I’ve reached day 40 in the #NoBuyChallenge and something inside of me has officially shifted. I wish I could say I knew the moment it happened, but I don’t. I have been reading A LOT, and I have been thinking A LOT. And now, something has changed.

Suddenly, I’m feeling like all the buying is more than just super materialistic.

Wait. Stop. Shut up. Stop.

Of course, it was always materialistic!!!!!!!!

I’ve known this all along. But I’ve honestly never thought of myself as a materialistic person. The word “materialism” makes me think of some kind of money hungry, material driven asshat who cannot live without shopping. I know I’m not that person because I can turn my shopping off.

(Does this sound like one of the crazy things a shopaholic might say?)

But now I’m starting to think shopping goes beyond materialism because I’m learning more about the environment.

I kept telling myself that our spending wasn’t hurting anyone because we were not accruing debt. But, turns out we’ve been contributing toward a bigger problem: waste.

Here are a few things I learned this week that I never knew before starting this challenge:

1.) The garment/fashion industry produces 92 million tons of textile waste annually, with the US responsible for 17 million tons of waste

2.) Only 15% of garments can be recycled, so 85% ends up in landfills

3.) The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions

4.) Textile dyeing and treatment contribute to 20% of global wastewater, making it the second-largest polluter of water worldwide

5.) Synthetic fibers, such as polyester, account for over 60% of clothing materials. These materials shed microplastics during washing, contributing to 35% of microplastic pollution in the oceans

These numbers are tipping points for me. I can’t deny that it affects me. I feel terrible to think that buying clothes and participating in this consumer culture is harming the earth at such an alarming rate. I can’t unlearn these facts. I can’t deny that I have been a big part of the problem, buying garments over and over again, trying out new colors of the same pants, mixing and matching and then giving things away when I’m tired of them.

I don’t know what this will look like in my every day life after the challenge is over. But I’m definitely rethinking all of this. And I’m pretty turned off by myself—-that I’ve spent so much time and money gathering and collecting items that have been harming the planet in the process. I’m ready for real change. I’m ready to take ownership.

How is it going for you? Fill me in! I would love to learn more from your experience!

Namaste every day!

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