When I went on my senior trip to Siesta Key this summer, the first thing I thought was…
“What am I going to wear?!?!”
-a panicked me after finding out about a vacation
This isn’t the first time this has happened either. When I was invited to go to a music festival this Spring, all I could think about was how many new clothes I would need to get to match the festival’s vibe. If I were going to post pictures on Instagram or even walk around the venue confidently, I would need to look my best right?
Besides, people always enjoy matching their outfits to their vacations; think of all the flowy white sundresses you see when people visit Greece, or the striped shirts when they visit France. Trying to match the vibe isn’t a crime, so it is fine if I buy new clothes for the vacation, right?
Sometimes… You see, overconsumption is a huge problem in the fashion industry today. And buying new clothes for every vacation, especially clothes that you can’t wear in your everyday life, only further contributes to this issue.
“Fashion and its supply chain is the third largest polluting industry, after food and construction. It emitted 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, releasing 1.2 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, more than the shipping and the aviation industry combined.”
-Earth.org
The fashion industry, fast fashion specifically (I’m looking at you Shien), is detrimental to the health of the Earth. These products do not last and are often made of horrible materials with microplastics that do not decompose and make their way into the ocean. Additionally, the fashion industry uses 93 billion cubic meters of water each year (which is enough to sustain 5 million people) and is responsible for about 20% of wastewater worldwide according to the World Bank.
It is so important for us to take care of the Earth as we travel it. Especially because some countries are bearing the brunt of the change, just look at the Atacama Desert in Chile, where there are dunes of unused clothing.
I am not saying never go shopping for vacation again. Buying one or two items is fine, just make sure they are pieces that you can incorporate into your everyday wardrobe. Try to buy from companies that are sustainable, and once you are tired of the piece, donate it.
It is of utmost importance for all of us to recognize the role we play in climate change, and actively try to combat it.
“We all need to love traveling the Earth enough to take care of it.”
-Ava Abreu
Teen Traveler 
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