Overindulging in material items is not a hot girl activity |

Acacia Carol, Staff Writer & Bella Coco, News Editor | 

For a generation labelled as planet saviours, Generation Z sure has a lot of explaining to do. Now, we’re not calling all of you imposters. We’re on the same team (04’ babies, anyone?), and sometimes, unintentionally, we may bite off more than we can chew. 

What we’re referring to is the mass amount of overconsumption that has dramatically increased since the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of clothes the average consumer purchases has increased by over 60 per cent in the last 25 years, not to mention other industries such as food and cosmetics. 

And the issue affects us on a local scale too. Sustainable Calgary assessed that Calgarians struggled with two critical issues in their “State of our City” report in 1988—overconsumption of resources and socio-economic equality. 

The best part? Their 2020 assessment found basically the same thing. Way to stay consistent, Calgary.

They explain that the opportunity for a slow, gradual, watching paint dry type of change was in 1988. It’s not too late, but we need to find quicker solutions and be aware of exactly how this will impact our lives.

“We must now embark on a rapid transition or face the real prospect of significantly compromised quality of life and livelihoods and a precarious future for our children and their city,” the assessment explains.

They go even further to outline seven specific areas where Calgary needs help and surprisingly, our natural environment and sense of community are doing pretty well (yay). But our economics, education, wellness, resource use, and governance are all in the proverbial red. 

“Okay, I’m not the mayor of Calgary, it’s not like I’m in charge of allocating resources!” You may be thinking to yourself. 

Fair, I’ll give you that. But our attitude around overconsumption affects everyone and it starts top down. 

If we as individual consumers must be mindful of where our money goes, who it supports, and the impact it will have on the next seven generations, should we not expect that and more from our elected officials?

Not only does overconsumption muddle the mind on what we really need both personally and politically, but it also takes away from our day-one provider: Earth. 

With the rise in influencer culture and normalized expectations of overconsumption, people may find themselves at a crossroads between splurging and saving. Graphic created by Acacia Carol and Bella Coco using Canva

Are we the environmentalists everyone thinks we are?

Let’s get this out of the way: we can’t beat the stats. The Gen Z Activism Survey conducted by the United Way of the National Capital Area found that 66 per cent of Gen Zers participate in online activism, and 32 per cent are involved in social justice. 

However, and we hate to burst your bubble, 33 per cent of Gen Zers admit to being addicted to fast fashion. 

What is fast fashion you ask? You may have heard the term trending on TikTok or in a news story (wink, wink). According to Ocean Generation, fast fashion is the consumption of low-cost, trendy clothing rapidly produced by retailers in response to the latest trends. 

Essentially, fast fashion is a parasite that leeches onto the idea of staying up-to-date on trends and never wearing the same thing twice. Pretty barbaric, right?

Online companies like Shein and Temu use fast fashion to turn over a quick profit by marketing affordable prices and speedy shipping to consumers. However, those precious prices are due to an exponential increase in pollution and the ill-treatment of labour workers. 

Common cheap materials in fast fashion, like polyester, also contribute to a large consumption of water and emit more carbon dioxide. This may surprise you, but the fashion industry emits more carbon than any other global industry. 

Fast fashion is just one factor of overconsumption. However, each factor has one thing in common: they need Earth’s resources, and they need it fast. 

With a focus on making money, products these days are made much quicker with much lower quality. It has become normalized to use more disposable products that require more materials to market. Every product we have comes from somewhere, and there’s a high possibility that the shirt on your back has contributed to pollution, loss of biodiverse life, and increased carbon emissions. 

Pretty crazy, huh?

Not to get all depressing, but we have reached a point where we can no longer sustain the resources that we deplete. 

However, there’s always an opportunity to grow. 

Let’s all do better

Now, we’re not saying you can’t buy products. However, it’s easy to be a smart consumer. 

We’re going to hold your hand when we say this. You do not need four white T-shirts. You do not need the newest must-have makeup product that influencers are preaching through your screens. And no, that trend is not timeless. In two months, you and everyone else on social media will deem it tacky and throw that bubble skirt at the closest thrift. 

When something catches your eye, take a moment, and consider the following: 

• Do I already own this in one way or another? 
• Do I want this because of interest or because everyone else and their mother has one? 
• Will I want this in three months? 
• How often will I use this? 
• What emotional gain will I receive from this?

If you want to take a step further, take the time to research company production practices. Do they have green initiatives? Are they committed to sustainability? Are they cruelty-free? 

Being a sustainable consumer can feel like a lot of work, but it’s the amount of work we owe the planet to push for a brighter future.