Your old jeans can become new, non-toxic insulation

Donate your old denim jeans at two stores in Montgomery County and they'll have them turned into natural cotton-fiber insulation.

Last year the denim collected was recycled into 75,000 square feet of UltraTouch cotton insulation, which was then used to insulate more than 80 Habitat for Humanity homes on the recovering Gulf Coast.

This year the Amicus Green Building Center in Kensington, Md., is teaming up with Habitat Restore of Montgomery County and National Geographic Kids magazine to go for a new Guinness world record. The resulting cotton insulation will go to Habitat homes in the Gulf Coast region.

Chip in -- donate your denim! Bring your jeans, jean jackets, any denim items to the Amicus store through June 12 or to the Habitat Restore in Gaithersburg through June 15. Learn more here.

My only question is: Does it matter what color denim, or can they recycle any color? Maybe they'll leave the answer in a comment below.

Update, May 12: Jason Holstine of Amicus Green wrote me and said that any color denim is fine, as long as it is "relatively clean."