A fascinating piece in today's Times shows that, because it can be laundered with less energy, polyester is a more earth-friendly fabric for human garments than cotton. Plastic fantastic.
Comments (20)
I will give up my white cotton briefs when they pry my cold dead hands from around them.
Cotton is also an incredibly water intense crop, which makes me wonder why they grow so much of it in Arizona. Several years ago, there was a study showing that converting cotton farms to suburban subdivisions saved tons of water.
Maybe it's time to switch to hemp? Ivy leaves?
Or bring back clotheslines (which are now banned in some ritzy communities)? Or just wash less often, putting up with a stain or two (though you might want to use discretion in following the practice of a former roommate who just turned his briefs inside out for the second day).
Are they taking into account the cost of treating all those fungal infections?
Cotton monoculture not only uses lots of water (see Aral Sea in central Asia, a huge environmental disaster directly related to cotton cultivation), it rapidly depletes soil nutrients and speeds soil salination. This means that eventually, after tons of chemical fertilizers have been applied repeatedly, speeding eutraphication of nearby fresh water sources in the process, the land will not be capable of producing much vegetation at all.
I don't know what kind of nutrient and water requirements hemp has, but it seems to me that intensive cultivation of it would have similar problems to intensive cotton cultivation.
As already noted, polyesther is a petroleum product....we all know the problems there.
As already noted, polyesther is a petroleum product....we all know the problems there.
But is that the only way to do, or just the current way because it is the least expensive? For example, one can make petroleum from coal like the Gremans did duing WWII. Or from waste as some are doing now.
Blueoregon had a recent post about buying used clothing because cheap "Target" clothes dont last, and it takes so much energy to create new ones...or something to that effect.
Although from my experience, they all last about the same whether they are from Nordstrom or Old Navy. The only difference is the label and the cost. And they're all made in South American sweatshops anyway. I wouldnt be surprised if some were made in the same sweatshops..
Ironically, many of the same faux greenies that HATE cotton farming, rice grown in California, and "franken-foods", ARE VERY EAGER TO SUPPORT ETHANOL MANDATES.
The only economical way to produce ethanol in the U.S. is with corn. Brazil is located on the equator, which provides them with more productive crop yields/choices (like sugar cane).
To the degree ethanol/corn production enjoys government subsidies, it will lead to a dramatic increase in the portion of available acreage planted in corn.
That means fewer acres planted in wheat, soybeans, and other grain and feed crops.
Who cares? Everybody who eats! The Mexican people are paying 250% higher prices for corn tortillas than 2 years ago (so they care!). The cost of most other proteins and grains will increase as corn production is converted to ethanol (and taken out of the food supply chain). Imagine how your personal budget would be impacted by $6/loaf wheat bread, $7/lb hamburger, and $5/gallon milk.
The "dead zone" at the mouth of the Mississippi (and other) rivers will grow larger, your automobile's MPG will decline by 20%, and Co2 emissions are more likely to increase than not (thanks largely to the filthy emissions produced by all those tractors/harvesters in the corn fields, plus the increase in fertilizer consumption). But most politicos from Randy Leonard's desk all the way to Washington D.C. will crow about how they are cleaning up our environment and working towards energy independence. The midwest corn lobby will laugh all the way to the bank. The auto manufacturers will find a way to leverage some new car sales out of the equation. Big Oil will even turn it to their advantage.
We'd be better off with a $10,000 tax credit for qualified hybrids/economy cars paid for with a $1-$2/gallon fuel tax.
The most pious Earth First wannabees would rather wear hemp underwear or utilikilts, saving the planet one veggie burger at a time.
Cotton: One of the more water and pesticide intensive crops around. Patagonia and a few others sell organic cotton clothing. The Targets of the world shipping clothing around the world which also causes green-house gassing. If in doubt read the label on clothing and buy local. Maybe Portland needs it's own made in Portland clothing district?
Blackberries? Eeeeeww! How about cottonwood trees?
"I love trees. Because you can lie under them on a moonlit night, with the leaves gently blowing, and..." think about ways of making clothing out of them.
(please forgive me Joni Mitchell) They weaved paradise, and put up a lifestyle shop.
With a green hotel, organic sushi cafe,
and an eco-roof on top.
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
Till it's gone
They weaved paradise, and put up a clothing shop.
They took all the cars
And put them in a car museum
And they charged all the people
A dollar and a half just to see 'em
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
Till it's gone
They weaved paradise, and put up a clothing shop.
Hey farmer farmer
Put away that hybrid cotton seed
Give me disposable undies
Just let my cotton pajamas be.
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
Till it's gone
They weaved paradise, and put up a clothing shop.
Late last night
I heard the
Screen door whack
And a busted punchline
made John Kerry defer to Barack.
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
Till it's gone
They weaved paradise, and put up a clothing shop.
Charamba, Douro 2008
Horse Heaven Hills, Cabernet 2010
Lorelle, Horse Heaven Hills Pinot Grigio 2011
Avignonesi, Montepulciano 2004
Lorelle, Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2011
Villa Antinori, Toscana 2007
Mercedes Eguren, Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Lorelle, Columbia Valley Cabernet 2011
Purple Moon, Merlot 2011
Purple Moon, Chardonnnay 2011
Abacela, Vintner's Blend No. 12
Opula Red Blend 2010
Liberte, Pinot Noir 2010
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Indian Wells Red Blend 2010
Woodbridge, Chardonnay 2011
King Estate, Pinot Noir 2011
Famille Perrin, Cotes du Rhone Villages 2010
Columbia Crest, Les Chevaux Red 2010
14 Hands, Hot to Trot White Blend
Familia Bianchi, Malbec 2009
Terrapin Cellars, Pinot Gris 2011
Columbia Crest, Walter Clore Private Reserve 2009
Campo Viejo, Rioja, Termpranillo 2010
Ravenswood, Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Quinta das Amoras, Vinho Tinto 2010
Waterbrook, Reserve Merlot 2009
Lorelle, Horse Heaven Hills, Pinot Grigio 2011
Tarantas, Rose
Chateau Lajarre, Bordeaux 2009
La Vielle Ferme, Rose 2011
Benvolio, Pinot Grigio 2011
Nobilo Icon, Pinot Noir 2009
Lello, Douro Tinto 2009
Quinson Fils, Cotes de Provence Rose 2011
Anindor, Pinot Gris 2010
Buenas Ondas, Syrah Rose 2010
Les Fiefs d'Anglars, Malbec 2009
14 Hands, Pinot Gris 2011
Conundrum 2012
Condes de Albarei, Albariño 2011
Columbia Crest, Walter Clore Private Reserve 2007
Penelope Sanchez, Garnacha Syrah 2010
Canoe Ridge, Merlot 2007
Atalaya do Mar, Godello 2010
Vega Montan, Mencia
Benvolio, Pinot Grigio
Nobilo Icon, Pinot Noir, Marlborough 2009
Portuga, Rose 2011
Revelation, Chardonnay, Pays d'Oc 2010
Beaulieu, Cabernet, Rutherford 2005
Monte Alto, Tinto Reserva 2005
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Cabernet, Indian Wells 2009
Espiral, Vinho Rose
Vin-Koru, Pinot Gris 2011
14 Hands, Hot to Trot Red 2009
Rodney Strong, Cabernet, Sonoma 2009
Abacela, Vintner's Blend #11
Portuga, White 2010
La Bourgeoisie, Red 2009
Januik, Red 2009
Three Rivers, River's Red 2008
Kirkland, Alexander Valley Merlot 2008
Muga, Rioja Rose 2010
Quinta das Amoras, Vinho Tinto 2009
Mauro Molino, Barbera d'Alba 2009
Garda Chiaretto Rose
Columbia Crest, Two Vines Vineyard 10 White
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Pinot Gris, Columbia Valley 2009
L'Hortus, Rose de Saignee 2010
Maculan, Pino & Toi 2008
McKinley Springs, Bombing Range Red 2008
Trader Joe's Pinot Gris 2009
Montes Alpha, Cabernet 2007
Gran Sasso, Sangiovese, Terre di Chieti 2009
Garda, Classico Chiaretto Rose
Beaulieu, Cabernet, Rutherford 1999
Picos del Montgo, Tempranillo 2008
Chateau de Montmirail, Vacqueyras 2008
La Granja 360, Syrah 2009
Montgras, Carmenere Reserva 2009
Lange, Pinot Gris 2009
Columbia Crest, Horse Heaven Hills Cabernet 2008
Kirkland, Pinot Grigio 2010
Trader Joe's Coastal Syrah 2009
Columbia Crest, Horse Heaven Hills Merlot 2008
Trader Joe's Coastal Chardonnay 2009
Vieux Papes Red
Domaine de l'Aujardiere, Chardonnay 2009
Santa Rita, Cabernet, Medalla Real 2007
Penfold's, Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet 2008
Guild, Red, Lot #02 2008
Dievole, Dievolino Sangiovese 2008
Laforet, Burgogne Chardonnay 2009
Columbia Winery, Merlot 2007
Bonterra, Cabernet 2008
Elk Cove, Pinot Gris 2009
Maquis Lien 2006
Scott Paul, Pinot Noir, Le Paulee 2007
The Occasional Book
Neil Young - Waging Heavy Peace
Mark Bego - Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul (2012 ed.)
Jenny Lawson - Let's Pretend This Never Happened
J.D. Salinger - Franny and Zooey
Charles Dickens - A Christmas Carol
Timothy Egan - The Big Burn
Deborah Eisenberg - Transactions in a Foreign Currency
Kurt Vonnegut Jr. - Slaughterhouse Five
Kathryn Lance - Pandora's Genes
Cheryl Strayed - Wild
Fyodor Dostoyevsky - The Brothers Karamazov
Jack London - The House of Pride, and Other Tales of Hawaii
Jack Walker - The Extraordinary Rendition of Vincent Dellamaria
Colum McCann - Let the Great World Spin
Niccolò Machiavelli - The Prince
Harper Lee - To Kill a Mockingbird
Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus - The Nanny Diaries
Brian Selznick - The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Sharon Creech - Walk Two Moons
Keith Richards - Life
F. Sionil Jose - Dusk
Natalie Babbitt - Tuck Everlasting
Justin Halpern - S#*t My Dad Says
Mark Herrmann - The Curmudgeon's Guide to Practicing Law
Barry Glassner - The Gospel of Food
Phil Stanford - The Peyton-Allan Files
Jesse Katz - The Opposite Field
Evelyn Waugh - Brideshead Revisited
J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
David Sedaris - Holidays on Ice
Donald Miller - A Million Miles in a Thousand Years
Mitch Albom - Have a Little Faith
C.S. Lewis - The Magician's Nephew
F. Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby
William Shakespeare - A Midsummer Night's Dream
Ivan Doig - Bucking the Sun
Penda Diakité - I Lost My Tooth in Africa
Grace Lin - The Year of the Rat
Oscar Hijuelos - Mr. Ives' Christmas
Madeline L'Engle - A Wrinkle in Time
Steven Hart - The Last Three Miles
David Sedaris - Me Talk Pretty One Day
Karen Armstrong - The Spiral Staircase
Charles Larson - The Portland Murders
Adrian Wojnarowski - The Miracle of St. Anthony
William H. Colby - Long Goodbye
Steven D. Stark - Meet the Beatles
Phil Stanford - Portland Confidential
Rick Moody - Garden State
Jonathan Schwartz - All in Good Time
David Sedaris - Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim
Anthony Holden - Big Deal
Robert J. Spitzer - The Spirit of Leadership
James McManus - Positively Fifth Street
Jeff Noon - Vurt
Road Work
Miles run year to date: 21
At this date last year: 52
Total run in 2012: 129
In 2011: 113
In 2010: 125
In 2009: 67
In 2008: 28
In 2007: 113
In 2006: 100
In 2005: 149
In 2004: 204
In 2003: 269
Comments (20)
I will give up my white cotton briefs when they pry my cold dead hands from around them.
Posted by tom | January 25, 2007 4:32 PM
And so much more comfortable as underwear, too!
Posted by Auggie | January 25, 2007 4:38 PM
WE'RE DOOMED!
Posted by Allan L. | January 25, 2007 4:39 PM
Pshaw. Just wear kilts.
Posted by Alan DeWitt | January 25, 2007 4:51 PM
Good news: EarthFirst! thongs.
Naughty news: only Britney can save us.
Bad news: polyester can't be made without petroleum...
http://www.chemistry.org/portal/a/c/s/1/feature_ent.html?id=c373e9fda2b90a1f8f6a4fd8fe800100
Posted by Mister Tee | January 25, 2007 7:08 PM
Cotton is also an incredibly water intense crop, which makes me wonder why they grow so much of it in Arizona. Several years ago, there was a study showing that converting cotton farms to suburban subdivisions saved tons of water.
Maybe it's time to switch to hemp? Ivy leaves?
Or bring back clotheslines (which are now banned in some ritzy communities)? Or just wash less often, putting up with a stain or two (though you might want to use discretion in following the practice of a former roommate who just turned his briefs inside out for the second day).
Anything is better than wearing polyester.
Posted by GJ | January 25, 2007 10:44 PM
Are they taking into account the cost of treating all those fungal infections?
Cotton monoculture not only uses lots of water (see Aral Sea in central Asia, a huge environmental disaster directly related to cotton cultivation), it rapidly depletes soil nutrients and speeds soil salination. This means that eventually, after tons of chemical fertilizers have been applied repeatedly, speeding eutraphication of nearby fresh water sources in the process, the land will not be capable of producing much vegetation at all.
I don't know what kind of nutrient and water requirements hemp has, but it seems to me that intensive cultivation of it would have similar problems to intensive cotton cultivation.
As already noted, polyesther is a petroleum product....we all know the problems there.
Posted by godfry | January 25, 2007 11:47 PM
As already noted, polyesther is a petroleum product....we all know the problems there.
But is that the only way to do, or just the current way because it is the least expensive? For example, one can make petroleum from coal like the Gremans did duing WWII. Or from waste as some are doing now.
Thanks
JK
Posted by jim karlock | January 26, 2007 1:08 AM
Blueoregon had a recent post about buying used clothing because cheap "Target" clothes dont last, and it takes so much energy to create new ones...or something to that effect.
Although from my experience, they all last about the same whether they are from Nordstrom or Old Navy. The only difference is the label and the cost. And they're all made in South American sweatshops anyway. I wouldnt be surprised if some were made in the same sweatshops..
Posted by Jon | January 26, 2007 6:08 AM
Ironically, many of the same faux greenies that HATE cotton farming, rice grown in California, and "franken-foods", ARE VERY EAGER TO SUPPORT ETHANOL MANDATES.
The only economical way to produce ethanol in the U.S. is with corn. Brazil is located on the equator, which provides them with more productive crop yields/choices (like sugar cane).
To the degree ethanol/corn production enjoys government subsidies, it will lead to a dramatic increase in the portion of available acreage planted in corn.
That means fewer acres planted in wheat, soybeans, and other grain and feed crops.
Who cares? Everybody who eats! The Mexican people are paying 250% higher prices for corn tortillas than 2 years ago (so they care!). The cost of most other proteins and grains will increase as corn production is converted to ethanol (and taken out of the food supply chain). Imagine how your personal budget would be impacted by $6/loaf wheat bread, $7/lb hamburger, and $5/gallon milk.
The "dead zone" at the mouth of the Mississippi (and other) rivers will grow larger, your automobile's MPG will decline by 20%, and Co2 emissions are more likely to increase than not (thanks largely to the filthy emissions produced by all those tractors/harvesters in the corn fields, plus the increase in fertilizer consumption). But most politicos from Randy Leonard's desk all the way to Washington D.C. will crow about how they are cleaning up our environment and working towards energy independence. The midwest corn lobby will laugh all the way to the bank. The auto manufacturers will find a way to leverage some new car sales out of the equation. Big Oil will even turn it to their advantage.
We'd be better off with a $10,000 tax credit for qualified hybrids/economy cars paid for with a $1-$2/gallon fuel tax.
The most pious Earth First wannabees would rather wear hemp underwear or utilikilts, saving the planet one veggie burger at a time.
Posted by Mister Tee | January 26, 2007 6:47 AM
Cotton: One of the more water and pesticide intensive crops around. Patagonia and a few others sell organic cotton clothing. The Targets of the world shipping clothing around the world which also causes green-house gassing. If in doubt read the label on clothing and buy local. Maybe Portland needs it's own made in Portland clothing district?
Posted by Randy | January 26, 2007 7:51 AM
what's polyesther?
Posted by rr | January 26, 2007 8:54 AM
My Polyster panties are so Divine.
Posted by Bark Munster | January 26, 2007 9:15 AM
How about polyester underwear and clothing made from biodiesel?
oily whities, B100 boxers, soy slips...
green jeans?
Randy?
Posted by rr | January 26, 2007 9:56 AM
How about bamboo for clothing?
Posted by Dickey45 | January 26, 2007 10:40 AM
"what's polyesther?"
A biblical parrot queen.
Posted by Allan L. | January 26, 2007 12:57 PM
Save the most energy. Go commando.
Posted by jud | January 26, 2007 1:09 PM
A biblical parrot queen.
I love it!
Posted by rr | January 26, 2007 4:23 PM
Blackberries--we just have to figure out how to make fabric out of blackberry leaves (not the prickly parts). Blackberry underwear..hmmm.
Posted by Gil Johnson | January 26, 2007 9:41 PM
Blackberries? Eeeeeww! How about cottonwood trees?
"I love trees. Because you can lie under them on a moonlit night, with the leaves gently blowing, and..." think about ways of making clothing out of them.
(please forgive me Joni Mitchell)
They weaved paradise, and put up a lifestyle shop.
With a green hotel, organic sushi cafe,
and an eco-roof on top.
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
Till it's gone
They weaved paradise, and put up a clothing shop.
They took all the cars
And put them in a car museum
And they charged all the people
A dollar and a half just to see 'em
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
Till it's gone
They weaved paradise, and put up a clothing shop.
Hey farmer farmer
Put away that hybrid cotton seed
Give me disposable undies
Just let my cotton pajamas be.
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
Till it's gone
They weaved paradise, and put up a clothing shop.
Late last night
I heard the
Screen door whack
And a busted punchline
made John Kerry defer to Barack.
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
Till it's gone
They weaved paradise, and put up a clothing shop.
Posted by Mister Tee | January 27, 2007 7:13 AM