Around the world, indigenous societies have known how to take local resources and create everything from clothing to housing. In our new eco conscious society we are now discovering the need to look at what is available from existing resources instead of constantly creating something new. The following list of natural resources are great examples of taking an unexpected local renewable resource and creating something useful in all realms of life.
Pineapple Husks
Pineapples have rolled out of the kitchen and made their way into the living room in high style. Cheryl Janis of PlanetPinknGreen.com featured an innovative company named Pleats Home who brilliantly featured gorgeous draperies made in the Phillipines out of a combination of the sap, core and husk of a pineapple. As it turns out, around the world the utilizing pineapples husks has been an old tradition in the Philippines where ceremonial skirts and gowns have been fashioned out of the plant for for generations.
Soon, we may see a pineapple husk coat sauntering down fifth. The benefit of using pineapple husks is that designers are taking a portion of a fruit that is normally discarded and using it to create a high quality, durable material that is biodegradeable and quite beautiful and soft.
Piña
Commonly made and used in the Phillipines but is making its way to clothing manufacturers around the world. Piña is made by pulling the fibers away from the the long leaves of the pineapple. Once made into a fabric Piña is similar in appearance to linen. To create the actual material, Piña is combined with silk or polyester to create a wearable, lightweight and easy to care for garment. The benefits of Piña include:
- biodegradable
- sustainable existing resource
- allows indigenous people to create income from local resource
Current uses of Piña are clothing, table linens, bags and floor mats.
Coir
Another fiber that has jumped from the blender into the design world is Coir. Coir fibers are found between the husk and the outer shell of the coconut. Some benefits of coir:
- relatively waterproof
- resistant to damage from saltwater
- biodegradable
- harvested from the ground once they have fallen
Current uses of coir include floor mats, mattresses, and bags.
Ramie
Found in Eastern Asia, ramie a native flowering plant, ramie is one of the oldest crops known to man. In fact, ramie has been around for so long that is has even been found as the outermost layer of mummy cloth in Egypt during the period 5000-3300 BC.
Benefits of ramie:
- one of the strongest natural fibers (even stronger when wet)
- resistant to fungus and mold
- can be blended with cotton and wool
Due to the fact that extraction and cleaning process are still rather expensive, the uses have been somewhat limited. Currently, ramie is used to in industrial sewing thread, packing materials, fishing nets, and filter cloths. The durability also lends itself to being used for upholstry. In the fashion world, ramie is frequently found in blends with other fibers such as wool.
Elena Lipson - Elena aka EcoDiva is a freelance eco-writer and consultant as well as a mama to sweet toddler who keeps her on the move and motivated to ...
