October 2023

Whether you are eco-conscious or eco-curious, implementing sustainable practices into your life might be easier than you think! It is estimated that America contributes approximately 11.3 million tons to landfills each year. Reimagining and repairing the fabrics in your life rather than buying new can help reduce your contributions. Consider opting for secondhand fashion when you’re looking to revamp your wardrobe. At GreenEarth, we believe in the importance of sustainable fashion and garment care, that’s why we helped sponsor this year’s ReMode event in Toronto!  ReMode is an event held under the organization Fashion Takes Action (FTA), a Canadian non-profit founded in 2007 with a mission to advance sustainability, ethics and circularity in the fashion industry. This year’s event was presented by Value Village and the Value Village Boutique. Summarized in 3 R’s, attendees were invited to the ReStore marketplace, the ReFashion clothing swap, and the ReThink seminars. I shopped around the ReStore market and had the pleasure to speak with a few vendors about sustainable products or services for sale. Worth Mending Worth Mending was founded by Elysha Schuhbauer and Scott Calway in 2019 with the mission to mend existing garments to keep them out of landfills. The two mainly use a method called darning, this technique uses thread and needle to repair holes or worn areas on a garment. You can purchase a Swift Darning Loom from their website and begin your journey creating “wearable art.” The looms sold are made out of repurposed materials including damaged or broken hardwood furniture and hooks made from bicycle spokes. Attend a workshop or sign-up for a private mentorship session to continue sustainable garment care. Zero Waste Bridal Weddings can be expensive, help the environment and your budget with Zero Waste Bridal. This division of The Brides’ Project aims to combat the pollution associated with textile production by providing a sustainable option for bridalwear. Gowns are donated by brides, salons, or designers themselves; they are then cleaned and upcycled (if necessary) before sale. On the flip side, rather than hoarding bridesmaid dresses or a wedding gown that you’ve worn once, consider donating to Zero Waste Bridal! Diana Coatsworth Design Diana Coatsworth Design creates unique pieces from vintage or existing textiles. Using natural fabrics including cashmere, linen, wool, cotton, silk, etc. Diana repairs and reworks something old into something new. Diana also provides a service called, Create Your Own Vivianne Jacket, where she repurposes your old blankets, curtains, tablecloths, etc. into a custom jacket! These beautiful creations are guaranteed to add a splash of character to your closet. Champagne and Lollipops Trends are always returning, we’ve seen it with the comeback of bell bottoms and Croc clogs. Champagne and Lollipops Vintage focuses on curated secondhand and deadstock fashion from the 1950s to the 1990s. Founder, Holly Roy, is motivated to keep beautifully designed pieces in rotation for new owners to love and appreciate. Nothing beats the blueprint, shop vintage and keep clothes out of landfills! The GreenEarth Difference A great way to ensure the longevity of your garments is to prioritize aftercare. GreenEarth Cleaning offers the world’s finest sustainable fabric care through licensed partners/ Affiliates, who share our values and commitment to operational and environmental excellence. With over 6000+ points of service, our mission is to provide a kinder clean in the world of dry cleaning. Utilizing our environmentally friendly patented process, even garments labeled “do not dry clean” are safe with GreenEarth. 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — GreenEarth Cleaning, a company specializing in environmentally friendly drycleaning processes, was recently awarded a U.S. Patent for the development of an anti-viral cleaning methodology which has been incorporated into the GreenEarth Cleaning System. The patent enables GreenEarth affiliates to integrate vaporization into the drycleaning cycle to deliver the highest level of protection from current and future lipid-layer viruses. “In the spring of 2020, after the World Health Organization (WHO) had declared the COVID-19 outbreak a global pandemic, we contracted with MRI Global, an independent laboratory approved for testing with Sars-CoV-2,” says Tim Maxwell, president of GreenEarth Cleaning. “Our intent was to determine the effectiveness of our system in penetrating the lipid layer of the coronavirus using a high drying temperature of 158 degrees Fahrenheit (70 degrees Celsius) for 30 minutes. We were surprised when the initial reports showed only a 14.28 percent deactivation efficacy with heat alone. So, we went back to the drawing board.” Initially, through manipulation of the washing, extraction, and drying steps, GreenEarth was able to achieve deactivation levels of 75 percent. In response to that result, GreenEarth created a silicone vapor program component that achieved a deactivation level greater than 98 percent on SARS-CoV-2 contaminated wool fabrics. “Once we solidified the vaporization and process and attained this result on a consistent basis, we added the anti-viral cleaning methodology to our suite of offerings available to GreenEarth affiliates,” says Maxwell. “We continue to achieve extremely high viral eradication without adding aggressive chemistry. With this innovation, we are providing an expanded level of care without doing harm to the environment, people, or their garments.” Early in 2023, GreenEarth technical support began incorporating the necessary program modifications into all GreenEarth affiliate machines. “With this advancement, we feel that our affiliates are better prepared for the potential arrival of any possible new variant of COVID or the next virus,” adds Maxwell.