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Life Hacks

A Costumer Talks Laundry

December 4, 2017

A Costumer Talks Laundry

A Greener Lawn

December 4, 2017

A Greener Lawn

Apps for the Hapless: The two-brain theory, and how to align your mind

December 4, 2017

Apps for the Hapless: The two-brain theory, and how to align your mind

Blue Light Special

December 4, 2017

Blue Light Special

Brain Gain: Preserve your Neural Health

December 4, 2017

Brain Gain: Preserve your Neural Health

Build a Better Burger

December 4, 2017

Build a Better Burger

All Cooped Up

December 1, 2017

All Cooped Up

Do You Really Need That Shirt?. In 1900, the world population was about 2 billion, with around 5 pounds of textiles produced per person per year. We handed clothes down, mended them, repurposed them, and ultimately turned them into rags. The most highly prized item in a historic clothing collection today would not be a wedding or christening gown—it would be a pair of men’s work pants. So few survive. The world now numbers 7.5 billion people, with a global annual average of about 25 pounds of textiles produced per person—in the U.S., more like 100 pounds each. Sewing is an increasingly rare skill. The low cost of labor in South Asian countries has helped keep clothing costs down for the past 20 years. We don’t repair—we replace. What we’re buying is more than 60 percent synthetic, mostly a cheap mix of polyester and cotton. But this mix has hidden costs. We recycle only 15% of our castoffs (half of which are sold in African markets as “clothes of the dead”) and send 85% to the landfill. There, cotton will biodegrade, while polyester will not. Polyester can be recycled, but not when it’s combined with cotton. If we thought about this much, we’d realize the cotton-poly blend is not a good idea. We compound these problems by the way we wash clothes. Some 65% of the energy used in the life of a cotton shirt is from home laundering, mostly from the dryer. So the problem in your wardrobe is not synthetic fibers, or the wrinkle-free finish, or the synthetic dyes. The real problem is the amount of stuff in there, and how much time it all spends in the drier. The most sustainable clothing choice you can make? Don’t buy it. By Martin Bide, professor of textiles, fashion merchandising and design in URI’s College of Business Administration

December 4, 2017

Do You Really Need That Shirt?

Eight Seconds of Social

December 4, 2017

Eight Seconds of Social

Extend the Growing Season with a Hoop House

December 14, 2017

Extend the Growing Season with a Hoop House

barbaracaron / Life Hacks /

From First Blush to Last Flush

December 4, 2017

From First Blush to Last Flush

Get that Writing Done

December 1, 2017

Get that Writing Done

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