These clothing sales are ruining my life.
Maybe that’s an overstatement. It’s more that the guilt I’m experiencing is ruining my life. It’s the guilt from realizing that every piece of clothing I own will eventually end up in a landfill.
It may seem silly to feel guilty about clothing. After all, I have to wear clothes. And living in Alaska, well, it’s cold here. Sometimes I wear layers of clothing! So what’s with the guilt?
Did you know that there’s a mountain in Chile’s Atacama desert made entirely of clothes? Chile is a huge importer of secondhand clothes from developed countries, including the United States. Sadly, the volume of clothing imported is too great for them to handle, so an estimated 39,000 tons is dumped in the desert annually.
It’s also estimated that the average consumer purchases 60% more clothes now than just 20 years ago. Fast fashion has us hooked. What’s “fast fashion?” Fast fashion companies copy styles that are trendy now and then mass-produce them at low cost to sell quickly while demand is high. Cranking out lower-quality and inexpensive products that consumers gobble up, and almost as quickly, as the trends change, cast aside.
Many people donate clothes to thrift stores and/or bring them to consignment stores to give them a new life, which is fabulous. But when these businesses are overwhelmed with clothing, and they often are overwhelmed, they donate it or recycle it, and where does it often end up? Sometimes in a desert in Chile. Added to the already existing mountain that can be seen from outer space (yeah, it’s that big).
Back to the guilt. I’m a consumer who finds a certain amount of joy in purchasing clothing. Probably more often than is necessary. Which makes me wonder; how many clothes do I really need? It’s worth introspection. In this case, maybe some guilt isn’t a bad thing. Guilt in moderation can be a motivator for positive change. Maybe just taking an extra moment, or two or three, and asking myself “do I really need this sweater,” is all I need to do to start being a better steward of the resources offered me in life. Even if that sweater is uber affordable. Do I NEED it?
Way at the beginning of this guilt-infested disquisition I mentioned clothing sales ruining my life. About three years ago, we started having clothing sale fundraisers at Shepherd of the Valley. We’ve had about six of them so far. The amount of clothing the community generously brings us to sell is incredible. As a result of this generosity, I started doing research “on the side” about the environmental impacts from the fashion industry (and learned about fast fashion and that gigantic mountain in Chile). Safe to say, the sales haven’t really ruined my life. Opened my eyes maybe. And like I said earlier, a little guilt can go a long way toward positive change.
Shepherd of the Valley happens to be hosting a clothing sale the day this article is published, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 11. We’d love for you to stop by (it’s all pay-as-you-can), but no matter where you buy it, “secondhand” is a wonderful way to go. It extends the life of items, helps reduce pollution, and it’s affordable. It’s a treasure hunt with less of the guilt and more of the joy.
• Becky Corson is a member ofShepherd Of The Valley Lutheran Church. “Living and Growing” is a weekly column written by different authors and submitted by local clergy and spiritual leaders. It appears every Saturday on the Juneau Empire’s Faith page.
