After reading the 10 most suprising places to find petroleum, it seems that oil is the environmental villain du jour, and it’s seeping more and more into our everyday lives. As a Center for Environmental Health investigation reports, petroleum and toxic chemicals are finding ways to get even closer to us — by showing up in our closets.

The CEH tested purses from 100 U.S. retail stores made of polyvinyl chloride, or PVC. Many people buy PVC purses and shoes for a cheaper, animal-free, leather alternative. But although PVC doesn’t require an animal’s skin, as the report suggests, it’s not a very earth-friendly alternative.

Many of the purses harbored shockingly high levels of lead, a known toxin linked with cancer, infertility, Alzheimer’s,

If the thought of toiling sweatshop workers gives you pause when you pull on your favorite cotton T-shirt, here’s some comforting news: Fair trade cotton is a nascent but growing industry. While there aren’t a lot of U.S. retailers supporting it, it’s gaining a foothold in the United Kingdom, and of course, you can order clothing made with fair trade certified cotton online.

Cotton is a tricky one for the socially and environmentally conscious. The textile industry as a whole has a reputation for exploiting workers. Add to that the fact that in countries where harvesting is still done by hand, rather than by machine, it’s a nasty, difficult process. Cotton is a chemically intensive crop, using vast amounts of fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides. According

One of the greatest (and easiest) ways to update your wardrobe during transitional seasons is with an attention-grabbing new animal/earth-friendly handbag. The right bag can instantly change your look with a dash of spring color or the latest spring style. And, when the forecast is STILL calling for snow, it can tide you over until such time as you can debut your new spring fashions.

Naturally Knotty “Knotty Scraps” Evening Bags

We love a bargain, so you can imagine our excitement when we discovered that these adorable evening bags are sold in sets of six! Made from factory overstock scraps of silk, these little delights are available in either prints or solids.  www.naturallyknotty.com

***Shop Animal-Friendly Clutches at WorldofGood.com by eBay!!!***

amykathryn

A funny thing happened when I stopped using plastic shopping bags: I started saving money on purses. I started collecting cute reusable totes that make me so happy that I kind of just stopped using regular purses, which means I stopped buying them. And although my reusable tote budget increased, the price differential proved beneficial to the bottom line.

Although it would have been a good strategy, I didn’t start using reusable shopping bags to quell my eco-naughty purse-shopping habit–my inspiration came in the form of factoids such as this: between 500 billion and one trillion plastic grocery bags are consumed worldwide each year. Or, that 100,000 birds die annually from encounters with plastic bags, not to mention the estimated 100,000 whales, turtles, and other marine

For what seemed like ages, eco-fashion meant oatmeal-hued flaxy hemp garb. Times are changing and this year’s New York fashion week even featured some earth-friendly couture designs. But great green fashion is still out of reach for many. So with an eye to greening the closet, we set out to define some easy-to-apply guidelines for eco-friendly clothes shopping.

When the word “eco-fashion” comes up we tend to think of organic cotton and other sustainable fibers, but as these are just starting to come onto the wider market—they’re not necessarily all that affordable or widely available. So with trying to avoid $245 organic Levis in mind, the key is to think outside of the organic box and shop conscientiously. Just by changing the way you shop can make a big

“There is no beauty in the finest cloth if it makes hunger and unhappiness.”
—Mahatma Ghandi (1869–1948)

Are you exercising and eating organic food, but wearing conventional, synthetic, chemically treated clothes? Learn why natural, organic fiber clothing is not just a gift for your body because it breathes with your skin, wicks off moisture, is naturally fire retardant, repels mildew and bacteria, and more, but is also a gift for the planet.

An Inconvenient Truth about Conventional Clothes

The cotton industry uses about 25 percent of the world’s insecticides and 10 percent of its pesticides. More pesticides are used on cotton than almost any other crop in the world. This causes illness and or death to the cotton farm workers, plants and animals exposed

When I was young, I assumed dry cleaning meant that clothing was, somehow magically, cleaned with hot air. It was not until I was older that I began to suspect the chemical smell from freshly dry cleaned clothes. When I learned what dry cleaning really is, I was a bit shocked. I wouldn’t say I was filled with disillusion, but definitely a shudder of “eeeew” shot through me.

The dry cleaning industry started in the 19th century, and volatile liquids such as gasoline and naphtha were used to clean clothing and linens. Clothing is washed with a liquid, it’s just not water. The flammability of those early solvents led to the use of other solvents, and today eight out of 10 professional dry cleaners in the United States use the chemical perchloroethylene (commonly

The other day, as I perused the aisles of Target, I came upon a shocking discovery. In the back corner of the women’s section, where they keep their printed tees, hung a white tank top with the words “GO GREEN” printed on it. I stared. Could this be? I looked around a bit more. Went back to the T-shirt. Perused some more; found another “GO GREEN” bit of clothing: This time a cozy-looking sweatshirt. Yes. It must be true. Target was advocating the green lifestyle.

Though I was, of course, completely excited by this bit of news (so excited, in fact, that I called my mother, who was doing a conference in Atlanta, just to tell her about it), I was somewhat in shock that Target was taking a stand to be green.

What surprised me more was, over the past couple