Here are a few statistics:
- 3% of the world's arable land, in 2007, produced more than 50 billion pounds of cotton.
- Twenty-five percent of all insecticide is applied to cotton.
- Two hundred chemicals might be applied to a single plant in one season in the United States. This translates to a third of a pound of chemicals per pound of cotton fiber.
- One and a quarter pounds of agricultural chemicals are used in California to produce the cotton in a single set of queen-sized sheets.
- Seven of the 15 most commonly-used cotton pesticides have been identified as possible human carcinogens by the EPA.
Basically cotton is one of, if not the, most treated crops in the world.
Why does this matter?
Well a lot of people would argue that buying organic cotton is better for your health, and that with a baby's super sensitive skin, "why would you want to put all of those chemicals against them?" Now while Tricia and I agree that organic cotton with plant based dyes is probably the best option, neither of us are ready to condemn it as completely unsafe.
However, if you think about the environmental impact, organic cotton is the clear choice. Organic vs. conventional greatly reduces chemicals that are used and could contaminate ground water and saves energy (making and distributing of chemicals, and washing and bleaching of the cotton in production).
Does this mean that I shouldn't buy anything that isn't organic cotton?
While it would be awesome if you found something you wanted to buy that was organic, please do not feel like it's necessary. I (the self-proclaimed environmentalist and researcher) have already purchased a couple of clothing items that are not organic. Tricia and I both also understand that the mark-up on organic cotton is usually quite high.
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