I envision a future where people feel more connected to each other because we become less influenced by marketing and more influenced by our own visions of sustainable and fulfilling lives. I value a world that is more thoughtful -- a world that continuously draws connections between consumption habits and the impact those habits have on ecosystems and people across the globe. To achieve this future of equity and responsibility we should ban the practice of planned obsolescence, provide subsidies for appliance repairs, and apply greater taxes on items that are produced unethically. I will take steps today towards this less-consumeristic future by committing to not buy any new clothing for the rest of this year.
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I agree with you that we shouldn't chase trends and that anything on earth can get a second life before it turns to junk.
Interesting idea about taxing items produced unethically! How do you think we might actually implement this? Who would draw the line(s) for what is ethically produced or not?
Also super in love with the idea of subsidies for repairs - genius!
I respect your personal effort! But perhaps it is not enough to do it on your own. Proper publicity will definitely be better if more people can join to the action.
For older electrical appliances, I prefered to buy a new one rather than fix it since fixing an older electrical appliance would spend more money. However, I change my mind now. the cost to the environment of our planet cannot be offset by how much money you spend.
Great points! I like your commitment to not buying any new clothing for the year - something my sister did last year, and which I am planning on doing in 2023, was only allow herself to buy <15 new items throughout the entire year (includes clothes, shoes, books, appliances, etc). Such a great way to be more intentional in your purchases, save money, and reduce consumerism.
There's an online forum called r/BuyItForLife (https://www.reddit.com/r/BuyItForLife) that people try to find durable products!
Hi Sarah! I really like your ideas in this post. Consumerism should not fit into any of our futures! I agree that things like higher taxes on unethically produced goods are necessary step to making an impact - as we see today's age, simply presenting the facts does not always work!
Hi Sarah, it was interesting to see you preset your ideas in a coherently laid out manner. I also share your sentiments about consumerism and the lack of regard our actions have to the environment. It is admirable that you plan on taking steps toward furthering this vision you have for the future. Of your proposed solutions, I wonder about the application of greater taxes. It raises questions in my mind as to what and who will deem what items are considered to be unethical and the extent of the tax that is applied. It is an interesting idea, I'd be interested to see you expand your thoughts on it! Thank you for sharing.
It truly would be amazing if supply chains were more transparent so that it makes it easier to see the connections you mentioned between the consumer and the ecosystems across the world!
I really like your challenge of not buying any new clothing for the rest of the year and taking steps for a less-consumerist future. I've definitely been trying the same thing and minimizing the amount of clothes that I've bought for the past 2 years
Hey Sarah! I really appreciate your comments on how we should draw connections between our consumption habits and their impacts, especially how you explained concrete practices to create specifically a more equitable world :) Question for you tho, do you think taxing unethical practices will ultimately reduce them? Or people will just find more ways to skrt around it (yenno like crazier tax evasion stories)
This is fantastic! I really love your idea about subsidies for appliance repairs!!