What does it mean to be green?
Being green means acting in an environmentally responsible manner.
Alpacas are green? YES!
- Their soft padded feet do not cut into the topsoil.
- Alpacas are kinder to the pasture, they do not pull up grass by the roots.
- This allows faster pasture recovery and minimizes soil erosion.
- Alpacas’ fiber, grows quickly and is lighter, warmer (meaning it takes fewer strands than wool to insulate) and softer than wool.
- Alpaca fiber is naturally hypo-allergenic, meaning it does not contain lanolin.
- Alpacas consume far less water than most other herds. Their efficient 3-stomach digestive system metabolizes most of what they eat.
- Their pellet-like droppings are Ph balanced and an excellent, natural, slow release, low odor fertilizer or for use as bio-fuel.
- They lack upper incisor teeth, so they do not chew and tear the native vegetation. Rather, they gently "cut" it against their palate, which encourages plant regrowth.
- Sheep fleece contain lanolin (the substance that causes wool allergies). A multi-step detergent wash is needed to remove most of the lanolin. Alpaca needs to go through a fiber-scouring phase also – just fewer and less harsh chemicals are required.
- Alpacas come in many natural colors – offering a full array of ‘natural’ as opposed to chemically dyed products.
- Manufacturing synthetic fibers is energy-intensive and can release lung-damaging pollutants such as nitrogen and sulfur oxides, particulates, carbon monoxide and heavy metals into the air, as well as climate-warming carbon dioxide.
- Even the less desirable fiber (lower legs, stomach, neck etc) is being used as natural weed mats around trees, and for indoors rugs.
- Alpaca clothing breathes naturally which helps keep perspiration away from the skin.
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