My New Year’s resolution is to not shop this year. Sure, I’ll buy necessities and replace something if it’s essential, but I’m not going to buy anything that I don’t absolutely need. So far, it’s been easy to live up to and has made my life happier too.
Every bit of stuff that we buy impacts the climate. It takes energy to collect the raw materials, energy to manufacture, energy to make the packing materials, and energy to ship. That adds up to a lot of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere and it’s true for pretty much everything we consume.
Take fashion, for example. According to Business Insider, fashion production causes 10% of global carbon emissions, more than international flights and as much as the European Union combined. Worse still, fashion manufacturing uses large amounts of water (2,000 gallons for a pair of jeans), releases microplastics into the environment, and employs people in poor working conditions, frequently using forced and child labor.
...With my new resolution, I don’t need to spend time shopping, I don’t need to figure out where I’m going to put stuff, I don’t need to worry about stuff getting stolen, and I don’t need to maintain more stuff. I never have to ask myself, ‘why did I ever buy this stupid thing in the first place?’ When I do have to buy something, I’m going to buy the thing that lasts the longest and has the least environmental impact.
With my new resolution, I’ve got more time, more money, more space in the house and I can feel good every day about doing a little bit more for the planet.
By Joel Martin, Climate Writer | 
