When did shops take over our holidays?
Today it's Halloween and like many big calendar events the shops have been gearing up for weeks in order to tempt us into buying a 'treat' in the form of decoration or costume that will probably be used only once and then just discarded.
Every holiday seems to be becoming more commercialised and the planet just can't take it. This year (2018) the Earth Overshoot Day was the 1st of August. That is the day that we used all the resources that the earth can provide us with this year, we are currently in overtime, using the resources of 1.7 earths. These earthly resources are finite, so do we really want to be wasting them on gruesome plastics?
It feels selfish to place our short-term holiday celebrations above the needs of future generations. Especially with the exciting news of the European Parliaments proposals to ban single-use plastics. We as consumers need to show that we support and back a cleaner more ethical planet by voting with our wallet and showing shops that instead of swaying us with one-offs and fads we want lasting long-term investments in plastic reduction and fairness for farmers and workers.
That isn't to say you can't have a good time, it will just take a little more effort and a little more planning to find alternatives. For example, why not brave the washing up and use reusable cups over single-use plastic ones or if its an old deceased look you're after why not use old scraps you find about the house to decorate and give something a new life. Crafts can be a great way of relaxing and so it's completely worth the effort and is more likely to be noticed and complimented by your guests.
Tasha xx
Today it's Halloween and like many big calendar events the shops have been gearing up for weeks in order to tempt us into buying a 'treat' in the form of decoration or costume that will probably be used only once and then just discarded.
Every holiday seems to be becoming more commercialised and the planet just can't take it. This year (2018) the Earth Overshoot Day was the 1st of August. That is the day that we used all the resources that the earth can provide us with this year, we are currently in overtime, using the resources of 1.7 earths. These earthly resources are finite, so do we really want to be wasting them on gruesome plastics?
It feels selfish to place our short-term holiday celebrations above the needs of future generations. Especially with the exciting news of the European Parliaments proposals to ban single-use plastics. We as consumers need to show that we support and back a cleaner more ethical planet by voting with our wallet and showing shops that instead of swaying us with one-offs and fads we want lasting long-term investments in plastic reduction and fairness for farmers and workers.
That isn't to say you can't have a good time, it will just take a little more effort and a little more planning to find alternatives. For example, why not brave the washing up and use reusable cups over single-use plastic ones or if its an old deceased look you're after why not use old scraps you find about the house to decorate and give something a new life. Crafts can be a great way of relaxing and so it's completely worth the effort and is more likely to be noticed and complimented by your guests.
Tasha xx
Make parkin. Go apple bobbing. Enjoy the frosty mornings.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a great plan for making the most of the season in a planet caring way.
DeleteTasha xx