"Greening" of Fashion

This blog is in reference to “Bride’s gown the ultimate eco-friendly statement,” published in the Star, by Erin Kobayashi, on February 28, 2008. Being an aspiring fashionista and an environmentalist, I was delighted to stumble upon this article, as it made me realize the scale of the environmental movement.
“Having a wedding has become the ultimate disposable experience," as Jaye Marsh (the bride-to-be and an environmentalist) points out. From the disposable plastic wedding favours, to the copious flowers that decorate the reception hall, every aspect of a wedding is lavish and wasteful. Environmental awareness, however has led to a shift towards the adoption of eco-friendly wedding options.
A good example of the magnitude of this movement is the “Eco Wedding and Lifestyle Show” which is an event taking place on March 1st and 2nd in Toronto, for the very first time. It is a testament to the thirst for more environmentally sustainable alternatives to the conventional indulgent wedding. Fashion designers are eager to tap into the rapidly growing market for organic goods, and consumers are excited about the prospect of being trendy and mindful of the environment simultaneously.
The market for organic and eco-friendly products has swelled dramatically, partly because of the environmental awareness campaigns that we, as consumers, are exposed to on a daily basis. Over the past few years, the scale of the environmental movement has grown exponentially, with more people opting for “greener” goods and services.
Even the government is doing its part to reduce our ecological footprint, with the introduction of the green organic bins and ad campaigns that promote “greener” methods of generating electricity.
Big department stores, like Loblaws and Wal-Mart are doing their part to reduce environmental degradation, from encouraging their customers to use re-usable bags instead of plastic ones, to powering down the intensity of the lights in their stores and to decreasing the level of heating(in the winter) and cooling (in the summer) in their stores.
I am not suggesting that people, governments and businesses have done their part to make the Earth ecologically viable for future generations, far from it. I do think that the environmental movement has come a long way from its humble beginnings, in its efforts to educate the public, businesses and governments about the dangers of environmental degradation and suggest solutions to reduce our ecological footprint so that our great grandchildren may enjoy a clean, green Earth.
I’m happy to say that stores like Roots, the Gap, H&M, Joe Fresh, etc all have their own lines of organic clothing, so you can be both chic and environmentally conscious as the same time!