Organic fabric source needed/ Personal Opinions on the topic

I had two children who were allergic to disposable diapers -- if they
had them on, their bottoms would turn BEET RED in less than two hours --

All three of mine were allergic to disposables, and since I always thought it
was BARBARIC to put an innocent little baby in plastic and paper all day, every
day, I was happy to have them wear 100% cotton diapers. We even used them on
trips, just made sure we carried along a diaper pail and a fresh cake of
deodorizer for the used ones.

I LOVED diaper service, and it was cheaper, and more convenient than
disposables. Still can't understand why people think running out of diapers in
the middle of the night is better than having a nice man pick up the used ones
every week and leave a stack of fresh, clean ones. I never, ever ran out of
diapers, even when my youngest had chronic diarrhea for three months. (And
thank GOD I didn't have to deal with disposables then!)
Karen Maslowski in Cincinnati

Organic fabric source needed/ Personal Opinions on the topic

(Charlie)
snip
As for all this organic, "healthier living" this is what my Nan says.
"If I'm bloody healty and I'm 80, if my mum lived to 100 and at that age
she could still do everything she wanted to, and if everyone in my
generation managed to survive without all these wonderful things, then
why on earth do we *need* them?". This was in responce to some TV
personality preaching about how we should ONLY ever buy organic food. I
wish my pockets were that deep, I really do.
--- Well, hmmm... know I was a bit flippant with the first part of my
reply, but I must add this:
My Dad sounded a lot like your Nan. When he was young--very young--he
worked in an asbestos factory, which was gearing up for WWII production.
At that time, upper management _knew_ about the dangers of their
product, but didn't see fit to inform their employees, nor did they give
them so much as dust masks to use. On the contrary, they let out that it
was safe.
My Dad was so convinced of the truth of that, he said the young
workers used to have snowball fights with the asbestos. Everyone now
knows that asbestos is a carcinogen, but, for years, Dad boasted "It
never hurt me!" How much of those microscopic asbestos fibers which he
breathed in lodged in his lungs? It is well documented that shipyard
asbestos workers are dying in droves now, most of them of some form of
lung cancer.
That was before the war; during the war, the cigarette mfgs, handed
out free rations of cigs to all the fighting men, ensuring a life-long
addiction in many of them. My Dad finally kicked the habit after two
heart attacks. He died of lung cancer in 1999.
My theory is that a healthy immune system can stand up to a lot of
assaults on it, but pile on too many chemicals, and one of them becomes
the straw that broke the camel's back, and all the environmental bills
come due, in the form of disease, and, often, death.
Just because a person believes they are immune to the illnesses
chemicals cause doesn't make it so, Charlie.

All because *supermarkets* need to show an ever-increasingly enormous profit!


Trish, it sounds as though you've read one of our new favorite books, "The
Botany of Desire". Great book, great information, totally scary! Apples, too,
are in danger of losing all flavor, according to the author, and we've already
seen this with Red Delicious, which isn't so delicious anymore, and which I
categorically refuse to buy.

Karen Maslowski in Cincinnati

SewStorm wrote:

Trish, it sounds as though you've read one of our new favorite books, "The
Botany of Desire". Great book, great information, totally scary! Apples, too,

If you liked that, you might also like parts of the book, "Eat Your
Heart Out" by Jim somebody-or-another, about how the major food
corporations manipulate the industry.

--
I know God will not give me anything I can't handle.
I just wish that He didn't trust me so much. - Mother Teresa

Organic fabric source needed/ Personal Opinions on the topic

(Melinda=A0Meahan=A0-=A0take=A0out=A0TRASH=A0to=A0reply)
SewStorm wrote:
Trish, it sounds as though you've read one of our new favorite books,
"The Botany of Desire". Great book, great information, totally scary!
Apples, too,
---
If you liked that, you might also like parts of the book, "Eat Your
Heart Out" by Jim somebody-or-another, about how the major food
corporations manipulate the industry.
---
And don't neglect the original treatse on the subject; 'Silent
Spring' by Rachel Carson.
Cea

It's been too long since we began to see the decline: how come it's not a top
priority to slow it down???

I agree completely, Trish. There is so much waste. I see people throw trash out
the windows of their impeccably maintained SUVs, and I wonder how they justify
such an action.

My middle daughter, who is an outdoors nut and who is starting a college
engineering degree program, has decided that she wants to become an
environmental engineer, and "save the world from itself". Bless her heart,
she's been paying attention!

Karen Maslowski in Cincinnati

I prefer organic fabrics for their minimal impact on the
environment, and of course because they expose us to fewer chemicals.

Lucy, this is a good point. I've noticed people in these newsgroups, and in
other sewing boards, talking about using home dec fabrics for vests, etc. These
fabrics are treated with formaldehyde and other chemicals, and are NOT
appropriate for clothing use.

Karen Maslowski in Cincinnati

And don't neglect the original treatse on the subject; 'Silent
Spring' by Rachel Carson.

One of my longtime favorite books, and the original reason that I'm militantly
environmentally conscious today, Cea!
Karen Maslowski in Cincinnati

wrote:

Trish, it sounds as though you've read one of our new favorite books,
"The Botany of Desire". Great book, great information, totally scary!
Apples, too,
---
If you liked that, you might also like parts of the book, "Eat Your
Heart Out" by Jim somebody-or-another, about how the major food
corporations manipulate the industry.
---
And don't neglect the original treatse on the subject; 'Silent
Spring' by Rachel Carson.
Cea

Well, I read a lot of what I know in Botany textbooks, so it's not just
knowledge from people pushing barrows - it's generally accepted in scientific
literature!

Gee, that didn't come out right, but you know what I mean - some people get
passionate and write books on the subject (or essays to sewing ngs - sorry -
I'll stop now!) - and other people see them as 'barrow pushers'. Yet,
dispassionate science textbooks hold the same information and we're not teaching
it to our young. That's a worry!
--
Trish {|:-}
Newcastle, NSW, Australia

so it's not just
knowledge from people pushing barrows - it's generally accepted in scientific
literature!

Trish, Rachel Carson was an accepted scientist, and a passionate
environmentalist, too. She's gone now, but wrote several books on various
conservation topics. "Silent Spring" was about using DDT to control pests in
agriculture, but how it almost caused a near annihilation of the bird
population, chiefly by causing too-thin shells in the birds' eggs.

Karen Maslowski in Cincinnati