I've always been a bit insecure in the butt department. Not that my posterior is particularly gigantic, but in the words of the fashion magazines that I devoured as a teenager, this was my "problem area." I've long outgrown those mind-warping glossies and accepted that not all of us are long, lanky and lean-no matter how many hours we spend on the treadmill.

But when I find a pair of jeans that lengthens my legs and minimizes my rear in the miraculous way that only good denim can, I wear them. And wear them. And wear them, until the thighs are threadbare and the hems tattered. And then I start looking for a new pair to replace them, because by this time the manufacturer has certainly stopped making the style I love, and any remnant pairs have probably been chopped up and made into eco-friendly home insulation.

Which brings us to today. The thighs of my favorite Levi's are so thin, I'm afraid they'll split when I bend down to pick up the Barnacle (read: Baby). So I'm on the hunt for a new pair. And given what I now know about denim...

• Most denim is made of cotton, which is one of the most heavily sprayed crops in the world and accounts for 25% of all pesticides used in the U.S., according to the Sustainable Cotton Project.
• It takes about two-thirds of a pound of pesticides to make enough cotton for one pair of jeans. (Put a pound of flour in a bowl for a scary visual on that one.)
• Pesticides like diuron and acephate used in cotton production are considered carcinogenic by the Environmental Protection Agency (not the most alarmist of organizations).
• Cotton production introduces these chemicals into the water table and food chain.
• 67 million birds die each year from pesticide poisoning; the chemicals have also been linked to mutant frogs found with extra legs and eyes.

...the denim I'm searching for must be made of organic cotton, hemp or bamboo, all of which are grown without pesticides or insecticides. In fact, bamboo absorbs five times as many green house gases and produces 35% more oxygen than the equivalent amount of trees!

But all the oxygen in the world won't make me squeeze into pants that make my butt look big. I tried on a pair of Linda Loudermilk's ridiculously soft bamboo denim jeans last week, but they made my thighs look like sausages and gapped at the waist. Obviously destined for the long-and-lean category. 

I've always been a Levi's girl, but their organic cotton "green tab" line is so difficult to find. They seem to have phased them out online, and even at the Levi's store, only a few styles are available at a time.

Green from the get-go organic cotton Del Fortes are super cute, but difficult to locate offline. And although I know I can send them back, I'm afraid I'd have to buy eight online to actually find a pair that fits.

I'm heartened by the fact that oh-so-popular J Brand has introduced their eco-friendly Green Label and am heading off to the nearest haute boutique to try on a pair. After all, if I'm only buying one pair of $200 jeans every three years, that breaks down to just about twenty-two cents a day!

And as for my all-time favorite jeans, the fits-so-good AG Angel by Adriano Goldschmeid? (Pictured above and no that's not my butt.) Although their marketing department assures me that organic denim is in the works, it's not in stores yet. I'll just have to wait.

And be really, really careful when I bend down.

P.S. When I do replace my old jeans, no way am I throwing them in the trash. The average American throws out 68 pounds of clothes and textiles every year, only to have 2.5 billion pounds of the stuff diverted by the American textile industry for repurposing. Me? I'm recycling my denim into shorts, a skirt or, at the very least, patches. Because my new jeans are sure to wear thin someday. And I'll definitely need something to shore them up while I search for a new pair.

Do you have a favorite pair of green jeans? I so need to know about it!

Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff also blogs on fashion at www.ecostiletto.com

Related Reading:
The (re)Birth of Frucool
20 Ways to Keep the Landfill Empty


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