3 min read•july 11, 2024
Aditi Pardeshi
Aditi Pardeshi
Imagine walking in a mall, glancing your eyes over the dozens of mannequins with flashy sparkles or muted, neutral colored clothing. One store catches your eye though: H&M. It has words plastered inside like “Recycle Your Clothes and Get 15% Off!” H&M is a store known for it’s “fashion-forward” and cheap clothing—emphasis on cheap. Have you ever thought about where your clothes come from? Have you noticed a rack full of the same clothing item that you just picked up? If you answered no to the last question, then you’re not alone.
When shopping, we often see only what catches our eye and ignore everything else. We focus on one specific item and set our minds to purchase that particular item. We don’t see the “behind the scenes” of how that cute sweater from Forever 21 was produced, which is a huge problem.
“Fast fashion” is the production clothing at a fast pace, without paying attention to the impact on workers and/or the environment. Typically, it’s much cheaper than sustainably-made fashion. “Slow fashion” is “eco-” and “labor-” friendly fashion and is usually priced higher and could be harder to find due to the extensive–and expensive–process it takes to create these products. The Sustainable Fashion movement hopes to counteract detrimental problems that our planet faces such as issues with plastic, pollution, and other acts of destruction. Sustainable fashion is gaining spotlight in the world in efforts to protect our dying planet.
You never know when you might need a sip of water. With unpredictable weather, you should always be ready for hot or humid weather. Bonus points if you purchase a bottle from a company that sends a part of their proceeds to a good cause. Sand Cloud is a company where you can find all sorts of beach items to suit your summer needs!
Whether you go shopping or you eat at a restaurant, bring a reusable bag to carry your clothes, leftovers, and practically anything else. That’s one less plastic bag that ends up in a landfill!
Carpooling isn’t only a great way to hang with your friends and jam out to your favorite songs, it’s great because it also releases less toxic fumes into the air. Mass transit systems such as the bus or the train are equally as fun, especially if they’re air-conditioned!
As I mentioned before, Sand Cloud is one company that has trendy beachwear and accessories. 10% of their proceeds go to ocean cleanup. If you do purchase their merchandise, use the hashtag #savethefishies when you post your great buy on Instagram! (Bonus: use my code HOLISTICNEWYORKER15 for 15% off). Recycle your clothing by selling them on apps such as Poshmark, Tradesy, Vinted, Threadflip, Listia, ThredUp, Mercari, and Everdrobe. (Poshmark is my personal favorite!)
Sustainable fashion needs to start somewhere and with someone, and that someone can be you! With your efforts to save the planet in this time of need, we can help to make a change for our dying planet and revive our beautiful Earth. We can’t afford to subject the future generations to a wasteland if we do not act now. We can still make a difference in our community. After all, it takes one person to start a change and many to continue it.
⚡ Curious about the sustainability and care for the environment? Watch our AP Environmental Science streams!
This post is not sponsored by any company mentioned above and all property and photos belong to each company respectively.