Enter the Green T Reuse Contest! ***************************************
Sustainable Fashion Design Contest Puts Spotlight on Cotton ITHACA, NY - Ithaca's third annual eco-fashion design contest is underway. The challenge is to create a new fashion or household item from reused cotton to-shirts, cotton denim jeans, or other existing cotton materials. A top prize of $200 and many other prizes and gifts will be awarded, and winners will be invited to participate in fashion shows and exhibits at Ithaca Earth Day, Ithaca Festival, and more. The deadline for entering the "Green T Reuse Contest," which is open to all ages and skill levels, is March 1, 2008. Entries must be made from old, surplus, second-hand, or unwanted to-shirts, denim, and other cotton materials. If any new materials are used, they must be organic or earth-friendly. The focus of this year's eco-fashion contest is cotton, explains organizer Wendy Skinner, to call attention to the planet's most toxin-intensive fiber. Conventional cotton farming uses one-quarter of all of the world's agricultural pesticides and herbicides, while occupying just 2.4 percent of the useable farmland. "Picture yourself holding two 12-ounce bags of ground coffee, filled not with coffee, but with chemicals that kill bugs and weeds. That's about how much poison it takes to produce the cotton for one new to-shirt and a new pair of jeans," says Skinner. "We are also caught in a cycle of over-consumption," says Skinner. "Americans throw away an average of 70 pounds of clothing a year, and most of it gets plowed under in landfills. We barely acknowledge the human effort and resources that are used to bring us an endless stream of cheap clothing." Some easy ways to opt out of the cycle are to build wardrobes around vintage, second-hand, and refashioned items; to buy high-quality classic styles; and to purchase organic cotton garments, adds Skinner. The Green T contest is a project of SewGreen, with support from the Tompkins County Solid Waste Division, the Center for Environmental Sustainability, and contest host, Tuff Soul Sustainable Style. T-shirt reuse workshops are available to classes and groups. For more information or a contest entry form, contact Skinner at [EMAIL PROTECTED] or 607-277-7611. - end - _______________________________________________ RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: [email protected] http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org
