Green Education

Why We Choose "Organic Cotton" For Your Family

• Organic cotton can not use genetically modified seeds, chemical pesticides or fertilizers. By eliminating pesticides workers are no longer exposed to dangerous and toxic chemicals and therefore do not introduce these dangers to their families. Organic cotton represents only about 1% of production world-wide, however it has a growth rate estimated to be over 15% per year over the past 5 years. Growing organic cotton has a low impact on our environment, is sensitive to replenishing and maintaining soil fertility, reduces the use of toxic pesticides and fertilizers and promotes biologically diverse agriculture. Organic farmers rotate crops, utilize composted manure and favor legumes and other crops that provide nitrogen to the soil.
• Organic cotton is a wise choice for today and tomorrow. Organic fiber is farmed, processed, packaged, transported and stored to maintain segregation and thus prevent contamination from other fibers and synthetic pesticides, prohibited defoliants and desiccants (drying agents).
• Today's sustainable organic cotton clothing provides the ultimate in softness and long lasting durability for all ages from newborns to seniors. Designs range from fashion classics to trendy styles.
• Our clothing choices impact both the environment as well as the hard working people in the growing and harvesting fields. Organic cotton is the earth and people friendly choice. We only promote 100% organic cotton, grown and made in the U.S.A.
• Organic cotton clothing and various shopping bag/ tote selections is the smart and informed choice since the feedstock, or raw material is renewable organic cotton which does not use toxic chemical pesticides and fertilizers. All of our bags and totes are machine washable for long lasting use. As with all natural 100% cotton fabrics, repeated washings will soften the fabric and reduce the initial wrinkling. Please follow care instructions on our labels.
• Environmentally harmful synthetic threads such as nylon and polyester are made from petroleum (fossil fuels) which are non-renewable energy sources (fossilized plants and animals) which emit greenhouse gasses when burned, thus contributing to global warming. Synthetic fabrics and blends are often the choice for certain sportswear applications where moisture needs to be wicked away from the skin. Some companies accept used synthetic clothing for reuse as feedstock for synthetic-blend fabrics.
• Other organic fibers include:
  • Hemp – non-drug form of cannabis and is unlawful to be grown in the U.S. so must be imported. The amount of THC (mood altering chemical) is much lower in industrial hemp.
  • Wool – organically raised sheep in pastures that are pesticide free may be able to resist parasites, but some people are allergic to the lanolin oil that naturally occurs in wool. Many grades are prickly feeling to our skin.
  • Alpaca – does not contain lanolin, is hypoallergenic and extremely soft to the touch. We may offer an exclusive selection of alpaca clothes and accessories in the autumn of 2008, locally farmed and hand woven, with fair labor practices. These will all be "super warm" and durable for mommy and child. This is a specialized market because there is not one existing large scale commercial weaving mill in the U.S.A. The majority of alpaca fleece, in the U.S.A., is processed in "mini-mills". The vast majority of alpaca fleece is imported from Peru. Watch our web-site for "future products". This will be an exciting breakthrough for U.S.A. alpacas.
  • Bamboo – is a quick growing grass, does not require fertilizers or pesticides and is hypoallergenic. It can be washed the same as cotton clothing. We may offer this in the future depending on customer feedback/ suggestions.
  • Silk – mainly imported from China, Korea, Japan and India. To maintain acontinuous thread, cocoons are usually steamed, boiled or baked to kill thelarvae inside. Cocoons are then opened and the silk unfurled. About 25,000 cocoons are needed to produce one pound of silk. There is a limited emphasis by most companies to improve this harvesting process.
• Local, family owned businesses are our first choice to provide the highest quality, fair labor practices, 100% U.S.A., organic cotton clothing selections as well as shopping totes and lunch bag choices for your family and friends.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us and we will do our best to answer or find the answers promptly as well as provide additional product offerings based on your recommendations.