Sunday, June 17, 2012

environmental on the cheap

I am not claiming to be carbon neutral at all, but I feel like one thing you can do with sewing if you choose is drastically lower your carbon footprint.  How?  How can running an extra appliance for an hour (or, ahem, several) lower your carbon footprint?

Usually at least once a year old worn out and grown out clothes go to Goodwill and we have to go get DC a whole new wardrobe.  This year, though, those old clothes are becoming his new clothes!


This shirt used to belong to my husband but he ripped an enormous hole under the arm on the side of the shirt.  Had there been a seam there it could have easily been fixed, but it was one of those knit tees with no side seams.  Plus he pretty much ripped it incredible hulk style; the shirt did not fit him anymore.  To hear him tell it, though, I shrunk it in the wash.  Yeah...  Right...


That means this shirt was totally free and free from sweatshop labor.  In it's reincarnation anyway.  Hubby only buys the popular brands from stores at the mall which pretty much guarantees the shirt originated in a sweatshop.  The only new material required was thread (and energy to run the machine, of course).  The shorts I made out of a thrifted shirt.  Not quite as cheap or environmental, but close.


By the way these pictures are from the zoo.  If you've got kids and a zoo in the area definitely look into getting memberships.  The zoo here has a big indoor play area which we go for on rainy days and the rest of the time he loves to go see the animals.  And part of your membership fee goes towards conservation programs around the globe.  I know a lot of people are anti-zoo but I can understand how they're necessary to conservation efforts.

Perhaps if they'd been around they could've saved:


The dinosaurs!  That's right, that's a tiny dinosaur on his shoulder.  Lemme 'splain.  The orange shirt actually fit DC about a year ago.  Needless to say those days are long gone and it was hardly in any condition to save for baby girl to wear.  So I very strategically cut the sleeves out of the old baby shirt and the body out of one of my old shirts.


I could actually just barely get the dino on there at all, but I think it's a nice subtle detail.  It's a nice coincidence that DC saw Jurassic Park for the first time about a week ago and is now obsessed with all things dinosaur.  Really...  there are dinosaur stickers all over the floor in my sewing room.


And here he is discovering about the amazing properties of sand.  He loves the beach...  What can I say?  He takes after me I guess.  Too bad this summer will never get warm enough for swimming =(  Note that he's fully clothed including pants and a hat at the beach in June.  Oy.  Summer in Seattle?  Maybe someday.

2 comments:

  1. Very cute! I love upcycling old clothes. It does make you feel like you're doing a little something to help the environment. It's also much cheaper!

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  2. Thanks! It is indeed so much cheaper.. Especially since anything you can buy new that's "environmentally friendly" is so expensive. I can understand why, but of course when you can reuse I think that's the more eco friendly option. Especially when those items you're upcycling aren't any good as is. What can I say, my boys are hard on clothes =P haha!

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