THE MOON’S LAST VISIT - WHAT HAPPENED TO MAKE US STOP?

THE MOON’S LAST VISIT

what happened to make us stop?

Eugene Cernan isn’t a name on the tips of tongues like Buzz Aldwin or Neil Armstrong. He isn’t remembered like Yuri Gagarin or the dog Laika, and his presence feels less ubiquitous with space than words like ‘Apollo’ or ‘Sputnik’, and yet Cernan was a significant figure in visiting the moon. In fact, he was so significant that he would end up being the last man on the moon in 1972, and no country since has launched a successful attempt to land on it since... but why?

Going back to 1969, tensions between America and Russia are still high during the Cold War period, and the race to the moon was on. Russia had successfully launched the first living creature into space in 1957, the sad story of Laika the dog’s eventual suicide mission, and would follow it with Yuri Gagarin as the first man in space in 1961. Two of the biggest powers of the world were locked in battle, albeit an egotistical one, and the moon was set as the destination of the stars. When Aldwin, Armstrong and Michael Collins (yes, there was a third man part of the Apollo 11 mission) made it to the moon, history wasn’t just made, but America beat Russia. Mars was too far, Venus and Mercury too unviable, space felt conquered and America had set a new precedent for what was achievable.

Yet this precedent came at a cost. The Planetary Society reports that the Apollo programme cost NASA $28 billion ($280 billion when adjusted to 2020’s inflation). A battle of egos was a battle of money and with very little reason for visiting the moon other than an arrogant display of power, NASA found it harder and harder to justify trips to the moon. Apollo wasn’t faultless either, the potential disaster of the Apollo 13 mission made NASA re-evaluate how necessary trips to the moon were becoming. Plus, after beating Russia, who abandoned their lunar space programme shortly after the success of Apollo 11 and the disaster of the Soviet N1 rocket, Apollo existed merely under the guise of research - a justification that would only stretch so far.

While NASA managed to successfully land six Apollo missions that were manned, it was Eugene Cernan’s Apollo 17 that would be the last time anyone would step onto the moon. NASA could no longer justify spending billions of dollars on a space programme that existed in a liminal state of being aimless. After 1965 saw a drop in the amount of funding NASA was securing, the be-all and end-all were finally reached, and the importance and emphasis on new discoveries shifted.

The moon was no longer a mystery to us. While its dark side was often fantasied about as the inspiration for countless science-fiction novels, the moon provided none of the necessary materials we needed nor did it have the mysteries that justified countless visits. Instead, NASA switched focus to new horizons that mirrored the rest of the world. What is beyond our solar system? What don’t we know about Mars? Is there life in space? All these questions need time and money to solve, and the moon for one thing, didn’t have the answers we needed.

WORDS BY SAM PEGG IMAGE BY ROWAN YARDLEY

how to avoid greenwashing your wardrobe

Sustainability. Ethical. Vegan. Slow fashion.

Organic. Today’s buzzwords get slapped on our clothes labels by brands trying to capitalise on our modern sensibilities, we want to save the world, and we’ve been told that we can do that by changing our shopping habits: buy less, buy better.

In reaction, several high street brands have created ‘ethical’ lines, think PrimarkCares; Asos: Responsible Edit; Boohoo: For the Future; H&M: conscious collection; Mango: Committed; Zara: Join Life. These lines seem positive on the surface, but in reality, are just as damaging as their regular lines (none have more than 3/5 on GoodonYou in any of their 3 categories). You might be thinking then, perhaps you should use a sustainable brand to fill out your summer holiday shopping wants? Good examples might be TRAID, iSecondthat, Gather&see, we are Tala, Lucy and Yak.

Unfortunately, these brands are often more expensive and too small to be successful alternatives to their fast fashion counterparts, so really, what can we do to make our wardrobes ethical without bankrupting ourselves and staying somewhat on-trend?

Making your wardrobe last:

Investing in good quality basics (think French capsule wardrobe) should be your first port of call. Black, white and grey tees, blue jeans and black trousers are timeless pieces that you’ll be able to use for years, look for flattering cuts for your body type and think about spending a little bit more than you usually would on these sorts of clothes, it will really elevate your outfits.

Learn how to take care of your clothes before you cut out that pesky label. Making sure that you know what temperature and how best to dry your clothes will make them last longer, which is not only going to help the environment but also save you some money too. (pro-tip: invest in a delicate bag for your underwear and wash at 30 degrees C max).

Avoid fad trends. In an age of social media, fast-moving trends are inevitable, but that doesn’t mean you have to buy into every single one. Try to avoid impulse buying; sleep on it before you spend and you’ll also save yourself some money too.

Know your measurements and find a tailor. Seriously, knowing your exact sizes will help you when you’re shopping to find clothes that actually fit you, and having a tailor/seamstress that you trust will give you an option to make that pair of trousers you really like a part of your wardrobe.

Don’t binge shop. A Shein or Asos haul might be fun but did you know that the majority of clothes sent back to online stores get sent straight to landfills? Buy what you think you’re going to keep: know your size, your body type and what colours suit you best.

Invest in a needle and thread. Try not to picture your nan’s biscuit tin that isn’t a biscuit tin and think instead about that little bag of spare buttons that comes with your clothes. Ever sewn one on yourself? Learn how to, it’ll save you begging your nan to fix that shirt for you before your grad job interview.

Sustainable fashion doesn’t just have to be a brand you can’t afford, in reality, it’s simple: make the clothes you own last and, when in doubt, donate don’t bin.

WORDS BY ABBY WOODMAN IMAGE BY PRISCILLA DU PREEZ via Unsplash

can fast fashion just end already?

fast Fashion has become the bane of modern ethical sensibilities;

it’s damaging to the environment, workers and our bodies, yet it shows few signs of slowing down any time soon. What was once an effort of high street brands to translate catwalk designs to the rail has been flipped on its head, with fast fashion brands producing lines faster than fashion houses.

LA-based brand Fashion Nova, described by their CEO as ‘Ultra-Fast Fashion’, churns out between 600-900 new products every week. We know before we buy them that nothing this cheap can be good quality, yet we buy it anyway, so why does Fast-Fashion have such a vice grip on our shopping habits, and can this ever really end?

Why should Fast-Fashion end?

The Fashion Industry produces the third largest amount of global pollution, including 5% of the world’s greenhouse gases (according to the Climate Council), and a third of ocean microplastics (which have recently been discovered in human blood for the first time). This pollution comes from every stage of a garment’s life cycle: there is a reliance on synthetic fibres such as Polyester and Nylon, which use up approximately 342 million barrels of oil every year.

So, let’s switch back to Cotton, you say?

Well, Cotton is just as bad, requiring several tonnes of freshwater, chemical pesticides and fertilisers, (a single pair of denim jeans costs 1,800 gallons of water.) Then there’s the actual process of making and transporting, and all this before it ends up being one of 10,000 other pieces of clothing which end up in landfill every five minutes.

Global Fashion Agenda has estimated that the number of clothes dumped in landfills by 2030 will rise from 92 million tonnes to 134 million tonnes per year. In addition to this, 93% of fashion brands are still not paying a living wage despite capitalising on fad trends, cheap products and their workers’ lives. Overall, it is clear that these Fast Fashion brands are damaging at every stage of production. The fashion industry is killing us, yet we continue to embrace our executioner with blind hope and credit cards at the ready.

Does individual sustainability help?

Making your wardrobe sustainable is a hot topic, countless articles are giving you the same advice about donating your clothes, buying second-hand and buying from sustainable brands. But unfortunately, these options aren’t that realistic. Charities have become so overwhelmed with donations thanks to fad trends that clothing donations have rocketed to 700,000 tonnes in the UK alone, a huge percentage of this still ends up in landfills (according to Oxfam, approximately 13 million items of clothing every week).

Buying second-hand is good in theory but often disappointing. It takes a lot of time and slogging through already outdated Shein tops is quite disheartening, also, the quality of some of the products is not okay. (I swear if I have to soak another top in baking soda and vinegar to get rid of the tobacco smell...) Second-hand market places such as Depop and Vinted have become somewhat of a centre for fake designer garms and the ‘Depop Girlie’ who will try and sell you their little brother’s Gap Tee from 2008 for £35.

Good alternatives are TRAID and iSecondthat, but a consistent downfall is limited choices and the simple fact that in some ways you’re still contributing to fast fashion, as these brands couldn’t exist if it weren’t for the fast turnover of the industry. Sustainable brands then? Well, to burst that bubble… Most of these brands have to charge more than the average person can afford in order to cover the true costs of production and employment, many fail due to the high costs and dominance of fast fashion brands, and those which do survive only manage to do so on the back of a personality, think WeAreTala and Grace Beverley. What will Tala’s longevity be once Beverley has ceased to be the current woman of the moment?

But regardless, each of these efforts has good intentions, and individual sustainability is not, on the whole, a bad thing to engage in, but is placing the blame on the consumer fair? No, of course not, just like taking a 10-minute cold shower will not save the planet, neither will one person boycotting Zara.

What will it take to see the end of the fast fashion industry?

A Fast Fashion free world would see better quality garments, a return to make and mend culture, a focus on small and local businesses rather than global outsourcing, fewer large fashion companies and fewer influencers promoting a fashion haul culture to their followers. Idyllic, isn’t it?

Unfortunately, as demonstrated by recent efforts to call for accountability in the fashion industry, fast fashion has become so ingrained in our global landscape that the only way this could improve, let alone end, is through drastic legislation. The

Face recommends Governmental Reforms and Eco-tariffs, although considering how companies still avoid paying their workers fairly, you have to doubt the likelihood of this making any sort of effective change. Non-profit organisations such as Fashion Revolution and Re/Make have started to challenge the lack of

Government legislation concerning the pollution of the industry; however, it is an unfortunate fact that the change needed is unlikely to happen until something disastrous occurs on a global scale.

WORDS BY ABBY WOODMAN IMAGE BY IZZY BUCKWALD