Sustainable Fashion: What You Need To Know Current Movements, Realities, And Options Related To Sustainable, Ethical Fashion

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markusspiske on pixabay

Exactly a week ago the United Nations Environment Assembly launched the “UN Alliance for Sustainable Fashion” in Nairobi, Kenya. Its goals are to end the environmental and socially destructive aspects of the fashion industry at large. This new alliance welcomes other organizations to collaborate for the cause. For example, UN Environment is pushing for governments to adopt and maintain sustainable manufacturing practices. The International Trade Centre plans to promote fashion artisans from the developing world. The Food and Agricultural Organization plans to facilitate the use of sustainable oceanic materials for fashion, which they call “Blue Fashion.” Many big fashion companies have signed on, pledging to make changes in the coming decades.

A Destructive Industry

The fashion industry is responsible for ongoing negative impacts upon the environment and quality of life for people. The fashion industry:

• Uses about 20% of the world’s water, and releases about 500,000 tons of synthetic microfiber pollution into the ocean every year. In addition, those who buy and wash synthetic fabrics (everyone), release significant amounts of synthetic microfiber pollution into waterways around the world.
• The general quality of mainstream clothing is poor and synthetic. People now buy 60% more clothing than in 2004, and all of that lasts half as long.
• 8–10% of all global carbon emissions are from the clothing industry.
• The clothing industry’s crops account for 24% of all insecticides used, and 11% of all pesticides used.
• Hundreds of billions of dollars in clothing are wasted each year by the fashion industry due to an absence of recycling, and never-used-waste that goes to the landfill.

(Source: UN Environment Press Release, March 14, 2019)

The Fashion Industry’s Dark Side

In addition to the statistical information, the fashion industry has yet to invest seriously in hemp, organic cotton, and linen in a way that is inclusive and affordable for the average person. It is the choice of the industry so far to lean heavily on synthetic fibers in order to cheaply produce clothing and fabrics for the mainstream. This leads to huge amounts of destructive waste and pollution.

The dark side of fashion has always included animal cruelty, outsourced slave labor and child labor, trends that are wasteful and encourage reckless waste, objectification of the female body, and elitist glamour that saturates ads that prey on youth — who are especially vulnerable to eating disorders and body dysmorphia.

The fashion industry is not just high fashion, trends, niches, and the runway — it is also chain stores that overstock cheap garments of little quality and short life, lingerie, and athletic wear. And it is forever linked with the beauty industry (which is saturated with these issues as well). The fashion/clothing industry is much like the major corporations that continue to manufacture single-use plastics daily — they are responsible for ongoing reckless waste that is polluting and suffocating so much of the planet.

A Movement For Positive Change

Initiatives like the UN Alliance for Sustainable Fashion can hold the fashion industry accountable in ways that inspire many to turn things around for the better. The fashion industry, like the rest of the world’s wasteful, toxic systems, must make never-before-seen levels of radical change, which turn exploitation, destruction, and abuses into healthy, ethical, empowering, and sustainable practices and promotions.

While the UN Alliance for Sustainable Fashion is tackling the issue of plastics related to fashion, it is unclear if the change will be made quickly enough to save our ocean and resources from the damage that has built up, and that continues daily.

New Options In The Search For Sustainable Fashion

Emma Watson, a champion for gender equality and LGBTQ rights, is also using her positive influence to recommend a sustainability-driven fashion operative called, “Good On You.”

“I support Good On You because I need to know my clothes do not harm our precious planet or its people.”

~ Emma Watson

Good On You provides many helpful explanations on materials, concerns, resources, and reviews on their website, as well as an app and presence on social media. Good On You rates clothing lines according to the sustainability categories that they most value, which include: impact on workers, resource use, energy use, carbon use, impacts on water, chemical use and disposal; animal welfare, leadership on issues, and standards like Fair Trade. They avoid brands that greenwash and lack transparency. They give a rating of “Not good enough” for brands that don’t provide enough transparency. The “It’s a start” rating denotes that the brand is making progress. And the other ratings are “Good” and “Great.”

Fashion Revolution is a UK based inclusive global movement for ethical action and change in the fashion industry. They call themselves “pro-fashion protestors” because they see fashion as positive, and yet want it to become truly sustainable and ethical.

We love fashion. But we don’t want our clothes to exploit people or destroy our planet. We demand radical, revolutionary change.

~ part of Fashion Revolution’s Manifesto

This organization appeals to all people in general, brands, retailers, producers, students, and educators to get involved. They have global representation, networking, regional articles, and an action center.

The Good Trade is an online guide to ethical and sustainable choices, some of which take budget into account for: fashion, beauty, wellness, home, travel, food, and lifestyle. The website style is very much like a magazine, with ongoing feature articles in the different genres of topics. The shopping guide for fashion does identify many brands that are organic, sustainable, and “affordable.” Affordable is in quotes due to the relativity of that particular word, especially in articles featuring fast and new fashion.

Between Affordability And Sustainability

Platforms like The Good Trade are helpful in some ways, but none like it seem to really address the plight of most people, which is that wages are not matching the demands of inflation and cost of living — leaving a lot of the organic, sustainable, ethical options out of reach, no matter how “affordable” fashion folks deem certain brands.

For example, a similar platform, EcoCult, published an article, “The 18 Most Affordable Places to Buy Sustainable, Eco-Friendly, and Ethical Fashion.” I would recommend reading all the comments made in response to this article, as they highlight the realities, and the varying ideas on where the ethical line is drawn between supporting large businesses making an effort (with some greenwashing going on) and real, accessible, ethical choices.

What is ultimately highlighted or felt in well-meaning, even helpful articles like this is the dissonance present in our culture due to systemic dysfunction, corruption, privilege, and disparate levels of financial means.

The comments reveals two key things. One, the “affordable” options are not affordable for many. Two, recommending companies that greenwash can and does erode the trust of readers — especially when they are already accepting sponsored products on the author’s transparent ethical stance. Of course, the advice given for those who cannot afford the “affordable” is the only advice that can be given: shop secondhand — thrift your way to lasting, ethical fashion.

Secondhand clothing is, indeed, one of the big answers, yes. And so is: buying less and divesting from new fashion entirely. Or choosing to invest in new clothing only when you can source it ethically and sustainably, which may be through local/regional people, rather than from companies.

From Corporate Alliances To Grassroots Action

mpkino on pixabay

The big industries need to be held accountable with restrictions and taxes made into law that enforce the changes needed. All of the different organizations and movements in the world pushing for ethical, sustainable fashion address the needed change on different levels, with many different ways of putting it into action.

In regards to fashion, for those of us who are directors and designers of our own sustainable and ethical lifestyle changes, the ongoing values that inform actions revolve around: reducing and eliminating waste, buying less, buying thrift/secondhand, no more buying, trading and fixing, mending or transforming what is wearing out. And, avoiding synthetic fabrics whenever possible.

We can’t afford fast fashion. We can’t afford ethical fashion, for that matter, until wages are updated with inflation. In regards to our future on this planet, life can’t afford for us to keep buying and wasting.

~ C.S. Sherin, author of Recipe For A Green Life

Secondhand Clothing options run the gamut from little shops to big operations — local, regional, and online — that provide truly affordable clothing. My Wardrobe HQ is an example of an online buying, selling, and renting operation for clothing. Money earned is used to buy or rent fashion on the site. The site requires participants to do their own shipping, packaging, and printing of labels. This includes use of single-use plastics and paper.

Brick and mortar outfits may provide a more sustainable option in light of packaging and shipping related to online operations. Yet, many secondhand operations may or may not be making strides in how they run the business. Secondhand operations may or many not choose to depend on the use of: stickers, single-use plastic tags, hangers, bags, chemical air fresheners, and other single-use items related to clothing protection, purchase, and storage.

In many areas where a large city is nearby, there are often various shops that provide secondhand clothing in the niches of vintage, brand name and high fashion, in addition to the regular and mainstream options. In some areas, there are also shops with some options for locally or regionally handmade clothing. And why not combine the two?

A creative and talented thrift shopper may find secondhand clothing that doesn’t quite fit, but has an idea for it, and knows how to sew and create new clothing from what is salvaged at rummage sales and the like. Or, a creative and resourceful thrifter can obtain the salvage items of clothing and enlist a local tailor or seamstress to fix and recreate items for them. This is another level of thrift that incorporates re-purposing and upcycling.

Stop Buying Clothes

Clothing exchange groups are a part of the natural solution to the excess and need present. Free exchanges of clothing provides the opportunity to reuse, re-purpose, and help one another — without a price tag always being attached.

Pop-up shops and secondhand clothing shops can provide events where people can trade clothing items using the one-for-one policy. This seems a most exciting new movement for the general population. Fairness in what is traded, and proposed value for an object is erased in favor of need and demand. Value of one-for-one is straightforward and no-nonsense. Perhaps more detailed or other approaches are successful as well, like: a dress for a dress, a shirt for a shirt. That policy would be the like-for-like policy. There are many options for sharing, trading, and renting, and they are not limited to casual or practical fashion.

Rent and Swap sites are another way to satisfy fashion hunger without buying. Online sites like Rent The Runway and Style Lend facilitate the renting of high-end, exclusive clothing. Rent The Runway works on a two tiered monthly membership fee of $69 or $80 per month trial offer ($89 or $159 per month after trial), that can be cancelled at any time. This is not affordable for everybody, but it does fit a need and reduces waste and buying. Style Lend is similar in approach to My Wardrobe HQ. To be clear, since they are not — “lending,” in this context, means renting. There is no lending going on in — in the sense of a friend lending a friend an article of clothing — free. That would instead be in the category of the previous paragraph, clothing exchange groups. So yeah, none of the Rent and Swap sites are actually swapping or lending for free.

The Rent and Swap is a solution for those who have the budget, and only wear items a few times for events and special occasions or due to lifestyle and/or profession-based demands. These platforms eliminate buying, while allowing the joy of fashion to be spread, as well as a secondhand profit from it that keeps investing in rented items. With this option, the concern of shipping materials and emissions remain an issue to weigh and consider carefully. Local or regional brick and mortar rent and swap sites would be a better choice, when available.

Overall, we need all the solutions in order to address the many layers of challenges and problems within the realm of fashion, for the industry at large, and for all people — in all the situations we find ourselves in. What we don’t need anymore is ongoing inaction, greenwashing, destructive waste and pollution, and a terrible lack of enforced accountability.

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*Originally published at my old blog for Recipe For A Green Life, on March 21, 2019.

 

They Say The Best Things In Life Are Free, But Facebook Isn’t One Of Them... You Pay With Your Most Valuable Currency!

Updated: January 2024, C. S. Sherin

Image by Geralt on Pixabay

I left Facebook (FB) back in June of 2018 — not long ago. In fact, I would like you to appreciate the fact that I left about a month before my birthday. I did that purposefully, and I am glad I did. For those familiar with that particular hook that keeps many in FB, it is the ego gratification of 50–100s of birthday greetings from “friends.” What I discovered is that the people I am truly close to found a way to wish me a happy birthday without FB — go figure.

Leaving, for me, wasn’t just about privacy issues and scandals, the experience of negative effects from FB, or the negative repercussions it and other social media has on young people. All of that definitely made my decision to leave FB more firm and resolute, yet my personal reasons for leaving revolved around how FB tended to suck the creativity and inspiration out of me, while also leaving me at a loss in another way. 

The layers of FB became over-stimulating, yet empty, and I saw how relationships I was excited to have on FB eventually faded into laziness and apathetic connections. I was receiving way too much input, much of it useless, with very little return, and it became a compulsive loop of behavior to check in anyway, and scroll into oblivion.

As we know, there are real benefits to social media like FB, and I really miss a few truly good groups and quality sharers. But, not enough to compromise what I have re-gained in leaving. I am more inspired, more motivated, and more productive since leaving FB. I will add the caveat that my husband is a musician who benefits from the local events aspect of FB, so he remains there in a minimal way. He does show me pics of close family and friends when he is on. Some people only share on FB, and don’t visit or call their friends much. They certainly don’t visit with weekly photos of everything they are doing— and aren’t we glad people don’t — in real life? So, I have contact with FB, but it is quite minimal.

I had been on the platform since around 2008. In that span of time a lot changed, on Facebook and on the Internet in general. The very first version I experienced of FB was the best one, in my opinion. It wasn’t layered or mired with problems, and was kind of old school in a good way.

As FB aged and morphed into what it is today I became more and more annoyed at how it is so unnecessarily complex, and breaches basic healthy boundaries of relationship. For example, people could force me to join a group message or a group without asking me first, and my relative’s friends may friend me, or unfriend me.

Photo by Chase Wilson (jiggliemon) on Unsplash

Can you imagine if that happened in actuality with the forced group join? Someone comes over to my house, forces me into their car, and takes me to their favorite Meetup group about something that I am not interested in at all. They don’t say hello. They don’t explain. In fact, they don’t even normally talk to me, nor do they, when they come to get me for their group.

That is seriously messed up.

And when we want to leave a group message that we didn’t create, and don’t want to be a part of in the first place, FB announces to the group that “so-and-so” left.

Awkward.

Poor structure and design like that creates interpersonal conflict and tension that would not have been present otherwise.

FB structures place tension upon relationships, and create problems, where none would normally have existed.

Facebook creates unnatural and forced connections in other ways as well. There isn’t a natural and healthy boundary of acquaintance, co-worker, past friend, current friend, family, etc.

FB puts everyone at the same par, tone deaf to the real life varying levels of intimacy to estrangement. There is no nuance or spectrum, despite their claim that we can tailor who and what we see.

That is true in word, but unspoken norms force us (against our natural and healthy instincts) to accept friend requests and to “like” comments in certain circumstances. Not to mention the tiresome and layered controls to filter out who you don’t want to deal with. For non-tech savvy people, it is too complex, too many layers!

This seems a gross mismanagement of relationship to me. If someone saw me a few times in real life, or just once, or they know my spouse, mother, or a friend of a friend, or some other awkward connection, there comes an eventual request (demand) to become a FB “friend.”

In addition to this, FB makes actual friendships and true connections lazier and taken for granted, because of the sharing and over-sharing going on. There becomes no need to connect, when you already feel that you know and see everything. The connection won’t deepen in most cases.

Some of the curses of FB — like misunderstandings, unfriending, abuse of invitations, blocking, monologues, showboating, and a junked feed — even when preferences are dialed in — can have long term consequences in real life. Dynamics, relationships, and patterns of relating outside of FB are altered because of FB.

There are, of course, good things to it too, or people wouldn’t stay. The good things go like this: instant gratification of connection to friends and family in real time — despite geographical distance — with photos and thoughts; conversation with wonderful people (in groups or individually) you wouldn’t have otherwise met or known about; free easy access to community, local events, local businesses, some grassroots activism via events, and “do-gooding” that is shared. That’s it. The rest is junk and a headache (I am not going to even talk about privacy issues or Messenger, ugh).

All of this, so far mentioned, are just the trivialities — a distraction from the actual reality of Facebook. The reality of the virtual face book of friends, FB, is that it is not free — not really — not at all.

The proverb goes, “The best things in life are free.” That is true, in a deep, spiritual, and practical way. Quality time with loved ones, true friendship, health, libraries, silence, peace, joy, a compassionate presence when one is suffering; thinking, breathing, feeling, loving; being active, time in nature, and that sort of thing are free and they are, arguably, the best!

Some things in life that aren’t free can also be the best, like: dessert, traveling, and health care. And some things in life are meant to be free, but aren’t always, like: clean water and air, civil rights, and education.

“Friends” by Dario Valenzuela (@darvalife) on Unsplash

Yes, FB, in stark reality of money/dollars and fees is quite free, unless we pay for advertising for our business or organization. Yet, we are paying dearly for all that free space and time on Facebook. Yes, the important thing to ask ourselves is: Are we aware of it?

Facebook not only mines our data, it also mines our personal resources — our time, energy, emotions, thoughts, beliefs, and self-worth.

Our personal resources are our fundamental, and most valuable currency in life.

Image by Leo Moko on Unsplash

Our personal resources are as precious as our shared resources are: water, air, soil, land, ecosystems, communities, social security, insurance, health care, and education.

Your unique presence, energy, feelings, thoughts, being, and time are immeasurable in monetary value.

Let’s take a closer look at what we are using to pay FB, and what FB gives us in return.

1. We pay FB with our time. FB gives us endless scrolling, hooks, bells, and emojis. Endless scrolling enables prolonged visits. And despite tailoring one’s preferences and only following what is of most interest, there still seems to be a downhill slope of long and endless scrolls to find substance, or whatever. FB is designed to be as addictive as possible in order to keep you there for as long as possible. FB is funded by advertisers, researchers, and business. They want to hook us and keep us there for many reasons. Giving away our time to FB can be like giving away our prized possessions or money to someone who doesn’t really care about, and wants to take advantage of us. I don’t know about you, but when I find a person who consistently seems to want to take advantage of me, I steer clear of them. It’s a big turn-off, you could say. FB is an ongoing loop of Pavlovian type conditioning (emojis, likes, and echo chamber affirmation) to keep us hooked. In real life, with jobs and work, we are paid by our time — hourly or via salary. Paying FB with our time can result in us being trapped in a subtle addiction that we are tempted to never take seriously, minimizing our own value and the value of our time and life.
   
   
2. We pay FB with our presence. FB gives us virtual space, networking ability, and simulates community for us. This is, by far, is our most valuable and powerful personal resource — our presence, each person’s presence — also known as health, energy, and being. What is the most real and important gift you can give to another person? Your presence. It costs nothing, yet it is precious. When a loved one dies, what aches more than anything else? The physical absence of our loved one. And when we are ill or scared or hurt, what is the greatest salve? The loving presence of someone who is really there. The energy and being that is you, each of us, is unique and irreplaceable. There is no real monetary equivalent for what our presence is worth. Sharing it with others needs to be considered seriously and consciously. FB simulates an experience for us, which is virtual. FB simulates the experience of community, company, friendship, and presence. This simulation can act as a replacement for real physical contact with people — it can sometimes end up replacing the impulse to engage in real intimacy, dialogue, and friendship. Seeing someone else’s photos, comments, and shares can take away the natural desire to connect and go deeper. So, as we pay with our presence, spending time, energy, and attention on FB, we are given, in exchange, FB’s dysfunctional simulation of connection, friendship, and community. In addition, what we choose to share on FB can make us seem like our life is something other than it really is. We shut our selves off from real sharing, and sometimes we become depressed thinking our lives aren’t as good as what others are sharing theirs to be on FB. Our mental health can suffer due to social media. It is fair at this point to acknowledge that for some folks who are unable to socialize or connect due to real challenges, disabilities, or limitations, this sort of community can be a huge blessing. I don't wish to detract from that. Yet, I still assert that things are not incredibly ethical or healthy there. 
   
   
3. We pay FB with our beliefs. FB helps us to segregate ourselves! We customize our experience according to our beliefs and values. We provide FB with an ongoing anthology of our beliefs. What we believe can be: scientific, logical, religious, political, philosophical, moderate, extreme, esoteric, sci-fi, moderate, extreme or hate-based. It doesn’t matter. All sides, spectrums, views, statements... can be manipulated, researched, and used — all of it is data that can be capitalized upon — by corporate, private, and political interests. This collective data of our beliefs, choices, habits, REACTIONS, and preferences allow unprecedented amounts and kinds of information about the psychology of us, and more. Propaganda and advertisers have long hinged their approaches upon the hidden psychological tendencies, habits, and weaknesses of humans in order to profit and manipulate, in order to gain power, dominance, and profit. FB is no different. FB states an altruistic motive and mission as its operative and public goals. Yet, only when it has been exposed has FB decided to purge accounts that were created to sabotage our political system. Accounts still remain that are openly violent, hateful, and abusive. FB does not close them all, despite the claims of being altruistic. In reality, the currency of our beliefs can be used, manipulated; and may be seen as a greater value of currency than money, for those who wish to dominate in power, corruption, and greed. Paying FB with our beliefs can be tricky, because for those with low income and startups with no capital, FB may be one of the few platforms where they can network and make a way for themselves. Another disturbing trend on FB related to the currency that is our beliefs, is this: there is a general consensus, among even professionals, that there is no need to fact check or for accuracy of statements made on FB — as if we set aside our ethics and standards at the FB login. The seemingly small degradation of due research and verifying information is, in actuality, no small erosion. It creates a wide gate for more unhealthy relating, distortion, and abuse on the Internet at large.
   
   
4. We pay FB with our emotions. FB gives us ways to express our emotions, all the time. Our emotions are neither good or bad. They simply are. There is no real need to judge them. When we simply acknowledge the feelings we are having, and handle them in healthy and constructive ways, it is all good. Emotions are natural responses to life and living — they are instinctual. Emotions only become bad when we react in harmful ways, hold on to them, and allow them to fester; or push them down and deny them until they explode or implode — harming ourselves or others. Emotions can be directly tied in to our beliefs. If we identify with our beliefs — if we think we are what we feel and believe — then it becomes very easy to be emotionally manipulated, and to become emotionally reactive when our beliefs/values are being threatened or attacked, or we think they are. Few adults, let alone children, are taught how to handle and healthfully channel emotions. We need to, but it doesn’t happen formally, or commonly enough. And that is what advertisers and politicians count on. Emotions and political fights and tirades run high on FB. It's great for profits, but is it healthy or productive? If it was a platform that encouraged and facilitated healthy boundaries and relationships, and healthy techniques, paying with our emotions wouldn’t be a problem, really. Paying with our emotions is a drain to our energy, as it is. It is energy and time that can be otherwise spent being and doing what fulfills us; and toward what makes a difference in our lives and the lives of others. Sometimes we can do that and share it on FB. Some are doing amazing good, and sharing it there in healthy ways. And that is the good of it. But, those are the exceptions, not the overriding experience on FB. They are the healthy fish in a sea of plastic waste. Emotions, when healthy and flowing naturally, with a responsible awareness, do not attack, or over-react to what is or isn’t happening. That doesn’t mean that we can’t express anger. It is healthy to express anger. Just not in ways that harm others or build up a force of hate and sabotage. Sharing our emotions with one another in an honest, supportive, and responsible way can lead to transformation and growth. If we understand how our emotions work and are responsible for them, then we can consciously choose to withdraw our unhealthy emotional payments to FB.
   
   
5. We pay FB with our self-esteem. FB gives us ego-gratification hits via likes and followers. There are many ways that we pay FB with our emotions, yes. Our emotions and thoughts are directly linked to our self-esteem. Healthy self-esteem allows us to have healthy relationships and self-worth that is neither too narcissistic nor too selfless. Positive self-esteem and a healthy valuing of our life and self leads to greater fulfillment and better quality relationships. Self-esteem is a root that our values, beliefs, and possessions take shape around. Healthy self-esteem in such a corrupt and superficial culture is hard won. Many of us who have it, may still struggle with keeping it. It has been found that those with self-esteem issues and low self-worth may be vulnerable to FB addiction. FB capitalizes on our weaknesses in relationships and in our self-esteem. We pay by disclosing our likes, emotions, thoughts, and giving up much of our time and energy to it. Facebook found a way to appeal to all sorts of people with the “like” button. The like button then got enhanced with options for emoji reactions within the like button. This button and it’s emojis are the veritable morphine-like shot of ego buffing that hooks so many. For those with low self-esteem, for those with big egos, for those with narcissistic tendencies, for those hungry for affirmation — the like button and accompanying emojis are both the Pavlovian bell to condition us, and the drug of choice to keep us hooked. Better yet, for FB, the data we provide through our habits with likes, emojis, browsing, and our emotional reactions are, collectively, providing studies of human vulnerabilities and thought like never before, while conditioning people to stay stuck within FB’s exacting patterns and loops.

Image by Reinaldo Kevin on Unsplash

Facebook is intentionally complex and layered in order to make the many hooks and complications a part of the difficulty, should you want to leave for good.

Yet, is FB so different from Twitter, Reddit, Linkedin, and Instagram (owned by FB)? And what about Google? And other addicting apps? And mobile phones in general?

We pay them all with our presence, time, energy, and other personal resources.

Is Facebook worse? Or is it all a part of a new age, where we engage in it all without realizing how we are being conditioned and preoccupied by it? Without seeing how many are being radicalized and miseducated by it.... Not to mention what the unknown repercussions may be for our evolution and health…

I am not sure, but I know that FB is one of the most influential and massive —there are over 2 billion active monthly users, and 76% of those are women; and over 80 million fake accounts. With this kind of massive reach and power, comes even greater responsibility, and need for accountability and ethics.

Not everything about Facebook or social media and apps is negative, as I have said. A lot of it can be utilized in positive, inspiring, and life-giving ways. But it isn't really. There are bright spots, but it also gets murkier and uglier as well.

We need to call for more ethical standards, accountability, and teach conscious choice and engagement. Facebook wants to be “a force for Good.” I think that is wonderful. And, if that is true, many things need to change!

“Selective Focus” by Rawpixel on Unsplash

Our part in this, is that we need to be more conscious of what we agree to, and what free actually means.

If you are looking for ways to take back and regenerate your precious personal resources, also known as your personal wealth — start by unplugging from the machine from time to time.

Leave platforms that drain you.

Use only what facilitates a more real and better expression of you and your life and relationships. Take walks without technology, when it is safe to. Eat meals with friends and family without technology butting in.

Image by Jacob Ufkes on Unsplash

Be present to the people around you. Make a homemade meal with a loved one with the computer and phone off, or at least away and silenced.

Also, consider why animals and animal companions are so loved and enjoyed by so many of us. What is it about them? They are present. They are timeless and here. They don’t make our relationships and time more and more complex, strained, dangerous, or fake. They are real, honest, bundles of love, energy — exactly who they are. They don’t want to mine our data. They are truly here with us.

We need to make the most of the technology we have, and utilize it in productive and life-giving ways. We need to create structures and standards that serve us and all life on Earth in the best of ways. Until then, we have to nurture a mindfulness about what we are choosing and how we are choosing it, and what it really costs. If it's worth it, maybe you are doing something important and good. Please continue. If not, consider what needs to change, for the better. 

*exported from my old Medium account

Update: I did return to FB a few years later after a death and some serious illness in the family. I remain on it, but in a very different and more limited way. And that is okay. I appreciate those doing good there. And I see how all of the Internet, with all its brilliant potential, has become even more difficult, stressful, dangerous, and deceptive. I hope for the best, as always, and remain realistic about it too. Most of all, the youth carry these effects and ramifications in ways we don't comprehend (we meaning, those of us who know life without social media and the Internet as it is now). 

Hope And Practical Actions, Against The Odds, During Crisis And Division

Updated: January 2024, C. S. Sherin

In 2008 an article was published explaining that insects are an absolute necessity to the survival of life on our planet. The article reported that:

17,000 species are now considered to be threatened with extinction and 869 species are classed as extinct or extinct in the wild on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List. In the last year alone 183 species became more endangered. ~ Gray, Richard; Science Correspondent. “The animals and plants we cannot live without”

The article names five animals identified by scientists as those that the Earth simply cannot do without:  

primates, bats, bees, fungi, and plankton.

In 2015, an article published on LiveScience by Adam Hadhazy explained what would happen “If All of Earth’s Insects Keeled Over.” The short answer is that life on Earth would not be able to survive, everything would die without insects.

The article goes on to explain (with the help of a professor of Entomology and Evolutionary Biology at University of AZ, Goggy Davidowitz) that there would be no honey or silk, and people would go hungry, even without pesticides, because almost all of our foods are pollinator-based. 

 
Primates, one of 5 species the Earth cannot do without. Photo by Andre Mouton

Not to mention that insects, bacteria, and fungi (along with vultures and ravens) diligently recycle Earth’s decaying materials.

While our culture seems to have an ironic obsession with dystopian story-lines in movies and books, the reality is that no sane and loving being wants this. I repeat: no one who is sane and appreciative of life and love wants this. 

And for some reason, we can’t and don’t want utopia, perhaps due to it seeming so foreign and out of reach? But, how about a non-corrupt, generally healthy society? How about simply a functional and generally healthy humon role/plot for life on Earth for once?

As much as humans disrespect, fear, hate, and otherwise find nuisance with insects, the truth is, insects are integral to a sustainable health and balance for life on Earth.

Bats, one of 5 species the Earth cannot do without. Photo by Thomas Lipke

While discouraging, the difficult news from the most recent IPCC report (as of 2018) is really an opportunity to act for essential positive change.

We don’t know how this will all actually play out. So, let’s keep going...on this crazy roller-coaster ride, and do what we can when we can, for as long as we can.

Corporations and others orchestrating their abuse of power and control for too long have been dead-set on destructive, cruel, corrupt, toxic, and generally unsustainable means and systems. Those in political office are mostly funded by those whose interests objectify and monetize life with a near to complete corruption of standards for pollution, sustainability, and stewardship of habitats, life, and precious resources. 

The current Republican administration, led by Trump and Pence, is a prime example of this. We have been manipulated and used for many generations, and the end game seems to be in sight.

Voting in these midterms is essential. That is a first step in our immediate future. Vote for people, the environment, health, education, animals, and civil rights for all.

Current news and scientific reports regarding resources, pollution, habitats, and species extinction gets worse and worse.  

Plastic pollution is so far-reaching and so microscopically saturated within our Earth now, that plastic particles are found in salt, plankton, and nearly all water sources. In addition, countless bee species are facing extinction or are seriously threatened, as well as birds, butterflies, and essential others.

 

                                    

 

 

 

 

 

 A photograph of three bees, featured in the book Recipe For A Green Life, by C. S. Sherin; Bees, one of 5 species the Earth cannot do without. 

Germany reported a study in 2017 that in their most protected and healthy places of nature, insects are vanishing by more than 75%. This is not only alarming and tragic, it sounds hopeless. It sounds like we have gone too far, and that we may live to see the collapse of life on this planet.

But, it doesn’t have to be this way at all. There may still be time to change and turn things around.

I do insist: there is practical and concrete hope!

There is reason to believe that we can bring healing and regeneration to this Earth and to precious resources, habitats, and human communities. How?

Voting is first.

Second, create daily habits and make daily choices that invest in well-being for all, sustainability, and health. Invest in what gives you hope, and new ways of operating. (Demand justice where there is profound corruption and harm. See the corporations and manufacturers and their supporters who are most responsible.)

Third, is a divestment from the current mainstream lifestyle in favor of more holistic and grassroots approaches. Specifically, there is a great solution that is practical, highly adaptable, and concrete. It has been demonstrated over and over with thriving results — even on land that has been stripped and depleted! 

Restorative Permaculture and other restorative methods that support diversity can be applied in various ways according to need and specific situations. GROW food everywhere (organic fruit and nut trees, vegetables, herbs, etc.) Stop growing pesticidal grass everywhere! Permaculutre and restoration can be applied in all forms and types of gardening and farming, with an adherence to biodiversity and organic methods. (And protect water!) 

Look at the “before and after” examples from the Permaculture Research Institute. Consistent and impressive evidence is there that reveals that stripped land can be regenerated and brought back. There is no doubt, restorative Permaculture is an answer that can work for urban or rural situations.

We need to divorce ourselves from mindless consumption, waste, and toxic polluting in every way possible — together and alone, personally and by holding the big players accountable whenever we can.

A particularly inspiring example of the power of Permaculture is the transformation of desolate land by the hand of one person, at the Beltaine Cottage. But there are many other tales of healing land and water to learn from as well. 

There are also movements going on right now that work to create community gardens in urban food deserts, which empowers children, the poor and those on the fringes due to systemic discrimination.

There is no great need for industrial/corporate factory farming. They say that there are “too many people and not enough food.” The truth is that more food is wasted, rather than there not being enough. The problem is the mindless wasteful consumerist lifestyle, and the approach of industrial farming which disregards any respect for life, health or biodiversity. That is what creates lack and destruction.

Part of the answer is to employ many small and local operations, with which to feed locals. Greenhouses and root cellars need to be created and accessible on a larger scale for colder climates too. Our yards (commercial and residential) need to be hospitable to pollinators, communal food forests, and community gardening. 

Practices of grass lawns and ongoing pesticides and herbicides and copious amounts of watering to maintain it needs to stop. Ordinances and policies need to be changed at the local level and regional level. Improving water quality is possible. New discoveries and technologies may also help.

There are dedicated people around the world who are contributing to healthier and more just ways, as we speak. There are brilliant people in this world applying themselves in order to invent or discover answers to help the planet and life on it. Maybe you are one of them?

There is a great need for us to recognize, too, that some inventions already exist, and we aren’t using them because of corruption, lack of fair wages, and broken systems that cheat the system in favor of the few over the many.

We need to vote out those who choose destruction, oppression, and heartache for our planet and fellow beings, and then get to the work of establishing better pathways and habits. We don't all have the same power and abilities. Nothing is too small. We all have our most effective pathways. All are valid and needed. 

We, as a global collective of humans, need to insist upon restorative approaches to everything, while quickly mitigating the damage already done. We need to discipline ourselves to invest in a different future. 

  

 

 

 

 

 One of the five animals identified by “five leading scientists” as those that the Earth simply cannot do without: Plankton. Photo shows the diversity of plankton.

At the heart of it, and where our grassroots power to move forward is, is this: 

divest from what is wrong, and invest in healthy practices, regenerative practices, native and local approaches; community gardens....take time and make efforts to elect local officials who have integrity, who invest in renewable long-term plans that are more inclusive, accessible, and sustainable. 

We must divest from the corporations, organizations, politicians, and practices that recklessly continue to contribute to destruction, serious division, extremism, and harm of our ecosystems and collective health.

 

                                 

 

 

 

Fungi, one of 5 species the Earth cannot do without.     

May we actively recognize and value that which has been demonized, belittled, and maligned because of our own fears, but moreso,  social-cultural programming/conditioning — starting with insects.

Each day is an opportunity to choose thoughts, habits and actions that are more aligned with positive, life-giving change. Each day is an opportunity to support and protect insects, water, pollinators, and our collective health in ways that are realistic and doable. It may require changing direction on some things. It may require giving some things up. Yet, we are all in this together. Let’s be relentless in our dedication to ethics and compassion and see where it takes us.

In general, it is never too late to begin.

And, even if it were “too late,” (they say we have 12 years to effect the change we need) our positive actions, kindness, and conscious choices are never wasted!

Every one of us is important and needed, more than ever. We are not alone. We are in this together. Let’s give it our best, persist, and see how the roller coaster ride turns out — together.

CS Sherin, Recipe For A Green Life 2018© Please feel free to share this article--in its entirety with author, source credit, and this copyright notice--on social media and for non-commercial educational purposes only.

*This article was first published on the Recipe For A Green Life blog. Links were updated in 2022.