Since it’s #EarthDay - here’s some tips on being a more sustainable human and consumer because taking care of our planet doesn’t have to be completely relient on capitalistic greed and buying ugly tote bags.

Eat local, in-season produce if you can afford it and if it’s available. This is tricky in a pandemic but local products generally have a smaller carbon footprint than items that are shipped from across the country. Avoid overly packaged items if possible - berries in plastic!

Try eating plant-based more often. Vegan is not for everyone - I’m not but try to eat a combo of mostly plant-based and local to lessen my impact on food supply. Animal agriculture has a massive carbon footprint and destroys ecosystems like rainforests.

If you are ordering products online, request less packaging - even evil Amazon will accommodate less wasteful packaging and plastic!

Buying in bulk usually also means less packaging - but I know it’s tricky on a budget. I often buy one bulk at a time depending on my budget. Slow but steady progress is still progress! Remember to leave some for others too!

Look at reuseable items if they’re in your budget - like cotton rounds/make up removing cloths, metal nail files, coffee/tea mugs, water bottles, napkins, face masks, cotton swabs, produce bags and yes, straws.

When shopping for clothes - remember that you can make thoughtful choices at different price levels and often sustainable brands have some “green washing” element.

Example: brands will say organic cotton is most sustainable - but it takes way more water to grow, it’s harder on farmers and has a smaller yield (more space for less product). So how do you choose?

Focus on natural and recycled materials whenever possible - especially if the material a synthetic or synthetic blend - this means polyester (most of your overpriced shearling is poly btw), nylon, TPU, acrylic, spandex, latex, PVC, pleather, etc.

Other new materials are somewhere between a synthetic and organic - these are materials that are engineered from organic materials - this includes lyocell (brand name Tencel), modal and rayon.

Tencel is an awesome fabric made from dissolving wood pulp and making a fibre - it’s obviously best when not using wood from virgin sources and recycled materials - but it is expensive!

So when buying vintage or upcycled clothes - be mindful of just buying synthetic materials however you are keeping these materials out of a landfill!

Clothing wise: start with what you own, mend what you can, then move onto vintage, deadstock or upcycled (ideally not shipped from around the world), then look at items with recycled material like recycled poly (Nike and adi do this) then organic or engineered natural materials.

Sneakers are the least eco-friendly part of your outfit - they’re almost if not completely made with synthetic materials - that means unless you send them to be recycled they will never decompose. Landfills are full of sneakers! When it comes to shoes - focus on less but better.

I know that sounds counterintuitive from someone that does sneaker design and used to sneaker blog but the older I get - the more I just want pieces that I reasonate with personally. But trust me - I know editing is hard!

If you can - obviously selling, donating or trading are good ways to get rid of your old shoes. Some brands also have recycling efforts. Remember that a lot of sneakers are still being green washed - not all of adidas’ nylon is recycled ocean plastic. You have to check for it.

“Organic rubber” means harvesting from trees that are part of an ecosystem where recycled materials might be more eco friendly. The sneaker supply chain hasn’t fully caught up to the rest of sustainable fashion yet. Just remember your soles prob come from big oil.

Asking questions and holding brands accountable are a big part of this process. I went to a Nike focus group once and kept saying I was disappointed that the best marketing company in the world was doing nothing publicly except a wasteful press event and Nike grind.

They later pulled me aside and told me their efforts but I still find it disconcerting - why the wait? Our planet is on fire - why wait to get the word out?

While micro changes like these - diet, clothing, shoes - are important. I’m sure you’re seeing eco tips everywhere on IG today - but macro change is what will turn the tide. This means holding our governments and companies accountable! Using your vote and your dollar.

We’ve seen companies and governments pivot in major ways to help solve the pandemic and its proof that we can change. We need to take this spirit of community and change towards climate change as much like COVID-19 - the most vulnerable will feel the effects first and worst.