Everyone's all about being all Eco-friendly and "green" these days. So much so that even the word green has become a parody of itself. Everywhere you turn everyone is "going green" and manufacturers are stamping their products with a seal of environmental happiness and approval. Buy our product. Think of your children's future. Don't use those chemicals. But it doesn't end there. Then you have to figure out are they really green or are they just claiming to be? It can get frustrating to the average person.

But we've made progress. For example, back in elementary school the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle campaign that we were taught, now seems be second nature. And thinking back sometimes I think our parents did better with watching out for the environment when we were kids. Our moms and dads packed our lunches to school in reusable Tupperware and thermos that we took everyday in the same old beaten up lunch box (mine was tangerine orange with The Muppets thank you very much!). Now that Tupperware has advanced to glass food storage containers, the thermos is BPA free and that lunch box is made from aluminum.

Not that I am complaining. I am the person who now as an adult brings her aluminum water bottles, travel mug, glass containers and thermos to work. I carry reusable bags in my stroller. I recycle so much that I am sure the Toronto Waste Management services wants to send me a list of reminders of things that can't be recycled and to stop putting them in their blue bins. Yet, I think. Recycled, yet. But I'm no angel. I am fully aware that those convenient Ziploc bags are pretty damn hard to give up and I am sure Mother Earth isn't so appreciative of the amount of Pampers we offer her. So you do your part with what you can, when you can.

But as vigilant and as norm as being green has become with our garbage, grocery bags and coffee cups, there's one area that I think we overlook more so than others. And that's with our clothes.

What do you do with all of your old clothing? Do you ever think about where it goes after you donate it? Or if you throw out a sweater because it has a bad stain in the sleeve, do you ever ask yourself how long is that sweater going to be in a landfill before it decomposes? There's been a lot of press about the eco-unfriendly way making of clothes. How much dye is used, the type of dye, where the materials from the fabric are shipped from and who makes them and so on. But after donate your clothing what happens to it?

Well there's quite a few possibilities actually. There are many charities out there each with independent causes that take your used clothes and put them to good use such as donating them to women's shelters or developing countries. Others sell the clothing to recycling plants that use them as factory wiping cloths. Even mainstream clothing manufacturer's have programs now where they accept donations of used clothing and recycle them. Then there are the more known places for donations like Goodwill, who takes the revenue from the used clothing they sell and puts it back into the community by creating jobs for those who face employment barriers. Of course there's also eBay and selling your old clothes but that's a whole other blog.

Then there is Susan Harris.

Susan goes out to Goodwill and other clothing distribution centers and buys bags of old clothes and fabric. She then sorts through the clothing and fabric. Cleans it. Cuts it up. And then sews it into a limitless possibility of new items. From sweaters, to pillows, to arm sleeves, to mittens and even Christmas stockings. All of which are handmade from your donated clothing. We'll be profiling Susan on our show in our Handmade segment on Thursday February 26th but in the meantime please check out her website:

http://www.susanharrisdesign.ca/

So the next time you have an old sweater or item of clothing that you think should be throw into the garbage because of a stain or a rip, don't. Donate it instead. Just Google clothing donation or textile recycling and find a charity or organization of your choice. That old sweater could become a really nice set of mittens.

— Alex Katschilo, Associate Producer

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