Shopping in today’s world is easier than ever with online shopping and a store at every corner, but do people realize how much unnecessary shopping they are doing?
People of today are absorbed by trends like fast fashion and overconsumption, to the point where they don’t realize they are a part of the trend. Trends influence what people buy and do everyday and while they used to last at least a year, the time has recently declined to months or in some cases weeks. Everyone needs the newest iPhone and replace last week’s leggings with flared leggings. No matter how much the consumer has, they can always buy more.
So, what’s the big deal, so what if people buy more than they need, it doesn’t affect anyone but them, right? Although that might seem like the case, the overconsumption of things like clothing and plastics is having a major impact on the environment.
Fast fashion has become more popular in recent years with online shops like Shein and Temu rising in prevalence. The companies use cheap materials and cheap labor to make inexpensive clothes that match the latest trends. The problem with the clothing produced from this is they break easily and lose fashionability within a few weeks. These clothes then end up getting thrown away or donated where they ultimately become a waste of material.
These fabrics take two hundred years or more to fully decompose and in that process they leak toxic chemicals into the soil and water underground. While these materials are decomposing they emit harmful greenhouse gases into the atmosphere adding to the constantly growing global temperature.
A survey of Lower Dauphin students shows about 70% have bought something from Shein or Temu.
Another survey shows 38% of students at Lower Dauphin have bought clothing and never worn it.
The other material Americans consume an unsustainable amount of is plastics. Almost everything Americans buy is made out of plastic. 88% of the meat, fish and vegetarian alternatives consumed in America have microplastics in them. In 2019, the estimated amount of plastic used in the U.S. was 73 million metric tons.
Freshman Maimuna Conath says “Americans should definitely recycle more and not throw as much stuff away.”
As true as that statement may be, only about 5% of American plastic waste is recycled. The lack of recycling continues the cycle of constantly making a new supply of plastic and that plastic ending up littering our earth with its presence.
When freshman Abigail Kaschak was asked what she thinks could reduce plastic waste she said America should “change to using more biodegradable materials.”
The overconsumption of America is not only taxing wallets but it’s also taxing the earth, humanity’s one and only home.
