Water wasting, pesticide polluting, genetically modifying clothing: You’re wearing it!

Environmentally friendly surf products are becoming increasingly available as consumers take an interest in using their money to make less of a negative impact on the planet. But despite how much today’s consumers may want to have  their money be “green,” it can be confusing and overwhelming to know exactly where to spend it.

Is your money really going to make a difference? The truth is yes and no, depending on what you buy. The most eco-bang for your buck definitely comes in the form of the clothes you wear. Cotton is the culprit.

Naturally Unnatural
    
Look at the tag of the clothes you are wearing right now. Does it say cotton? Most likely it does, unless you are zipping up your wettie. Cotton is the most popular fabric among all consumers in the world, and the cotton t-shirt is a defining piece of fashion for the surf industry. Although it is commonly thought of as being a "natural" product, the truth is that the planet pays a very high price for the cotton we use.

Wearing Water

Staggering amounts of water are used to grow cotton. It is estimated that cotton is the largest user of water among all agricultural commodities, and representing more than half of the irrigated agricultural land in the world.


Why so much? Most cotton irrigation systems rely on traditional flooding techniques. Fresh water is taken from its source (e.g., river, lake, reservoir, or underground) and transported via a series of even smaller, open canals to the area to be irrigated. It is estimated that 60% of the water used in irrigation never makes it to the targeted plant because it is lost through evaporation.


As drought strangles California’s water supply, water usage becomes increasingly important. Numerous projects, seeking to transform ocean water into fresh drinking water, are threatening to develop the little coastal areas left for surfers. Water conservation and proven treatment techniques are being backed as better solutions to solve the water crisis.

Laced Clothing
    
The scariest and most damaging aspect of cotton with regards to the environment has to do with chemical use. Each year, cotton producers around the world use nearly $2.6 billion worth of pesticides -- more than 10% of the world's pesticides and nearly 25% of the world's insecticides. In developing countries, estimates suggest that half of the total pesticides used on all crops are applied to cotton.

    
The use of pesticides poses health risks to workers, to organisms in the soil, to migratory species such as insects, birds, and mammals, and to downstream freshwater species. Experts estimate that pesticides unintentionally kill at least 67 million birds in the U.S. each year, and it’s likely they kill many more. Research on the cause of fish deaths in the United States shows that pesticides, even used with the proper application, harm freshwater ecosystems.

    
Additionally, as a crop that is difficult to grow, high amounts of fertilizers are needed for yields to be high enough for profits. When money is involved, the cheaper and chemically based method is the preferred way to go.

    
The reason this should be alarming to surfers is not just because of the overall environmental damage these chemicals cause, but because the water used for agriculture as well as storm runoff, become laced with these chemicals and eventually make their way into waterways that empty into the ocean.

    
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency labels all of the top nine cotton chemicals as either Category I or II materials -- the most toxic classifications. In California, five of the top nine pesticides used on cotton are cancer causing. Think twice about surfing after a rain.

What Genes Are You Wearing?
    
The controversy behind genetically modified agriculture is rooted in the ideology of leaving Mother Nature to her best devices. The science behind altering the genetics of crops to make them “bionic” seem to have benefits initially, but historical evidence and what most people refer to as the “X” factor, lead others to believe it is a recipe for environmental disaster. As the debate continues, genetically modified seed accounts for 50% of the cotton grown in the United Sates.

You Can’t Eat It… But It’s Still Good
    
Organically grown cotton is the most reliable alternative to regularly grown and manufactured cotton. Just like the vegetables in some stores, organic cotton is not treated with pesticides, herbicides or petroleum based fertilizers, nor does it use genetically engineered seed.

    
In the U.S., Egypt, India and other countries, farmers are raising cotton organically, without the use of costly, often ineffective and dangerous chemicals. They are courageously developing alternative sources of the world's favorite natural fiber.

    
As you decide how to spend your money, you have the ability to lessen your impact on the degradation of the planet simply by choosing to buy clothing that is made with organic cotton. Given the high levels of damage caused by something so seemingly “natural”, don’t be surprised if Mother Nature rewards you with an increase in your wave count.

SOURCE: World Wildlife Federations Web-Feature: Agriculture and the Environment: Cotton. (2004)


QUOTES TO USE:


In America, it takes about a third of a pound of synthetic agricultural chemicals to grow one pound of cotton, enough for one cotton T-shirt.

In California, five of the top nine pesticides used on cotton are cancer causing.