Green suits you: Eco-friendly work-wear
The last (and only) time I wore a suit was in 1998. It was borrowed from my roommate, fit badly and I may as well have been wearing a pink bunny costume for how comfortable I felt.
I know some of you 9 to 5 gals wear suits on a daily basis (hopefully not the bunny kind). Many of you are 
very familiar with vocabulary like “business casual, professional image and sensible shoes,” and darned if you don’t look nice. But is it possible to be green and professionally dressed? You bet your pinstripe-covered patootie it is.
First, read the tag before you bag. If it says “dry clean only,” shop around for a similar machine-washable option. Perchloroethylene (perc for short) is the solvent used by most dry cleaners, and has been identified by the Environmental Protection Agency as a “probable human carcinogen.”
Exposure to perc has been linked to neurological effects, eye, nose and throat irritation, and headaches (www.epa.gov/drycleaningrule/basic.html). You’re bringing this chemical into your home each time you hang freshly dry cleaned clothes in the closet. The use of perchloroethylene is scheduled to become illegal in California by 2023.
Not good.
If you do have to dry clean, go for more eco-friendly options. The best are professional wet cleaning (safe for dry clean only fabrics) and liquid carbon dioxide cleaning, the method used by Revolution Cleaners in Boulder (3320 Arapahoe Ave., 720-406-7636). Download the “dry cleaning alternatives” guide from Co-op America at www.coopamerica.org/PDF/greendrycleaning.pdf to make sure you don’t get boonswaggled by methods that claim to be green but may not be.
Beyond the dry cleaning dilemma, keep it green in the workplace by getting the most from your clothes. Choose high quality, timeless professional pieces that will last for years. Add flare with scarves, jewelry and funky shoes. And don’t ditch those funky shoes if the heal breaks; take them to a shoe repair shop.
Also consider purchasing secondhand suits. Many consignment shops carry gently used suiting, sometimes even designer, at very gentle prices.
It’s worth coughing up a few more bucks to have items tailored, because a suit that fits you perfectly won’t feel anything like a bunny costume.
— By Kate Nelson
Nelson is Boulder’s self-proclaimed eco-diva. Contact Nelson at ecokate@live.com.
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