thrifting for a greener wrld

Why should I thrift when there is fast fashion all around me? Why should I thrift when I can easily online shop and have things delivered to my house at a click of a button? Fast fashion is a large contributor to the quick collapse of our beautiful planet. When you buy second hand, you

are single handedly taking part in a climate action, no matter how small the gesture is. Thrifting helps to lower an individual’s carbon footprint, when you take part in fast fashion, you automatically link yourself to the millions of gallons of water it takes to grow a single kilogram of cotton, along with the non renewable resources burned during the transportation of said products across the world. Thrifting can minimize chemical pollution as the production of crops like cotton require intensive care, meaning extensive use of pesticides. Pesticides can cause soil acidification and contaminate water. This especially becomes a problem for third world countries, who already have issues with water accessibility and sanitation. Not to mention 84 percent of all clothing manufactured worldwide ends up in landfills, where it will sit for decades before it begins to break down. When you thrift you decrease landfill waste, we are running out of safe places to dump our waste. Digging holes in the ground with “leak-proof” liner is old news and isn’t always reliable. Promoting recycling and donating old clothes to Salvation Army or homeless shelters keeps those clothes out of the dump, then you’ve done your part! Second hand buying has its benefits for the buyer as well; everything is unique, there is almost never two of the same pieces which can be incredibly exciting if you are a fashion freak like myself. Not only can you find trendy items from an old lady’s closet but it will only cost you six bucks! It's hard to develop buyer’s remorse when you spend thirty bucks for three pairs of shoes and a faux fur coat! Most local second hand shops are charitable businesses and percentages of their profit go to the homeless or a charity of their choice, not many can say their good deed of the day was shopping for clothes! With that being said, F fast fashion, go out and spend a little extra time rifling through racks and one dollar bins, you might just find some gems. Thank me later!