THE CLIMATE HAS CHANGED, HAVE YOU?

For most of my adult life, I’ve been waiting for mainstream politics to include climate change in lawmaking. Anxiously waiting for world leaders to take the health of our home planet seriously. At the very least, equally as important as the economy. Indeed it’s fair to say that until recently, climate change wasn’t a popular topic of conversation in any aspect of life. Unlike me, most people just weren’t concerned yet, although that didn’t stop me from talking about it. Despite my deep passion, I took a pragmatic approach as my call to action – There’s no healthy economy without a healthy environment.

It seemed pretty obvious to me that people are harmed by pollution and extreme weather so the connection to jobs and in turn spending would inevitably disrupt the economy. I tried using cold logic against climate skeptics. Disappointingly, it rarely worked. Do you know why? Well, because it didn’t affect them directly.

Back then those conversations would end with me inwardly furious (or not so inwardly) emphatically overruled by a better “educated” member of our species. Treated like a hippy-dippy idiot dreaming of utopia, I was subjected to short-sighted reasoning along the lines of – there has to be economic growth for global prosperity. In other words, a country’s success is measured by its growth which relies on the gross domestic product. Quite literally this means extraction and consumption.

I may not be college-educated but instinctively I know that endless growth is not a good thing. Indeed it is a very bad thing for all but a few elites. However, if I’m honest, it took much longer for me to learn the true path to happiness is not paved with material things.

SHOPPING WHILE CONSCIOUS

Over the past three decades, citizens of the Global North have been groomed into quite exceptional consumers. Shopping is now inextricably linked to everything we do. We shop for fun, for therapy and of course for the appearance of success. We’re always looking for the latest gadget or phone upgrade to improve our lifestyle. We buy new outfits not because our clothes are worn out but because we want the latest trend, of which there are countless. What’s more, we do all of this on a continual loop without a second thought.

The trouble with this system is that it creates an abundance of waste. Obviously, if we never stop shopping the stuff has to go somewhere. So we endlessly clear out our wardrobe, garage, basement and even the fridge – to make way for the new. What does this monotonous routine add to our lives and why do we buy into it? Perhaps, we don’t realize that we have bought into it. Perhaps we haven’t thought about it much at all.

conscious citizen wears bright pink suit by stine goya worn with bright floral turtle neck top by the kit outside sunny day blue sky

WE ARE ALL ACTIVISTS NOW

Since last year more people have become hyper-aware of the existential threat to our life on this beautiful blue planet. Also, we know that everything we buy, from groceries and tech to fashion and hardware, has been through the hands of other people and affected their lives. In fact, our purchases can either support or condemn a community and that is no small thing. It stands to reason if we add a pause [for thought and more information] to our shopping routine, an automatic decision becomes a conscious one. That right there is a direct threat to consumerism. Also known as mindless consumption, which is directly linked to the climate crisis.

activist {ak-tuh-vist} noun: a person who believes strongly in political or social change and takes part in activities to try to make this happen

Therefore every time you make an informed choice instead of a programmed one, you are an activist. An activist who protests with the power of money. For example, imagine the next time you search for an item and it pops up on Amazon. Instead of an unconscious click to cart, tap the makers URL, go directly to their website and give them your money. In one fell swoop, you have achieved two important things 1. Sent the entire amount to the vendor 2. You have removed your consent from Amazon.

Know there is joy to be found in this type of activism. Once you make the commitment of conscious shopping, it permeates much further and deeper into other areas of your life you may not have considered before. If you have the means to spend your money where it helps people and the planet, what’s stopping you?

conscious citizen wears bright pink suit by stine goya worn with bright floral turtle neck top