desertrose

Gale, thank you for posting this site. :D

gale

Not only is it grown without pesticides, but it has to be a certain distance from fields without pesticides and it has to be grown on land that has not had anything with pesticides for a certain # of years. I'm guessing it's also processed without certain chemicals and maybe even dyed a certain way.

Veggies are grown in dirt but that doesn't make them all organic.

wildyard

What is cotton if not organic? Just wash out all the stuff and don't add anything back in and you should end up with 100% pure cotton, right?
Tell me why, if I am wrong. LOL I mean maybe the plant had spray or something on it, but the cotton isn't from the green part of the plant, and I'm sure they don't spray it once the bolls start to pop. So the chemicals should have no way to get to the cotton part, it's from the seed setting business and not part of the food chain of the plant.

gale

Because like I mentioned above, all cotton is not 'organic'. It has to be grown and processed chemical free and has to be grown on chemical free land and be a certain distance from fields that have been chemically treated. Doesn't matter if it can be washed out. It has to be chemical free from the get-go.

gale

Some facts about "organic" cotton:
Organic certification

It is required by the law that any producer wanting to label and sell a product as "organic" must meet the standards established by the Organic Food Production Act of 1990, enforced by The State organic program (SOP) This act specifies the procedures and regulations for production and handling of organic crops.

Organic system plan

Producers must elaborate an organic production or handling system plan which must also be approved by the state certifying agency or the USDA. This plan must include careful explanation of every process held in the plantation, as well as the frequency with which they are performed. A list of substances used on the crops is also necessary, along with a description of their composition, place where they will be used, and if possible documentation of commercial availability. This inventory of substances is important for the regulation of allowed and prohibited material established by the SOP.Organic cotton growers must also provide A description of the control procedures and physical barriers established to prevent contact of organic and non organic crops on split operations and to avoid contact of organic production with prohibited substance during gestation, harvesting, and handling operations . This production plan can also be transferred to other states as long as it has already been approved by a certifying agency.

Production

Production requirements are specifically the set of changes that must be made to field and farming practices in order for a crop to be considered organic. To begin with, organic fields must go through a cleansing period of three years, without the use of any prohibited substances, before planting the first organic crop. Fields must also be equipped with physical barriers and buzzers in order to prevent contact of organic crops with any chemical substance product of surface runoff from crops near by. Producers must also strive to promote soil fertility through cultivation practices while maintaining or improving the physical, chemical, and biological condition of the soil and minimizes soil erosion. Organic growers must also implement practices to support biodiversity. Such practices include integrated pest management (IPM), which consists of the manipulation of ecosystems that benefit both the crops and the organisms that live around it. In addition to these practices, producers may only apply crop nutrients and soil amendments included on the National List of synthetic substances allowed in crop production.

Handling

Handling procedures are all the processes related to product packaging, pest control in handling processing facilities among others. The SOP allows the use of mechanical or biological methods for the purpose of retarding spoilage of products,but at the same time it prohibits the use of volatile synthetic solvents in processed products or any ingredient that is labeled as organic.

Pesticides

Since organic cotton is grown without the use of synthetic pesticides, it should contain fewer pesticides than conventional cotton. Pesticides used in the production of conventional cotton include orthophosphates such as phorate and methamidophos, endosulfan (highly toxic to farmers, but not very environmentally persistent) and aldicarb. Other pesticides persisting in cotton fields in the United States include Trifluralin, Toxaphene and DDT. Although the last two chemicals are no longer used in the United States their long breakdown period and difficulty in removal ensures their persistence. Thus even organic cotton fields may contain them since conventional cotton fields can be transitioned to organic fields in 2–3 years.
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic..._certification

earthwalker

This was my thought too. I try to be green and mindful of our little blue planet, but I must admit some of the most eco friendly fabric is not very attractive and certainly expensive.

wildyard

Sorry I was adding an edit while you were replying. But basically what you are saying is that it's not about the actual "cotton" being chemical free, it's about the growing and processing being chemical free due to it's cumulative effects on Mother Earth. So the fact that you can have chemical free 100% cotton fabric to sew with is not the issue, the issue is that if you get it that way from washing out chemicals from the processing, it remains non-organic and therefore non-green?

gale

more info:
B. Organic products have been grown on land that has not had prohibited substances on it for a minimum of 3 years prior to the HARVEST of the crop. Prohibited substances are typically synthetic substances that are not allowed under the law and include chemical fertilizers, synthetic herbicides, and insecticides. It is important to document, as close as possible, the last date of prohibited substance application. This proves to the certification agency when the 36 months free of prohibited applications has passed, and what exact harvest date the crop can be sold as organic.

and


F. The organic regulation also mandates that each organic field have clear boundaries and borders, with the acreage defined. Once the field is eligible to produce a crop sold as organic, the farmer will need to manage the borders of the fields if the neighboring field has had substances applied that are not allowed under organic regulations. There is no specific size of a “buffer zone” between organic crops and nonorganic crops, but it must be of sufficient size to prevent drift or runoff of non-approved substances. Typically, a buffer zone is 25-30 feet. Road crews, utilities, aerial spray companies, etc. can be notified not to spray along an organic farmer’s field. If a no-spray agreement cannot be reached, then the organic farmer can grow non-organic crops in the buffer zone, or leave it fallow. If a crop is taken from the buffer zone it will need to be harvested separately from the organic crop and documented that it was harvested, stored and sold as non-organic. Buffer zones are necessary between the organic crop and the nonorganic crop. Depending on the risk of contamination they are needed for the specific crop year when a prohibited product is being used by the neighbor and may be needed for a few years thereafter. For instance, if no sprays or chemical fertilizers are used by a neighbor for his oats, then a buffer zone may not need to be in place by the adjoining organic farmer for that year. However, if non-organic herbicide sprayed corn is grown the next year, then for that second year, the organic farmer will need a buffer. A certifier may require more years of nonorganic buffer zones even when no sprays were applied by a neighbor, so learn the policy of your certifier.

source: http://www.mosesorganic.org/attachme...transcrop.html

gale

I think it's about all of the above. Keeping the ground AND the end product free from chemicals and not genetically modified.

wildyard

An excellent point tho, recycling is definitely very Green!!