentally friendly, such as by presenting cost cuts as reductions in use of resources. It is a deceptive use of green PR or green marketing.  How can you get away from this?  Ask questions!  If a product is billed as green, ask why,  how,  and to what degree. With regard to sustainable fashion,  a clothing article that claims to be green but has only a nominal percentage of a green fabric content is not really green.  A clothing line that touts itself to be green because they reduce or recycle paper products in the office,  but offers conventional cotton, polyester, etc. is not really "sustainable" fashion.  They may be implementing green business practices, but that's entirely different and does not in my opinion give one the right to tout itself as eco fashion.  We have to ask and read labels to be sure that we get what we are truly looking for. So many of us are label readers in the grocery store, it's time we start investigating our apparel and home products as well.

Trees

I know many think green fashion is for those folks lovingly, or snidely referred to as tree-huggers. It's not. It is truly for all of us. Whether you're in flannel shirts or formal wear, there are green options.    I always wondered why that tree-hugger  term somehow was derogatory.  Even as I was flirting with the idea of opening an eco boutique, my friends who know me well thought I went off the deep end. Why?   I mean really, trees are awesome, they bring so much beauty to this earth. Look around you and think what would it be like without trees, rather bleak if you ask me.  Trees absorb carbon dioxide and give us oxygen in return.  They give us a wonderful spot of shade to get away from the blazing heat of summer. They give us an awe inspiring display of color in the fall. How much art do you have in your home that is nature because an artist was inspired by the beauty of trees.  Surely when you think about all that (perhaps) you've been taking for granted, I know you'll want to go hug one and say thank you from the bottom of your heart, I know I do.

 I love to hike and what I find really special is finding that perfect spot where you just sit and amire the beauty that surrounds you and then it happens, a breeze comes and the trees suddenly come alive. Their leaves flickering in the wind, some are silent, some are quite loud  I truly feel the trees are trying to speak to us.  I don't think I'm alone because this has been translated into talking trees in cartoons and animated films.  So I've pondered, is it the trees, or is it the wind that speaks to you. Clearly, it is a collaboration between the two because independently, they don't really have a voice.

I don't think I'll ever be the activist that sits atop a tree so that loggers wont cut it down, but I do find that I have an appreciation for them.  What can somebody like me do about it?  I can save a tree by reducing the need for cutting them down.   We can all make that choice.  Frankly,  vast numbers of us are making that choice, businesses are making the choice, recycling is a growing trend and that is as necessary as it is a good thing.

So what does the love of trees have to do with green fashion.  I'll get there.  There's so much to say I just had to start somewhere.