Happy Earth Day! A new season is here, and you know what that means? Shopping! All new everything! The more the merrier! Goodbye frumpy old sweaters, hello Spring shopping spree!
But wait- there’s something wrong here.
I’m ashamed to say that over the past year or so my consumerism has gone from average to out of control. Keeping up in this industry can be really tough at times, especially with all the pressure to always look clean and new and perfectly groomed. I’m not by nature a dainty take-a-taxi-in-the-rain-type of person… I jump in puddles, I spill every beverage I sip all over myself, and I’m always wrinkled or stained in one way or another.
I used to be pretty blissfully unaware of my scrambled messiness, until I became a blogger.
These days I find myself more self conscious about my clothing than I care to admit, and as a result I have accumulated a ton of new items in a very short time. I have two massive closets that are always way too full, and yet I keep adding faster than ever before. I hold on to stained, damaged, and worn out items forever even though I have no intention to wear them in public again, which means everywhere I turn things are constantly piling up.
So what’s a girl to do? Live under mountains of unwearable clothes while more and more join the party every day? This past weekend I took a look in my closet(s) and decided no more: I packed as many bags as I could full with clothing that I never touch, and started an hour long trek through the city to my local Value Village. To be clear, I easily could’ve taken public transit or a taxi, but I really wanted to feel the weight of all the clothing I’d acquired- plus, it was a good excuse to explore the city in the sunshine!
The amount of clothing consumption in North America spreads far beyond my pastel closet. Every year we send 10.5 million tons of clothing to landfills, ninety-five percent of which can be reused or recycled. This year as part of my big #RAOPspringclean I’m trying my best to cut down waste by sharing clothing with my friends, taking unused makeup to women’s shelters, and donating everything else at Value Village every few weeks. Best of all- I almost always find a second hand treasure or two on my way out, which this year, is my kind of Spring shopping!
How will you Spring clean for Earth Day?
To learn more about Value Village’s #RethinkReuse campaign and to find your nearest location to donate today, click here!
This post was sponsored, but all opinions are my own. To inquire about sponsored posts, please email jess@shineinfluencers.com
Thank you so much for this plug! I did a little spring closet cleaning and ended up with a pretty sizable box of fast fashion that I took to Plato’s Closet, but there were a lot of things they didn’t accept that still ought to go /somewhere/ that isn’t the trash. I found a place that benefits my state’s Special Olympics!