Ready to do your part?
Earth Day is coming up soon (April 22) and the theme this year is “Our Power, Your Planet” with a focus on the need for #renewableenergynow. The idea is to work toward the goal of tripling the global generation of clean electricity by 2030.
If you are wondering, renewable energy is from sources like the sun that don’t produce greenhouse gases and thus don’t drive climate change. The aim is to end our reliance on fossil fuels and the damage they do. Forty-nine nations already generate more than half of their electricity from solar, wind, water and geothermal resources, including Canada, Switzerland, Austria, New Zealand, Brazil, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. Iceland obtains a full 99.99 percent of its electricity from renewable sources, according to Earthday.org.
This is good for our health. Air pollution caused by the burning of fossil fuels is linked to heart attacks, respiratory disorders, stroke, asthma. According to the World Health Organization, reduced air pollution can significantly decrease respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, including asthma, bronchitis, heart attacks, and strokes. Women’s health is particularly impacted by air pollution and water contamination, everything from breast cancer to maternal health.
What can you do? Join an Earth Day activity, write to your representative to promote renewable energy, seek out hotels and resorts that operate sustainably and read the labels when you shop for travel gear. You would be surprised how many products these days are made with recycled materials that help reduce carbon emissions and fossil fuel use by reducing the need for the extraction of new materials, requiring less waste.
Think about that when you shop. Brands like Patagonia, and REI now enable you to turn in gently used gear and clothing, as well as to shop for the same, if your needs or sizes change. They and other brands are increasingly using recycled materials in their products. Currently, 68 percent of Patagonia’s fabrics are made with recycled materials; REI enables you to select “recycled materials” when you shop. You can also send your gently used Smartwool women’s and kids’ apparel to ThredUp and get a Smartwool credit when it sells.
I love my new colorful purple, blue, and orange Cotopaxi Del-Dia travel backpack (comes in different sizes; $190 for the 28 liter) because of the pass-through strap for my roller bag, the stretch water bottle pocket so the bottle won’t fall out, padded laptop compartment, the suitcase-like zipper that goes around three sides and the inside compartments that make it so much easier to stay organized on the go. The New York Times Wirecutter just named this one as the best travel backpack.
But I also feel good using it because these packs, as well as other totes, belly packs, packing cubes, and more are made from 100 percent leftover deadstock fabric that otherwise would have gone to a landfill. Another plus: No two packs are the same, so you won’t get yours mixed up with someone else’s.
Gregory’s Katmai and Kalmia backpacks are made largely with recycled material as is REI’s Ruckpack 40 Pack that can also be carried as a duffel. Luggage company Eagle Creek, celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, covers its gear with a No Matter What Warranty so it can be repaired rather than tossed, thus far keeping 42,000 pounds of waste out of US landfills. Just as impressive, 100 percent of their products include at least one or more recycled materials. “They might be new to you, but it’s not new to this planet,” the company pledges. I’m a fan of their Pack-It Reveal packing compression cubes that help you organize your clothes, freeing up luggage space, and are made from 100 percent recycled material.
Cotapaxi, incidentally, makes clothing from recycled materials like their Contiguo City Jacket ($130) which is made from deadstock fabric that hasn’t been used, reducing the carbon footprint 30 percent more than products made with new fabric. Again, each jacket is unique.
Royal Robbins, one of my favorite travel clothing brands, uses recycled poly and nylon from bottles and other sources, as well as hemp fibers that require less land than growing conventional cotton and little need for pesticides or irrigation.
How about recycling old socks to be made into new ones? Order a free sock recycling kit from Smartwool or look for a box where you can drop them at participating retailers this April. Any brand is accepted. Through this Second Cut Project, socks are made into new Project Hike socks (starting at $18). Through this project, 1 million socks have saved more than 86 million pounds of “perfectly good materials,” from landfills, Smartwool says.
You can also give yourself a pat on the back for wearing comfy Farm to Feet socks as they run on 100 percent renewable energy from their solar farm in North Carolina. And partner with The Conservation Alliance to protect North America’s wild places.
If you have ever been part of a rescue team or been the one who has been injured, you know that keeping the victim warm is a top priority. It’s also frustrating if your expensive layers have to be cut off to give you treatment.
Minus 33, which makes Merino Wool gear, supports search and rescue groups across the country with “SAR Kits” made from returns and garments with minor defects.
Happy Earth Day—and happy shopping!
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