Be forewarned I am ranting.

If anyone thinks just because someone is overweight means we are not going to want to be part of the greening of our society they are looking at the world in a discriminative lens.

For the last two years, I have attended the Chicago Green Festival put on by Green America and Global Exchange. The 2008 event I was in awe at number of vendors in the convention hall. I was fascinated by clothing I saw there and then was quickly disappointed by the fact that very few vendors carried any sizes beyond an XL, if any at all. 2009 brought about that same disappointment.

I am a woman of size. I remember the days of having to buy adult sized women's clothing to fit my hips when I was still a pre-teen. Fortunately girls and women of all ages and sizes, now have multiple stores dedicated to larger fashion. I have been buying socks made from bamboo at one of those stores.

Back to the point, I felt discriminated against. Several booths of clothing I saw very unique t-shirt made of great organic cotton or some recycled material, I got excited. "Oh, I like that shirt, what size ranges do you carry?" Their response, "The largest size we carry is XL." (I asked what ranges not what size you think I wear.) or my least favorite and most discriminating, "we don't carry *your* size."

The green movement is finally becoming mainstream. Americans are an overweight society. Hoosiers are one of the worst states with an obesity issue. I want Hoosiers and all Americans to eat better, and make better sustainable choices, but if someone does not seize the opportunity to clothe the overweight population in organic or recycled materials, someone is missing a segment of the market place.