Your Health, Sanity, And.........Tshirts?

The other night, while researching a bit for this article, I was trying to think of an appropriate name for it. I jotted down a bunch of names and nothing seemed to fit. Finally “Your Health, Sanity, And
Tshirts” made perfect sense. Of course, admittedly, a lot of things make perfect sense to me, and me only, and a lot of issues ring true to others that leave me clueless.

Though I consider myself an expert by no means, I have seen, in my now over a half-century on this planet, trends come and go. I have heard hype and I've heard truisms, seen fads come and go, and experienced them all. Probably so have you. In 1978, I became convinced that natural foods would one day catch on. I opened a health food store. That in itself may not seem like such a big idea to many, but I did so in rural Mississippi. Of course to many, I was a “pagan at best”. It mattered not. I was only twenty-eight and learning to carve my niche (which, incidentally took many twists and turns well into my forties).

Never in a million years would I consider that my clothes were killing me. We hear much about mercury poisoning from the fillings in our teeth, and, sure enough, those were no “wolf cries”. Even the tiny bits of mercury in our fillings not only kill us, but in some ways that is the good news. Before they do that, they zap our immune system causing everything from cancer to heart disease to
depression and yes, even insanity. Not every time but it can.

Now that the planet is a bit more “green”, at least we try to think and act more earth-friendly by recycling, (hopefully) driving smaller cars that use less gas, or even hybrids, and we surely have not littered, most of us, in decades.

But what about our Tshirts? I had a feeling that was the next question on your mind. The latest wolf cry is that our Tshirts, among other clothing, or at least the chemicals and dyes in them are killing us. As it turns out, this wolf-cry is the truest of them all. The skin is our body's largest organ and absorbs everything and rather rapidly

But what does that have to do with Tshirts? Americans love Tshirts, and, the average American has dozens of them, containing graphic art. Many of the tees themselves are dyed with a chemical dye that seeps through the skin the minute it is worn. Does washing take it out? I wish I could say so, but not. It does basically similar things to us that the mercury in our teeth do. Many of us love wearing our tees often. As I said, it can happen with any type of clothing, depending on the fabric itself and dye process.

Cotton is one of the most sprayed plants with insecticide and accounts for at least ten percent of
this type pollution. Much of it stays in the fabric. This is in addition to the chemicals in the dyes.

The solution? Go green with your tees. Make sure the company uses all natural toxic free dyes. Make sure the tee is 100% organically grown cotton. Not only will you feel better about what you are doing for the planet, but what you have on. These tees really do feel better. Do they cost more? Not as much as you may think. The average I've found is about $5 more. Not a bad deal at all for what all you get in return. And once you feel the organic cotton on your skin, it is impossible to go back to anything less. Really. And I'm not crying wolf.

Lean, Green, Retailing machine

In case you haven’t noticed, retailers, even giants, are “going green”. It was bound to happen and it is a welcome change. Of course the Wal-marts, Targets and Sams Clubs of the world, most likely, will never go fully earth-friendly, and merely offer sections in their stores rather than become another Whole Foods, it is still a very good sign.

Why is it a good sign. The obvious part is that anything a person, organization, company, or group and do, in any tiny way, to leave shorter “carbon footprints”, the better. The signs of a “planet in trouble” have been with us for awhile. It is nothing new. Today, one does not need to be what was commonly referred to as a “tree-hugger” to do their part in pitching in to help in their own small way to help the planet.

I am a cartoonist and online retailer. I sell licensed images of my cartoon images on
a myriad of products such as Tshirts, mouse pads, coffee mugs, and others. When I told my friends I was planning to open a 100% organic cotton (using nontoxic dyes) T-shirt shop as my latest online venture, a good many of them laughed. And not at my cartoons. Some felt I was “losing it”. The truth is, I am finding it. Though I don’t know if I will ever become 100% earth-friendly in my entrepreneurial pursuits, that is my goal. I still have many existing customers at other stores who have supported us all these years, and they are a completely different market. It is imperative to cater to them and provide a product and service that they have come to appreciate. It does not make them “bad” or me bad for providing that.

What would make me bad is if, now that I have been given the opportunity to get into
the “green sector” of business, not to have taken it. Actually, I had been trying for a long time, but I could not strike a deal with a manufacturer that suited me. I wanted to find one in which I could provide an extremely high quality fabric, and have my cartoon images imprinted with natural dyes that would not harm the skin. Easier said than done. There were a few our but there was always an issue or minimal purchases, quality control, etc.

Finally, thanks to a print-on-demand company called Zazzle.com, and contracts they
have with American Apparel and Edun Organics (two of the best), I can offer the
quality green tee and have it printed and drop-shipped anywhere in the world within
24 hours. Not bad, and at very competitive prices.

Statistics show that eco-friendly shoppers have tripled in America in the past sixteen months. It is rare when such a business phenomena happens, in which the products may cost a few dollars more, in an “iffy economy”. That generally means it is not “just a trend” but becoming the mainstream. So green retailing and buying is not just a good thing it is a smart thing, an investment in body, soul, mind, and planet earth. The return on investment is priceless.

Americans, and citizens of other countries, love our t-shirts. According to a study, the average American has at least thirty designed tees, and almost one hundred percent have a “favorite one”. I know I do. We also are health-conscious people these days. We try to eat healthier foods, take organic vitamins, eat less red meat, consume less trans-fat. The skin is the largest and most absorbable organ the body has. Wearing non-toxic dye tees is smart. And wearing premium ones, paying about $5-6 more than one would for a regular cotton or cotton blend tee is even smarter. It looks sexier. It feels better. And one is doing their part to help the planet a little. To me, that kind of peace of mind is worth a lot more than a McDonald’s Happy Meal.

Rick London is a freelance writer, cartoonist, and e-tailer. He is the first cartoonist to become earth-friendly with his merchandising with Rick London Organics at http://www.ricklondonorganics.info

Funniest Earth-Friendly Tees On The Internet

Rick London Organics now carries both men and women's organic cotton tees
featuring Londons Times award-winning cartoons. These premium green tees
are made by both American Apparel and Edun Organics, two of the best
eco-friendly textile manufacturers in the country. Edun was launched and
is run by Bono of U2 and his wife Ali. Rick London Organics owes a special
thanks to both American Apparel and Edun Organics for making this store
possible, and, at a price in which we can discount our tees making them
more accessible to everyone! Visit today: www.ricklondonorganics.info


buy unique gifts at Zazzle

Organic Tees Store URl

Rick London Organics is at www.ricklondonorganics.info

Thanks all!

Internet Cartoonist Thanks Bono Of U2 For Helping Launch Green Business

I owe Bono (of the band U2) and his wife Ali a tremendous thank you for helping me launch my business. The great irony is, they probably will never read this, and will never know what they did for me. But what they are doing for the planet, with Edun Organics is not only a business they launched, of organic cotton textiles to make eco-friendly clothing, but (at the risk of sounding overly-dramatic) a gift to humanity.

In 1997, after working for twenty years in the corporate world, I faced unemployment due to health issues which would eventually disable me. I could no longer do the work I had been trained to do and worked so hard in to make a contribution.

As time went by, I became a cartoonist and freelance writer. I put up a cartoon site and it became more or less a hobby, with eventual small sales to publications. By 2005, I had been doing this from my home like a robot, I never really looked up to see the achievement. But I was now getting requests from major charities to send them autographed cartoons for their celebrity auctions. I was getting requests to buy cartoons from magazine, website, and ezine publishers. Manufacturers wanted to license my images.

I was surprised to see I had over 8000 original cartoons on my site now, over 3 million annual visitors, and highly rated on Google and Alexa among other analytical sites.

Now I had thirteen stores yet something was missing. I had always been aware of the environment and how fragile our planet is. Even though my products were selling wonderfully on such items as tees, mouse pads, coffee mugs, hoodies, and the like, something was still missing.

The world was turning eco-friendly, finally, and I was being left behind, even though I had always tried to live my life that way. So I started my search for organic cotton manufacturers and though I found a number of them, the minimum order was just too much.

Then I came across a POD (Print On Demand) established firm called Zazzle and noticed they
handled men's and women's organic cotton tees that uses a totally nontoxic dye process. Not only that, but all I had to have was the graphic, and place it on the product digitally, and they did the rest, from producing the product to shipping it. No minimum. I could sell them individually, or wholesale.

The firm making the product is called Edun Oganics. Edun is “Nude” backwards. I launched my organic cotton tee store last month and discovered I was the first cartoonist, I'm told, to “go green”.

Today, I read that Edun was launched and is owned by Bono (of the band U2) and his wife Ali. Chances are they will never see this article, and that is okay. I will write them a thank you note. They leveled the playing field for me. I finally was able to align my actions with what was/is in my heart, thanks to someone who had already brought me much joy with his music, and his wife,
Ali. Thank you Bono and Ali, in case you ever see this. You made this cartoonist, who was once considered disabled, a very happy man, and I finally get my chance to give something back to the planet.

Londons Times Cartoons Goes Green

The transition to start a “green business” or “eco-friendly” one, as it is often called, is not always as easy as it seems. I felt it would be an easy challenge for me, seeing that I had launched one of Mississippi's first health food stores. There was no Internet, no Google, no blogging, nothing.
I paid high rent in a mall across from the local university. The local townsfolk felt I might be possessed to believe that natural products might be better than what could be bought at A & P Grocery.
(I am showing my age here).

Many years career changes later, I finally settled on e-commerce and cartooning. I found a way to have my cartoon images printed on demand and drop-shipped. Sales were great from the start, as I had already built a name with a non-commerce producing cartoon site. There was one problem. I wanted some of my items, particularly tshirts to be made from organic cotton. I knew that I was and am but one person, but when I read that regular cotton production accounts for 10% of the world's insecticide pollution, I knew I had to do something.

I started my search in 2006 after opening the first of my stores. No luck. I made call after call. I did manage to find some organic textile manufacturers, but they wanted me to order the product in bulk and resell it. That is not “my thing”. So I kept trying.

Suddenly this year, while reading various blogs on unique cartoon gifts and collectibles, I ran across a post stating the name of a print-on-demand firm that offered not only men's and women's organic cotton tees, but also made with totally nontoxic dyes. This was a major concern to me. I had remembered when in the health food business, back when non-food organic items were rarely paid much attention, I had told an organic clothing salesperson that if they could promise me the dyes were nontoxic, I would give them a try. They were not, and I've since learned many organic and other so-called organic items are printed with toxic dyes.

Don't get me wrong. I am not a fanatic. But many of my customers have a certain lifestyle. Just because it is organic, is not enough. It has to be healthy, and healthy means natural dyes. Just this month, I found the firm, and finally, after a two year search, found the firm.

I launched the store this month and, true to form, those regular customers who had queried me so often about having “green merchandise” in the inventory are happy as can be, not to mention healthier. Our earth is fragile, and, often it seems easier to be ambivalent. But everyone can do a little something to make a difference. I by launching the store it has made my own approach toward the environment change (for the more positive). I try to wear the organics more often than not. I recycle. I associate
with a whole new network who are either own a green business or are transitioning towards one.
It is a very healthy and positive group of smart, savvy people with a good conscience and heart.

www.ricklondonorganics.com
www.londonstimes.us