The space where art and environmentalism collide is a space where hearts become inspired. In the art project titled 1,000 Flyers, anyone can participate and add a contribution to the art piece, giving an opportunity for others to learn and become aware of an important environmental issue, while having a personal and meaningful interactive experience. 

“1,000 Flyers is an ongoing participatory eco-art project drawing attention to threats to bird populations worldwide. There are currently over 1,400 bird species at risk of extinction globally, and this project honours and memorializes them through the intentional folding of paper cranes for each of these species,” shared Jessica Marion Barr, the founder of this project, who notes that the number of species has increased by more than 100 since the project was started nine years ago.

“There are currently over 1,400 bird species at risk of extinction globally, and this project honours and memorializes them through the intentional folding of paper cranes for each of these species,”

“Participants are asked to select an at-risk bird species from a list provided by the artist and then, in the spirit of the Japanese tradition of senbazuru (the folding of 1,000 paper cranes to aid in the healing of someone who is ill), to fold an origami crane as a prayer for the healing and survival of this species,” Barr explained.

1,000 Flyers at the Urban Forests & Political Ecologies Conference, Hart House, Toronto (2013). Credit: Vincent Luk

“The title of the project is a play on words – ‘flyers’ refers to the birds as well as to the material from which we make the origami; instead of traditional origami paper, we use junk mail – the flyers that appear unbidden on our doorsteps, and whose existence speaks to the threats to bird and other living populations worldwide: consumerism, factory farming, deforestation, pollution, and on and on.”

1,000 Flyers at the Urban Forests & Political Ecologies Conference, Hart House, Toronto (2013). Credit: Vincent Luk

Not only is the message of the art environmentally conscious, but the material that it is made of contributes to the same message. Upcycled paper is a more sustainable option that also, as Barr explained, comments on the nature of consumer culture, tying in the awareness of the threats of the birds as an integrated part of the art itself.

“Participants label their creations with their chosen species’ name and then add them to the growing ‘flock’ of 1,000 Flyers. When the project is complete and all threatened species on the list (from the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species, see www.iucnredlist.org/) have been commemorated, the piece will be displayed as a unified installation, hopefully outdoors in a tree, tying the project literally and metaphorically to existing bird habitat.”

1,000 Flyers installation at Lady Eaton College, Trent University, 2020. Credit: Alyssa Diatel

The most recent participatory installation of 1,000 Flyers occurred in March 2020 just prior to pandemic lockdowns, at Trent University’s Lady Eaton College, where the project was hosted as a part of the college’s annual Marjory Seeley Women in Leadership event. However, as an ongoing and interactive project, participants are always welcome to contribute and pay their own respects to this growing memorial for endangered birds. 

1,000 Flyers at the Urban Forests & Political Ecologies Conference, Hart House, Toronto (2013). Credit: Vincent Luk

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Deter Kruger turns 111 years old and 124 days old on May 17. He is currently living in the rural Queensland state town of Roma. He dedicates his long life to eating chicken brains. 

“There is only a little bite,” Kruger says.

It sounds crazy, but brains can be used in a sausage ingredient, and can also be eaten boiled, braised, and cooked in liquid, poached,  or scrambled.

Dexter was a previous cattle rancher and dedicates his long career to eating unconventional cuts of meat. Over half of the waste of animals are not suitable for human consumption due to physical characteristics but is still edible.  It has been estimated that 11.4% of the gross income from beef and 7.5% of the income from pork, come from the by-products. Eating the product from the cut has the ability to cut down on the greenhouse gases emitted from the industry. Approximately it takes 9.3 gallons per bird of freshwater, the contaminated water needs to be made worth it. 

People who were able to interact with him at his nursing home said his memory is “amazing” for a 111-year old. 

On the contrary, a French-Canadian Marie-Louise Meilleur was named the world’s oldest person at 122. Her strict vegetarian diet consisted of additional items such as olive oil, port wine, and chocolate. If somebody were to adapt to a vegetarian diet for 20 years or more, they would add four years to their lifespan according to Dr. Pramil Singh. Adapting to the vegetarian diet would be able to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 10 percent per capita. 

There is no proven-based diet that could structure whether you would live longer and all-cause mortality and are still being studied. 

Would you try non-conventional cuts of meat? Would you be able to cut all the meat out to live longer? Do you want to live longer and see the world change? 

Your menu has all the choices- now it is up to you.

If you want to keep up with Deter Kruger- Australia’s Oldest Man, his Twitter is located here.

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I had the pleasure of speaking to Laurie Simmonds, the president and CEO of Green Living Enterprises (aka the Boss of Green Business), for our upcoming issue Playbook for Progress. Laurie shared her experiences and wisdom from her successful career in green business and marketing, and gave some valuable advice for new grads. Here’s a sneak peek into our conversation!

“It’s been 20 years and it’s been incredible to watch the innovation explode. Not just big corporations but small entrepreneurs in every sector,” Laurie shared about the surge of green business. “It’s been very rewarding to see publicly-traded companies commit to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, to a significant ESG performance metric, finally understanding that they can run a company that benefits people, planet and profits. It’s undeniable that things are changing. We can see corporations and entrepreneurs really working hard to keep up with that, and seeing the rewards of it, which is really the most important thing – that they actually now understand that they can still make a lot of money, be very profitable, but do good and do well.” 

Green Living Enterprises’ Office // Credit: Kourosh Keshiri

To hear that both big corporations and small and medium businesses are on the right track and committing to sustainability goals is very encouraging for two reasons. 1) Businesses have an obligation to advance the environmental movement, so they need to do their part for consumers to follow suit, and 2) more and more businesses are taking part in this positive shift because it pays to be sustainable. 

When asked about the obligation of businesses in advancing sustainability, Laurie said, “It’s introducing consumers to a much more healthy and sustainable lifestyle, showing them the way with these products and services. That’s how we’re going to affect change – consumers choosing a healthy and sustainable lifestyle, voting with their dollar by supporting those companies. Businesses’ obligation to their stakeholders is to make money in a sustainable and socially responsible way. The other obligation is to, of course, continually increase their ESG commitments – reduce their footprint, become more inclusive, watch the social impacts of their corporation, commit to good governance, and communicate transparently to their stakeholders and their customers about their commitment to ESG. We’re starting to see rankings really significantly demonstrate that those corporations that commit to this are increasing in value, in profitability, have strong brand value, and strong consumer loyalty … It’s incredibly hopeful for the future. I think the technological advancements are happening so quickly now and the commitments by big corporations are so enormous that we are galloping forward. It’s like someone has just pulled out all the stops and it’s moving very fast now.”

Laurie and Green Living Enterprises’ management team, 2018 // Credit: Kourosh Keshiri

For more from Laurie Simmonds be sure to check out our next issue, Playbook for Progress, in which she shares her story of turning her vision of Green Living Enterprises into reality, the key practices that put her on the path to success, her golden rules to using business as a tool for environmental change, and more. Stay tuned!!!

Laurie Simmonds is the president and CEO of Green Living Enterprises – an impact agency that markets solutions to social and environmental issues. In her 20+ year career as an environmental entrepreneur and marketing expert, she has built Green Living Enterprises from the ground up while leading an award-winning team in the world of green business. Her work focuses on the intersections between health, social justice, and the environment.

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For Consumers: The Art of Mindful or Conscious Consumerism 

Conscious consumerism is a practice in mindfulness, beginning with an awareness and understanding of the fact that behind every product is a life cycle of processes. All products come from somewhere, are made by someone, and are created through the use of certain materials. Conscious consumerism requires an individual to first ask themselves the question of whether or not consumption is necessary. Once that choice has been made, consumers can then turn to the brand, company, or corporation from which they might be buying from to ask questions such as:

• Where is my product made? What is my product made from? Where did those materials come from and under what conditions were they produced? Were the workers harvesting, producing, and creating this product working within ethical conditions and being paid equitably for their work?
• What are the values of the brand, company, or corporation that I am buying from? Are they transparent about all of the processes that encompass the creation of their products?
• What impact does the industry that I am buying from have on humans and the environment on a global scale?

There are more questions that could be asked of brands, companies, and corporations, but this is a good place to start. Beyond purchasing new items, a decision can also be made by conscious consumers to reuse or repair an item, shop second-hand, swap, exchange, or borrow an item from a friend, community member, or tool library. Consumers who want to be more conscious about their own personal consumption habits can also choose to extend the longevity of their items through repairing and maintaining their products. At the end of the life cycle of an item, materials can also be used in unique ways to avoid disposing of a product in the landfill by turning old t-shirts into rags or selling an old bike for parts to a repair company. Ultimately, conscious consumerism requires a process of checking in with yourself each time you may feel the urge to purchase something new.

Ask yourself: What kind of world do I want to live in? What kind of future do I want to see? What is my urge to consume really trying to tell me? Do I truly find lasting happiness in material things?

For Brands: A Warranted and Necessary Response 

If conscious consumerism is on the rise, then brands must respond to meet the changing needs of our global population and economy. So, what does the future of conscious consumerism look like from a brand’s point-of-view? This future requires a value and behavioral shift in regard to the ways in which brands operate on a global scale. This involves re-thinking and transforming away from the ‘business-as-usual’ model towards a more circular, ethical, and holistic way of operating. Brands must consider the Corporate Social Responsibility that they have to the planet and to people everywhere, implementing practices throughout their supply cycle based in sustainability and Extended Producer Responsibility. All of the questions posed above to consumers can also be asked of brands, leading to a final transformative question that is, how can brands better shift their practices towards sustainability and care for all people and the planet?

Lessons for Brands and Consumers Alike 

Conscious consumerism is not about brands and consumers working independently of one another to achieve this future. This shift in practice is about creating a life-long relationship between brands and consumers alike based in transparency, accountability, and ethics. Here are some helpful tips and words to live by for both brands and consumers alike in moving forward together towards a more mindful and conscious future.

1. Practice the art of mindfulness.
2. Lead with transparency and accountability for your actions.
3. Establish strong ethics and values.
4. Keep accessibility and affordability in mind for everyone, always.
5. Discover alternatives to the ‘business-as-usual’ model. 
6. Get creative!
7. Practice the art of storytelling.
8. Remember the 4 R’s: Refuse, reduce, reuse, and recycle.
9. People remember your actions, not your words. 
10. Keep sustainability, love, and gratitude for the earth and all people at the centre of everything you do.

With all of these ideas in mind, I hope that a seed of inspiration has taken root in the minds of both brands and consumers alike. The future of conscious consumerism requires both parties walking hand in hand together towards a future that is more sustainable and just for all.

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Buying second-hand clothing is a common, sustainable alternative to buying fast fashion, and has rapidly gained popularity in recent years. When I made the switch to buying second-hand, I was unknowingly contributing to a much larger movement – a sustainability trend. And more recently, this trend has spread and accelerated online.

Source: PRETEND

Why Should We Avoid Fast Fashion?

Before I talk about online thrifting, here’s a quick background on fast fashion. Fast fashion refers to clothing that is produced and marketed to consumers as fast and as cheap as possible in response to recent trends. Generally, a company falls into the fast fashion category if the following are true:

– they produce new, mass-produced clothing items

– they are not transparent about where their clothing is coming from

– it is not obvious that they are fair trade and/or genuinely sustainable

Clothing production is very environmentally demanding and uses a lot of resources. Manufacturing one pair of jeans can produce up to 75 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions – and one t-shirt uses 700 gallons of water. But it’s not only the production of clothes that is a problem, it is also problematic at the consumer level. On average, 1 in 2 people throw away unwanted clothing in the garbage instead of donating, selling, or repairing the items. There are clearly some consumeristic bad habits at play here, but the fast fashion industry is driving the problem and unsustainably producing huge amounts of clothing.

In a linear economy model, clothing is made, purchased, and discarded, which results in a lot of waste. But in a circular economy model, the most sustainable system, clothing is not thrown away – it is bought and used with care, repaired if possible, resold to be reused by others, or upcycled for different purposes. The loop keeps going around as clothing items are repurposed, reloved, and diverted from landfills.

Source: AforeAfter

What Is Online Thrifting?

There has been a rise of second-hand online shopping and selling on various platforms, including Etsy, Instagram, Poshmark, thredUP, Depop, and Facebook marketplace, to just name a few. The people behind the online thrift “shops” vary. These “shops” aren’t actual thrift stores, like Value Village or Goodwill; they are exclusively online. Platforms, like Depop and Poshmark, aren’t even actual shops per se, but rather a collection of shops on a website. For example, you could make an account on Depop and create your very own second-hand shop. You would post your items on your page, set your own prices, other people would purchase those items online, and you would ship the items to them. You would likely make some money and the company, Depop, would take a percentage of the profit.

Stormee James, a woman from Ohio, made US$1700 from selling her clothes during the pandemic as a kind of side gig on top of her regular job as a school cleaner. Stormee is one of many people who have decided to sell their own used clothes to make a small profit during the pandemic.

On top of people selling their own clothes, there are also online thrift shops that are more like genuine small businesses, with an established brand and aesthetic. These online shops are usually run by individuals who have a passion for collecting vintage clothes and reselling them. The shop owners would likely go hunting for good quality, vintage thrift finds that fit their brand’s aesthetic at local second-hand stores or flea markets, and then buy the items to resell on their shops. All these types of online buying and selling can be grouped under the same umbrella as the resale clothing industry.

Source: The Knight Crier

The resale industry on the whole is seeing resounding, steady growth and this trend is only expected to continue increasing. In the U.S., the second-hand clothing market is estimated to grow 5 times in 5 years, from 2019 to 2024, and the retail market is expected to shrink. According to thredUP’s 2020 Resale Report and statistics from GlobalData, the entire second-hand market will be almost twice the size of the fast fashion market in the U.S. by 2029. And the coronavirus pandemic will only act as a catalyst to these upward trends.

Source: thredUP

I am a curious person, always formulating questions in my head, and as a writer, I find myself looking for stories even when I don’t intend to. So, as I’ve observed the online resale market flourishing and gaining popularity, I started to wonder…

• What are the main drivers behind this rise of online thrifting?

• These online second-hand shops are a sustainability trend, but are they all truly sustainable?

• How might the rise of online second-hand shopping impact local thrift stores?

• What are the social and economic implications of online thrifting for people who rely on thrift stores for lower priced clothing?

And boom. There’s a story.

The Drivers 

Why are we seeing an increase in online thrifting in the first place? There are several factors behind the trend, but the following four are what I’ve gathered as the main drivers.

1. Sustainability

The truth behind fast fashion is spreading and environmental awareness is ever-growing. More and more people are understanding that taking small actions and making shifts in our own lives towards sustainability are important. Buying and selling second-hand are key ways we can make those sustainable shifts towards establishing and sustaining circular fashion.

2. The pandemic

Following the start of the pandemic, more people than ever have been cleaning out their closets and getting around to selling those unwanted items that they’ve always been meaning to. I’m sure this behaviour is a result of either boredom, new motivation to declutter, looking for new ways to make a bit of cash, or a mixture of all. In terms of buying second-hand, there are plenty of cheap, online options, which are an important source for those whose finances have taken a toll from pandemic life. Perhaps staying at home is even inspiring people to redesign their lives – why not redecorate your living room or adopt a new style if you have to stay home all day anyway?

3. Generational change

Young people – millennials and Gen Z’s – are normalizing second-hand buying and driving this shift. Life as a young adult today is very financially different than it was for preceding generations. Millennials and Gen Z’s have collectively strived to remove the stigma that used to be associated with thrifting – the belief that the only people who thrifted were grandmas and people who could not afford to buy new clothes. Now, buying second-hand is normalized and encouraged by younger people, which has suited their need to spend less and save more in our current economy.

4. Influencers

Online influencers and celebrities are following the sustainability trend by supporting second-hand stores, re-wearing outfits to big events, and further contributing to removing the stigma with thrifting. For example, celebrities like Cardi B and Meaghan Markle are starting to sport vintage clothes, and Kate Middleton, Jane Fonda, and Tiffany Haddish have all made fashion statements in 2020 by rewearing dresses to important events.

The Benefits 

When looking to buy clothes, online second-hand shops and websites can be great places to find unique, quality items for a decent price. Browsing through online second-hand shops is easy and quick. On apps and websites like Depop or Poshmark, you can search for items and apply filters to help focus your results – totally hassle free. For individual online shops, you can follow them on Instagram or Facebook and have their items show up right on your feed without even searching. It truly is effortless thrifting.

And of course, second-hand shopping also diverts purchases away from fast fashion, which is supportive of social and environmental sustainability. Some online thrift shops are genuine local businesses as well. Re-selling clothes can be a kind of “side hustle” for some, but for others who are passionate about slow fashion have made this business their full-time careers. So online thrifting can also be supportive to small-business owners and individuals who have worked hard to establish their own online brand.

The rise of online thrifting has also created an aesthetic, trendy, and appealing way to buy second-hand items. Not everyone enjoys the experience of shopping at a thrift store: the smell of other people’s clothes, sifting through rows of clothing racks to discover maybe one quality piece in your size, finding extremely quirky and cringey items in the process, and buying clothes you have to wash before wearing. So, with online thrifting, more people are being steered away from fast fashion and enjoying thrifting in a new way.

I am someone who enjoys the full experience of going to a thrift store, but I’ve also enjoyed online thrifting. I have found some really nice, affordable clothing online from other people’s shops. On the app Depop, I discovered a shop that sells vintage sweaters that have different logos on them, like sports teams and universities. I was on a mission to find a used University of Waterloo hoodie, since I go to UW and don’t want to buy a new sweater, and I found a vintage one on their shop. It’s great quality and it’s an item I’ll enjoy for a really long time!

Credit: Siobhan Mullally

The Concerns

Not all that glitters is gold… Despite the positive, sustainable shift to online thrift shopping, there are still concerns that come along with it.

First, I’ve noticed on some apps, like Depop, that although people might be reselling their clothes, it is clear they still buy new clothes regularly. Some people likely support fast fashion and just resell those items online once they’re done with them. After buying fast fashion clothes, they may use those items for a year, a month, a day, or may never wear them at all before reselling. So, just because someone is reselling on a thrifting site does not mean they’re contributing to slow fashion or circularity.

Also, as thrifting has become a popular activity labelled as “sustainable”, it seems as though people might be buying clothes a lot more often since the media and culture have classified it as a guilt-free method of shopping. I do agree that thrifting is a more sustainable alternative to buying new items, but I still think people need to rethink their consumerist tendencies to buy new items all the time, even if the items they buy are used. Online thrifting may just be enhancing consumerism by giving people a “sustainable” way of consuming the same amount of, if not more, materials that they would be buying new. Buying second-hand is an important shift for a circular economy, but the rise of online thrifting may just be perpetuating consumer culture, which is the root of what needs to be shifted.

I also wondered how local thrift stores and the people who depend on them would be impacted. As online thrift shops are on the rise, thrift store business would likely follow since thrift stores are the source of the clothes that many online shops resell. If thrift stores get more demand, their prices are likely to increase as well, and this could turn into a harmful form of gentrification.

Gentrification is the process of a neighbourhood or area becoming higher in economic value, when a low-income area transforms into a higher-income area driven by wealthier people moving in, attracting new businesses, and often displacing the people who already live there. In terms of thrift stores, gentrification might look like prices of clothing going up and excluding the shoppers who depend on thrift stores for lower priced items. One of the top reasons people thrift is to be able to shop on a budget, but if the thrifting market starts skyrocketing after its massive popularity jump online, will thrift stores no longer be affordable for those people? Where will low-income individuals shop if the thrift store is no longer a feasible option for them? Maybe department stores are the next cheapest, like Walmart or Giant Tiger. The clothing at those stores is fast fashion and likely lower quality, which will cause wear-and-tear more easily and induce more buying. An unsustainable fate in the long run.

Going forward

So, what’s the takeaway – what’s the best, sustainable option? Buying second-hand is definitely better than fast fashion, right? And I should also be aware of what online thrift shops I contribute to so I can choose to support the genuine small businesses? And I have to avoid the people who resell and still support fast fashion? And I should try not to contribute to gentrification? So, how can I be a responsible, sustainable shopper?

If you are asking yourself any of those questions and are feeling overwhelmed, conflicted, frustrated, hopeless, or confused – don’t worry. I’m with you on that. It can be difficult to sift through all the information and decipher the best way to move forward. It is important to understand that we will all make sustainable shifts in different ways and at different paces, so there’s no “one solution fits all”.

Personally, what works for me right now is buying things second hand to avoid fast fashion, but also trying to buy things less – only when I need something. Of course I occasionally impulse purchase because it can be hard not to participate in buying new clothes for fun, but I’m working on it. My next goal to continue improving the sustainability of my clothing lifestyle is to learn how to sew, so that I can mend my clothes instead of needing to replace them. We will all be at different points and have different capacities for change, but learning about the options is a great way to start thinking about what you can do next.

Source: Alisa Koz

When I am considering a second-hand purchase or have a genuine need for an item, I like to visualize the “buyerarchy of needs” pictured above. The bottom of the pyramid is the largest section because that action is what we should be doing the most of. Similarly, the top is what we should be doing the least. But the key to remember is that we have options. We should all be working on taking that next step towards sustainable fashion, whatever it may look like, online or otherwise.

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There are many ways to make your kitchen more sustainable, especially given how often it is used and how much waste it produces. Kitchen appliances, in particular, put quite the strain on the environment. In fact, Tech Patio explains that appliances like your refrigerator use a tremendous amount of energy — comprising an average of 13% of your total home energy bill. And while appliances are one of the main sources of the problem, they can also be the solution.

Indeed, the near-infinite number of innovations in kitchen tech is making this part of your home a more efficient and eco-friendly place. So where should you begin? To help you get started, we’ve put together some tips to make your kitchen more environment-friendly!

Avoid Plastic Kitchen Tools

One thing you can do to have a more eco-friendly kitchen is to refrain from using plastic kitchen tools. While convenient, plastic tools such as banana slicers and egg separators all end up becoming waste that is dumped in landfills. This is especially worrisome considering that CNN predicts that the world will have 710 million tons of plastic pollution by 2040.

Instead of plastic kitchen tools, a better option would be to make use of kitchen tools made of eco-friendly material. For instance, you can use a wooden cutting board instead of a plastic one. To make it even more eco-friendly, try to look for one that uses reclaimed wood.

Use Multi-Purpose Appliances

While avoiding plastic tools is a great place to start, ditching single-purpose kitchen tools and appliances will also go a long way in lessening your overall impact on the environment. Think about it: how many single-purpose kitchen tools do you have in your kitchen, be it juicers or toasters? All of these gadgets will end up in a landfill once they’ve broken down. This is why you should make it a priority to purchase versatile tools that can cater to various kitchen needs.

You can start by looking for a multi-purpose rice cooker. If your diet isn’t big on grains, you might think that rice cookers are pretty impractical. However, thanks to technological innovations, many modern rice cookers can do more than just make rice. We Know Rice’s list of the best Aroma Rice cookers highlights how today’s advanced rice cookers can fulfill a multitude of different functions. Whether you need to sauté food at high heat, prepare porridge, or cook soup — a rice cooker can do it all.

Lessen Phantom Electricity Usage

Another way you can lessen your negative impact on the environment is by, of course, saving electricity. And while we’ll be discussing specific devices that can help you do this, it’s important we also address phantom electricity usage. This refers to the electricity used by devices that are plugged in regardless if they are switched on or not.

You can simply unplug the devices when you’re leaving your house, but it’s understandable to forget to do this sometimes. This is where smart power strips will come in handy, since they allow you to turn off devices using your smartphone as long as they are plugged into the power strip.

Make Use of A Smart Refrigerator

Refrigerators are often one of the top appliances that eat up the most electricity, due to the sheer amount of power it needs to keep food cold. Luckily, technology has improved the humble refrigerator to the point that it is able to use significantly less energy.

Green America’s article on climate-friendly fridges highlights how smart fridges expend less energy by keeping track of your fridge-opening habits. Some brands like GreenFreeze even make use of naturally occurring hydrocarbons instead of traditional cooling systems, which are said to be better for the environment.

Lights Make All The Difference

Your kitchen’s lights also use up a significant amount of electricity. While you may think that compact fluorescent bulbs are sustainable due to their energy-saving capabilities, they contain mercury — which is harmful to both humans and the environment.

If you really want to be eco-friendly, LED lights are the way to go. They are both energy-efficient and are less impactful on the environment due to how long they last — with the average LED light bulb lasting around 100,000 hours.

Save Water Using Smart Sinks

Having an eco-friendly kitchen also means reducing the amount of water you waste. When it comes to saving water, it’s the little things that you have to watch out for. While it may seem insignificant, the amount of water wasted from leaky faucets will rack up if left unattended.

Tools such as the Phyn Smart Water Assistant can prevent this from happening by monitoring the water in your kitchen. It can even keep track of the status of your pipes and will alert you of leaks that are present in your kitchen

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With circular fashion touted as the savior of this phenomenally wasteful industry, hundreds of the biggest fashion brands have rushed to associate with it.

Speaking with Mart Drake-Knight, co-founder of circular brand Rapanui, we asked whether big brands can back up their bold rhetoric and make real advances towards a circular economy, or is circular fashion being used as the next best tool for greenwashing the same old practices.

The Case for Change

Over the last 20 years, the explosion of fast fashion alongside a growing middle class with cash to burn, has led to a doubling of clothing production. Meanwhile, the number times we wear these clothes has dropped by a third.

We now consume and dispose of clothing faster than ever before, with a staggering 73% of our clothing eventually ending up in landfill. Sadly, most brands are not motivated to make clothes that last, with some chains, such as Zara, even admitting to producing clothes that are designed to be used less than 10 times.

This style of aggressive consumerism has led to a level of demand that has stretched natural resources to their limits. We often forget that most of our clothes are made of natural materials that we grow out of the earth. They require light, water, nutrients, fertilisers, pesticides, transportation, and ultimately, energy.

The textile industry is now moving at such a pace that it creates 10% of global CO2 emissions, with cotton production alone using 16% of the world’s pesticides, and 2,700 litres of water for just one t-shirt. We are quite literally rinsing the earth dry of resources, and with production projected to increase 81% by 2030, we are sleepwalking into an environmental disaster.

Circular Economies for A Sustainable Future

The current system used by 99% of the fashion and textile industry is not fit for purpose in the face of growing demand. Even with a major shift to sustainable practices, and the best will in the world, population growth alone will make reducing demand almost impossible.

Today, most brands follow the traditional linear model of take – make – dispose. This means all of the input energy is lost at the disposal stage, and we start from square one, by taking even more of our finite planetary resources.

Currently, less than 15% of clothes are collected for recycling, and less than 1% of used material actually ends up integrated into new clothing. You don’t need us to explain how blatantly wasteful this system is.

A circular economy for fashion offers by far the best, and perhaps most obvious, solution to this growing problem. A system of production in which waste and pollution are designed out, by keeping extracted resources in circulation for as long as possible. Then, when a product is beyond use it can be recycled or properly biodegraded, thereby completing the circle.

The broader circular model also focuses on sustainable production, so that the ‘take’ and ‘make’ parts of the system minimise environmental impact as well. Though it is at the disposal stage where circular fashion is unique and most promising.

For the fashion industry, a circular economy really does make sense. Most clothes are predominantly made of natural materials, like cotton, wool, silk, or even viscose. They lend themselves to being re-used, and recycled. A 100% cotton t-shirt, for example, is totally biodegradable, and suitable for re-manufacture.

In order to realise the goals of circular fashion we need to re-think the product life cycle. As Mart Drake-Knight explains:

“To recover and remake clothes, they need to be designed from the start with this in mind. It’s not just about closing the loop, it has to be clean.” …“You can’t take the egg out of an omelette, like you can’t take plastic out of nature meaningfully. It’s best to keep material flows clean if you are serious as a designer about long term (i.e. circular) sustainability.”

Where We Are Now

What’s interesting is that the principals of a circular economy are so applicable to fashion that the industry simply cannot ignore it, even if it wanted to. It’s rapidly been embraced as the go-to sustainability concept, since its mainstream emergence in 2014.

This year 90 fashion brands, including the likes of Nike, Decathlon, ASOS, GAP, and Tommy Hilfiger, have all pledged support for the Global Fashion Agenda’s (GFA) Circular Fashion System commitment. Sounds great, right?

Perhaps not. Circular fashion is so on-trend that it’s become something of a buzz word that everyone wants to associate with. But let’s be clear, talking about circularity in fashion is very different from enacting real change.

According to the GFA, just 12.5% of the global fashion industry has taken ‘concrete action’ towards integrating principles of a circular economy into their business models. And your guess is as good as mine when it comes to defining what exactly constitutes ‘concrete action’. There are endless special reports and design projects, commissioned by some of the biggest brands, with the aim of showing what ‘could’ be done if we conceive products with circularity in mind.

The problem is that all the talk rarely translates into material change. At some point all barriers towards implementing circular models within the fashion industry come down to money. Changing long established practices, especially in large supply chains, is seriously expensive, and as yet, none of the biggest fashion brands have really committed to recycling or re-manufacturing on a scale that compensates for their own production.

A point backed up by the first hand experience of Mart Drake-Knight: 

“Fundamentally the economy does not reward a company for recovering their waste, or using renewables, or natural materials. So it requires a total redesign of the business model and systems to make this kind of thing work.”

From some of the most powerful and profitable brands there is a lot of talk about the need for industry wide commitment. Hiding behind the inaction of others, as if they haven’t got the resources to make changes on their own steam. The sentiment is there, but when profit is at stake the collective will is incredibly weak.

Let’s Talk About H&M

Take H&M for example, who have positioned themselves as industry leaders on sustainability, by pouring millions into green advertising campaigns. Meanwhile, their business model is still founded squarely on the wasteful prototype of fast fashion; cheap, disposable clothes.

They claim to mitigate their environmental impact with their recycling program called ‘Bring It’, allowing customers to return used clothing to stores in exchange for 15% off when they spend more than $50. Of these returned garments, around 60% are still usable and are sent to clothing charities, and the remainder are used to make scrap fabric like cleaning cloths.

The problem is, after their second life the majority of re-used clothes and scrap fabric will still end up in landfills. Meanwhile, an incredible 0.1% of donated fabric actually ends up integrated into new H&M clothing.

In effect, H&M are just deferring waste disposal onto other people. Sure, some of the clothes remain in use for longer, but ultimately H&M is still failing to take responsibility for their own waste through safe disposal or re-manufacturing, and who would when you create so much of it. The system is not even close to circular, without a thought for durability or recycling at the design phase.

What H&M has created is a fantastic PR campaign, that gives customers a false sense of righteousness as they spend that discount voucher after dumping the clothes they had just bought 6 months earlier. Publicly, at least, it looks like everyone has ‘done the right thing’, but long term, pushing our waste onto others will not scratch the surface of the environmental problems facing the fashion industry.

Who Really Closes the Loop

Whilst the biggest fashion brands squabble over their own deficiencies, passing the responsibility amongst themselves, it’s left to the smaller brands to show us how it’s really done. Companies like Rapanui, haven’t waited for ‘industry wide consensus’, they’ve simply prioritised the environmental and social challenges, and designed their own systems accordingly, as Mart Drake-Knight explains:

“The challenge is developing new technologies that do not currently exist, or implementing existing technologies in new ways, to make it happen.”

“Short term you could probably make more money pumping out super cheap plastic stuff for one-wear. But it’s not sustainable.” … “The economics of ‘losing everything eventually’ vs the economics of ‘investing in something that will last’ is a no brainer isn’t it? You don’t even need a spreadsheet.”

Rapanui are pioneering how circular fashion should really work. Where virgin materials are used their sourcing and manufacturing processes are incredibly clean and traceable. From their base on the Isle of Wight they have created a supply chain that’s just about as sustainable and circular as currently possible.

However, the most impressive part comes later. Once clothes are worn out they can be returned to Teemill for re-manufacture. This means used garments are converted back to yarn, which is then spun to produce clothes again. Old becomes new, and this time hardly any natural resources have been extracted.

This is real closed loop manufacturing. An authentic vision of circular fashion, made possible because Rapanui chose to do everything with sustainability in mind from the very beginning. Mart Drake-Knight tells us:

“there are also some really interesting economic dynamics” … “As soon as your entire business makes new from old, your entire customer base is both your consumer and also your supplier. And material is no longer a cost, it’s an asset.”

How We Can Help

Companies like Rapanui have demonstrated that circular fashion is not a fantasy beyond reach. They show us what is possible right now if you build a brand with sustainability as a genuine priority, instead of an ill conceived afterthought.

Brands that make clothes with real foresight to close manufacturing loops only serves to demonstrate just how careless mainstream fashion continues to be. The excuse of waiting on industry wide cooperation is wearing thin, when clearly it’s the bottom line, profit, that is what’s holding back progression.

With this in mind, we can make a simple and powerful choice. Obviously money counts, so we can use our spending power to do the talking. By avoiding brands that are wasteful by design and choosing sustainable alternatives, we can send a powerful message for change. Hopefully the days of take – make – dispose will be numbered.

The post They Talk the Talk, But Are Big Brands Doing Enough To Make Fashion Circular? appeared first on A\J.

Every year around the holidays, we go into this “EVERYTHING IN EXCESS” mode where our brain wants to consume, consume, and consume. And with all that consumption comes a whole lot of trash and waste. In fact, we produce 25–30% more waste around Christmas time than we do the rest of the year.

However, there are many ways we can still celebrate the holidays without the environmental guilt….

1. Purchase eco-friendly gifts

“Studies have shown that a single wash of polyester clothing can release as many as 700,000 microplastics into the water supply…Consider plastic-free gifts like tote bags, sponge cloths, produce bags and plastic-free toiletry kits, as well as clothing made of merino wool and cotton over polyester and nylon clothing over the holidays,” says Dmytriy Pereklita, the founder of OnePieceADay.  Pereklita says that many brands like Patagonia are still stylish yet sourced from more sustainable materials.

OnePieceADay has recently launched an e-commerce marketplace where you can find environmentally-conscious gifts for your friends and family (I like the reusable produce and bulk food bags- pictured above).

Pereklita also emphasized consumers should be thinking about where their gifts are coming from. “Are they from local shops which you can pick up and deliver with minimal carbon footprint?” he asked, “Or are they being flown in from overseas, driven by a truck across the country? Try to support local businesses as much as possible especially during the pandemic.”

2. Switch to reusable gift wrapping

In Canada, we send 540,000 tonnes of gift wrapping and gift bangs to the landfill every holiday season.

“Avoid the usual fancy paper gift wrapping since most of it cannot be recycled. Consider using burlap, old newspapers, dish cloths etc.… For deliveries, you can ask vendors how they package their products prior to making a decision to purchase” says Pereklita. “Reuse as much as you can…or go naked – i.e. no wrapping! Try hiding unwrapped gifts in the house for a fun gift hunt!”

My Green Closet has a useful YouTube video which shows you how you can make your own reusable gift bags here (pictured above).

I would also suggest that if you do decide to go down the gift bag route, skip on the tissue paper and keep the bags you get this year to reuse for someone else’s gift next year.

3. Avoid plastic and single-use housing decorations

Christmas decorations tend to be a plastic heavy, glitter ball mess that usually ends up in a landfill after a few years. Instead of going this route, why not try making your own holiday decorations using sustainable materials? It could be a fun activity for your friends and family.

I like the recycled card wreath from Good Housekeeping (pictured above).

4. Buy a real tree

I know what you are thinking – cutting down a tree? No way! But hear me out. When you look at the lifecycle or the plastic tree alternative, it is actually much worse for the environment. According to Environmental Defense, most plastic trees are not recyclable. After a few seasons, they sit in landfills for the next THOUSAND years! So Instead of purchasing a plastic tree, opt for a real one. If you are still feeling bad about it, plant a new tree in its place afterwards!

When the holidays are over, there are many eco friendly ways to dispose of your real-live tree and bring it back to compost. Cities all over Canada, like Calgary, run Christmas tree composting programs after the holidays so you can be sure your tree is going back to the earth.

5. Go plastic free during holiday gatherings

SOURCE: HUFFPOST

While it may be nice to not have to do the dishes, Environmental Defense says plastic waste from (COVID-19 friendly) holiday gatherings like cups, plates and cutlery often do not end up recycled and go straight to the garbage. So, if you can, use reusable plates, cutlery, and cups.

Single use cups often get thrown out more as people mix up their cups at gatherings, stay with reusable glassware and to avoid the mix up, you can use a wine glass writer to mark your cup!

After the gathering, you can label different bins for recycling, compost, and trash so your guests can also properly dispose of their waste.

6. Avoid wasting food

SOURCE: Fork in the Road

The best part about Christmas, the food! Unfortunately, food waste accounts for a massive portion of holiday waste. If there is leftover food after dinner, send your guest home with food goodie bags! Another option is to save leftovers and scraps for soup stocks instead of throwing them out.

Find a good recipe on how to make vegetable broth from food scraps here.

7. DIY gifts

A DIY gift is a gift from the heart! I am on the east coast for the holidays this year and our beaches are often littered with broken bottles and sea glass. So instead of buying gifts, I am going to gift my family sea glass art pieces (link here). But shhhh… don’t tell them!

8. Offer vegetarian/low meat meals  

According to Random Acts of Green, “At Christmas in 2019, 2.7 million whole turkeys were purchased in Canada!” And yes, the Christmas ham and turkey are holiday staples, I know. But are they really needed? If you answer yes, opt for purchasing ham and turkey (and any other ingredients that end up on the table) from more ethically sourced options. Try buying local or organic instead this year!

Or even better, go meatless this Christmas! Make a new family tradition to use Christmas as the one time a year the entire family goes meatless. Also, you can cut down on the size of the turkeys and or switch to a smaller chicken instead to ensure less food is leftover.

9. Use LED lights

I love going for late night walks around the holidays and looking at all the Christmas lights in my neighbourhood. Christmas lights just put people in a good mood. This year, inside or outside, try and use LED lights instead of regular incandescent ones (LED lights actually use up to 80% less energy).

10. Gift an experience

Instead of buying something that will be donated or tossed in a landfill a few years down the road, why not gift someone a fun experience and happy memories? Environmental Defense has a ton of great gift ideas like Spanish lessons, paint night, salsa dancing, going to the theatre… There are tons of options. I am just saying but if someone gifted a young version of myself hip hop dance lessons for Christmas, I wouldn’t have been mad.

11. Donate to a worthy cause/ upcycle

“Instead of gifts, consider giving the gift of giving,” says Dmytriy Pereklita. “There are groups around the world in need of financial support for eco-friendly causes. Honour someone special by donating on their behalf to one of the following groups committed to helping the planet.”

A few worthy ones Pereklita mentioned:

Save the Whales https://savethewhales.org/donate/

Plastic Pollution Coalition https://connect.plasticpollutioncoalition.org/donate

WWF https://shop.wwf.ca/collections/virtual-gifts

OnePieceADay https://ca.gofundme.com/f/td4eg-one-piece-a-day

12. Create a new sustainable family tradition

Random Acts of Green says starting a new sustainable family tradition can give you much needed time to reflect on how we can help the earth, while still spending time with your loved ones. A few ideas they suggested included, bird watching, going on a nature walk, collecting garbage, or planting a tree to symbolize the value of nature.

The post 12 Eco Tips for Christmas appeared first on A\J.

The year 2020 was always portrayed as being futuristic with many advancements for society. Yet here we are now in what seems to be a never-ending pandemic while struggling to lead normal lives under restrictions. Although this letter was written in 2020, 79 years later I hope when you read this that a lot has changed environmentally. The most fundamental question is, “Have we learnt from our mistakes?”

Last I wrote about how a lot hasn’t changed on a topic as simple as recreation which was evident 42 years after AJ’s magazine writers discussed the impacts of recreation from consumer and conserver society perspectives. However, now in the future, I hope that society has advanced and that the once Ghosts in the Ecosystem have been resolved with the environment taking precedence.

In 2030 all of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were expected to be met. I hope that by now most of the world has achieved great strides in ensuring that the quality of life globally has been positively transformed.

In 2020 environmentally, species are still being lost at an alarming rate, microplastics were still dominating the ocean, food and air and heat waves are being experienced in the Arctic. I hope that by now (2099) more research was done on the impacts of microplastics consumed by humans and that stricter regulations are in place to ensure that fruits and vegetables are not grown in microplastic contaminated soils. Have any new fossils been found of unidentified species we lost back in 2020 due to society’s greed for the destruction and pollution of nature for their own economic gain? Just imagine if we treated nature respectfully how much better we as a society and our environment could have thrived together.

Many negative things happened in 2020. We experienced the COVID-19 pandemic that completely changed the way we lived and it made us think twice about the way we used to do normal things. It, however, presented a new opportunity for more plastic pollution where masks and gloves littered the shorelines and oceans. I hope that the pandemic experience was never a trial version of something else to come and taught us where we went wrong in failing to protect the environment even during a pandemic. I hope history never repeated itself in terms of anyone having to march for their rights in Black Lives Matter protests again because 2020 should’ve already educated and made positive changes in the actions and mentality of those who didn’t see the cause of the movement prior to the protests. No one should ever have to beg to be treated respectfully like everyone else because of something like the colour of their skin- no one! If in 2099 society still hasn’t learnt about treating everyone equally then we’ve failed each other.

I anticipate that by 2029 we’ve all learnt from our mistakes and history did not repeat itself in destroying the environment: the flora, fauna and the people. As Einstein said, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting a different result”. If much hasn’t changed with the positive treatment of the environment then how would future generations get to enjoy the same things we did if we don’t live sustainably?

Cheers,

2020 Self

The post 2020 to 2099: Letter to Future Self in 2099 appeared first on A\J.

Source: Shout Slogans

Being a climate leader is simple: measure your carbon footprint, take actions to lower it, buy high-quality offsets when you can’t and talk with others and let them see you living your values.     Jake Miller                       Acting Director at Project Neutral

In 2018, Canada’s national greenhouse gas emissions (in all sectors) was 729 Mt CO₂ equivalent. With a population of 37.06 million (in 2018) that meant that 19.67 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent were produced per person. Since then, those numbers have only increased. According to Project Neutral, one tonne of carbon dioxide can fill a balloon the size of a bus. Therefore, all the national emissions could be represented by the size of 20 buses per person which results in 741.2 million buses for all of Canada. Now that’s a lot of CO₂ equivalents!

                                                                          Infographic created by Shanella Ramkissoon 

While this number is representative of all emissions from the economic sectors (waste, agriculture, electricity, transportation, oil and gas to the, heavy industry and buildings), it is important to highlight the environmental impact of our overarching societal needs and their demands from nature. How can you help? The easiest option is to start at home.

To determine your carbon footprint, several carbon calculators exist but this article focuses solely on Project Neutral where you can measure your carbon footprint. It is important to consider one’s household carbon footprint. This calculator uses thorough questions to provide you with an ideal representation of your carbon footprint.

Sample of what your carbon footprint can look like on Project Neutral

Source: Project Neutral via Jake Miller

 Jake Miller, Acting Director at Project Neutral stated that “We call household carbon footprints the “missing metric” in our broader climate change discussion. With 45% of Canada’s emissions being attributable to household choices it is really essential that we all start measuring and start discussing how much carbon we are producing. At Project Neutral, we believe that in the future carbon measurements will become mandatory and a lot more prominent in our lives. We expect to see carbon footprints included on all food items, all products, vehicles, houses, hotel rooms…it will become a major factor in consumer choices. For now, we are counting on people to step up as leaders in their daily lives and start measuring and addressing their carbon impact using tools like ours.”

Based on Project Neutral’s advice, everyone must consider their mode of daily transportation, the energy efficiency of their home, the food they consume, the waste they produce and the number of flights they take. Project Neutral’s suggestions are discussed in greater detail below.

5 Ways to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

1. Drive less– walk, bike or take public transit to reduce the amount of emissions you produce. The amount of carbon dioxide you produce is dependent on the fuel efficiency and fuel type of your vehicle and your travel distance.
2. Plan a staycation instead– despite being able to offset carbon from flights, reduce your carbon footprint by planning local vacations that don’t require any flights at all. This will help support the local economy and produce less greenhouse gas emissions.
3. Increase home energy efficiency- making small changes to your home to improve energy efficiency can help. These changes can include:

• using energy-efficient lightbulbs (e.g. compact fluorescent lamps) and appliances
• ensure your home is properly insulated including hot-water tank and pipes
• ensure doors and windows are properly sealed
• lower the heat
• using clothing lines instead of dryers in the summer

4. Make small changes to your diet – Reducing the amount of meat and dairy in your diet and consuming more plant-based meals can reduce the amount of potent greenhouse gases (e.g. methane) produced.
5. Reduce your waste–

• Compost your food when you can as organic material that is instead sent to the landfill produces the greenhouse gas methane under the anaerobic conditions which is 26 times more potent than carbon dioxide. If your food is instead composted, this aerobic process will prevent the formation of methane which has one tonne of CO₂ equivalent for each tonne of organic waste that is sent to the landfill.
• Learn about the 10R’s for discontinuing the use of plastic

Miller also suggests a few points that everyone should note regarding carbon footprints:

1. “Location Matters – While a litre of gasoline burned anywhere on the planet produces the same amount of CO2, the natural gas or electricity you use can vary significantly based on where you live. This is particularly true for how clean your electrical grid is. Project Neutral was developed in Ontario and we use specific emission factors to give the most accurate results for this province.
2. They are Estimates – If you would like to track down the shipment of bananas you just picked up you can likely find your carbon footprint down to the kilogram. However, any carbon footprint calculator that exists needs to operate on some basic assumptions particularly when they ask more approachable questions like “How much do you drive?” vs. “How many litres of gasoline did you burn?” This imprecision exists in everything from your household, to industrial carbon inventories to national emissions–don’t let it distract you from how powerful a tool your footprint can be!
3. They are Diagnostic – The biggest power of a carbon footprint is that it reveals where carbon sources exist and can be used to judge your reduction efforts. It’s like stepping onto the scale as you begin a low carbon lifestyle–it will show you how far you’ve come and be a powerful motivator moving forward.
4. They are Scary until they aren’t – Most people are nervous to find out their carbon footprint. It’s scary to take that step towards taking personal accountability for your emissions. After doing so the vast majority of people are relieved to know and have a specific amount of carbon to focus on reducing. We tend to fear most what we don’t know so using a carbon footprint calculator is a shortcut to feeling less scared and more in control in the face of the climate crisis.”

Carbon Footprint Photo Source: PNG Egg  

It can therefore be seen that knowing your carbon footprint is a great first step to reducing your contribution to the greenhouse gases that affects everyone globally. Secondly, learning how to reduce your impact on your carbon footprint and making these changes can have a significant impact- consistency is key. Thirdly, educating your family and friends on the issue can result in a positive collective impact on reducing carbon and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Other ideas to make changes at home and to your daily life can be found at Project Neutral. Similarly, many incentives exist.

The small steps we take in reducing our carbon footprint can collectively be one giant step for mankind.

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