Green vs. Brown

[helwen]

Spreading Manure over Astroturf: Why Ad Men Hate Brown

Interesting article. The writer is commenting in part on the way Sharon Astyk's and some other folk's efforts at living a lower impact life are being used to psych other people out of living more sustainable lives by making it seem crazy to do more than recycle occasionally or be green in ways that don't involve spending lots of money.

Apparently Sharon's and a lot of other folks way of being "green", by spending less, is called being "brown".

Some of the comparisons of Green vs. Brown were amusing to me personally. I agree with some of them and not with others.

For instance:
• If it’s sleek, stylish, worn with pride or served on special occasions, it’s green.
• If it’s old, strung together, hidden away from company or not bought at a store, it’s brown.

I have clothing I'd consider 'brown' because of it's age only. Although L in particular now has some pretty ratty-looking clothing (working on a farm will do that), I've held on to some clothing because I can do repairs to seams that come undone, so it still looks just fine for "company". And we hang our undies indoors because we're like that, not because they're ragged or worse.

I don't usually buy clothing used -- although there's nothing wrong with that, and it's a great way to save money and the environment while beefing up a work wardrobe in particular -- just that those stores aren't usually near where I tend to travel. When they were, I did sometimes get clothing from them. In fact my freshman year I needed a full-length black skirt for choir and the only place I could find an affordable one was at a used clothing store -- it needed some repairs, but including the fabric for that it was less than a new skirt and I had one of the fanciest skirts there when I was done.

Anyway, I do have one sweater that's hemp & bamboo that I got a few years ago -- very nice and mostly held up well -- just discovered a repair I need to make on the right shoulder, a slight run in the knitting. But mostly I buy regular clothing at regular stores, and try to choose things that are fairly classic in style and that are durable. One of my favorite winter tops is probably around 20 years old! Unfortunately most things don't last that long unless they're handmade. Even spending a lot of money doesn't guarantee durability -- you need to know something about the materials used, you need to check the seams, and knowing just enough about sewing to do a bit of mending is useful -- or find someone who can do it for you.

***
I read another article today on how cotton, even organic cotton, uses a lot of water to grow. Plastic-based fibers use more fossil fuels but less water. Then there's energy and water used for construction into cloth and then clothing and impact of dyes used, etc. Really, it's enough to give one a headache!

So, my personal thoughts on clothing are to buy used if you're able and it makes sense as part of your wardrobe, by eco if it makes sense and isn't ridiculously expensive (and is durable!), and regardless of garment source, buy for classic lines and durability.

But most importantly, don't buy it if you don't need it.

Speaking of which, I did buy some nice, soft, thick knit shirts for me and L this week. Covington Men's line at Sears, on sale for $9.99 - 12.00. Some of our clothes really do need to be retired, and these should last a good long while. They are cotton, but I think they're a reasonable compromise and fit the budget nicely too. And on the warmth side of things, since winters here are fairly low humidity, the cotton does pretty well for keeping us comfortable, with a nice wool vest or sweater added as needed.

And L had to buy new pants and shoes for the employee conference he was just at too, as he didn't have anything "business casual" anymore. Said clothing will be reserved for non-farming activities.

***
On to other green vs. brown issues, I fail to see how turning the thermostat down is a major hardship, especially for kids. I know some folks are sensitive to cold because of their health and need more heat and I have no problem with that of course! But for folks without circulatory problems, they should be able to deal with putting on another layer or wearing fingerless gloves if need be, etc.

Personally, I was pretty much immune to cold as a child. In fact I went through most of the winters here wearing sneakers for as long as I could get away with it. It wasn't until I spent a few years in Hong Kong that cold became more of an issue for me. My brothers were much the same as kids, as were most of my friends. Mind you, in the '70s it was a big deal turning the indoor temp down to 65-68F! We had it at 68F day/55F night.

Now people are talking about 62F and the hardcore folks down to 58F. We keep ours at 64F because of the elderly cat. Between the folks downstairs (68F) and the insulating, the heat doesn't come on very often anyway. Once we have the woodstove hooked up I expect it won't come on very often even in January. It'll be interesting figuring out the new balance of fuel use -- we don't want to use a lot of wood either, since that doesn't renew quickly and we have to balance tree growth (carbon absorption) with wood use (carbon release).

So, horror or horrors, kids might have to wear sweaters or live more actively. Oh no!

Besides, does a parent on a limited budget choose to keep the thermostat higher or save the money for food and medicine? These are the real choices being made by real people.

***
Oh, I also disagree with the above article saying that community-building was only 'green' -- it's also 'brown'. In fact it could be argued that "neighborhood committees" are how some people get to know each other well enough to become neighborly, loan/fix a tool, etc.

Then again, I'm not really a "brown" person, I'm sort of between (I still use my fridge after all!).


Overall though, the article makes an excellent point, that people who use less energy and spend less on new stuff (esp. for keeping up with fashion/trends), and who promote or encourage this in others (either actively or simply by example) are the enemy of corporations who want to make an easy buck. Articles like the one about Sharon and other folks basically try to make it seem insane for people to want to be responsible or thoughtful of others less well off than them.

But there are no easy bucks anymore. People have to choose wisely and live within their means. That isn't green or brown and it doesn't have to be a deprivation if you change your mindset, it's just commonsense.

Comments

I hate labels :-(

[bytchearse.livejournal.com]

And I'm really down on Ad Men too...

My only limit on lower thermostats is wearing outerwear indoors, ie no hats and gloves. No problems with sweaters, sweatshirts and the like, though.

[oakmouse]

The thermostat thing baffles me. When I was a kid, in winter my parents kept the house at about 60 to 65 daytime and 50 to 55 at night. This was considered prudent budgeting. They couldn't afford the coal bill for a warmer house!

JM and I keep the house between 50 and 55 in winter, unless the day is sunny enough for us to soak up some extra heat from the sunlight. (At that, our winter heat bill runs over $200/mo.) In summer, we don't use A/C at all and don't turn the fans on until the internal temp exceeds 80. I guess that makes us "energy anorexics"! :-p

Re: I hate labels :-(

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Do fingerless gloves count as outerwear? I suppose it depends on the gloves... I don't wear a hat indoors but do sometimes wear a bandana -- of course I'm also trying to grow out my bangs so it's more to keep the hair out of my eyes :P

I suppose labels are how some people try to get a handle on ideas, but real life so rarely fits into single, limited, categories. Heck, even what's in a "regular coffee" changes depending on where you are, and that's just a single item. *sigh*

[helwen.livejournal.com]

I liked Sharon's comeback term in her essay on what she would have like to say to NYT readers -- she referred to people who use waste energy as having 'carbulimia '...

[ellid.livejournal.com]

I have spent more on new clothing in the past six months than in the previous six years, but a large part of that was because I simply had worn out so much of my old clothes, or they didn't fit, or were so out of style that I couldn't wear them on interviews or to work. I have fond memories of the Salvation Army up in Athol, though...;)

[the1butterfly.livejournal.com]

I think there is no excuse to turn the thermostat down unless you're ill, elderly, or have small children (or pets with similar problems as you point out). I don't get people who wear camisoles in the winter (unless it's under a few layers of clothing). I'm fairly certain I do have circulatory problems (I wear sweaters in the summer and I'm always cold) and I keep the heat at 57 and just wear a bathrobe and pile on the blankets when I'm sitting/ lying down. I also have these slippers that I think are made from sheepskin and are dyed pink (think cotton candy) and ugly as anything, but are incredibly warm. It started out because we were very afraid of oil prices last year, but it honestly isn't that bad. The bigger problem is that we have forced air and we get bone dry mouths while sleeping- we've got to get the humidifier hooked up again.

[oakmouse]

She's good. ;)

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Yup, sometimes you really do have to get new clothing.

I used to go to the SA in Noho in college+, and the Goodwill in Noho when I was a kid+. But I'm rarely there these days and the SA moved to Hadley (where Frank's Nursery & Crafts was). And most of the time I don't need a lot of stuff.

Although I have to say it was fun poking through Ultra Gal (funny name for a store...). They have both new and used stuff, mostly of a costumy nature but the earrings were on sale when I was there and I picked up an awesome hat. It's funny, I'm not fond of hats in the SCA because most of them involve veils or other things that cover one's ears -- but modern hats are fine because they don't do that. I guess I still like the funkier places to shop, looking for hidden treasures :D

I think different people are bothered by different things.

[bunnyjadwiga.livejournal.com]

It turns out that my tendency to have hands and feet that are so cold that I can't sleep or be comfortable is inherited poor circulation-- I'm not sure how my mother manages (and managed) at all. I have so much more body fat, and I'll still be cold if I stop moving fast, for instance to do a task standing.

Honestly, what I hated most about being 'poor' in my childhood was a feeling of being cold all the time. On the farm, while we didn't have the option of enough heat-- my room(s) didn't even have direct heating vents-- we did have a woodstove, so you could *get* warm. (In a snowy climate, I remember the worst part was not having enough dry clothes to change into-- going through all your socks by the middle of the week, for instance.) In the house in PA, we had electric heat, but my mom and I fought over the heat all the time, because I was cold.

Now, I'm the heat enforcer in my house, saying we should keep the heat less than 70 deg. F. and not turn it on till Nov. 1 (and turn it off early in April). But I'm not comfortable with the idea of needing fingerless gloves in a living area-- what do you do when you are doing something like food prep? *brrr*

As a fat person, it's not just that my weight represents waste, it's less green because buying used clothes is less practical, and buying good quality clothes is... impractical.

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Good for you! Hm, yes, humidity's a definite problem for me too. Actually that's one of the reasons I keep hanging laundry up in the winter, because it helps humidify our place. Of course we don't do laundry every day!

I like ceramic bowls and pretty bottles, so I put water in some of them around the house. I have to watch where I put them though, or Peredur will come along and drink out of them. In addition to hanging some of the laundry to dry on the bed frame I also sometimes dampen a towel or two and hang them up instead if it isn't a laundry day. Oh, and the shower towels sometimes get hung up in the bedroom (they're abutting so it's a short trip). And of course we leave the bathroom door wide open after a shower -- lets the moisture out which is both good for the house and good for the bathroom.

That all might not be enough in your house since you have forced air, but it might be worth a try. Of course we have the metal canopy-frame bed, which makes hanging things up easy. But I've also moved our portable clothes drying rack to wherever I need humidity, in the past. Can't do that in the bedroom here though, no space.

Hm, what else? Oh yeah! It's probably a little crazy, but on really dry days I've taken the plant spray bottle and spritzed the curtains as well as the plants. Kind of an extension of the laundry-drying idea, but also helps keep lint/dust down.

Hope some of this might be useful!

Re: I think different people are bothered by different things.

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Yes, poor circulation is very hard to deal with, with anything besides a proper amount of warmth :(

On fingerless gloves, there are heavier and lighter weight ones -- one could even cut the fingers off of a pair of cotton gloves I suppose. Of course you'd have to take them off for working with food. My only thoughts on substitution for that would be to have a cup of hot tea handy for warming the hands or having some sort of small heat source handy, like a candle or lantern (or more than one, if you have a safe place to put that sort of thing, to keep from being knocked over during food prep). Or turn the heat up as needed... Some people also wear things called wristlets, which are basically knit cuffs for a little extra warmth. I could see those being a problem if you were doing something really hands-on like meatloaf or bread though.

To be honest I rarely wear gloves indoors but my circulation is usually all right and I can usually get up and move around too. When I'm most likely to wear them is when I'm not quite up to par and I have to sit still for a long while typing. I can't wear them while drawing or painting because I can't feel where the outside of the glove is precisely enough and I don't want to risk smudging. In that case I have to either take breaks to move and/or drink something hot, or find a way to warm up the immediate space.

Feet are easier -- sheepskin slippers and wool socks are my favorite combo. I also wear legwarmers when I need too. But legwarmers aren't for everyone and they can be a bit of a nuisance to put on. Long winter underwear works well though... I hear the silk ones are the best, but essentially if I have two layers of something on my legs then they're pretty much all right. When I have time to knit this winter, I'm planning on making legwarmers that button up the side, like spats.

On clothing, I've noticed that a lot of the things in used clothing stores tends to be mid-range and/or for tall people. Still easier for me to fix than for you, I'm afraid. That kind of surprises me in some ways, because we have a number of plus-size stores in our area. I do have the advantage over you that I can sew, too. I haven't done much of it for every day clothing, but I'm starting to...

We all do what we can, and that's all we really can do. I think one of the things that worries a lot of people is whether or not that will be enough.

Re: I hate labels :-(

[bytchearse.livejournal.com]

For me, yes. But I am not you so you can wear what you like! ;->

I understand that people use labels as such, but I dislike when people (esp those trying to sell you something you had no idea you "needed") use labels to define how *other* people should view things. Way too convenient to accept a label without any facts or even forming your own opinions.

Re: I hate labels :-(

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Agreed. And there's a lot of stuff that gets attached to labels -- sometimes the stuff varies, as 'liberal' or 'conservative' are colored by the individual's perceptions -- but what I don't like is that labels very rarely fit, especially when it comes to people, concepts, etc. -- things that are more complex than a can of food or bottle of shampoo.