This time of year we have lots of dress up events and theme nights at games, school dances, homecoming dress up days, etc. I’ve noticed a lot of my classmates are running out to go shopping for new outfits and accessories for each event and realized it’s a good opportunity to talk about fast fashion.
With fashion trends moving towards cheap, mass produced clothing that’s used only once or twice and thrown away, this makes a significant issue for our planet.
In the U.S. most wardrobes are overflowing with clothes and most teenagers have several unworn items in their closets. The producing of clothes uses a lot of natural resources and creates greenhouse gas emissions. Overall, the fashion industry is responsible for 8-10% of global emissions, according to the UN – more than the aviation and shipping combined.
It’s fun to dress up for school spirit events but the trend I’ve noticed with acculmulating items that are one-time use is concerning because that’s not good for the earth.
How to make choices to put the planet first:
- Borrow items you need and share what you have to save the extra consuming all around
- Donate what you are not using so others can enjoy
- When you can’t come up with items in your own closet or borrow from friends, venture on to secondhand stores. It’s fun to scrape together cute outfits and have lots of fun creating new looks without consumption or waste.
For the Pink-Out game last week, 8 of my friends helped save the earth in a small way by borrowing from each other and promised to not purchase any new items for the game. That’s a Win!
We also made a challenge to the entire student body to reuse/recycle the same way for Homecoming. No new purchases for one-time use wear. This makes an impact not only for the game, but it keeps the issue top of mind for all of us. It’s a good reminder to take care of the earth with our shopping options.
