1 minute read
Green News
Green News: by Masha Megrelis
Most of us have too much stuff. Closets full of clothes - many of which we don’t even wear. Those of us with children know how easy it is to accumulate hundreds of stuffed animals without even noticing and shelves full of toys, many of them rarely played with.
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What if we try to make 2020 a year where we buy less, buy only secondhand or maybe don’t buy anything new at all?
Some sobering statistics:
- The apparel industry accounts for 10% of global carbon emissions and remains the second largest industrial polluter, second only to oil.
- On average, people bought 60% more garments in 2014 than they did in 2000.
- While people bought 60% more garments in 2014 than in 2000, they only kept the clothes for half as long.
- A lot of this clothing ends up in the dump. The equivalent of one garbage truck full of clothes is burned or dumped in a landfill every second.
- The fashion industry is the second-largest consumer of water worldwide.
The toys we buy and throw out also have a negative impact on the environment. Today most toys are made of plastic and because of the way they are made, are difficult, if not impossible to recycle. Then, there are the layers and layers of packaging they come in - most of it is also difficult or impossible to recycle. Fast fashion and toys are just two examples of our rampant overconsumption - a lifestyle that is not sustainable and has a negative impact on our environment.
In Moscow there are secondhand stores such as Lavka Radostei https://radostey.lavkafond.ru where you can both donate unneeded items or pick up something “new” for yourself (an added plus is that proceeds from sales go to charities).
You can also join the Moscow Expats Secondhand Group on Whatsapp. A good place to to buy gently used secondhand items, and to sell or giveaway your own no longer needed things. https:// chat.whatsapp.com/C1r72OtozpGKVowMHCdFeH
Looking for books or have books to donate? There is a secondhand bookstore at St. Andrews Church where you can donate books or buy some for yourself. Books are sold for 100 roubles each. Proceeds go to renovation of the Church building. https:// mobile.facebook.com/standrewsbooks/ ?_rdc=1&_rdr
