The green trend sweeping the nation has touched on all aspects of life, including what students wear. Eco-friendly clothes are now being made from soy, corn and bamboo.

Organic cotton is one of the most prevalent alternatives for Earth-conscious shoppers.

Like the coffee industry, apparel providers can promote the quality of their actual product, as well as assure consumers that the people who make it are treated fairly. Many celebrities, designers and activists like Stella McCartney, Sheryl Crow, Laurie David and, of course, Bono, have been promoting socially and environmentally-progressive practices for clothing companies.

This has prompted many stores, both locally and nationwide, to provide organic, sustainable threads for people who want to support "green" with green.

The struggle for college-age eco-enthusiasts has become where to find Earth-friendly clothes in modern, trendy styles and for a reasonable price. Turns out, you don't have to go far.

Pavel Cherny, a sales associate at American Apparel on the Ave., appreciates clothes with a conscience.

"I think [we're] different because a lot of places don't carry organic clothing," Cherny said. "Since it is affordable, it's really nice to get that, and you're helping the environment as well."

According to the Sustainable Cotton Project's Web site, cotton fields are responsible for upward of 25 percent of pesticide use in the United States. Done entirely without chemical fertilizers or pesticides, organic farming provides safer conditions for farm workers and wildlife around cotton fields, as well as regenerating the soil.

American Apparel is not new to advancing social causes. The brand has made a name for itself by flaunting the fact that all of its clothes are sweatshop-free and made in America. It also offers a sustainable line of clothing, made with 100 percent organic jersey cotton. The items, which are all under $20, are available in both men's and women's styles and range from simple T-shirts to thongs; they even have a chic organic outfit for dogs.

The store on 45th and the Ave. used to have a portion of its sales floor dedicated to the sustainable line, but it slowly shrunk due to lack of demand.

"We don't really have that many people coming and asking about it," associate Crystal Davis said. She attributes the lackluster sale to the limited color selection.

"I think if they made a variety of it, it would sell better," she said.

American Apparel still carries its entire sustainable collection on its Web site. Save on shipping by finding the organic gear you want online, and order it to the store location.

This summer, Gap is introducing an organic T-shirt for men as part of its Clothes for a Change campaign. The shirts, sold only in a natural off-white color, will be sold across North America for $16.50.

Levi's has also gone green; their eco line of denim products is made from organic cotton and, in some cases, even recycled zippers and buttons. The jeans are available for men and women in a variety of styles, all for under $100. Other organic cotton jean companies like Loomstate, Del Forte and Habitual are available online and at boutiques in Seattle, but they may cost as much as $200.

Timberland offers an expanded organic selection, including men's T-shirts, polos and button-up shirts.

Another cheap way college students can remain earth-conscious is to buy, sell or donate clothes to second hand stores like Buffalo Exchange, Red Light, Goodwill and Value Village. According to the EPA, secondhand clothing stores annually prevent more than 1 billion pounds of textile waste from entering the solid waste stream.

"We focus on two areas of being socially conscious," Buffalo Exchange Manager Tamara Asakawa explained. "The first one is recycling, of course. We encourage people to recycle and reuse their clothing and not waste material. We also do a lot of work with charities."

The store's Tokens for Bags program allows customers to accept tokens in lieu of plastic bags. The cost of each bag saved then goes directly to charity. Buffalo Exchange also has annual drives to donate old fur clothing to wildlife shelters, and its 2006 Earth Day Dollar Sale generated nearly $42,000 dollars for the Humane Society. This year's drive benefited the Center for Environmental Health.

"It's a really good company," Asakawa said. "It's really nice to work for someone that cares so much for the community and the environment."

So what about those truly grungy clothes that some secondhand stores won't buy from you? Continue to donate even those pit-stained relics to the Goodwill and other donation-oriented services. The textile recycling industry saves an additional billion pounds of textile waste each year, and most recycling firms are small, family-run businesses.

Another alternative is to take those old T-shirts or bed sheets and cut them up to use as cleaning rags. That gives your fabrics a second life, and saves an incredible amount of paper towels.