Page 28 - Off Grid East Cost Spring 2017

How we can stop 85% of what
we wear from ending up in a
landfill
By Andrea Delahunty
Climate change is at the forefront of our lives and we all have a part to play. Most people think about energy consumption, food production, and fossil fuel usage when the discussion of climate change comes up. But how many of us think about where clothing fits into this equation?
Think about the closets in your house. Think about the dressers and shoe racks. How full are they? Most of us are guilty of having too much STUFF and clothing is a huge part of that. Even as I try
to de-clutter and stop buying things I find there
is still too much clothing in my house. So, I try to find creative ways to deal with the clothing. When you are finished with the clothes you have (styles change, trends change, or things just don’t fit or are worn out) what do you do with them? According to an article from CBC in May 2016, approximately 85% of the clothes we discard end up in landfills. That’s a staggering amount.
Ending up in landfills
So what does this have to do with living off grid? Our personal goals for living off-grid are, for the
28 off the grid