With the growing emphasis on "going green", virtually every purchasing decision is made with an eye toward environmentally responsible practices and materials. From energy-efficient appliances to hybrid cars to solar-heated homes, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by the countless options for eco-friendly living. The good news is, there are ways you can make a difference without transforming your entire lifestyle or sacrificing everyday comforts and amenities.

You Are What You… Wear?

Environmentally friendly clothing is made of materials like organic cotton, hemp, bamboo, soy, and even recycled materials, such as plastic bottles. Grown using natural, sustainable methods with no pesticides or chemicals, these materials are woven into soft, wearable fabrics and colored using non-toxic dyes. Many products are domestically made, which automatically reduces the carbon footprint created by transporting goods long distances. Taken a step further, many clothing items are made from rescued fabric, which entirely eliminates the energy and water used in the textile manufacturing process.

Today’s organic clothing doesn’t just do good, it also looks good, seamlessly blending practicality and style. And the choices have never been so vast—just open any fashion magazine and you’ll see today’s hottest celebrities sporting the latest eco-friendly fashions.

Thinking Globally

It’s a big world out there, and although it’s impossible to control everything that goes on beyond our shores, you can make a tremendous impact by purchasing clothing that is not made in sweatshops. Fair trade clothing is created by employees who work in a safe, healthy environment for a reasonable number of hours and are paid an equitable living wage. All hardworking people deserve the dignity of earning a decent living to support themselves and their family, and purchasing sweatshop-free clothing helps to achieve this.

The Dangers of Eco-Unfriendly Clothing

In addition to the social and economic considerations, there are many other serious risk factors associated with purchasing non-organic clothing. The environmental impact is tremendous:

• The toxic chemicals used in manufacturing non-organic clothing pose a danger to everyone who comes in contact with them, from the factory workers to the consumers. These chemicals remain in the garment and are then absorbed into the skin, aggravating conditions like eczema. And what about the long-term effects of all those chemicals being absorbed into the body? No one really knows.
• The pesticides that are used to grow non-organic materials remain in the fibers, and also in the ground where they were grown.
• The carbon footprint used to transport goods from faraway places contributes to global warming.
• Cheaply made garments, likely made using sweatshop labor, are more likely to end up in a landfill.

The Impact of the Yogic Lifestyle

Although pretty much everyone professes to care about the environment these days, dedicated yoga practitioners are usually among those with the strongest commitment to environmental and global socio-economic awareness. With its focus on "yoking", or joining the body with the universe, yoga promotes making environmentally conscious choices that directly or indirectly help to restore the Earth’s natural balance. So it stands to reason that yoga and eco-consciousness go hand in hand.

The yoga lifestyle encourages you to make deliberately responsible choices. Although the physical practice has an inward focus, there is also a positive outward effect—on you, your community, the environment, and the planet. So it only makes sense that you would choose eco-friendly clothing for your yoga practice.

An Easy Choice

It’s true that one person can’t singlehandedly change the Earth. But every person can do one thing, and that thing can make a difference, no matter how small. Before buying your yoga clothing, take a moment to find out about its origins and construction. Purchasing high-quality, eco-friendly clothing reduces the impact on the earth and its resources, while at the same time contributing to socio-economic improvements. So why not choose organic? It’s one of the easiest things you can do to benefit your health, your confidence, and your planet.