To Live a Life of Sustainability
The decision to shop mindfully and sustainably can be an intimidating one. Having an all or nothing mindset can also make this transition more difficult. It is important to not overwhelm ourselves in anything we choose to do in life but to take it in small steps. It is all a learning process and it is important to remember that when making changes to personal values and acting on them.
We are all constantly learning and you can bring someone on your journey who will also learn and grow with you. With that being said, this first blog post is focused on transitioning to a more sustainable lifestyle and sharing some ways to start your sustainable, ethical journey.
For one, I have stopped shopping for fast fashion altogether. My favorite stores used to be Zara and Asos but I decided to no longer even think about shopping at these places anymore. I deleted the apps from my phone and no longer peruse the new arrivals section. For a while I would still have the apps installed and look at the clothing wanting so badly to purchase that new dress that would look perfect for such, and such an occasion. Just like when I went cruelty-free I adopted the mindset that viewed cutting these fast-paced consumerism based stores as something that was no longer beneficial for me. They no longer fit into my view on what was good for my personal values. Less options make decision making so much easier because you have something to focus on and know what you are looking for based on your new standard i.e. sustainability, cruelty-free, ethically sourced, etc.
An app that may be helpful in finding more brands that fit these standards is the Good On You app which reaches out to brands with questions and certain requirements they have to meet to be considered a brand that is ethical, sustainable, cruelty-free and has standards in place for the safety and health of their workers. They rate these brands on a scale from 1 to 5 where 5 mean the brand has the best sustainable and ethical standards in place. Although Zara and Asos are both rated a 3 out of 5 on their scale I have chosen personally to only support brands that are a 4 or 5. Though it is not always easy to know if the information you receive from any source is 100% accurate, I find this app to be one of the best tools when trying to shop sustainably.
A con to trying to shop ethical, sustainable brands is that more often than not the price tag is not something people are excited to see. In order for a lot of these brands to produce sustainable clothing for the consumer they choose to make clothing using less water, using recycled materials and choose to treat and pay their workers well among other important changes which is reflected in the pricing. It is not cheap to use alternative processes that leave a smaller carbon print on the environment. So with that being said, I have always been a big lover of thrifting. This can be the best way to shop ethically because no new clothing is being produced. It is recycling the old and making it new by adding your own personal flair.
And lastly, if you stop and reflect to make sure you are purchasing pieces that you know you will wear for years, that is the best thing you can do. I have tops, pants and dresses that I have had for several years that I have taken care of and worn a thousand times over. It is just all about thinking about different ways to wear the same piece making it feel new again. Challenge yourself to come up with something different that reinvents the way you put outfits together. You can invest in key pieces and basics that are made to last, building your perfect closet without having to indulge in the quick consumption that is fast fashion.
If you have some tips on being more sustainable please comment and share down below!
