Conscious Fashion: Fighting for Fashion
Them’s Fightin’ Words
In our society, labels are a big deal. In high school people are labeled, in the workplace, people are labeled; we put labels on our resumes, on our business cards. For better or worse, labels are part of our identities. One label, ‘endangered’, has an especially significant feeling to it. It seems like a label that you don’t come back from. Many people hear ‘endangered’ and think that there’s no hope. But that is not always the case. Earth’s wildlife inhabits their niches not because they’re lucky, but because they’re fighters. They’ve earned their spots in the circle of life by being the strongest, fastest and hardiest. Unfortunately, when pitted against human technology, determination and sheer numbers- the fighters in these animals become muted. But conservationists and scientists are fighters, too. With just a nudge, the fighters inside these animals come alive and, with our help, they’re fighting for their lives.
Green Fighters. The first few months of life are a Green Sea Turtle’s hardest. These toddler turtles are easy prey for everything from shore birds to sharks to enterprising domestic cats. In fact, only a fraction of sea turtle eggs laid by a female will make it to adulthood. The good news is, once the turtle reaches maturity, it’s relatively safe from other animals and because they live in the deep ocean, they’re slightly safer from humans. To give the sea turtles the competitive edge they need, scientists remove eggs from their sandy hiding spots before they hatch, incubate them, raise the turtles until they are out of the ‘danger zone’ and then re-release them. The results have been promising: more sea turtles per nest are making it to adulthood.
Grrrrr. Traditional Chinese Medicine uses wild tiger bone. Additionally, the tiger fur has been a symbol of honor and prosperity in Chinese culture for generations. As a result, illegal tiger hunting and farming devastated Asia’s wild tiger population, almost to extinction. When the Chinese government banned tiger trade in the 1980’s and Traditional Chinese Medicine leaders denounced the use of tiger bone, the population has almost recovered.
Fight for Flight. Everyone remembers (or has at least learned about) DDT. It was a pesticide used widely in the post-WWII United States. Eventually, scientists linked DDT use to the alarmingly fast decline of Bald Eagles. The DDT was making its way into the nation’s streams and lakes and eventually into the food chain. The consumption of DDT-ified fish led to a calcium deficiency in adult Bald Eagles. The adult eagles were externally unaffected, but the quality of their eggs was compromised. Soft shells were crushed by well-meaning Eagle mommies and eventually, the entire population suffered dramatically. Once the United States banned the use of DDT in the late 1960’s, Eagle populations soared (no pun intended).
Endangered does not equal hopeless. Endangered equals Fighter. So next time you’re rocking your endangered animal wear and someone asks you about it, just say “I fight like a Sea Turtle”.
This Tiger Tee from American Eagle says it all. Pair it with yoga pants for your afternoon jog. This tiger print cloth headband will keep the wispies away and keep your fighter spirit alive. Carry your gear in a Sea Turtle tote and use your Sea Turtle towel from World Wildlife Fund after you finish your morning laps in the pool (or just for laying out). You are pretty much 100% guaranteed to find a Bald Eagle Tee at your local thrift store, but if you can’t, this one definitely adds some bad-ass-ness to your kickboxing classes.
In our society, labels are a big deal. In high school people are labeled, in the workplace, people are labeled; we put labels on our resumes, on our business cards. For better or worse, labels are part of our identities. One label, ‘endangered’, has an especially significant feeling to it. It seems like a label that you don’t come back from. Many people hear ‘endangered’ and think that there’s no hope. But that is not always the case. Earth’s wildlife inhabits their niches not because they’re lucky, but because they’re fighters. They’ve earned their spots in the circle of life by being the strongest, fastest and hardiest. Unfortunately, when pitted against human technology, determination and sheer numbers- the fighters in these animals become muted. But conservationists and scientists are fighters, too. With just a nudge, the fighters inside these animals come alive and, with our help, they’re fighting for their lives.
Green Fighters. The first few months of life are a Green Sea Turtle’s hardest. These toddler turtles are easy prey for everything from shore birds to sharks to enterprising domestic cats. In fact, only a fraction of sea turtle eggs laid by a female will make it to adulthood. The good news is, once the turtle reaches maturity, it’s relatively safe from other animals and because they live in the deep ocean, they’re slightly safer from humans. To give the sea turtles the competitive edge they need, scientists remove eggs from their sandy hiding spots before they hatch, incubate them, raise the turtles until they are out of the ‘danger zone’ and then re-release them. The results have been promising: more sea turtles per nest are making it to adulthood.
Grrrrr. Traditional Chinese Medicine uses wild tiger bone. Additionally, the tiger fur has been a symbol of honor and prosperity in Chinese culture for generations. As a result, illegal tiger hunting and farming devastated Asia’s wild tiger population, almost to extinction. When the Chinese government banned tiger trade in the 1980’s and Traditional Chinese Medicine leaders denounced the use of tiger bone, the population has almost recovered.
Fight for Flight. Everyone remembers (or has at least learned about) DDT. It was a pesticide used widely in the post-WWII United States. Eventually, scientists linked DDT use to the alarmingly fast decline of Bald Eagles. The DDT was making its way into the nation’s streams and lakes and eventually into the food chain. The consumption of DDT-ified fish led to a calcium deficiency in adult Bald Eagles. The adult eagles were externally unaffected, but the quality of their eggs was compromised. Soft shells were crushed by well-meaning Eagle mommies and eventually, the entire population suffered dramatically. Once the United States banned the use of DDT in the late 1960’s, Eagle populations soared (no pun intended).
Endangered does not equal hopeless. Endangered equals Fighter. So next time you’re rocking your endangered animal wear and someone asks you about it, just say “I fight like a Sea Turtle”.
This Tiger Tee from American Eagle says it all. Pair it with yoga pants for your afternoon jog. This tiger print cloth headband will keep the wispies away and keep your fighter spirit alive. Carry your gear in a Sea Turtle tote and use your Sea Turtle towel from World Wildlife Fund after you finish your morning laps in the pool (or just for laying out). You are pretty much 100% guaranteed to find a Bald Eagle Tee at your local thrift store, but if you can’t, this one definitely adds some bad-ass-ness to your kickboxing classes.
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