Green Friday
Overconsumption and overproduction is a huge issue, especially on big calendar days like Black Friday, the scale of it is truly horrifying and can only put a strain on our planet.
Black Friday is the Friday that follows Thanksgiving in America, something which isn’t a public holiday here in the UK/CI, but a time we hop on the bandwagon and over consume for a bargain. Cyber Monday now follows black Friday, you know, just to make this last even longer.
Everyone is in a different position, it might be someone has been saving and saving, and will make their purchase at this time, for something necessary. Maybe there’s no other financial option but to use these discounts, that’s okay too. I feel that if we are in the privileged position to be able to, then we could try to boycott black Friday and do some alternatives to be kind to the planet, ourselves or other people. The movement for Green Friday aims to encourage more ethical and sustainable options.
- It takes 2700 litres of water to make one t-shirt - that’s how much the average person drinks in 3 years
- Fast fashion uses more energy than aviation and shipping combined
- 93% of discarded clothing can be recycled or upcycled, and yet every year £140 million worth of clothing goes to landfill
Source: Extinction Rebellion (Brighton) (via Instagram)
How can we make Green Friday happen?
I’ve put together some alternative Black Friday ideas to inspire a Green Friday:
Unsubscribe from emails - this helps to stop those irresistible deals and new products tempting you in your inbox
Shop small, make purchases locally to support a small business. If shopping online choose small, independent, or sustainable brands (Big stores don’t do a little dance when they make a sale… support small and make someone do a little dance!)
Make someone a homemade gift instead of buying something they don't need
Take your reusable water bottle with you when you leave the house today, use a refill station
Go for a walk (literally, go where it's green)
Pick up litter on said walk ^
Treat yourself to a takeaway coffee or hot chocolate in your own reusable cup
Take a trip (if you can) to a charity/secondhand shop or browse sites such as Depop instead of fast fashion brands
Sign an environmental petition
Purchase an item from a local shop instead of online retailers (such as Amazon)
Make a plastic free swap (new to this? get started click here: 8 Sustainable Swaps)
Cook someone dinner or bake them a treat
See if you can restyle an old item of clothing you don’t wear anymore, and show it some love again
Swap a book with a friend
Research a topic you care about or want to learn about
Listen: to the @RememberWhoMadeThem podcast and learn about the impacts of fast fashion
Rewatch your favourite film
This list is endless, why not take some ideas and make a personalised list of your own, and make the whole weekend green?
When you make a purchase, regardless of what the item is, consider that purchase as a vote with your money. It’s a vote for the companies you support and their ethos, so we need to look a little deeper and make sure they’re the type of company we want to be supporting. Of course there are times where we cannot always choose the more sustainable option. Perhaps the cost of the item is completely out of your price range, or there are not accessible alternatives.
If there are deals that you can't resist, go through a checklist to ensure you really need to make the purchase. Types of questions to consider could be along the lines of:
1) Do I need it?
2) Do I absolutely love it?
3) Do I have something very similar already?
4) Could I find this secondhand or from a smaller business?
“BLACK FRIDAY DEAL! SAVE 100% BUY NOTHING”
Hopefully this has provided some ideas to inspire an earth friendly Friday. Spread the word and share what you'll be doing for Green Friday, or will you follow the Fashion Revolution and join in saying NO to sales between Friday and Monday (27th-30th) and simply buy nothing?