Canada's Environmental Voice
While many clothing companies work to lessen the negative social and environmental impacts of their brands, some designers aim higher. These advocates hope to generate a net positive impact through their revolutionary fashion designs and campaigns around the world.
The world of eyewear is rife with mass-produced, label-driven brands, but if you search beyond the nearest chain or big-box store, you will likely find some truly remarkable glasses. As the buyer for Insight Eye Care, an independent optometry and optical boutique in Waterloo, Ontario, I have had the opportunity […]
This art needs to be seen and appreciated.
When I start a new semester of teaching, I don a t-shirt that has one word on the front: “unlearn.” The word is printed from right to left, so that it only becomes clear when you look in the mirror. On the back of the shirt it says (also in […]
I cram a new dress into my already overstuffed closet, dislodging a sweater that coils to the floor in a heap. I realize there is just no more space and recall the day my husband and I first viewed this home. “It’s a huge house,” the sales agent had beamed, […]
Raw Cotton Demand: ~26.0 million tonnesWater use: Up to 3860** litres/kgEnergy use: 50 MJ/kg Pesticides or chemicalsHeavy pesticide use leads to reduced soil fertility, loss of biodiversity and water pollution. Effluent/pollution from manufacturingEcosystem contamination from pollutants in runoff. Toxic wastewater from manufacturing process (e.g., cleaning, dyeing).*
In the mid-1980s, garment production went global, clothes got cheaper and our closets got bigger. While we once chose attire to fit seasonal demands – warmer, thicker layers in winter, for example – for many the significance of garments has shifted from practical need to social and emotional want. We […]
SWIMBYISM: {swīm-bi: izem} It’s a new word I just learned and it stands for “something wonderful in my backyard.” It also perfectly describes a movement of relocalizing fibres and textiles in regional communities that is gaining interest in North America and Europe – it’s called Fibreshed, and it’s dramatically changing […]
What greenbelts do Ontario’s Greenbelt
Recently, a group of senior citizens calling themselves the “Walking Sticks” met at High Park Nature Centre in Toronto to participate in a unique Nature Elders program. Nature Elders is an environmental education experience designed to address the unique needs and interests of seniors.
