This past weekend, my mother came to visit me and brought me a lot of vegetable, fruit and herb plants to plant in large pots for my front and back porches. This reminded me of some of the readings I had researched about living a more sustainable life and I realized that by growing and eating what these organic plants had to offer, I was already making a positive difference for my body and the Earth. I always use burlap material to line a planter to keep in moisture and my mom says the airy cloth helps the plant grow better. This gave me my idea for using fibers that are natural, not synthetic, to be placed as either compost in a garden or help to grow stronger plants.
After reading Waste=Food for a second time, I am now reassured that my idea will be used as a biological metabolism as the fibers will continue to create nutrients that plants need over and over again as the material becomes part of the Earth. After reading the second article, C2CAD, I thought about what materials will nourish the Earth, and what materials need to be taken out of the mix so no harm will be done. Synthetic fibers, and some fibers that are dyed contain very harmful chemicals that will not benefit the plants. These certain fibers will need to be stripped from the fiber mix that once made up a garment. Laying the biodegradable natural fiber flat on the ground surrounding the plants will keep the weeds away and the fabric will eventually break down, causing the the fibers to become part of the Earth. This concept will not only provide the Earth with food, but will provide humans that grow the garden healthy and safe food.
Larissa,
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting concept. Would this process be something you would do yourself or would you have to send in your fabric to a manufacture for them to stripe away the fiber? I find it interesting that are parents know so much about giving products a second life time, yet we don't see these products developed. I know my mom has suggested some methods that her mother use to do when it comes to gardening, planting and even cleaning that I think could potentially help our environment.
Is your idea about growing natural fibers better or about using natural fibers to help grow our own food? I agree with Olivia it seems like our grandparents and our grandparent's parents were taught so much about how to keep themselves alive without relying on grocery stores, but it seems today we are very dependent on these stores. Great post, Larissa!
ReplyDeleteOlivia,
ReplyDeleteI think it is possible to strip a garment of its fibers if you are knowledgable on the different types of fibers.
Lindsey,
My idea is about growing food with natural fibers.
Hey Larissa, I find it really neat that you have fruit and vegetable plants that you grow and eat from! This organic lifestyle is pretty adventurous for a girl our age these days, as Olivia and Lindsey would agree. Are there any known natural fibers that have been proven to be more biodegradable than other natural fibers? What's the average length for a fiber to become part of the Earth? I'm curious to know if this process has a quick turnover rate so to speak.
ReplyDeleteLarissa,
ReplyDeleteI would actually like to know a little bit more about this process. I'm all about eating organic foods and if there is a easy way I could do this I would like to get more information on how I could do this on my own. Do you have some resources that I could refer to? I would really like to read your responds to Jasmine's questions because I find them very interesting.