[Working] to solve environmental issues

The Fashion Sustainability report contains a great list of solutions to making the clothing industry environment-friendly. However, it also brings up some ideas that, I believe, will not catch on to the majority of consumers. For example, disposable underwear is not something that sounds appealing to me. They do not come across as comfortable or form-fitting. Another solution that the FS report entails is to practically shut down the apparel industry in certain country. The report notes that “putting the country of origin on clothing so consumers can make their own decisions whether to process based on the environmental issues in that country” is a sufficient way to help with minimizing environmental issues.

The FS report also says that using eco-friendly detergents is a great way to help with environmental issues. I believe this is a great way, however, eco-labelled detergents are generally much more expensive and this is an unlikely alternative for larger, poverty-stricken families in the United States.

On the other hand, the Fashion Sustainability report also mentions some great solutions to the environmental problems brought on by the apparel industry. One example is replacing hemp with cotton; the FS report explains, “hemp is four times stronger than cotton, twice as resistant to abrasion, and more resistant to mildew, soiling, shrinkage and fading in the sun. In addition, hemp plants need little irrigation and significantly less pesticide or other chemicals.” I believe this is a great alternative because the biggest problem, I have found, with cotton is how easily is shrinks and an alternative fabric that is more resistance to shrinkage is a great substitute.

Another great solution that FS points out is planning lead times to reduce airfreight. This is something that apparel companies have struggled with for years, however if they increase trend forecasting it will not only better their sales, but also help reduce bad emissions in the air through airfreight. 

            And finally, one of the finally solutions that the FS report informs us of is raising awareness about recycling. I, as a constant consumer of clothing have never thrown out an article of clothing, aside from underwear. I take all of my clothes, that I am finished with, to Goodwill and Plato’s closest. If we increase resale stores in all areas and increase recycling bin sites the likeliness of people to recycle will amplify immensely.

            In conclusion, the FS report has several good ideas, however some are implausible and far-fetched. 

Same song, different verse

In today's society, we are faced with environmental problems that some people believe to be new. An ecological crisis has been among the human race since the 1000s, however problems have varied – which is where the “Same song, different verse” title has developed. One environmental issue that is perceived as being "new" is global warming. This is perceived as a recent issue because climatologists are just now noticing an increase in global temperature. To demonstrate how climate is tested and how scientists have realized there was a significant increase in temperature, ProcessingTrends.com explains: "...climatologists compare the mean for a base period with the annual mean. Differences between the annual mean and baseline mean are called anomalies. GISS uses the 1951 - 1980 period for their baseline period. They use the difference between the annual mean and the baseline mean to determine the global temperature anomaly for the year” (Shah, Anup, 2011). We may  have just recognized the problem, but we have been deteriorating our climate for many, many years now. Just like in Easter Island thousands of years ago, today’s problems are affecting the society. Easter Island is a prime example of the dependence of human societies on their environment and of the consequences of irreversibly damaging that environment. Just because we are not dealing with the exact same issues, does not mean we are not taking advantage of our current limited resources. An issue, such as waste, as always been around, it has just been worsened as years have passed and societies have grown.  However, because such a large amount of our resources are being used in an unsustainable fashion, we are facing major issues. Ecosystem Millennium Assessment explains, “…approximately 60% (15 out of 24) of the ecosystem services examined during the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment are being degraded or used unsustainably, including fresh water, capture fisheries, air and water purification, and the regulation of regional and local climate, natural hazards, and pests” (World Resources Institute,2011). Although, these are recent findings, we, as a whole society, have been abusing unsustainable resources since the beginning of time. Because technological and other trends are constantly changing, our environmental issues are changing. However, in the end, the careless and reoccurring use of unsustainable resources is an invariable factor in the crisis.

Shah, Anup. (2011) “Climate Change and Global Warming Introduction.” Global Issues

World Resources Institute (2005) Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. Ecosystems and human well-being : synthesis, 1-24