Musings on buying clothing & the factory collapse in Bangladesh

Yesterday, as I was listening to the radio and heard that there was  a factory that collapsed with many people trapped inside.. possibly killed in the collapse.

Collapsed factory  image from Fox news article here

This morning fox news reports that more than 200 factory workers were killed in the collapse.  According to the news police had given instructions to evacuate the factory the day prior however the order was ignored and employees were kept working.

Relatives morning a victim.. Image from Fox news article

A BBC news article states that "Bangladesh has one of the largest garment industries in the world, providing competitively priced clothes for major Western retailers which benefit from its widespread low-cost labour." 

This sad event is only 5 months after another factory in Bangaldesh's garment industry caught on fire killing 112 people.

The Tazreen Fashions factory after the fire image from NY times article here
-

These 2 events are deeply saddening and bring to attention the unsafe working conditions that garment workers must face in many parts of the world. The clothing produced in these garment factories are often for large western and European retailers looking to produce their ready to wear clothing at a very low cost. One  news 7 article states that Wal-Mart was one retailer who was having clothing produced in the collapsed factory

-

So what can we do about this as an average citizen living in the US? We can tell the clothing companies what we want through what we buy... we can vote with our dollars. We should not buy the clothes produced in factories with unsafe working conditions and instead buy clothing that is fair trade or produced in a location we know adheres to good working standards.
-

By doing this we tell the companies what we want, what values we support... and the companies can put pressure on factories to raise their safety standards & improve working conditions making a positive impact on the lives of workers... and this can be done. For example Apple has been putting pressure on Foxconn in China to improve their working conditions...
-

Apple & Foxconn working to improve conditions. Image from Reuters

 

So please when shopping  take a moment to  look at the tag.. look for words such as fair trade, made in the US, handmade, organic,  or even buy vintage... pull out your phone and google the company what does the brand website say their practices are??

www.CleanClothesCampaign.org

To read more about ethically buying clothes visit the Clean Clothes Campaign website.

Into the garden.....

So this past weekend the garden was tackled... We planted tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkins, peas, zucchini, peppers, eggplant, beets, carrots, & radishes...

+ My veggies ready to plant

+ Pumpkins for cooking & carving

+ Snow Peas & our up-cycled trellis

Now we shall see how everything grows & I am very much looking forward to harvesting some home grown veggies. I tried to get different types of of heirloom varietals so that we don't have to much of 1 type of veggie. I really hope that I get enough cucumbers to pickle! I pickled what I got last year in my CSA box & we are now on our last jar.

The nursery that I went to (Summer Winds) has a nice selection of organic & heirloom veggies.. but they also had these adorable mini fairy gardens set up... I am thinking that I will need to create something like this very soon!!

+ Bonsai Bowl @ Summer Winds

+ Fairy Garden @ Summer Winds

Happy Earth Day 2013!!!

Happy Earth Day 2013! We all know it is important to preserve the planet for future generations... so here are a few ideas to help you celebrate earth day & make an impact!

 

1. Plant a garden or a tree. What could be better than fresh homegrown pesticide free veggies?

 

 

 

2.  Go plastic free for a day.

 

3. Repurpose something you were about to toss into something brand new

 

4. When shopping make sure each item you purchase is one of these things: ecofriendly, organic, or recycled.. if every item each of us purchased was one of those things imagine the impact we could make!

 

5.  Bike someplace instead of driving..... take the stairs instead of the elevator..

 

 

 

6. . Stop using paper goods for a day.. use regular plates instead of paper, cloth napkins, & skoy cloths instead of paper towels.

 

7. . Get back to nature... get outside & go for a walk or a hike

 

8. Donate those items you have been meaning to get rid of or post them on freecycle... you never know someone might be looking for just what you no longer need.

 

 

9. Replace your cleaning supplies with ecofriendly ones... or better yet make your own!

 

10.  Spread the word about what you are doing to be green on earth day!

The target earth day 2013 goodie bag....

I headed over to target this morning to pick up some needed items & hopefully grab one of the 2013 Earth day giveaway bags!  I was lucky enough to get one & inside were a few great samples and a coupon booklet.

 

Target's 2013 Earth Day reusable bag giveaway

 

The bag included: 

Annie's - Bunny Grahams

Seventh Generation - Natural 4x Laundry Detergent

Method- Smarty Dish Plus

Burt's Bees - Daily Moisturizing Cream

Target coupon book for an assortment of  ecofriendly, natural, & organic products

 

 

 

A new place to call home...............

Just a couple months ago the Mr. & I bought our very first home.. well actually it is a duplex where we moved into 1/2 and are renting out the other. We sacrificed on house space so that we could be nearer to downtown and the local commuter train (caltrain)...

The moving announcements I sent out... Temporarily without a computer to design any myself  I found these adorable downloadable announcements at the esty shop: PerpetualLoveDesign  & got them custom printed.

One of the greatest things about owning our own home is that I finally get to have a yard & a garden! I have been dreaming of years about growing my own veggies & have never been able to before. In our last apartment I tired so hard on the balcony but it was so shaded I could never get any vegetables to grow... my very sad urban garden only ever produced 1 teeny tiny itty bitty tomato & some lettuce. 



The cactus garden in our yard after some heavy weeding & the addition of all my succulents from the pots that were on our old balcony...

Garden pictures are sure to follow......

 

Book Review... Jodi Picoult's newest The Storyteller

I just finished reading The Storyteller. I really enjoy Jodi Picoult's books as her themes tend to center around complex human relationships, moral issue, and have a crime twist to them. 

The Storyteller, is Jodi Picoult's newest book. The main characters are Sage a solitary baker filled with grief & guilt, a well respected elderly neighbor  named Josef who confesses to have been a nazi SS guard, and Sage's maternal grandmother Minka a holocaust survivor.  After befriending Sage: Josef asks her to do a favor for him... to help him die. Sage must then confront her Jewish heritage & the difficult topics of guilt, forgiveness, and justice. 

Read an excerpt here

The book is divided into 3 sections with a fairytale woven through it. Articulate, dark, and complex this book will bring you to tears at times. The second portion of the book is when Sage's grandmother tells her holocaust story which I found particularly hard to read. It is sad to know that this is a chapter in human history. 

I have read some negative comments about how Ms. Picoult ends the book. I believe after reading it that the way that Ms. Picoult left the ending is the same reason that Sage's grandmother ended her story the ways she did
...

Jodi Picoult gives a wonderful interview on the www.JodiPicoult.com website about her reasoning for the subject matter of The Storyteller you can read it here. 

If you read this book and enjoyed it you may want to check out the following book as well: 

The Lost Wife by Alyson Richman

Free Reusable Target bag on Sunday April 21 for Earth day!

Free Target Reusable Bag

In honor of Earth Day, Target will give away 1.5 million reusable bags with that includes over $40.00 in savings.  Stop into Target on Sunday, April 21 for your free bag.

Of the 1.5 million reusable bags, 250,000 will also contain samples of sustainable products, including method Dish Soap, Annie’s Bunny Grahams, Seventh Generation Laundry Detergent and Burt’s Bees Moisturizing Cream

A Scarf Obsession....

Lately I have just been obsessed with scarfs. With spring here and flowers in bloom a bright colorful scarf is the perfect cheery accessory.. & it helps against a springtime breeze! 

I am dreaming of purchasing these ones.

Sukan on Etsy's handwoven ikat silk scarf

Nancy's Gone Green Eco Boutique  Social Butterfly silk scarf

Eileen Fisher  organic cotton stripe scarf

 I love wearing scarves because there are so many different ways to wear them!  Below is an image with just a of the styles you can create with 1 scarf. Just googling how to tie a scarf gives you so many different options & new ways to wear them!

From: Second Chance blog

How do you wear your scarf! I would love to know =)