So what’s this all about? - Viv

Travis and I are forever discussing the climate crisis, plastic waste, consumerism and other topics that are depressing and frustrating. I feel like every time I buy something I'm angry that the box it came in was stuffed with styrofoam or that I didn't consider how much of the item was not recyclable or I can't find anything that seems to be built to last for more more than a few years, sometimes months. I get annoyed at others for putting their bananas in plastic bags, for not using reusable grocery bags, for consuming too much meat, for buying a new winter jacket seemingly every year, but despite all of the things others are doing to contribute to this enormous problem we're facing I'm also a part of the problem. We've all been brainwashed into thinking that buying more will make us happier, that shopping is a great way to relieve stress or feel better about ourselves, but this is a destructive idea. The planet cannot sustain this lifestyle so I'm going to try to not buy anything for a year and see how it goes. I know buying a banana from thousands of miles away is also problematic, but one lifestyle change at a time.

I watched a documentary on fast fashion a few years ago and I can't get it out of my head. I think it's because I had never considered the incredible amount of waste generated by the shopping that millions of people engage in. I suppose I thought of clothing as mostly made of cotton, which makes it biodegradable and thus didn't "count" as part of the huge piles of garbage. These days we don't make clothing exclusively out of cotton, wool or other degradable materials. A lot of clothing is made out of plastics which washes out of our clothes and enters ecosystems as microplastics. Not to mention the greenhouse gases involved in creating the products and shipping them around the world to be sold.

I feel disheartened when I think about the amount of waste there is in the world, so many products made and shipped and then discarded almost immediately (dollar stores, I'm looking at you). So many products are bought as a gag, or as a cheap stocking filler, or as a gift for someone you feel compelled to get something for but you don't really know them. Sometimes we buy things because it looks great in the store but when we get home we realize it's actually kind of crappy, but we don't have the receipt or we've left it in a corner for too long to return so we chuck it. This is such a loss. There are too many people suffering in the world from not having enough, and many other people suffering from the effects of climate change. I hope that there is more action taken by those with the power to do something, but I don't know that they'll do anything without people making a stand against the status quo and that's what I'm trying to do here.