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ORGANIC BAMBOO
“If you don’t want to be touched all the time, don’t mention it’s bamboo.”
–Anonymous
Few people have ever heard about bamboo clothing, but that is quickly changing. Increased demand
has more than doubled the wholesale price of bamboo in the last year alone!
The reasons are many, including extreme comfort. Many compare it to the feel of a silk-cashmere
blend. Wouldn't you like that rubbing against your body all day long?
Yes, bamboo is used to make floors and fences as well, but when the natural fibers are
separated they are used to create a fabric that feels softer than cotton, is silky smooth, and moves beautifully with
your body. It is cooler to the touch than cotton, and stays two to three degrees cooler in the heat. But it also keeps you warmer
than cotton does in cool weather!
Not only does it help you feel good, but it helps you smell good, too. It is naturally
anti-bacterial (with none of the white residue of some deodorants), and if your anti-perspirant needs a helping hand,
bamboo's excellent ability to wick moisture away from your body helps you stay dry.
Your bamboo t-shirt is pre-washed and doesn't pill. Just toss it in your washer,
your dryer (read the tag!) and back on your body. Your shirt will still look and feel great the day you pass your business on to
your children!
And the list goes on ...
Bamboo grows an amazing root system, which helps prevent erosion. It keeps twice as much
water in the watershed than commercial trees, often eliminating the need for irrigation and sprinkler systems. Like organic
cotton, bamboo is rain-fed, and was not covered in pesticides and fertilizers to make it grow. And bamboo it is no less than
100% biodegradable.
Speaking of grow, it grows fast. You could sit and watch it grow three inches during your
lunch hour! It is the fastest growing plant on earth. And it grows on every continent but Antiarctica, from sea level to over 2
miles above.
Not only is bamboo the fastest growing plant, but it's strong -- stronger than oak. It is the
most durable hardwood. With a bit of lamination bamboo is almost as strong as soft steel. It can withstand 52,000 pounds of
pressure per square inch.
Bamboo stalks mature in just three to five years, compared to 25-70 years for most commercial tree
species. And a bamboo grove releases 35% more oxygen than the same size stand of trees. In Costa Rica, 1000 houses are built
annually from just 60 hectares of plantation. It would take more than 8x as much land to grow the wood usually used to
build that number of houses.
Bamboo is said to restore calmness and stimulate creativity. Just try on some of our bamboo
clothing and see what you think.
Bamboo can be grown on damaged soil and actually bring it back. It will produce a crop every
single year. Just one 'clump' of bamboo can produce over 200 poles. When harvested correctly the roots sprout new shoots again
and again and the topsoil stays intact.
Bamboo also makes great furniture and flooring.
And it is used in treating things from asthma and coughs to kidney disease to cancer to
broken bones. It can also be made into musical instruments, which can treat many more things such as boredom, anxiety, and
depression.
How can you not love a plant that does all this and still looks and feels so good when you wear
it? Feel free to tell us. Let us know how good your bamboo shirt looks. Let us know how many people want to touch you when you
tell them about bamboo clothing.
And if you don't like being touched, don't tell them it's bamboo.
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ORGANIC COTTON
The production of regular cotton stresses our environment. And this makes it difficult for
some people to truly enjoy wearing their comfortable cotton clothes. But we are here to tell you that one good alternative
is organic, in this case, cotton. Organic generally uses less water (it is rain-fed), and is not treated with pesticides,
insecticides, or herbacides. The result is that what lies next to your skin is soft and far more pure than regular
cotton.
People with sensitive skin, allergies, or others who don't like rubbing up against chemical
"-cides" all day long will love what organic cotton offers them. Over 200 types of chemicals are used to manufacture regular
cotton ... some originally used in warfare as nerve agents. There are almost no chemicals involved in the growing or production
of organic clothing.
Conventional cotton uses 25% of the world’s insecticides. That's world with a capital WORLD. It
also uses 10% of the world’s pesticides. In 2002, 84 million pounds of pesticides were sprayed on only 14.4 million acres of
conventional cotton, whereas organic cotton is grown on land that has been chemical-free for at least three years.
Regular cotton is usually the sole crop planted so the soil gets depleted, leaving it incapable of
holding water. It is mass irrigated and uses 3,000 cubic meters more water than organic cotton. Organic cotton is a
rotation crop so the soil maintains its nutrients and is better able to hold water in. Most of it is also rain-fed.
Organic cotton farms employ people to hand pick weeds, and they maintain a balance between pests
and natural predators through healthy soil and crop rotation, or using a variety of crops. They even plant “trap”crops to
entice the bad insects away from the cotton. In this scenario, pesticides aren’t needed because nature, smart as she is,
takes care of herself. Organic farmers also wait for seasonal freezes to defoliate the plants, or they use water management
to stimulate defoliation.
For those concerned about GMO's, or Genetically Modified Organisms, (like our
health-conscious friends in Japan and Europe, where US products with GMO's are refused or have to be clearly labeled that they
contain GMO's) conventional cotton uses up to 70% GMO seeds. Some growers say they use even more pesticides with GMO’s than
they did without.
If you are looking for another reason to use organic cotton, most of the pesticides used on
regular cotton have been labeled possible, likely, or probably known human carcinogens. Meaning they can cause cancer, they are
endocrine disrupters, and can cause developmental disabilities in children. As many as 20,000 deaths per year are attributed
to accidental pesticide poisoning.
Right now, only 0.5% of the cotton market is organic. You will not only feel healthier and
more comfortable wearing your organic cotton t-shirt, you will be unique! You will also help to encourage the growth of more
organic cotton, and the decreased use of all those bad things used to grow regular cotton.
If you feel good just thinking about it, go ahead and buy and wear your organic i.d. T, and feel
GREAT as you promote your way to even greater success in your business!
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