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Eco-Textile Made Of Nettle

In some parts of the world you can sleep between nettle sheets, eat off a nettle tablecloth, dine in nettle-enriched steaks and eggs ordered from a nettle-paper menu, in an emergency fish with a nettle line, and in the springtime especially revel with delectable nettle dishes washed down with nettle beer. In fact, this is only a portion of this wild edible’s capabilities”. ~ Angier

Nettle is among those plants – beside bamboo, eucalyptus, cedar and Indian lotus – in the world that has several areas of use. It is not only a common herb that you can make tea of, but nettle kept generations alive and healthy by providing food, drink, paper, clothes and other equipment for surviving in the wild (e.g. fishing net).

Prehistoric textiles were made of nettle, started to spread in the Bronze Age and were popular again during the World Wars, mostly because it was the only available material for clothes. It was widely presumed that production of plant fiber textiles in ancient Europe, especially woven textiles for clothing, was closely linked to the development of agriculture. Researchers discovered that ancient people were conscious users of wild plants too, they not only used cultivated flax and hemp to make clothes. They even trade nettle textiles in the continent. The nettle cloth found in Denmark – tells a surprising story about long-distance Bronze Age trade connections around 800 BC – was made in Austria.

The royals favoured the finest nettle in their clothes and home textiles, the use of which was forbidden from the rest of the citizens! The nettle fibres were a highly respected fibres among the people.

Today, the world population is on increase, but land doesn’t. The demand for sustainable textiles is increasing, which is great news. By converting nettle stalks into a linen-like fabric, some companies have started to create an eco-fabric out of natural rather than synthetic materials and employ thousands of artisans across the globe. Their project has benefits beyond the current generation. With the success in nettle eco-fiber production, they will reduce the need for conventional fiber and in turn the amount of greenhouse gases produced during conventional fiber production.

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World Nature Conservation Day

World Nature Conservation Day is observed on July 28 across the world to raise awareness about protecting the natural resources. Nature is facing huge problems like deforestation, illegal wildlife trade, conventional intensive farming, loss of biodiversity, pollution, etc. Everyone must promote environment-friendly activities in their daily life to lead a Green Lifestyle. Together, we can make an effective change for a cleaner, greener future where we help nature and nature helps us.

“Nature doesn’t need people – people need nature; nature would survive the extinction of the human being and go on just fine, but human culture, human beings, cannot survive without nature.” ~ Harrison Ford

Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) is a very popular herbal ingredient in natural cosmetics. It contains a lot of minerals and vitamins (A and E) that are essential in the health of the skin, hair and nails. You can find nettle soap, nettle shampoo, nettle face mask, and even nettle nail oil in the natural cosmetic market. The internet is filled with homemade nettle product recipes if you want to make your own beauty care products. You can reduce your ecological footprint if you reduce your artificial, unhealthy chemicals that would harm the environment. With this, you lower your plastic waste too!

There is a complicated connection net between species – an ecological interdependence. Nettle supports over 100 species of insects, including butterflies and moths as a food source. Sir David Attenborough has called on gardeners to plant a wild flower meadow and cultivate a nettle patch to help butterflies struggling to survive the wet summer in the UK.

Nettle is among the major sources of green plant material consumed in the field by the snails. They all know that nettle is tasty and full of nutrients. The presence of stinging fibers on nettle acts as a defense against many grazing animals, creating a comfortable habitat for our beneficial friends, some of whom are pollinators. The community of organisms depending on nettle is very large. Just think of all the predatory insects, spiders, amphibians and birds which take advantage of this feast.

Let’s plant nettle in our gardens to help nature!