The Outpost

Holiday Shipping

USPS UPS FedEx shipping logos

It is the last week to get holiday gifts in the mail for delivery before Christmas. This week is expected to be the United States Postal Service’s busiest week of the holiday mailing and shipping season. Yesterday was USPS’ holiday shipping deadline for ground service to arrive before Christmas and lines at post offices were long as people queued to get their packages mailed by the deadline.

There may be delays in delivering your packages this Holiday season. The major carriers, USPS, UPS, and FedEx are all experiencing unprecedented volume increases and limited employee availability due to the impacts of COVID-19. Record high volumes of e-commerce orders, COVID-19 closures, and weather events may cause delivery delays.

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Sustainable Cotton

Cotton farming field

What do we mean by the word sustainable? Sustainable is defined as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Therefore, sustainable cotton is grown in a way that can maintain levels of production with minimal environmental impact, can support viable producer livelihoods and communities, and can do so in the face of long-term ecological constraints and socioeconomic pressures.

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Challenges for Cotton

growing cotton farming picking

Wherever it is grown, cotton production can present significant challenges, and in some parts of the world may be associated with high social, environmental and economic impacts.

Cotton farming systems vary significantly between geographical areas. In countries such as the USA, Australia and Brazil, cotton is grown on larger, modernized farms using more mechanized technology and systems. In other parts of the world like India and Mali, it’s more likely to see small-scale, labor-intensive production like hand weeding and picking.

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All About Cotton

Cotton field LumberUnion

Cotton is an amazing fiber; in fact, you are probably wearing something made of cotton right now. This series will explore cotton, its versatility and popularity, its challenges, sustainability, and the future of cotton and textiles.

Cotton touches most of us every day. It makes up nearly 30% of global textiles.

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Questions to ask before you buy new clothes

How to shop for clothes ethically

With the holiday shopping season upon us, there has never been a better time to think about shopping ethically and sustainably. Many big-name stores offer cheap clothing, but their "fast fashion" model exploits workers, uses vast amounts of natural resources and pollutes the environment with toxic dyes and microplastic waste. Additionally, millions of tons of clothing are thrown away every year, landing in landfills having been worn just seven times.

How can you shop for clothes ethically? It is as simple as asking yourself three simple questions before buying new clothes:

  1. How much do I already own?
  2. How much will I wear it?
  3. How long will it last?

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Mindful Shopping - Green Friday

LumberUnion Green Friday sale

The busiest shopping day of the year, Black Friday lands annually on the day after Thanksgiving and traditionally kicks off shopping for the Holiday season. A day known for deep discounts and deals, shoppers queue in long lines and await store openings to get great discounts. As Black Friday has become engrained in modern culture, deals are found both online and as well as in traditional brick and mortar retailers, to incentivize people to shop with abandon on Black Friday and throughout the weekend.

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