When we buy something at the store, whether it's a pair of shoes, a CD, an iPod, or a cheeseburger, we rarely consider how it got there. Today, the world is more interconnected than ever before. That means, when you buy a shirt, it most likely went through a long chain of steps before making its way into your closet.
Patagonia is a clothing and outdoor apparel company. Go to their site, The Footprint Chronicles, and track the steps of several products. Try to gain some insight into just what exactly goes into the many steps of making a shirt, pair of shoes, or even a piece of luggage. On the site they not only tell you where the steps happened, but they also describe some of the environmental impacts of the steps.
Respond to one or more of the following questions:
- What surprised you or shocked you?
- Does it change your perspective about your clothes and the things you buy?
- Does it change your perspective on the world? Does it change your perspective on an individual place in the world?
- How does it relate to globalization?
Also, respond to one or more of your classmates' posts.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDelete-Not much
ReplyDelete-Not at all
-Nope, and no.
-Stuff comes from all over the world and mixes cultures along the way, and stuff.
~Kasuga A.
nothing it wasn't that cool to surprise me
ReplyDeleteQ#1-That the stuff comes from really far places.
ReplyDelete-Tacko
alexj: I never realized how just a small jacket or snow pants that i buy every year would put so much C02 into the atmosphere.
ReplyDeleteno because i really dont care about this stuff
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing to know that one piece of clothing that we are wearing has been to many different places. When we thought it only went to the place it says it was made in.
ReplyDelete-Karina Ramirez. =]
I thought it was absolutly crazy that the Patagonia Women's Larissa Trench Coat was $279.00. I have jeans that are pretty expensive that didn't even cost that much. Coming from aother country, i'd figure the items would be cheaper. Then i remembered that the coat i saw was being traded and probably shipped to America, where $300 bucks for a coat is pretty average. It didn't really change my perspective on the clothes i buy...when i see something, and my mom is willing to buy it for me, i'll get it. I do however think things are way over priced, and some things are under priced. It depends on the item.
ReplyDelete-Eden Y. =]
GUY S
ReplyDeletehow can a company that supports green energy and organic materials pay to ship materials from around the world when we have the materials to make it, and reduce greenhouse gasses, by buying and shipping products in the US????
it was pretty interesting to see that simple stuff goes all around the world to get to us.
ReplyDeleteKellin C
It surprised me that the distance that one jacket traveled is the equivalent to flying from Sweden to Australia. This goes to show that many people from around the world are employed and involved in creating a product that can be sold people in the U.S.
ReplyDelete-Ian
Rishuta:through this website we learn how the products we use are manufacture & the end products of it & even the pollution caused by the manufacture of this woolen coat like the co2 context which is given out.The recycle'n of fabric etc.
ReplyDeleteeverything is transported from different places
ReplyDelete-rafael and oscar
1) What surprised you or socked you?
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I was surprised that a simple shirt required so many materials. Each 100% organic women's shirt travels 14,100 miles before it can be sold. I was surprised that the organic cotton came from Izmir, Turkey and then had to travel all the way to Thailand to be sewn, not to mention that the design came from California.
[Kylar L.]
What surprised or shocked you?
ReplyDeleteI was surprised that a single sweater can produce over 7 pounds of CO2
-Sean
I was surprised by how many different places and steps it takes for the article of clothing to be made. For example the the Bottoms were designed in California, went to Japan to be knit, back to California to be cut and sewn, then to Nevada to be distributed, and traveled 7,320 miles.
ReplyDelete-SkylorK
I was surprised about how much Carbon Dioxide was produced during the process of making the article of clothing.For example the red jacket produces 35 pounds of carbon dioxide for every single jacket produced. KeeraC
ReplyDeleteAll this thing are very interested because much people don't now the hard work that others need to do for a simple thing like a pair of shoes.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised at how many different places the clothes had to go through to get here, and how every different step in making them is done in a different country. I never actually realized what a long process it is to make things we use every day.
ReplyDeleteHayley M.
It is amazing how one thing can have come from such long ways. People get up in the morning and pop on some pants without having processed in their minds what that certain pants has gone through. This is indeed one thing we can call globalization due to the fact that everyplace around the world gives a hand so that different styles can be shared amongst us. This sure does open up a whole new perspective of things and has motivated me to actually take more care of the things we have XD
ReplyDelete-Karla S.
It really didn't surprise me the amount of traveling different materials did to make certain products, but what did was the amount of energy required to make them that way. In my opinion it would much more energy efficient to use more local and domestic materials instead of going around the world for the cheap outlet. I also think that many certain jobs can be done locally as well; seeing as the materials traveled to different locations simply to be sewn, or fabricated, it could be more beneficial, perhaps not inexpensive, to create those jobs here and save the foreign labor. christian l.
ReplyDeletethe interesting thing about all this is how much time and effort people put into making something that someone else will eventually throw away.. also all the co2 the things people make produce. its interesting to find out how much one thing can travel.
ReplyDeleterachael and logan..
I was insanely surprised at how much carbon dioxide was released, how much energy it took, and how much waste was created when making such a simple item of clothing.
ReplyDeleteAfter discovering how much work it takes to create something that was thought to be so insignificant will now encourage me to take better care of my clothing, and be grateful for the work put into it. Although it will not effect what i do or do not buy, my perspective about international marketing has been shifted to a larger consent about appreciating what i have.
Sadey S.
It's shocking to see hos things we take for granted came from so many different places and cultures. before now, I'd never really thought about where my clothes and other everyday items come from, or how much time and effort comes from so many people all over the world.
ReplyDeleteVictoria R
I was surprised to find out how many places an item of clothing goes to be made. I thought it was all made in one place and in just the place that the Made In label says. I didn't realize that the cloth was made in one place and then sewn in another. It just shows how much globalization has affected the process of making clothing.
ReplyDelete~Michelle T.
its cool to know were all these stuff come from.......
ReplyDeletehector u
Rey o: The fact that all of the products we have and can buy in the store is really nice, because all of the products come from really far places. Something else that shock me was that by doing this process the product cost less to manufactured. It was also nice to see that simple things like pencils, t shirts, shorts and other simple things move all around the world. By knowing this i will look at the simple things i have and wonder all the different places that helped to manufactured them.
ReplyDeleteI was shocked to realize that because my clothes say they are made in one place, they really come from all over. The amount of CO2 that is released for just one item of clothing is mind boggling. Or the fact that the item of clothing I am wearing now, probably has traveled farther than I ever will. My perspective has changed about the things I am buying because I now understand what all has gone in to making that item. Resources from all over are used to create one thing, that's insane!
ReplyDelete-Amy E.
Something that surprised me was the amount of waste, amount of water and the amount of CO2 that came from making one item of clothing. However it does not change the way I look at clothes it will just make me wonder how far my clothes have traveled before they actually reached my closet. Seeing that America uses parts/resources from other countries is good, we are helping the world out economically.
ReplyDelete-Kellsie S.
There were many interesting things that I found out about the Wavefarer Board Shorts. The biggest thing that stood out was that each pair of shorts travels 10,785 miles from origin to distribution in Reno, Nevada. In Reno, the distribution center is "green." Another thing that stood out wast that 3 ounces of waste is generated per garment. Not much at all!
ReplyDelete-Cody D.
I was surprised the most by how much water and Co2 is wasted in the processing of these garments. However, I thought it was very responsible of Patagonia to share all this information with the public.
ReplyDeleteDara
Its pretty crazy to think about the creation and the materials it took to make something as simple as a shirt, but yet there is a very complex way to manufacture it. I think that it is a good thing that in the world today you can collect things from all around the world if you were to produce a product. It also seems very appealing to consumers that the clothes they were have had a vast journey before reaching there hands. I also think that any ting manufactured is going to put of a lot of c02 and there is never going to be a good outcome for our atmosphere but i don't think that will change the law of supply and demand. Nico D...
ReplyDeleteIt surprised me that many things are transported to different places around the world.
ReplyDeleteERNESTO F.
Its good to know how the product get in to the store. They have to travel so far from place to place.
ReplyDeleteMiguel S
I was shocked by the distance that just one piece of clothing travels before I buy it. Also I expected more energy to be used during manufacture. This doesn't actually change my perspective on my clothes. But from now on, every time I buy clothes I'll think about their journey and waste. I agree with Dara and her thoughts on how it's responsible of Patagonia to let the public know this information.
ReplyDelete-Marithe QM
One thing that amazed me was that something like the wavefarer board shorts could generate 18 pounds of CO2 which is about 43 times the weight of the shorts themselves. -Analeise B.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was cool to see how resources from all over the world are used to make one product.Yes, it would certainly be more efficient for the sake of the world to produce goods locally, but the world's current economy doesn't work that way.
ReplyDeleteBlake Lockard
I was surprised that so many of the countries are in Asia. Also that so many products are made in one place. Such as the sewing being done in China for many of the products. Also that such small things in the overall picture can produce the amount of CO2 that they do.
ReplyDelete-Travis G
Looking at a simple coat, we think, "Oh, that's cute, but it's not cute enough to buy." What we really should be thinking is the effort it took for that coat to be made. A simple coat goes all over the world to be made: Russia, Japan, China, etc. It seems like the average American has no clue that everything we own is like that. Nothing is ever made in just one place. Something "designer" that's made in Italy should say, "collected from Japan, India, Africa, and put together in Italy." There is so much more to a piece of work than where it's put together.
ReplyDelete-Cat S
it shocked me that just to make a pair of nine shorts they have to get fabric from taiwan then get shipped to vietnam to have the fabric sewed then shipped to reno nevada to be distributed, also that 91% of their fabric is from recycled fabric. Dan M
ReplyDeletebrianna m.
ReplyDeletei really like this video because it gives you an idea of where the things are made and not just have the things in just one place.
I am surprised that just to make a skirt that 22 lbs of carbon are created. Not to mention 29,270 miles were traveled overall.
ReplyDelete-Kerry K
The stretch ascent jacket only visits three places until final product/distribution. It starts in Japan where 100% recycled materials are broken down into a product that can be turned into fabric. Once in a fabric form it is sent to China where the pieces are sewed into a actual jacket. After it is manufactured it is sent to Reno, Nevada where it is then distributed around the world. This product is cost efficient and doesn't take very mush to manufacture. Not only is it cheap but it is environmental friendly, only emitting 8 pounds of carbon. Also only 9oz of waste is produced which is recycled to a different fabric for more jackets.
ReplyDeleteTrent J
I was happily surprised to find that Patagonia even incorporates organic cotton into some of their clothing. I followed the destinations of the Kamala Skirt, and I was surprised to find the amount of work put into the cotton that is woven into the skirt. Patagonia is making a real effort to assure that their clothes are environmentally friendly, but also comfortable.
ReplyDeleteConnor A
im amazed of all the different proses in which cloths gos trow in order to be a whole dress or shirt or shoe. plus i learned many things of globalization.
ReplyDeleteMelissa B.
H Brownie: So guess what? So when the Patagonia Capilene Midweight Pants are made some really cool stuff happens! When they are making the fabric in Kaga, Japan they neutralize the odor by using discarded CRAB SHELLS as Chitosan! I thought that was pretty interesting that they use natural things in their enviroment to solve problems. holly b
ReplyDeleteThis is nice to know for reals thats so tight how all the clothes we wear comes a long way!! Daammmm this is really.... im still thinking....
ReplyDeletePaola B.
I was amazed that the down that came from Hungary was sometimes plucked from live geese, although Patagonia request that their down come from geese that are raised for meat and brought to the slaughter house.
ReplyDeleteElla C
I was extremely surprised and intrigued by the amount of water to make the clothes. The skirt used 597 liters of water to make that's almost 300 Pepsi bottles. The other thing that really intrigued me was how far some of the clothing goes, the skirt once again topped everyone else with an amazing number of 29,270. I was really angry to see that the carbon emissions were so high. The last thing amazes me is how high priced this cheap clothing is and how there are nubs in aspen who buy it.
ReplyDeleteZach
Zach is an over-achiever.
ReplyDeleteAfter seeing the process of making clothes and goods that we use everyday, i am in complete awh. To see how polyester goes from being a recycle product to a polyester fibers to sheets of fabric, is simply fasinating. not only that but to see the course it follows and all the places that go into making a simple shirt amazes me. Whether its a train, ship, or plane, goods are constantly being transported. This all makes me open my eyes and realize just how much work, time, and effort goes into making an artical of clothing. I appreciate what i have a lot more.
ReplyDeleteKielee A. and Lexie W.
The down jacket takes a journey to many different places before it comes to Nevada. It is goes from Hungary to China and when you think about it, oh wait we don't think about how much time and effort was put into making a this jacket. I am pleased though, that through all of this that Patagonia uses recycled material.
ReplyDeleteDani T.
Stephanie G. everything that i saw was really interesting but i was surprise that to make a jacket the fabric and other things come from different places that are so far away
ReplyDeleteI find it very interesting how much effort goes into making a simple piece of clothing. Generally I don't buy products that I think are expensive, i.e patagonia, but now that I see why they cost so much to purchase. This will definetly change the way I think when I go shopping
ReplyDeleteKenzie H
andy u. they use old shirts to make new shrits
ReplyDeleteLooking at these products it is extremely interesting to see the amount of resources used to produce a single product. It makes me think about how much work it takes to produce a product that we have very easy access to. It would be very interesting to look at the trips of more products. It also makes me wonder if there are any products made completely in the USA.
ReplyDeleteKevin H
We were surprised to see where the Down sweater got its feathers from. Knowing that we only accept feathers from geese that have already been killed for food is a good thing that the U.S does. While other countries just accept them knowing that the geese were handpicked alive.
ReplyDeleteCristina P. & Viry G.
It is interesting to think that everyday someone walks into a store and thinks only one thing "what do I need to get?" but never thinks where did this come from? How was this made? does this pollute the atmosphere, and if so how much? These will now become apart of some of the questions I may ask myself, now when I go into a store. Though I may not get the answer's I will know and ask and think much, much more the next time I go shopping.
ReplyDeleteSummer T.
WoW i did not know about all of this until now I mean all the hard working people and the time they take to do all of our stuff. All of this is soooooooooo cool and it will change the way when i go shopping for ma cloths.
ReplyDeletePattyG
It's a sobering thought to see the environmental/carbon footprint that the transport of such materials make, and an amazing one to see how globalization has basically interconnected the world to this degree. I knew of this already, but no matter how many times I cross paths with this issue, it never fails to blow my mind. It poses the question, will we always manufacture like this, with material from around the world? Awesome blog Mr. Rankin; oh also, Kasuga, you're going to have to write more than that...
ReplyDelete~Chandler M.
It is shocking how much we rely on other countries for products and materials. Without trade with other countries, we would not be able to provide so many goods for our country.
ReplyDeleteguy s
ReplyDeletemany places experience a shortness of water but none of them have the resources to fix it..... a stronger country needs to step in and help
It would suck to live in Africa, having to walk miles for a bit of water would not be fun.
ReplyDeleteThis video really help you to understand the troubles of our water supply today.
Sean
I already knew that water was scarce in certain areas of the world, but what i didn't realize was to what extent it really is. People don't understand how sacred clean, fresh drinking water is, and they take advantage of it everyday, including myself. In some countries, like africa, finding a secure drinking source that provides fresh water is an everyday struggle. For so many women, their life is committed to finding water, and i was surprised to find out how extreme the situation currently is.
ReplyDeleteSadey S.
Randy c
ReplyDeleteThe berlin wall was a powerfull symbol of the cold war because it divided capitilist and communist.The berlin was was put up at night when everybody was sleeping nobody knew that the wall was going to go up so whatever side you slept on you stayed there their where alot of familys that where split up people lost there jobs cause they wernt on the side with there job. 2.7 million crossed to west germany and over 80 people died before the wall went up.5000 people made it over the wall and 200 didnt make it over.people tried to break it down with cars buses and other thing just to get to the west to get to their family or be free.the berlin wall efected alot of people cause it seperated people from their family.this is why the berlin wall was a power full symbol of the cold war.
Grecia R.
ReplyDeleteThe berlin wall was a big part of the cold war because there were families separated because of the wall. They started to build the wall while everyone was sleeping. People tried to get over the wall but only 5,000 made it safely and only 200 people died while they were passing the wall. Some used a lot of ways to get out for example using cars,buses and other vehicles to ram the wall.
Flora F.
ReplyDeleteThe Berlin wall was a powerful symbol of the Cold War as many people were separated from their families.From 1949 to 1961, millions of people tried to escape east Germany. Some people died during the dangerous attempt, like a man named Peter Fechter.He was so close to freedom until he was shot by one of of the guards on duty. The Berlin Wall separated many families, and many people lost their jobs.The wall was put up over night so whichever side you went to leep on that was the side you you stayed on for many years to follow. Many peoples jobs were on the other side of the wall so many people could not continue them.The berlin wall tore many people apart but in 1989, the people rejouiced by the falling of the Berlin Wall.
Hailey G.
ReplyDeleteThe Berlin Wall was a powerful symbol of the cold war, Many people were separated from their families. :'(
1949-1961, 2.7 million people fled from eastern eastern German, to western Germany. For good lives and freedom. ~80 People died. :[
This happened because eastern Germany was a communist country, while western Germany was capitalist. They had freedom.. So people wanted to go there. While trying to escape,80 people died because they were brutally killed by guards.
The wall separated people during the cold war. The east communist, and the west Capitalist- This means that Berlin couldn't settle it's differences. So they built a wall cutting the two governments in half, If you fell asleep on the east side, you were forbinden(sp?) to leave.
Later on the wall came down, ending the cold war. This was a shocking reality to the citizens! :)
Justin B.
ReplyDeleteThe Berlin Wall was a powerful symbol of the Cold War. In 28 years 80 people who were looking for freedom were killed by trying to climb over the wall to get inside of West Berlin. More than 80 people tried to get over the wall and succeed. Some people got over the wall by jumping out windows of buildings. Some went under the wall. Very few people went for the bold idea and just made a run for it. If all of the people who got over the wall still knew people had died, and there was a risk of dieing still tried to get over the wall. That is saying something about Communist. People died trying to get over the wall to freedom.
Emily.M
ReplyDeleteThe Berlin wall became a powerful symbol of the Cold War when it was built overnight in 1961 trapping people in East Germany.The Berlin wall separated thousands of people from their family, friends and well paying jobs in West Germany.those who lost jobs had to settle for the lesser paying jobs available in East Germany. thousands of people got sick of the communistic society of East Germany and tried to escape and although thousands made it across, over five hundred people were killed by the ruthless guards and traps around the wall. The US became angry at the Soviet Union when they saw the cruel behavior of the guards and started thinking that life in East Germany had to be pretty bad if so many people were risking their lives to cross the Berlin Wall.
henry hill is a hood rat
ReplyDeleteSierra Beightel
ReplyDeleteAfrican Americans were forced to do many things to earn their right to vote. First they had to pass a literacy test, which they were expected to fail since they could not read or write. If they successfully pass the test, they have to pay a poll tax and they couldn't afford it. If they do pay the fee, they have no way of getting to the voting station and African Americans that could drive drove to the voting station, they would be arrested and go in jail. One final obstacle is the difference between life and death, if they voted the sheriff will kill them. If the African Americans could not vote, they would be stuck in an endless cycle because the elected officers wouldn't change the laws.