As consumerism is growing, our resources are diminishing. Eco-friendly clothes, or vintage clothing can actually make a difference to our world! Eco-friendly clothing is clothing that inflicts little to no harm on the environment. It affects the air we breathe, the water we bathe in, the animals, trees, and plants when we buy all new things from retailers.

The chemicals farmers use to protect the textiles as they grow can cause harm to the wildlife and contaminate other products, including getting into the food we eat! The clothes we throw away are filling up landfills, most of which doesn't decompose easily. The chemicals used to bleach and color textiles is also another way we are damaging not only the environment, but also the people living here.

Another reason to go eco-friendly is something we have heard about for years. A lot of clothing is made in "sweat shops", where people (mostly the children and elderly) work long hours for almost no pay to make these clothes! Some people have made arguments in the past that if we don't buy from them, then those people wouldn't have the little pay the get, but that doesn't make that right. However, that is a topic for another day! Below are a few ways to go Eco-friendly to help the environment!

-When shopping, use 100% cotton, reusable bags instead of plastic bags. Whether you're purchasing clothes, toys, or grocery shopping.

-Buy handcrafted jewelry and accessories. By doing this, you help reduce the toxins created when manufacturing items. And, handmade clothing is usually original too!

-Purchase organic clothing and accessories instead of your normal clothing types. Even your favorite designers usually have an organic line. Clothing type ranges from underwear to jeans and can be found at stores like H&M, Zara, Banana Republic, or Top Shop. If you google organic clothing retailers you will find plenty more as well!

-Go to a resale shop or a thrift shop to get new clothes! If you're into the vintage look, go to vintage stores. You can also find stores online that sell never worn clothes from that time period.

-Look in your mom or grandma's jewelry boxes. You can find some great treasures and a wonderful eco-friendly alternative to buying new jewelry and get to have jewelry that means something to you!

-Take your old clothes and reinvent them! YouTube and the internet in general has some great ideas on how to reuse clothing, or repurpose clothing!