DROWNING IN GIFTS

hello Ü Today I want to talk about a problem our society has been facing for a long time. A crisis that we ignore, bring up every once and awhile- then we tuck it away again and pretend we forgot the weight it carries with it. That crisis is ... C O N S U M E R I S M. The term consumerism "refers to the theory that spending money and consuming goods is good for the economy." Unfortunately the downsides and effects of consumerism far out weigh the upsides during this time of climate crisis. Consumerism hits the most vulnerable at their most vulnerable; I'm talking about young people. To marketing schemes and branding that brainwashes our youth to believe they must always be consuming the latest thing. Buying the latest thing then inherently equates someones worth. These young children grow into young adults who then become consuming adults. We are taught to buy buy buy and never question the repercussions of purchasing that product and bringing it into our life. What if every item we bought had to list all of the resources, chemicals, animal testing/byproduct and dangerous work environments they expose their workers and you, the consumer too. I guarantee you would not buy more than 80% of the items you normally buy for everyday life. Now what if that product also showed you how long it would take for it to decompose. Sadly if we had decompose dates displayed we would probably not want to buy nearly 95% of the items we buy for our everyday life. Instead of ignoring the problem there is something we can do to help and we can start slow. Remember every single conscious effort to not add to our overflowing landfill crisis goes a long way in retrospect. Christmas, a holiday thats true meaning is spending time with the people you love and getting into the giving spirit. We should remember that the giving spirit and giving gifts is very different. Gifts do not equate love. Giving on the other hand can mean many other things: giving your time to someone, helping the less fortunate, giving/lending your talents to someone and mostly giving thanks for all your blessings. Retailers exploit this time and brainwash us to believe that buying gifts is the only way to show our and the gift receivers worth. We live in a world where we do not really go without (mostly due to consumerism) so when buying a gift make sure it is something the person NEEDS. Stay away from WANTS and try to only purchase needs. For me my favourite gift to receive is someones time. An amazing gift to consider giving someone this year is a "experience" together. An experience does not need to cost money, it is just simply quality time you put aside to do something different and enjoyable for both of you. A memory is worth more than money and worth way more than a silly gift that will later ending up in a landfill. "Opponents of consumerism suggest simple living is a more sustainable lifestyle and better for the environment." ECO TIPS FOR CHRISTMAS: 1. buy a potted evergreen for your Christmas tree and plant it in the spring 2. buy recycled wrapping paper or thrift wrapping paper 3. go to secondhand stores or secondhand online shops to find that super unique gift 4. SHOP LOCAL and avoid big box stores 5. ask yourself when buying a product if it is a WANT or a NEED and only buy needs Every year i try to add at least one new way to make my Christmas more eco conscious and this year I feel like I have truly made a huge change in how much I consume with these steps. If you have any other tips please feel free to comment below Ü all love + good vibes x kay