“The world would be better off without humans. We are the scourge of the planet.”
This is something we hear far too often.
How have we made pessimism and apathy regarding the future of our planet the norm?
In a world where our economic system relies on a structure of endless production and consumption, many see no end to humanity’s destructive means. Even though the majority of us acknowledge the crimes we commit against our planet, and agree that we must not continue in our path of devastation, an ultimately indifferent attitude prevails. We think, “what can I do about this? I am powerless; it’s the big businesses and politicians that are responsible for fixing this mess, they are the ones who are making it.”
And so, unknowingly and unintentionally, we go out and buy our groceries from a giant supermarket chain, we buy clothes from fast fashion industries, we overuse electricity generated from coal plants, we hand our money to the very people who are responsible for destroying our environment, who will, in turn, produce more ‘goods’ at the expense of the planet.
It’s a vicious cycle.
A key barrier to achieving harmony with our environment is the bane of selfishness. In wealthy countries, we are spoiled. We increasingly demand cheaper products, usually for no reason other than to save money, despite having plenty at our expense. Unfortunately, cheaper options have an invisible price tag of huge environmental damage and appalling working conditions. We go for the cheap product, because hey, it’s cheap!- ignoring the hidden price completely.
We consume without thinking about the implications behind our consumption. To us, the cycle ends when we buy the product. That’s that.
Of course, this is far from reality. But, who can blame us for blindly consuming when we don’t know what the implications are?
As consumers, we need to know what we are buying. We should be able to know what our dollar is truly paying for- is it paying for unimaginable amounts of waste, for a CEO’s fifth holiday home, or for the fair treatment of workers and responsibly sourced materials?
And another thing- in what world is it necessary to have stores churn out a new range of clothes every single week? Who needs to buy so many clothes? We produce so many clothes that when charities send their unsold garments to poorer communities, even they have no need for them because they already have too much. Twenty years ago, stores would have new ranges of clothing come in no more than four times a year to coincide with seasons.
Why have we allowed such extreme materialism to become rampant?
So, what can we, as everyday people, do about this? We may not have the type of hard power that corporates and politicians possess, but there are ways in which we can all contribute to a change. ‘Vote with your lifestyle’. You may have heard this phrase before, but what does it mean? Quite simply, it means that your decisions count, no matter how small. It means that by being conscious of your lifestyle choices, you are sending a message out, you are contributing to the demand, or lack thereof, of a product which you choose or decline to buy. Since our economic system is built on the laws of supply and demand, this has an impact.
If you won’t buy it, they won’t sell it!
You might think, “I’m only one person. I won’t make an impact. To make an impact in this way, everybody needs to make the same decision as me, and let’s face it, nobody cares enough to do so.” I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” This is incredibly relevant when it comes to making environmentally and ethically responsible choices-if we have an attitude of apathy when it comes to our everyday decisions, we are, unfortunately, causing harm and no help.
If you buy it, they will sell it.
We cannot permit such destruction of our planet to occur because of apathetic and pessimistic mindsets. We must be cautious of our decisions, of the attitudes that influence them. It is not enough to recognise that people are destroying the environment, we must follow up on our views by refusing to support atrocious practises, even if that means we must be a bit more informed and perhaps pay a little bit more for ethical products.
At the most basic level, here are some easy things you can do to help: recycle EVERYTHING you can, avoid throwing unwanted things out-repurpose them or give them away, avoid buying things in large quantities when unnecessary, go for products without excessive packaging, and avoid buying what you don’t need, and research the brands you buy from.
I do not believe that humans are the scourge of the earth. We have so many unique abilities, we do some truly lovely things, and we are more than capable of fixing up the chaos that has been made. We just have to overcome the greed and materialism which has landed us in today’s mess. We must be more considerate, selfless and aware. We must not be pessimistic, for this will only lead us further down the path of destruction.
gummygunk
theartofmadeline
s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
origamiaround
germansingergirl
prguitarman