Many people in my age group look back to the fashions of the 70's and 80's and cringe. Why is this? Back in those days, those styles were considered the epitomy of good taste and being cool. What changed? Did the clothes suddenly become unwearable due to "wardrobe malfunctions"?
No, we were simply told they were no longer fashionable. Somebody told one person who told two people who told four.. and so on; until such time that enough people were told that those who continued to wear the clothes were considered out of style. We then bought the new clothes considered trendy in order to remain "cool", leaving the perfectly good clothing we had hanging in our closets as moth fodder.
We were simply told these things were obsolete by those we consider to be leaders, and we then perceived these items to be as such - just like that. Seems crazy don't you think? Highly intelligent beings falling for such an obvious scheme for us to part with our cash and further strain our environment simply for the need to "look good" and being in style?
I'm using the fashion industry just as an example - there's many other products and services we use where we fall prey to the marketer's ploy of perceived obsolescence. It's just that the fashion industry is where it's the easiest to see.
Thankfully, some in the fashion industry are beginning to see that "green" clothing is the new wagon to be jumping on and let's hope that this is one fad that goes on for a while. Environmentally friendly clothing tends to be more expensive, but also hard wearing. Unfortunately, no doubt there will be an element of the green fashion industry that will just carry over the same old ideals - pushing a style out of style simply to generate more sales. That's when eco-fashion will become thoroughly unfriendly to the planet. Bear in mind that it's not just what we consume, but how much of it that plays a huge role in green living.
You can save a ton of cash and environmental resources just by being aware of these sorts of tricks. For example, I had a computer business for quite a while and something I used to advise my customers was never to buy the latest and greatest of anything computer related; one of the reasons being that it would usually be bug-ridden. Hold off for a few months, get a better product that will likely last longer and at a cheaper price.
The same can be said for many different products. Ask yourself a few questions before falling into the trap:
- are the new features being offered something I really need or even want?
- why do I really want to chuck out the old and bring in the new - is it just vanity?
- how long before I'm going to want to upgrade/change again?
- is what I already have that bad?
- is the Next Big Thing really that good or is it just hype?
- what impact will me replacing x with y have on the environment?
The more of us who resist perceived obsolescence and demand durable and environmentally friendly products that have a timeless appeal in terms of design, the faster they'll hit the market. As for the tricks we've already fallen for that have caused us to accumulate so much stuff we don't use or wear, try and see those items don't go to waste by donating them to worthy causes. It's the second of the 3R's: Reduce - REUSE - Recycle.
