Throughout the entirety of my life I’ve always been a strong advocate for the planet. When I was younger I’d get mad at other kids for littering, I’d make sure to bring a reusable water bottle to school, I was head of the recycling club at my grade school, the list goes on. Essentially I was convinced I would single handedly put an end to climate change. However, it wasn’t until late high school that I started to realize how much the media influenced my thinking when it came to eco-friendly choices. I realized the changes I implemented into my life (listed off prior) were a result of being properly educated on the climate crisis.
I was taught littering was bad, so I started picking up trash outside. Then I was told recycling is the solution to our eco problems and so I ensured it was enforced. And finally when I was taught that the real enemy wasn’t massive corporations but was actually our single use plastic water bottles (how naive of me), I immediately opted for a reusable one. The craziest part about all this is that the media picks and chooses what us, the general public, is educated on in terms of saving the planet. If you haven’t picked up on it already, the companies are all for green changes, so long as they can make a profit from it.
For example, when reusable water bottles became popular, suddenly dozens of companies popped up, all only selling one product: reusable water bottles. The “big man” seized the opportunity and profited off of everyone’s desire to feel good about themselves. Fast forward to the present, and even more companies exist that sell water bottles. All of these companies promote the same message of saving the planet and that one person can make the difference. Once again, feeding on our individual desire to feel good about ourselves and our actions.
I want you to take a second and think about the original purpose behind reusable water bottles. Now keep that in mind and think of how many reusable bottles are sitting in your cupboards at home as you read this article. Let that sink in. These companies have somehow managed to continue to promote the same message, while simultaneously tempting us with new colors and an incentive to collect them all. I keep seeing videos of individuals showing their Stanley (reusable cup) hauls from Target and I’m always shocked to see them buying 2 or 3 new colours at a time; I’m even more appalled when I see an entire comment section of people envious of the person’s finds. The same phenomenon is occurring with Owala bottles, Hydroflasks, Yetis, and Swell Bottles, just to list a few. This repetitive pattern is an excellent example of the negative impact microtrends have on the planet. The brands I listed off were extremely trendy at one point or another. But once the trend faded, people opted to buy the newest contender and donated or threw out their old one.
Overall, making the conscious effort to avoid single use plastics is always going to be encouraged, and following trends is expected. However, when doing so, remember to not lose sight of the original purpose behind the changes in your daily routine.