Sparrow-Avenue: Tuesday's Treasures

milkmademomma.etsy.com

Last month I started making Baby Blankets and had a few of them in one of my stores where they quickly sold out. I didn't buy a lot of fabric as it was a new product and I wasn't sure how well it would be received. However, the fabric has since become unavailable. And that's when I started to investigate the possibility of acquiring Organic Cotton Flannel. This turns out to be equally difficult in locating and not only by me but others too.

I have been spending time learning more about organic grown fibre.

Conventional cotton is one of the most contaminating crops on earth, using 25% of all insecticides in the world and up to 10% of all pesticides. Among these pesticides are Cyanide, Dicofol, Naled, Propargite and Trifularin, which are known cancer-causing chemicals. Most pests develop immunity to these products in 5-6 years, forcing companies to develop stronger chemicals. All these chemicals endanger the farmers and their families’ lives on a daily basis and could potentially be a hazard for all human beings using cotton products, as they contain trace toxins which are never eliminated. http://www.bergmanrivera.com/o_cotton_h.php

Organic cotton farmers depend on healthy, living soil to produce strong plants resistant to pests and disease. Seeds and soil fertility are maintained with natural methods such as manure or natural phosphates. Crops are rotated with nitrogen-fixing plants. Barrier plants can be seeded between rows to trap water, prevent weeds, lure pests, or bring beneficial insects to the fields. Because organic soils tend to hold more water, they generally need less irrigation. Weeding is done by hand or with innovative machinery. Some weeds are left to attract predators for cotton-eating pests or to divert pests from the cotton.

http://www.mec.ca/AST/ContentPrimary/Sustainability/ProductSustainability/OrganicallyGrownCotton.jsp

There has also been a link made to the decline of bee populations due to pesticide use.