Do Your Part: If you wear cotton, pick organic

We all have a favorite T-shirt. It’s soft and comfy and it’s usually made of cotton.

But do you know that the way most cotton is grown is really bad for the environment? Do your part by seeking out products made from organic cotton.

Trust me, you’ll have more incentive than ever once you really understand the toll it takes on our planet to make an average T-shirt.

Yes, cotton is king. It is the world’s leading fiber and a leading cash crop for the United States. But when cotton is produced through conventional methods, it is also the king of chemicals.

In an effort to battle numerous pests and diseases, cotton farmers have resorted to chemical warfare. Cotton is grown on just 3 percent of the Earth’s productive farmland but 25 percent of all insecticides and 10 percent of all pesticides are used on conventionally grown cotton.

The Environmental Protection Agency classifies many of these chemicals as the most toxic kind.

That cotton shirt isn’t feeling so comfy anymore, is it?

It gets even more uncomfortable when you find out about all the chemicals used in the manufacturing process. From formaldehyde to dyes there are a slew of other chemicals that can be used on cotton, organic or not.

It sounds like a lot of work for you the consumer to find the better cotton shirt, but a serious commitment by a number of manufacturers and retailers means numerous options for chemical-free cotton.

This, coupled with increasing consumer demand for safer cotton products, has led to double-digit sales increases for products made of organic cotton.

Organic cotton is grown without using synthetic chemical pesticides, insecticides or fertilizers. Pests are controlled through a clever combination of beneficial predators and neighboring crops, and diseases are controlled using naturally occurring bacteria.

All of these practices increase the natural biodiversity around the cotton crop, thereby decreasing the need for all of those nasty chemicals.

Growing organic cotton is clearly better for the environment but it’s also better for the farmer and anyone living nearby. Organic practices also generate little if any pollution in our land, air and water.

Organic cotton clothing may cost you a little bit more than conventionally produced cotton but it is almost always softer and it tends to last longer. It’s also becoming easier to find; just look for the 100 percent organic cotton label.

When we start making a concerted effort to purchase organic cotton products, everyone from the farmer to the manufacturer to the retailer takes notice and ramps up production and sales of additional organic products. This also makes it more economical.

So, start talking with your pocketbook or wallet. You’ll feel good (and look good) in your organic cotton clothing knowing you are doing your part to help keep unnecessary toxic chemicals out of our air, land and water.