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Natural Awakenings Central New Jersey

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Slow Fashion: Mending to Extend the Life of Clothing

Extended life mended clothing

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Globalization and cheap labor have lowered clothing prices so much that many people view garments as disposable—a phenomenon called “fast fashion”. Magazines and other influencers create demand for trendy items each season, inciting us to overfill our closets and toss last year’s fads, leading to a more than doubling of worldwide consumption since 2000. It’s a vicious cycle with a huge pollution footprint. The textile industry expels about 1.2 billion tons of CO2 per year.

According to the United Nations Environment Programme, the fashion industry produces 10 percent of humanity’s carbon emissions and 20 percent of global wastewater. Every second, the equivalent of one garbage truck of textiles is either landfilled or burned. Polyester, a petroleum-based plastic found in about 60 percent of garments, doesn’t break down in the ocean, where half a million tons of microfibers end up every year. It takes about 2,000 gallons of water to manufacture just one pair of jeans, and textile dyeing is the second largest polluter of waterways.

To embrace a more sustainable lifestyle, reject fast fashion; buy good-quality, longer-lasting garments; and mend them to prolong their useful life. Whether it’s reattaching a button, patching a worn sleeve or sewing a hem, mending is a way to love and care for clothing and reject the notion that new is always better.

Another option is to rely on a local seamstress or tailor to take care of mending needs. For the do-it-yourselfer, there are many ingenious products available besides needle and thread to help complete simple repairs—iron-on patches, fusible interfacing, mending glue and tape—as well as helpful instructional online videos and sewing classes at local fabric stores. SewGuide.com is an excellent resource for step-by-step instructions and creative ideas. 

Building upon the vintage-wear market, a new trend has emerged called visible mending. In the past, mended clothes might have been interpreted as exposing a family’s lack of funds or status, but today it’s a concept we proudly embrace. Mending a hole or tear with embroidery is a great way to add whimsy and creative expression. By incorporating colorful threads and fancy stitching techniques, as well as beads, decorative buttons, ribbons and appliqués, we can turn off-the-rack items into unique, wearable art. To cover stains, consider using fabric paint to add a pretty flower or bold political slogan.
Tick Talk

Spring officially sprung on March 21. We have turned our clocks ahead. We are looking forward to warm winds, sunny skies and the smell of fresh cut grass. The daffodils and tulips have recently bloomed and we are just starting with the yard work that comes with the warmer weather.  Sadly, another season has started ramping up.  Tick season.

•             The best form of protection is prevention. Educating oneself about tick activity and how our behaviors overlap with tick habitats is the first step.

•             According to the NJ DOH, in 2022 Hunterdon County led the state with a Lyme disease incidence rate of 426 cases per 100,000 people. The fact is ticks spend approximately 90% of their lives not on a host but aggressively searching for one, molting to their next stage or over-wintering. This is why a tick remediation program should be implemented on school grounds where NJ DOH deems high risk for tick exposure and subsequent attachment to human hosts.

•             Governor Murphy has signed a bill that mandates tick education in NJ public schools. See this for the details.  Tick education must now be incorporated into K-12 school curriculum. See link:

https://www.nj.gov/education/broadcasts/2023/sept/27/TicksandTick-BorneIllnessEducation.pdf

•             May is a great month to remind the public that tick activity is in full swing. In New Jersey, there are many tickborne diseases that affect residents, including Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, Powassan, and Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis.

•             For years, the focus has mainly been about protecting ourselves from Lyme disease. But other tick-borne diseases are on the rise in Central Jersey. An increase of incidence of Babesia and Anaplasma are sidelining people too. These two pathogens are scary because they effect our blood cells. Babesia affects the red blood cells and Anaplasma effects the white blood cells.

•             Ticks can be infected with more than one pathogen. When you contract Lyme it is possible to contract more than just that one disease. This is called a co-infection. It is super important to pay attention to your symptoms. See link.

https://twp.freehold.nj.us/480/Disease-Co-Infection

A good resource from the State:

https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/tickborne.shtml

 

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