The heat is on, and it's organic cotton that is getting hot!

Over the year 2007-2008, the production of organic cotton increased by an unbelievable 152%, according to the Organic Trade Association, and continues to grow at about a rate of 50% per year, according to the venerable Wikipedia.

So, what is organic cotton? And why the sudden explosion?

The Organic Trade Association defines organic cotton as “cotton that is grown without chemical fertilizers or pesticides from plants which are not genetically modified.” Pretty simple. So, why is that so great? Because chemical fertilizers and pesticides are coming increasingly into the spotlight for their horrific effects on the environment and the health of humans and other animals.

Use of inorganic fertilizers can upset the stability of mineral ions in the soil. Over time, this can cause the fertility of the top soil to degrade, and cause it to become more susceptible to erosion.

Use of chemical fertilizer also destroys the natural ecosystem of bacteria, fungi, earthworms, and other beneficial organisms that live in the soil. This eventually leads to a loss of humus, the naturally occurring plant nutrients created by the decomposition of organic matter. This deteriorates the natural fertility of top soil – simultaneously causing the need for more fertilizer, and accelerating the damage. The porosity of the soil is also affected, meaning the roots can no longer acquire sufficient oxygen and take in salts as well.

These unabsorbed nitrates are carried by rain water into rivers and lakes, where they accumulate and pose a threat to aquatic life. The degradation of soil causes it to become dry and powdery, and the wind begins to carry it away. This is the primary cause of what is known as 'desertification' – the conversion of once-arable land to desert.

Excessive nitrates in the soil also find their way into the fruits and grains we eat. These are very bad for humans, small children especially. They are known to cause 'Blue-Baby Syndrome' (a horrifying condition in which the oxygen-carrying capacity of hemoglobin in the blood is reduced, leading to the death of the infant), and miscarriages in pregnant women.

Chemical fertilizers also degrade the efficiency of denitrifying bacteria in the soil, meaning that some of the excess nitrogen is released into the air as nitrous oxide – a greenhouse gas some 300 times more powerful than carbon dioxide, and one which virtually nothing uses...meaning that, once it is in the atmosphere, it stays there. There isn't anything to remove it.

The pesticides are a whole other realm of bad...these, too, are persistent chemicals which eventually find their way into the food-chain and watersheds and, hence, into our own bodies.

Along with the same basic issues as the fertilizer regarding the degradation and pollution of the soil for chemical pesticides, the American Medical Association has this to say about them:

“Particular uncertainty exists regarding the long-term effects of low-dose pesticide exposures. Current surveillance systems are inadequate to characterize potential exposure problems related either to pesticide usage or pesticide-related illnesses…Considering these data gaps, it is prudent…to limit pesticide exposures…and to use the least toxic chemical pesticide or non-chemical alternative.”

Wikipedia informs us that, according to the United Nations Environment program and the World Health Organization, about 3 million workers get severe enough poisoning from working with the chemicals to die every year. About 25 million more suffer more 'mild' poisoning every year. There are also the more long-term effects of continuous low-dose exposure (which, between the ubiquity of the chemicals, watershed contamination, and wind-carried drift from the aerial sprayers, pretty much everyone in the world has). It has been linked to respiratory problems, memory problems, neurological damage, depression, dermatological conditions, cancer, miscarriages, and birth defects. And, again, it is children who are most effected and at risk.

Growing organic is different.

Natural compost and manure are used as fertilizer, enhancing the soil's natural ecosystem. Beneficial organisms and insects are used to keep pests away. One study, authored by Sasha B. Kramer and Harold A. Mooney of Stanford University, showed the benefits of organic methods quite clearly. According to their results, the non-organic methods resulted in more than 5 times the amount of pollutants being released.

Egypt, in the 90's, converted 400,000 hectares of land from conventional to integrated cotton farming techniques (meaning a combination of organic and conventional chemical), and achieved a 90% reduction in pesticides, while simultaneously seeing a 30% increase in yields!

SustainableCotton.org has a nifty 'fiber footprint' calculator, which reveals that organically grown cotton has less than half the footprint, in all categories, of cotton grown with conventional methods.

The long and the short of it is simply this: organic cotton is exploding because it is markedly better for the environment in virtually every way, and people are increasingly conscious of their effect on the environment. More importantly, they are beginning to speak with their wallets. And speak loudly. As the number of people making sustainability a major factor in their decision-making increases, so too will the migration to organic and integrated agricultural techniques....

….And that is some of the best news I've heard all year. Every person who makes the decision to 'Go Green' and buy organic brings us, as a species, one step closer to living in harmony with this beautiful world. Keep it up, folks.

Together, we really can make a difference.