Fashionable Tips to Help the Environment

1.  Wash your clothes in cold water and only when you really need to.  Most of the energy used to wash clothes is used to heat up the water.  It saves energy to wash in cold.

2.  Shop for used clothing first.  Good spots to check out are local thrift stores, Poshmark, Depop, Plato’s Closet, Buffalo Exchange, Thredup, Ebay, and yard sales.

3.  Choose well, and buy less.  Find your personal style and try to stick to that instead of only following trends.  This will lead to a wardrobe full of items that you love and want to hold onto, rather than constantly clearing things out.

4.  Mend torn or damaged clothing instead of buying new ones.  I feel like everybody should know basic alteration skills like sewing on a button or hand sewing to fix a hole.  You can always take something to a seamstress or enlist your grandma or a friend.

5.  Buy items that are made from natural fibers and aim for organic.  Try to shop brands that are more sustainable.  If you can’t afford them, you can always buy used, shop stores like Nordstrom Rack, clearance, or T.J. Maxx.

6.  Dispose of old clothes properly.  Some thrift stores will accept clothes that are in bad condition and they will dispose of them properly.  Otherwise, you should look for a clothing recycling place.  Stores like H&M, The North Face, and Levi Strauss & Co. will recycle clothing.

7.  Upcycle things when you get tired of them.  If you are able to reuse an item by finding another way to use it, that is good.  Sometimes all you need to do is switch out some buttons, sew on some patches, crop it, or chop off the legs (for shorts).  You can also turn old items into rags or blankets for pets.

8.  Try to buy items made in your own country because that elimiminates the need for them to travel long distances.

9.   Unsubscribe to catalogs or flyers for stores that you don’t shop at.

10.  Shop clearance.  Shopping clearance makes use of the items that nobody wants.  They have already been produced and if nobody buys them, chances are that they may never be worn.  Some companies burn all of their unsold items.  A lot of them will get donated, but many of them are never used.