check out some photos from our funk and soul party: 

Eco in Action: Parkdale Mills

"The main thing about organic yarn," said Parkdale Mills's Doug Woolweaver (Sales Associate), "is that it's a yarn spun using cotton that was grown without synthetic fertilizers or defoliants."

Here in North Carolina, the first organic crop of cotton was harvested last year - in 2011.   According to a February 2, 2012, article from Southeast Farm Press, organic cotton production in this state is on the rise. Farm Press cites a 2011 trend report predicting  "opportunity.... in nascent organic cotton-growing regions such as North Carolina."

Simply put, the organic cotton market continues to rock, and industry watchers expect local acreage to account for a substantial  part of next year's  success.

Yarn produced with organic cotton, on the other hand, is an established offering  from one local company.  Parkdale Mills, headquartered in Gastonia (west of Charlotte), has been producing and selling organic cotton for about a decade and a half.  Established in 1916, the nearly-100-year-old  mill is  one of the world's largest independent yarn spinners, offering  international manufacturers both conventional and organic weaving and knitting yarns suitable for products like hosiery, apparel, and household goods, and for military and industrial use.   

According to Doug Woolweaver,  Sales Associate, Parkdale Mills first offered an organic product 15 years ago. Over time, he said, he's watched the market  evolve.   

"In the beginning, we were approached by one of our customers.  We learned about organic, and what it meant to the environment. We started with a specific program, and our business has evolved from this beginning.

"All of our organic yarns are produced in a certified environment," he said. In order to guarantee organic integrity, Parkdale Mills chooses to operate according to certain practices established by the Global Organic Trade Standard (GOTS).

"It's a corporate responsibility to operate within GOTS certification," Woolweaver said.  "The company wanted to do it."

"Parkdale Mills is a certified producer of organic yarns through Oregon Tilth, which allows us to be certified under the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS). Oregon Tilth  inspects our facilities and reviews procedures and work practices annually.  They ensure correct handling and storage processes. Certified organic products have to be kept separate."

Since 1982, Oregon Tilth has backed their standards with education and research, promoting certification as way to authenticate, for both producers and consumers, organic claims.  "The main focus from Oregon Tilth is procedures and equipment," Woolweaver said. "Our equipment is modern and up-to-date, so we focused on procedures and work practices.

We learned to keep [organic cotton] separate, and we trained employees to handle it."

According to one manufacturer, Global Organic "ensures that all phases of production are evaluated by an organic certifier [such as Oregon Tilth] in order to comply with organic standards and provide documented evidence that the product’s materials are truly organic."

The mill's responsibility begins with the growers. "Anyone producing should be certified by a third party,"  said Woolweaver.  "We've been offered [uncertified cotton] quite often," he said. "USDA GOTS certified organic cotton is it - we will not accept anything else," he said.

"If it's not certified  organic, we want no part of it."

We Had A Blast! What a blast was had.

Rock, Raleigh! Two awesome events down and many more to come; check out these photos from Swap Don't Shop and WKNC 88.1's Double Barrel Benefit / daytime party and market. We enjoyed hanging out with Magnolia Collective, City Fabric, Kings, and the KNC crew. Tir Na Nog's spacious floor accommodated the party beautifully. The food was AWESOME. This is a beer spot with awesome food; the perfect venue for a daytime party of this sort. 

If you are not familiar with Swap Don't Shop, take note that you can take your old clothes to our parties at King's and get awesome new ones. In fact you don't even have to take clothes to drop off; just come and take clothes. Anyone will tell you, competition for the standout, knockout pieces is stiff! Get in early and take as much clothing as you can.

Crowd Shot: Swap Don't Shop @ King's Barcade 

 

Redress Raleigh @ WKNC 88.1's Double Barrel Benefit: 

Magnolia Collective absolutely rocks. GREAT band: 

How EcoFashion Becomes a Fashion Staple

Have you ever heard of the company Uniqlo? I hadn't, either. I was at the bookstore looking at their fashion selection, and was flipping through a book where all the contributors were fashion bloggers. One of the bloggers said her favorite place to buy cashmere was at Uniqlo, and, of course, reasonably priced cashmere? That's me!

I checked the website, and discovered they have been undertaking a fantastic initiative to develop their company with an all product recycling initiative. Since 2006. How has this company flown under the radar? They have great clothes at reasonable prices, although I have yet to find the cashmere.

As with so many great ideas, this one started as something different. According to their website, Uniqlo intended to recycle the clothing they received from customers for industrial use, but they made the discovery that a lot of the clothing donated was still wearable. So, what to do with the clothing? What any good company would do - donate it to human relief efforts around the globe.

They are expanding their brick and mortar stores, and have recently opened a US flagship store on Broadway in NYC. Feel free to donate what you don't upcycle or consign yourself. In this case, it truly does help to recycle!

The Ides of Love

Members of Redress Raleigh will proudly be attending the Ides of Love March on the Capital on March 15th, 2012 and we encourage many more of you to join us as we stand together against discrimination. Join the HonestNC Facebook group, follow on Twitter, and donate to the cause if you can. 

A message from our friends at HonestNC:

"On March 15th, 2012, we will march from the N.C. State Bell Tower to the General Assembly downtown in an event we cheerfully refer to as the Ides of Love.

We want to show our State and our Nation that the people of North Carolina do not support amending our Constitution with this ban, and that we will virulently defend the right for a union to be recognized by the state. In the past, we have codified language that excluded both women and minority races; let us learn from our history and not repeat those same mistakes on May 8, 2012. 

The motto for the fine state of North Carolina has always rung with heraldic clarity: we are a state that lives according to principle and truth; to be rather than to seem. Sadly, the stable foundations of our state have been put to the test, and we stand in the face of those who would restrict base civil rights. We honor the primary statement of the original document of our governance with its assurance of equal rights for all, regardless of creed or orientation.

If you are against amending the North Carolina State Constitution with discrimination, come join us on March 15th, 2012. If you are proud to live in the state that launched civil rights to the forefront of our national discussion, join with us for the march. We believe that only through an expression of solidarity can we give a voice to the voiceless, to those the state would seek to exclude from the civil right of marriage. 

"A vote on the same sex marriage amendment has nothing to do with your personal and religious opinion on same sex marriage but everything to do with whether or not you believe discrimination should be codified and legalized constitutionally. We should never seek to codify discrimination into the very heart and framework of our Constitution."
-Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II

All faiths, all religions, all races, and all people are welcome.

For more information, and further updates on the day of action and change, please visit honestnc.com"