Green Living Ideas
EnergyWays to Reuse Old Clothes
Fashion stands still for no man, but that doesn't mean you can't be stylish and still do your part for green living. Instead of throwing out your old clothes, why not take an eco-friendly stance and reuse them, reincarnate them for a new purpose? The longer we can hold on and use clothes, the less waste we produce and the less energy is needed to produce new items, all admirable green living goals.
Who knew Levi made such great rags?
Support green living and tear or cut up old jeans, shirts, or even socks to use as rags. My mother always used to employ old-clothes rags to dust the furniture in the house. Reused jeans could make great wash rags, with a bit of texture to them for tough dirt or food. And my father, a great proponent of green living, swore by old t-shirts to clean the car or, more often, to wash the oil and who knows what else off his hands after fixing the car!
Pet hand-me-downs: Make Fido's day
Reusing is one of the principles of green living, and reusing old clothes can benefit the earth and our pets simultaneously. That old sweatshirt could make a wonderful addition to a cat or dog's sleeping nest, as a nice cuddly blanket. Or perhaps the clothes could be reused as towels to dry your pet as he/she comes in from the rain or after a bath. Scraps of old clothing can also make fun pet toys, items for pets to chase and chew. Who says green living can't be fun?
Sew What! Green living masterpieces
If you're into sewing, there are a lot of great things you can do to reuse old clothes in the green living spirit. Old clothes can be reused as pieces of Halloween costumes, from being a clown to a bandit. An experienced sewer could also create some fabulous doll or stuffed animal clothes.
One of the cooler ways I've heard of to reuse t-shirts is to make a quilt from the front of the t-shirts. If you have a kid who does sports or drama activities, a t-shirt quilt can be a space-saving way to commemorate all their events without an overabundance of t-shirts! And because you're operating to support green living, you can feel good about it too.
