Green alternative for wool?

Question

Green alternative for wool?

Answer 1

Uh.... wool is quite green already. I think all of wools alternatives (synthetic fibers) are much less green. No plant based fabrics have the qualities of wool (cotton or hemp).

Answer 2

I would say hemp.

Answer 3

Wool is a renewable resource, so it's green already.  Sheep will grow more wool. If you are referencing the methane produced by sheep, there is research to integrate the stomach bacteria of kangaroos (who have much less gas) into sheep and cows to reduce the methane produced by their belching and farting.  Imagine that.

Answer 4

I am a little confused by your question.  If you mean a natural alternative because wool irritates, for example, there's cotton, linen or silk.

Answer 5

Mohair, oh wait that's wool. Kashmir, oops wool again.

Green nylon. At least the color would be green even though the material is not. Wool is, especially from sheep raised on organic farms

Answer 6

Go naked.  You can't get any greener since it consumes nothing.

Answer 7

Are you allergic to wool?  Wool of course since it is a natural fiber and comes from sheep is already "green."

For insulative properties there is nothing that beats wool.  We do a lot of emergency preparedness stuff, so I study on the properties of certain items.  Wool blankets are the ONLY blanket for 73 hour kits.  Wool retains 80% of it's insulative properties, even when soaking wet.  Wool is naturally fire retardent and a wool blanket can safely be used to put someone who's on fire out....unlike synthetic blankets which would melt to them.

My husband works on the commercial wind turbines, here in the high desert mountain area of Idaho.  Because he works with high voltage electricity, he can only wear natural fibers on the outerlayer, and on the inner layers against his skin.  

If you need to dress warm, but are having problems wearing wool, due to itch, or allergies, there are thinkgs you can do.

First, if it's just itch, wear a layer between the wool, and your skin.  My Dad was a mountain climber.  They wear silk next to their skin.  They make silk tops and bottoms, just like long john tops and bottoms (only not so thick).  They even make silk socks.  All quiet expensive, but well worth it.  You can then wear wool over it.

For your outer layer, if you need to avoid wool altogether, you can get down.  Down is extremely insulative, but totally useless when wet.  It is also usually encased in snythetic fabrics, which are not at all fire retardant.  You can get down filled pants or bib overalls, as well as a varriety of sizes/lengths.

If you are a vegan and against wool, because sheep go to slaught, be aware there are big differences in wool.  Most of the sheep that go to slaughter have course wool, that is used in items like carpets.  It is too course for clothing.  

A lot of the wool breeds, produce a lot of very nice wool, and very little in the way of flesh.  They are kept in herds, and even the male offspring are retained, since it is simply not worth it to slaughter them.  

You can get wool from other animals who's young are not slaughtered.  Like alpaca, or llama wool sweaters.  You will pay a great deal more for those, but the offspring are not slaughtered, and the adults usually have very nice lives on small farms (no worries about animal cruelty).

If you are simply too allergic, or flat out against wearing anything that once had eyes, that leaves out down, wool, and silk.  

Hemp then becomes your best bet.  Of course it is a poor second to wool for its insulative properties.  Learn to dress in a lot of layers.  Invest in very good, very heavy flannel shirt, and flannel lined pants.

You might also want to check out the fleace sweaters that are made from recycled plastics.  They are tremendously expensive, compaired to fleace made from new plastic, but they are kind of green since it is actualy giving plastic a way to be recycled.

Please note, all of what I've typed above it why I wish people would be more specific about their questions.  Adding something like, I'm a vegan, I'm allergic, or I don't think sheep are raised humanely would go a long way toward letting people answer your question simply and accurately.

~Garnet

Homesteading/Farming over 20 years