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Carmela Federico writes:

My hero is Sally Fox, inventor of Foxfibre, a naturally-colored organic cotton cloth.


BUSINESS HERO:
SALLY FOX

by Carmela Federico


Before Sally Fox invented Foxfibre, the only color cotton came in was beige. If you wanted to wear a cotton shirt that was any other color, someone had to dye that shirt. Most clothes-dyeing processes use toxic chemicals that hurt the environment. Traditional cotton growing also harms the planet: herbicides and pesticides from cotton agriculture have been found to cause cancer in dolphins and other marine life.


Sally Fox decided she wanted to provide a natural alternative to these toxic chemicals. She would produce cotton that naturally grew in different colors.

Native Americans have long known about and used cotton that grows naturally in different colors. The fibers of these types of cotton, however, were too short to be used in a modern textile mill. Since no one cared about the toxicity of dyeing cotton until recently, these naturally-colored cottons were entirely ignored by the rest of the world.

Sally took these fibers and embarked on her own breeding program. She worked to make the fibers longer, to create several rich colors, and to breed plants that stood more upright, allowing for easier organic weed removal. She then successfully marketed cloth woven out of her fibers (Foxfibre), creating a large successful business. Many clothing companies now use her fibers to make naturally-colored organic cotton clothing.


Sally Fox used her lifelong interest in weaving and her training in insect control and biology, and made it possible for us to reduce damage to the environment. For this, she is a hero to me.

Written by Carmela Federico from The Crossroads School in Santa Monica, CA.
Photos courtesy of Sumava Dry Goods
Page layout by Nancy Nickerson



RELATED LINKS

Organic Consumers Association Clothes for a Change

Earthspeaks Organic Clothing

EXTRA INFORMATION

Sally Fox created two successful companies -- Vreseis, Ltd. and Natural Cotton Colours (now operated by Athena Root Mill). Vreseis Limited is the retail and wholesale mail order company through which Sally Fox first sold cotton lint to handspinners. This company now offers lint, sliver, yarn, fabric, and finished products. Natural Cotton Colours, Inc. breeds, grows, and markets FoxFibre ® naturally colored cotton.
fox.gif 1.7 K
Visit the
Foxfibre
website!


 


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Alice Waters  created the world famous Edible Schoolyard Project.Andrew Carnegie  let his heart and not his wealth guide him through life.Anita Roddick is an activist for social and environmental change.Bill Gates , co-founder of Microsoft, is devoted to humanitarian causes around the world.
Dolores Olmedo Patino was a Mexican businesswoman, philanthropist, and art collector.George Lucas , the creator of Star Wars, is both an artist and a business hero.Henry Buhl  started Project Comeback to help recovering homeless people find work.Henry Ford introduced the world to a new era in personal transportation.
Hiroshi Yamauchi was the inventor of Nintendo 64, the Gamecube, and Pokeman.Irwin kept a dream and family bagel business alive Jack Odell was an English engineer who invented the Matchbox car for his daughter.James Rouse 
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Jerry Yang 
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John Tu , founder of Kingston Technology is also a musician and a supporter of the Freedom Writers. Madam C.J. Walker used her business success to fight discrimination and open doors for others.Magic Johnson inspires others with his basketball talents and philanthropic work.
Millard and Linda Fuller  founded Habitat for Humanity.Milton S. Hershey  made a fortune through his love of chocolate.Muhammad Yunus started a bank for poor people in Bangladesh. Nicholas Negroponte created a low-cost laptop for children in the developing world.
Oprah was honored by the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity .Paul Newman through his comestibles, earns millions of dollars for charity.Pleasant T. Rowland  created the American Girls Collection.Ray Anderson is a pioneer of environmental technologies.
 
Robyn Van En  worked to save organic farming businesses in North America.Sally Fox  produced a cotton that naturally comes in different colors.Walt Disney  was both a visionary artist and an entrepreneur. 

 

Last changed on:6/14/2004 10:18:27 AM