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7 non-fashion related things to do for the environment right now #2


Even though this blog is mainly focussed on fashion, making your wardrobe more sustainable will not solve the entire issue. Now, I will not talk too much about all the subparts of environmental pollution, because, trust me, there are many. However, the aim of this post will simply be to help you make your life a little more green.

1. Replace your toothbrush
What? Am I suggesting to throw something away? Well, please keep using the toothbrush you currently have until it needs replacement. But as dentists suggest to replace it every other three months (counting up to roughly 320 toothbrushes per lifetime), please consider buying a compostable wooden toothbrush (such as for instance the Plant-based Bamboo Toothbrush).

2. No more throw away plastic bottles 
If I hadn't convinced you yet through the BYOB blogpost: those one-time use plastic bottles that you can find in any grocery store are horrible (did I mention horrible?!). There are various good alternatives available, such as:  OHYO, the reusable water bottle that fits in your pocket and is BPA free! Or dopper, the reusable water bottle that is a water bottle and a cup all in one. Or the bobble, the reusable water bottle with a filter. The main message here: buy whatever bottle suits you best, however, make sure it is reusable and of course BPA free.

3. Speaking of the devil
Speaking of the devil - plastic - stop using plastic bags. Every year we produce five trillion plastic bags of which 98% ends up in landfills...  Ban plastic bags out of your life and BYOB.

4. Stop your mail subscriptions 
Most stores, if not all, will have an email subscription service available which most likely has the latest updates and hence is more relevant in general. No need for all those trees to be cut, simply so you can have the latest H&M catalogue in your hands. (bonus advantage: less clutter, more freedom)



5. Let's wrap it up 
If we're on the topic of paper waste, let's talk about wrapping paper. It is almost Christmas and that means, we will cut a lot of trees, not only to put them in our homes and decorate them, but also so we can wrap the presents that will go underneath them. About 8000 tonnes of wrapping paper are used per year, even worse, most of these end up in landfills instead of being recycled into something new. However, this is completely unnecessary. Take the opportunity to give your presents in a beautiful reusable cotton back. Or get creative with a vintage scarf. Or if you actually still have some old paper, like maps or newspapers, laying around, you know what to do!

6. Avoid eating meat
A rough 40% of the world's surface is occupied for livestock production, requiring one-third of the world's fresh water. And even though the majority of this land, approximately 30%, is used to produce grains, fruits and vegatables, these are grown to support the pigs, chicken and cattle that we consume. The fact that this land could be used more efficiently, by consuming the grains, fruits and vegatables it produces first hand, instead of through the animals we eat, is not the only problem. Through the overuse of antibiotics and the air, water and soil pollution, eating meat also poses dangers to our health and to our environment. If going all cold-turky is a bit too much for you, you could start with vegetarian Monday. Warning; as a vegetarian for most of my life, I can say that eating vegetarian can be deliciously addictive.




7. Do the dirty laundry
Petroleum-based detergent is one of the most commonly used laundry products. Unfortunately, it has some negative effects on our health and on our environment. Some of the chemicals found in detergents are left in our clothes and others end up in the sewage system, eventually contaminating our water. A substitution for this detergent problem is introduced by SmartKlean; the laundry ball; a product that cleans without using any toxic chemicals, which can be used for +/- 1000 washes. The only downside to this product is that it is made out of plastic, hence if you want to be completely sustainable you could consider making your own washing detergent, using bicarbonate soda, vinegar, water. Nevertheless, this option is already a good step in the right direction.

The general rule of thumb: Avoid plastic at all cost. 

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Sources:

Furochic. (2010). Earth Friendly Gift Wrap. Furochic It! Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDPZikZoXys

Herrero, M., Havlik, P., Valin, H., Notenbaert, A., Rufino, M., & Thornton, P. et al. (2013). Biomass use, production, feed efficiencies, and greenhouse gas emissions from global livestock systems. Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences, 110(52), 20888-20893. http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1308149110

Meyer, N. (2016). An Eco-Friendly Natural Alternative to Plastic Toothbrushes: Bamboo Brushes. Retrieved from: http://althealthworks.com/813/a-natural-alternative-to-plastic-toothbrushes-bamboo/

SmartKlean Corp. (2010). Official SmartKlean Laundry Ball Video. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=201kSpYAN8A

Trashedfilm. (n.d.). 10 Small things. Retrieved from: http://www.trashedfilm.com/10-small-things/

Walsh, B. (2016) The Triple Whopper Environmental Impact of Global Meat Production. TIME.com. Retrieved from: http://science.time.com/2013/12/16/the-triple-whopper-environmental-impact-of-global-meat-production/

More trash


Building on the latest Sustainable Sunday Quote, this article will dive deeper into the topic of waste. In case you missed it, the quote of last Sunday was by Annie Leonard, and it stated: "There is no such thing as 'away'. When we throw anything away it must go somewhere". Rarely have I heard something so true, yet so complicated to apply. Because let's be honest, we create a lot of trash. Not only is this incredibly irresponsible due to the harmful consequences it had on the environment, but even worse; we often completely neglect the issue. Most of us simply continue our consumerist practices. However, recently I stumbled upon a documentary that might shake you awake: 'Trashed'.



Trashed
Trashed is the award-winning documentary by Candida Brady. “We buy it, we bury it, we burn it and then we ignore it." That is how the trailer of the documentary starts, summarising the core of the problem in a few, powerful words. The documentary highlights not only the harmful repercussions on the environment, it brings it a lot closer to us, by showing how our waste imposes risk on our food chain, through the pollution of our air, soil and water. To do so the star of the film, Jeremy Irons, moves from Iceland to Indonesia. Showing not only daunting images of wasteland but also giving us a sneak peak into the most beautiful corners of our world. Even though the documentary is a definite wake-up call, it ends on a positive note, showing how sustainable approaches to dealing with waste are available and making you wonder why landfills and incinerators even still exist. Next to that it shows how these sustainable approaches can provide more jobs than the current consumerist waste industry.

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Sources:

Halpin, M. (2016). Student art goes green to celebrate Earth Day 2016. Illinois State University News. Retrieved from: https://news.illinoisstate.edu/2016/04/student-art-goes-green-celebrate-earth-day-2016/

Movieclips Trailers. (2012, May 11). Trashed Official Trailer #1 (2012) - Documentary - HD Movie. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5z2s_klZkFg

Brady, C. (Director). (2012). Trashed [Video file]. United States: BullFrog Films.


Sustainable Sunday Quote #10


What is a goal-oriented blog without a little inspiration and motivation from time to time? Let me introduce you to the weekly Sunday rubric of Our Toxic Fashion: the Sustainable Sunday Quote. In the words of the legendary John Lennon, some say that I am a dreamer, but I am not the only oneMany clever minds before me have spoken, written or sung beautiful words that deserve to be shared. From fashionistas like Coco Channel to environmentalists like Anna Lappé, on Sundays, Our Toxic Fashion will give them a stage! Ready for the tenth one?

The Sustainable Sunday Quote


                                “There is no such thing as 'away'. When we throw anything away it must go somewhere.”

This quote by Annie Leonard addresses another part of environmental pollution: our trash. In her video Story of Stuff Annie Leonard explains that around the 1950s many goods have been designed to be obsolete, to quickly become unusable. Light bulbs are created to provide less hours of light. Phones are designed to be outdated in two to three years. These are all examples of planned obsolescence. However, there is another way to make people dispose things faster: perceived obsolescence. This is when designers make people throw things away that are still perfectly usable, by solely changing how it looks. Fashion is perhaps the best example of perceived obsolescence. Those shoes with the big platform? They can't be worn anymore in 2016, because they are so last year. You might just as well throw them away. Yeah, no.

That is where the problem comes in. As Annie said it nicely: "There is no such thing as 'away'. When we throw anything away it must go somewhere."  The average American produces 4.5 pounds of garbage per day! All of this garbage gets dumped in a landfill or gets incinerated and then gets dumped in a landfill. Both polluting the air, soil and water. Incineration is very harmful as the toxins that are used in the production stage, will be released into the air. Next to that, due to chemical reactions incinerating trash can create new toxins, like dioxin. Annie highlighted: "Dioxin is the most dangerous man-made substance known to humans and incinerators are the number one source of dioxin".  Now how do we stop dangerous pollutants from entering our environment? One of the main solutions might be stopping to produce these huge amounts of trash. Environmentalist Lauren Singer even took it that far that she is now living a zero waste lifestlye, meaning (surprisingly), that she doesn't produce any waste. Perhaps her TED talk might inspire some of you to try the same, or at least motivate you to start thinking about your own disposing behaviour.




Write it down

So from now on, shout it from the rooftops, write it on the skylines, or perhaps just make a note in your agenda: Every Sunday from now on there will be a new SSQ!


Stay fashionable, stay sustainable.
Until next time!   


Ps. Bonus points for the ones who got the lyric references hidden within the texts.  
  

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Sources:

Halpin, M. (2016). Student art goes green to celebrate Earth Day 2016. Illinois State University News. Retrieved from: https://news.illinoisstate.edu/2016/04/student-art-goes-green-celebrate-earth-day-2016/

Linak, W. P., & Wendt, J. O. (1993). Toxic metal emissions from incineration: mechanisms and control. Progress in Energy and Combustion Science, 19(2), 145-185.

McKay, G. (2002). Dioxin characterisation, formation and minimisation during municipal solid waste (MSW) incineration: review. Chemical Engineering Journal, 86(3), 343-368.

Storyofstuffproject. (2009, April 22). Story of Stuff (2007, OFFICIAL Version) [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GorqroigqM

TEDx Talks. (2015, May 25). Why I live a zero waste life | Lauren Singer | TEDxTeen [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pF72px2R3Hg


Another reason to love Stella McCartney


As a vegetarian, I am a big fan of fashion designer Stella McCartney and her philosophy. Stella McCartney, who turned her name into a British luxury brand, is well known for refusing to use any leather, fur, skins or feathers in her clothes. For Stella making ethically correct fashion is equally important as making aesthetically appealing fashion, which in my opinion is exactly the way it should be.

So recently Stella McCartney gave us another reason to love her, as she launched her first global environmental profit and loss account (E P&L). This account shows monetary worth on the ecological costs and profits generated by the direct activities of the entire supply chain over 2015. To do so the brand conducted environmental checks over the past year, analyzing the impact of her activities on natural capital.

This is something that is very innovative. Environmentalist Annie Leonard mentioned this before in her popular video Story of Stuff. She explained that many companies externalize costs. Meaning that the dress I buy for €4,95, does not cover the costs of the cotton that is produced in China, the labor costs of the girl who made the dress somewhere in Bangladesh, the storage costs of the dress, the shipping costs of the dress and eventually the salary of the staff guy who helped picking out the dress. Meaning, I don't pay for the dress. However, others pay. In China people pay by loss of resources, children in Bangladesh pay with their future as they drop out of school to work, and all around the world people pay by loss of clean air (increasing chances for asthma and cancer), all along the system people suffer from me buying the dress.

Calculating the ecological footprint 

The report looked at all aspects of the supply chain, from the production of the materials till the own activities and sales of the product. They translated this into six important categories of impact on the environment, namely:

1. The combustion of greenhouse gasses 
2. Air pollution
3. Water pollution
4. Water consumption
5. Waste disposal
6. Changes in ecosystem services associated with a change in land usage

Changing the buying process

The report shows that the brand had an environmental ‘loss’ of 5,5 million euros over the past three years, which could be translated in an 7% increase in impact on the environment because of used materials. According to Stella McCartney this is caused by the growth of the brand: Even though the general impact on the environment has increased, by changing the buying process the brand managed to decrease the average ecological footprint the past three years with 35% per kilogram of used material. The report showed that the supply chain was responsible for 90% of the environmental impact of the company. Mainly while producing resources, the environmental impact of Stella McCartney was huge, up to 57 procent. A good example of this is that they changed from using virgin cashmere to using regenerated cashmere, in the promotion video below it is explained why this change was necessary.



Through her dedication towards reducing the environmental impact, they gained great results. Personally, I think this should be a great inspiration for other (high-fashion) brands.


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References:
Stella McCartney. (2016, July 29). Regenerated Cashmere at Stella McCartney
 [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oVK2pgR-G0

Storyofstuffproject. (2009, April 22). Story of Stuff (2007, OFFICIAL Version) [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GorqroigqM

Wackernagel, M., Onisto, L., Bello, P., Linares, A. C., Falfán, I. S. L., Garcıa, J. M., ... & Guerrero, M. G. S. (1999). National natural capital accounting with the ecological footprint concept. Ecological economics, 29(3), 375-390.

Wightman-Stone, D. (2016). Stella McCartney releases environmental profit and loss accounts. Fashionunited.uk. Retrieved from https://fashionunited.uk/news/business/stella-mccartney-releases-environmental-profit-and-loss-accounts/2016100322003


Sustainable Sunday Quote #9


What is a goal-oriented blog without a little inspiration and motivation from time to time? Let me introduce you to the weekly Sunday rubric of Our Toxic Fashion: the Sustainable Sunday Quote. In the words of the legendary John Lennon, some say that I am a dreamer, but I am not the only oneMany clever minds before me have spoken, written or sung beautiful words that deserve to be shared. From fashionistas like Coco Channel to environmentalists like Anna Lappé, on Sundays, Our Toxic Fashion will give them a stage! Ready for the ninth one?

The Sustainable Sunday Quote


                                “Fashion is so much bigger than the latest trends - it should be something that we think about as a society.”

Sara Baldwin Schatz is the founder of Fountain Square alt-boutique Lux&Ivy, a second-hand shop. In an interview with Julia Spangler she said: "My interest in secondhand goes way beyond feeling and aesthetic. I truly believe that it is the most responsible way to shop. Why waste precious resources creating new clothing that is not made to last? Especially when so much beautiful, well-made clothing is already in existence." Second-hand clothing is then also a great solution to reduce environmental pollution (caused by the fashion industry).

Unfortunately, many consumers don't feel comfortable buying second-hand clothing. A study done by Kleine, Kleine and Kernan showed that we have some we perceive our possessions as part of ourselves. Clothes, in that case, are an intimate part of our existence. This is very interesting, as it highlights our level of involvement with the objects and hence influences our acceptance or rejection towards the objects. A common connotation towards second-hand, or used clothing might be "Buying something that someone else no longer wants to wear?", creating the feeling of being less valuable than this person as the item was not good enough for him/her, but is for you. Another connotation towards used clothing might be that used clothing is "dirty". Goffman describes this as "territorial encroachment"; we fear that previously owned clothes might have body markings of the previous owner which make the item unwanted.

Therefore, it is important to explore the symbolic and psychological aspects of how we perceive second-hand clothing. Rucker et al. even suggest that research into the connotations associated with used clothing could provide insights about values attached to possessions, and hence offer insights into the world of consumption. As this is a huge part of environmental pollution (caused by fashion), this topic merits further research.

Write it down

So from now on, shout it from the rooftops, write it on the skylines, or perhaps just make a note in your agenda: Every Sunday from now on there will be a new SSQ!


Stay fashionable, stay sustainable.
Until next time!   


Ps. Bonus points for the ones who got the lyric references hidden within the texts.  
  

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Sources:
Goffman, E. (1971). Relations in Public. New York: Basic Books.

Kleine, R. E., Kleine, S. S.,  and Kernan, J.B. (1993). Mundane Consumption and the Self: A Social-Identity Perspective. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 2 (3), 209-235.

Rucker, M., McGee, B., Alves, M., Hopkins, T., Sypolt and Watada, M. (1995). Factors Influencing Consumer Inititation of Secondhand Markets. European Advances in Consumer Research, (2), 425-429.

Solomon, M. R., (2012). Consumer behavior, buying, having and being (10th Ed.). ISBN: 9780273767312

Spangler, J. (2015). What’s It Like to Run a Secondhand Shop? Retrieved from: http://www.fairforallguide.com/2015/10/02/whats-it-like-to-run-a-secondhand- shop/




A Bunch of Pretty Things I Did Not Buy



Previous blog posts have touched upon the subject of consumerism, a topic on which the opinions are very diverse. Various economist praise consumerism as the driver of progress, yet various people are not too happy about consumerism. Not only is consumerism questionable for the price war it creates, and hence the poor labour conditions it reinforces. Various environmentalists, such as myself, have also criticised consumerism for being the main reason for depleting the earth's resources. 

Fashion is a main driver of consumerism. With the continuous renewal of trends, the fashionable society spreads the message that whatever you bought last month, can no longer be worn this month. This reinforces the idea that clothes are 'one-seasonal only' products and gives people an excuse to buy products they already have and hence, don't need. Resulting in a society in which people keep buying the same dress, top and pants, but in a slightly different colour, model or with a different print.

Illustrator Sarah Lazarovic created a book out of this issue. She was fed up with her buying habits and decided to go cold-turkey on consumerism, meaning; no shopping for a year. During this period, instead of purchasing items, she drew them. Not only did she draw the things she did not buy, she also documented her withdrawals and all the lessons she learned. This resulted in the book: A bunch of pretty things I did not buy.


In an interview with Yes! Magazine she says that the main personal gain from not buying stuff is time. Next to that she also freed herself from longing: It simply became unnecessary - as she could just use the stuff she already has. Next to this personal gain Sarah highlights that there is a bigger gain in not buying stuff. "For a long time we viewed shopping too much as merely a personal thing—bad for one’s own pocketbook and mental health, but fairly contained. In recent years, we’ve learned that the way we shop has deep social justice implications—from sweatshop fast fashion to environmental degradation and climate change." Hence, it is our responsibility to act up, not just for our personal gain - an increase in freedom and time -, but also for the world around us. There is no denying that this is a tough battle, but I am convinced it is worth it.

If you are wondering what Sarah is up to now, next to maintaining her hilarious Tumblr account, she is doing something that she calls “covet counselling” in which she helps others to stop buying. In her sessions, she asks her clients to draw the item they want to buy and talk about why the individual wants it item (emotional value) and whether the item makes a good purchase (rational value). Simply by creating a tangible image of the item, the longing to own the item often floats away. To explain this Sarah refers to Daniel Kahneman. In his book, Thinking fast and Slow, he explains that we have two ways of processing things, a fast way (emotional decisions) and a slow way (more rational decision). For shopping we mostly rely on the fast way, resulting in irrational behaviour.





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References:
Dunn, T. (2016). A Fun Way to Stop Buying Things You Don’t Really Need. YES! Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.yesmagazine.org/happiness/a-fun-way-to-stop-buying-things-you-dont-really-need-20160908

Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, fast and slow. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux


Sustainable Sunday Quote #8



What is a goal-oriented blog without a little inspiration and motivation from time to time? Let me introduce you to the weekly Sunday rubric of Our Toxic Fashion: the Sustainable Sunday Quote. In the words of the legendary John Lennon, some say that I am a dreamer, but I am not the only oneMany clever minds before me have spoken, written or sung beautiful words that deserve to be shared. From fashionistas like Coco Channel to environmentalists like Anna Lappé, on Sundays, Our Toxic Fashion will give them a stage! Ready for the third one?

The Sustainable Sunday Quote


                                “Fashion fades, only style remains the same.”


This quote is widely overused by fashionistas all over Instagram (#fashionlover), and has thereby lost a bit of its class. However, there is definitely some truth to it. As a true fashionista knows, the trends of today, will be history by next month. And this, this is not only a problem for your wallet, but also for the environment. Because every new item you buy, will need resources, shipping to a factory, being put together in this factory and shipping to the store where it will wait for you to buy it. Not to mention what will happen if this is a trendy piece, which you might regard as useless in a month or two, and hence it will end up in a landfill or even worse an incinerator (and then in a landfill).

Write it down

So from now on, shout it from the rooftops, write it on the skylines, or perhaps just make a note in your agenda: Every Sunday from now on there will be a new SSQ!


Stay fashionable, stay sustainable.
Until next time!   


Ps. Bonus points for the ones who got the lyric references hidden within the texts.  
  

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Sources:

Channel, C. (n.d.) Retrieved from: http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/7271638-fashion-fades-only-style-remains-the-same

Storyofstuffproject. (2009, April 22). Story of Stuff (2007, OFFICIAL Version) [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GorqroigqM