In Laudato Si’, Pope Francis reminds us that unlike nature’s life cycle where all waste and by-products are re-used, “our industrial system, at the end of its cycle of production and consumption, has not developed the capacity to absorb and reuse waste and by-products. We have not yet managed to adopt a circular model of production capable of preserving resources for present and future generations” (LS#22).
I am motivated to consume less by facts about what happens to clothing and textiles in the landfill :
Madewell* stores in Tysons and the Mosaic take old (blue or any color) jeans and work with partner Cotton’s Blue Jeans Go Green, who fabricates the jeans into insulation for Habitat for Humanity Homes. Donate your jeans, keep a home warm and receive a store coupon toward a new pair.
The Teva Forever* program works with Terracycle to turn your old Teva sandals into running tracks, playgrounds and more.
Soles4Souls* focuses on shoes that are distributed in programs in the US and around the world. Their local collection partners include The North Face, DSW, and mail in donations through Zappos.
Postage paid mailing labels are available for these programs on their webpages.
Can we all be more mindful of following the Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose and Recycle this year?
*See reference: https://www.madewell.com/inspo-do-well-denim-recycling-landing.html
https://www.teva.com/tevaforever/
https://soles4souls.org/give-shoes/
https://www.zappos.com/e/soles-4-souls
I am motivated to consume less by facts about what happens to clothing and textiles in the landfill :
- Textiles can take 200+ years to decompose in landfills, generating the greenhouse gas methane.
- Chemicals and dye may leach into the soil eventually contaminating ground water.
- The volume of clothing Americans throw away each year has doubled in the last 20 years from 7 million to 14 million tons.
- It takes 2,700 liters of water to make one cotton shirt and synthetic blends come with their own set of perils.
Madewell* stores in Tysons and the Mosaic take old (blue or any color) jeans and work with partner Cotton’s Blue Jeans Go Green, who fabricates the jeans into insulation for Habitat for Humanity Homes. Donate your jeans, keep a home warm and receive a store coupon toward a new pair.
The Teva Forever* program works with Terracycle to turn your old Teva sandals into running tracks, playgrounds and more.
Soles4Souls* focuses on shoes that are distributed in programs in the US and around the world. Their local collection partners include The North Face, DSW, and mail in donations through Zappos.
Postage paid mailing labels are available for these programs on their webpages.
Can we all be more mindful of following the Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose and Recycle this year?
*See reference: https://www.madewell.com/inspo-do-well-denim-recycling-landing.html
https://www.teva.com/tevaforever/
https://soles4souls.org/give-shoes/
https://www.zappos.com/e/soles-4-souls