In 2017 I started my zero waste journey. Zero Waste is the goal, mindful practice is the action. When I use the term Zero Waste, that is my ultimate goal, but Less Waste would be a more accurate description of my evolving lifestyle.
In 2019 we started a monthly journey towards a more zero waste lifestyle. Each month you can follow along.
Fast Fashion is like fast food, it’s cheap, quick and easy but it’s junk, not healthy for you or the world. Chances are 99% of your clothes are fast fashion. If you shop at target, the gap, banana republic, the mall, amazon, etc… you are buying fast fashion. Fashion is one of the most impactful industry on the environment using millions of tons of water, creating millions of tons of pollution, enslaving men, woman and children all over the world, and creating millions of pounds of trash as most fast fashion ends up in landfills.
The myth of buying cheap clothes is also similar to fast food. It seems cheap at the time, but the long term cost is huge. The impact on our health and the world is terrible. The monetary cost is far greater than you think when you buy too many “cheap” items. When you are accostomed to buying a few new things every week, or month, you spend way more money than you would if you bought less clothes but at a high price point. That being said, switching to slow fashion doesn’t have to cost a lot of money.
The mental cost of adhering to the latest trends and constantly shopping, never loving what you are wearing, decision fatigue, wearing ill fitting or unflattering clothing that makes you feel bad about your self, mental and physical clutter, plus more, are all hidden costs of fast fashion.
A great step to take towards a more zero waste and low impact lifestyle is to give up fast fashion.
As with all the steps on this journey, this one starts with a mental shift. The hardest part is changing the way you think about clothing, shopping, and how those things make you feel. Once you have accepted and resolved not to purchase fast fashion and start your slow fashion lifestyle, here are some things you can do to help you on your way.
Do a closet declutter.
Get rid of the items you don’t love or don’t wear.
Remember older clothes are slow clothes.
Fast fashion wants you to believe that old clothes are obsolete, but our most loved and most worn clothes are often ones you’ve had a long time. Slow fashion starts with the clothes you already have.
Shop your closet.
Revisit what you already have instead of buying new.
Start a capsule wardrobe
Make a capsule for each season, put the other clothes away. When you go thru those clothes in a few months, it’s like you have all new items!
Have a clothing swap.
With all those items you decluttered! Your friends and family, or larger community might also be trying to give up fast fashion and become more low impact. A clothing swap is a great way to get new items (for free!!) And get rid of what you don’t want or need at the same time. Pro tip: Arrange to donate all the clothes that are left over immediately after the swap.
Buy second hand.
While not as easy as shopping fast fashion, the thrill of a good thrift find can be just as up lifting. This is also a great way to still get the fast fashion brands you might love and not be ready to give up yet. Shopping second hand forces you to slow down, avoid impulse shopping, and saves clothes from the landfill among many other benefits.
Shop ethical and sustainable clothing.
There are more and more ethical brands out there!
Choose only natural, sustainable, and ethical fabrics.
Now you are shopping second hand or ethical and sustainable, another way to be more low impact is to only shop fabrics that are renewable, sustainable, and ethical.
Concentrating on giving up fast fashion this month will make it easier for us to now revel in slow fashion. Each time you are tempted, remember the environmental and social impacts of Fast Fashion and how you are actively working to combat them.
Here are other things you can do to move closer to a zero waste and low impact lifestyle.
November - Zero Waste Kit
December - No Gifts
January - Clothing and Fast Fashion
February - Mass Transit
March- Bathroom Make-over
April - Grow Your Own Food
Below are the previous month’s projects:
January 2019 - Trash Audit
We separated and looked our trash to see what we are throwing away and what we can reduce.
February 2019- Declutter Everything
We went thru what we have to declutter and reduce.
March 2019- Switch to Paper
This month we moved to paper to get one step closer to reusables.
April 2019- Compost
Composting is an easy way to reduce food waste and prevent it from reaching the landfill.
May 2019- Meatless Monday
One of the best ways to improve the environment is to stop eating factory farmed meat and industrial fish. Small steps lead to big change so this month we gave up meat (or dairy or fish)
June 2019- No Bottled Water
We gave up bottled water as an avenue to give up more disposable plastic in Plastic Free July.
July 2019 - Plastic Free July!
Go plastic free this month!
