Planet Positive: My Action Saves the Earth
What a waste!
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My daughter and grandchildren are coming to visit! Yippee!
When I woke up this morning I decided I need something new to wear for when I meet them at the airport tonight. Just after breakfast, it was off to the mall!
As I got there I gave it a second thought. Do I really need something new? Is it not wiser to take them for seafood on the beach, a day trip to Durban harbor, or an ocean cruise watching dolphins?
I stopped, turned around, and walked back to my car.
And that got me thinking about waste management.
What happens to our old clothes?
Do you know where your old clothes land up after it was passed on multiple times or thrown out?
It is hard to believe but these pieces of clothing land on dump sites. It was discovered that South Africa is one of the countries experiencing a waste management crisis due to the dumping of clothing.
Lucille Booysen, CEO of the South Africa Fashion Week said that we live in a society of “no need”.
We don’t need clothing, we have enough. It is the retailer who is creating the need for us to have new clothing, telling us what is in fashion each season or that “slim” is in, time for looking after a slimmer you that also requires a new look. It is they who create the need for a certain brand.
From 2020 the production of garments had doubled to over 100 billion USD per year.
It is time for us to go back to minimizing. Time to go back to a “capsule wardrobe” filled only with the things we love to wear and not with things we only wear for one evening.
It is time to go where we were as children, Recycle, Re-use, Repair, and Rework!
Until we do this we are going to stay stuck in the rat race of a look for each time we want to look good.
It is a fact that the fashion industry contributes to landfills. Year after year we see retailers claiming profits which results in an overflow of fashion.
I am a keen follower of the yearly fashion weeks of Milan, Paris, London, and New York.
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Designers put their clothing on show in these global fashion shows. I have found these fashion shows to be more temporary and less about what is happening tomorrow
It lands up in the “single day” cupboards of those who buy them. In fact, I often wonder how people can actually buy these clothes as they are not even pretty. I didn't say that, did I? Oops!
In South Africa, we have +/- 345 designers which between them do a yearly turnover of more than 800 million rand, (205128205,12 STEEM). CRAZY!
If we want to stop garment waste the world will have to change. We need to look at the sustainability of fashion and not chase glamour.
What is the solution? |
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Frock swap or online thrifting.
Frock swap
You have to get rid of a piece of clothing before you can replace it, swap it for something else.
This can be done through second-hand stores, online stores, or by donating. “Free a hanger”. You have to free a hanger, empty it, before you can replace it with something else.
You might even find yourself leaving a party with someone else’s jacket.
Online thrifting
This is the term given for buying second hand-clothes instead of brand new.
It is a booming and fast-growing industry in South Africa and especially with children's clothing. It has open also many doors for mothers who lost their jobs during Covid-19.
It is the ultimate way to, Recycle, Re-use, Repair, and Rework your clothing.
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And that is exactly what I did today. Not only did I not buy that piece of clothing but I have sorted my cupboard in Recycle, Re-use, Repair, and Rework. It felt good!
I have a surprise for my daughter, she is going to need an extra suitcase for when she flies back home!
Next time you buy clothing, think twice. Think about waste management and buy it to tell a story that can last a lifetime.
Your thoughts can help save Mother Earth!
It is through our behavior, our relationship with nature that we can make living on earth suitable for everybody, today, tomorrow and the days thereafter. Nature needs us and we need nature.
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100% agreement! I never had to bend for that - I have little interest in so-called fashion: I do like to be well-dressed, but for me that means comfortable, well-fitting, well-made, true to type and simple. Mostly monochrome. Gladly in a muted colour. And so I have clothes in my wardrobe that I already wore at the age of 16 ;-))
Curated by : @petface
Dankeschön ;-)) Merci. Thank you ;-))
Okay, I must admit, it is those clothes and shoes with holes that wears the best. Those that you just cannot get rid of. Those that are just perfect for a lazy day at home 😊
Hi @patjewell welcome to the STEEM INDONESIA community page this is our country community. We are very happy that you have made your first post here.
From some of the articles that you have written, I have read them very interestingly. Today you have made an interesting post for me to reread, of course it has good values with the title positive planet, to be honest we have been waiting for posts like this from Steemians by providing interesting and useful articles for everyone. I thank you for the contribution of @patjewell brother for making a post here with an extraordinary theme. success always for you.🤝
What a warm welcome! Thank you!
It makes me feel right at home.
Beware! This will not be my last😊
Your description is absolutely correct, because it's reality! Yes, everyone who wants to look beautiful and attractive always has to throw away old things and replace them with new ones. They don't think about renewing or recycling or yet there are others who may really need it. Just like single-use "plastic" food places that always add to the problems and burdens for the environment.. it's a difficult thing to fix because you have to deal with business and profit minded people!
..Thank you so much for welcoming our contest !
Gosh! The welcoming doesn’t stop! Thank you!
After I’ve written my post I wasn’t sure where to post it. Then I saw your contest and as the English man would say, the hand fitted the glove.
I was totally blown away, when I did my research on textile waste, yesterday. I never knew that it was such a huge waste management problem.
Thank you for engaging with my post. It is appreciated.
but your writing is perfect for this contest. Because most people probably don't think about the negative effects on the environment from an uncontrolled human lifestyle. I really enjoy your writing..
there are many ways we can do to save the earth, one of which is by managing waste in the surrounding environment to be useful with creative work in creating valuable items from used goods or garbage around where we live, this is an interesting post and welcome to the steem community .Indonesia...
Oh wiow! You guys are truly amazing with your welcoming. I cannot help but to feel part of the “family” and that after only 1 post.
Thank you for engaging with my post and the warm welcoming.
you're welcome @patjewell
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Congratulations! This post has been upvoted through steemcurator04. We support quality posts , good comments anywhere and any tags.Thank you! Your vote is appreciated!! ☕️
@sofian88
A different and interesting perspective. I have never thought about this subject in this way. You are right. It's essential to introduce more sustainable remedies for this problem than any other fashion. My Universities also have 2 departments in the Textile industry graduating around 100 students. Now I am curious to talk with them about this matter. A valuable and detailed post as always!
Oh wow! I would love to hear what students will say about this matter.
I hope you are going to write a post on it and if you do please copy me. (•ิ‿•ิ)