Let's talk about plastic. Plastic never goes away; it isn't biodegradable, it doesn't just disappear when it gets thrown away. It is taking over our planet. It is in our oceans, on our freeways and on our sidewalks. I have made a commitment to use as little plastic as possible and live as waste free as possible. I have stopped drinking out of straws at restaurants, I take a backpack where ever I go, I don't use plastic spoons, and use a limited amount of Ziploc bags. The plastic bags I do receive I use until they are unusable. Maybe one person not using plastic doesn't make that big of a difference but I used to use one plastic spoon a day, that is 365 spoons a year that I am not using. I used to use 3 - 5 plastic Ziploc bags a day. I still use them but I combine items when I can and I don't use them every day. I use a paper bag or a lunchbox for my food. One person doing this may not make a huge difference but I am writing this to bring awareness to this problem, and I am challenging my readers to be aware of the amount of plastic they are using and maybe it won't be just me making this commitment.
Let's also talk about the clothing industry. The clothing industry is one of the biggest culprits of sweatshop labor. Big name brands such as Marc Jacobs, Calvin Klein, and Ralph Lauren, though expensive, are large culprits of this epidemic. People suffer because large companies would rather make a lot of money than pay people enough to feed their families. While I was in Norway I watched a documentary about sweatshops and one story really struck my heart . The girl in this story was about 15 years old and didn't have a mother. Her mother had died of starvation while she was just a baby, because she didn't make enough money from her job in a factory to feed both herself and her daughter. There is something wrong with this picture. People die so that we can have nice things and I think that is very wrong. I have made a commitment to only shop in places given a certain rating by this app I have called "Good on You" It ranks clothing companies from "We Avoid" to "Great" I have chosen to only shop from places that have been given at least an "It's a start" rating, or companies that are actively trying to make the quality of life of their employees better. There are very few mainstream stores that fit my qualifications. Target and H&M are the only stores in my area that I can buy new clothes from. ASOS has an ethical fashion line but it is quite pricey. If you are looking to join me in this commitment and are having trouble finding clothes, I would suggest finding a nonprofit thrift store near you, I would not recommend Goodwill, it is not a nonprofit organization. I would recommend thrift stores such as The Salvation Army. My hometown's local homeless shelter runs a thrift store that my family often donates to, so if there is a local thrift store that is nonprofit that might also work. Not only is the money you are spending going to a good cause, you are also saving money. That is what one might refer to as a "Win Win" situation. The documentary I watched was in Norwegian but I managed to find a subtitled version if you would like to know more.
Here are few other sources including the "Good on You" website.
If you are looking to make even more of a difference I would suggest researching the food industry and looking into a label called fairtrade. The coffee and cocoa industries are largely taken advantage of as well. Fairtrade foods have a special logo on it
The reason I am writing this is not make you feel guilty for buying things from a not okay place. I am writing this to make people aware. I love people and I think it is so unfair that people suffer so much while we get nice things, food in our bellies and spend hundred of dollars on clothes that often see no return profit to the people who are suffering because of the clothes we like to wear or the convenience of the plastic we like to throw away. I think it is important to know what our money is going to. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle is an important motto to live by.
This is Miriam signing off
