Being mindful before buying something and not buying unnecessary products.

A lot of the time I have the experience of buying something that I don't really need but feel like it will make me happy. This may be a response to boredom, however a goal I for myself is to find something else to occupy myself with instead of adding to overconsumption and waste. These harmful materialistic behaviors are something I know a lot of teenagers and people in general struggle with, as due to media the solution to every problem seems to be a new product. This wasteful mindset is part of the reason our planet is in such a bad state. An example of this is the floating trash islands in the ocean and the piles of old products and trash in third world countries that are direct results of our consumer driven society. A way to combat this is to think about if you really NEED something before buying it or if it will just collect dust in your home before you throw it out and it pollutes our environment.

I also understand the wanting something but knowing you don't need it. I feel it is a tricky thing to overcome and the best way to deal with this most likely is to try ones hardest to not get that thing. What we need to do is monitor our consumer nature to try and help our planet thrive, even though it may not do much, in the long it will help us.

I very much agree with this statement. I honestly think that people can be able to tell whether they actually need something or not but they still buy stuff anyway. That is what I think is the problem that people need to overcome. They need to learn to be able to just not buy stuff they don't need rather than being able to understand if they need it or not

I agree, but i like the stuff i dont need

I agree with every person because sometimes when I go shopping I buys clothes but at the end I don't even wear them a lot, just for 2-3 times

I believe as humans we want more and more things, such as keeping up with the newest trends. It is not necessary because what we already have before buying these new items are usually in good condition.

I agree with you. I think people do want more and more things as new trends or something new comes out. I however don't think this is a bad thing to an extent of us buying things we don't always need or use.

I agree as well as you can easily notice how fast micro-trends go in and out of popularity which causes for great numbers of people to buy products and throw them away a couple years later after being barely used.

Agreed 100%, unfortunately I have also fallen victim to trends/microtrends but I'm trying to improve my want for unnecessary things, especially when the items I have already work well.

i agree, we want a lot of new things

Wants and needs are very tricky.

some people exaggerate with shopping which is a desire not a necessity, there are many things they don't need but they still spend a lot of money on things harmful to the environment

yess, overconsumption is such a big issue right now. If people didn't impulse buy so much there wouldn't be so many things that they throw away.

Especially with clothing trends that go away after a few months, people overconsume clothes so much. It's so important to actually like what you're buying and not just get stuff because other people have it!

100% it is not a necessity and many people should at least attempt to cut back

I think that overconsumption is a big issue and that we all need to remember what we have, before we purchase more things.

i think buying things in smaller amounts is one of the problems because they more packaging is used and it cost the consumer more.

Wanting something is different then needing something, wanting something is trying to get something that you don't need, needing something is if your old thing doesn't work or you need something to live your life.e

yeah if everyone only get stuff they needed and not everything they wanted, the world would be a much better place.

no i disagree, if we only have things we need then we should all simply live in shacks with food and water instead of huge homes with cars and whatnot, also we should not own ANY pets and all fend for ourselves, so i disagree but i do agree that we should limit our "wants" to an extent

I think we need a balance of needs and wants. Everyone should have a house with running water and electricity, and many families need cars to get to work and school. But when it comes to wants, you should be able to get some small things that you want every now and then, but I don't think you need EVERYTHING you want. Also pets should be for families that can afford to take care of the pet, and are financially stable enough to feed it and take it to the vet whenever needed.

yes i agree, you should get wants instead of ONLY relying on what you need. as for pets, i double agree. it almost seems selfish when homeless people own pets (respectfully) because they are literally in the worst possible situation for the pet. if i was homeless and would continue being homeless for a long time to come, i would give my dog to a shelter or someone trustworthy (i know its harder than it sounds

I would say wants are a major part of your carbon footprint because it is stuff that you don't need. Needs are the necessities like food water and shelter. I think the wants are what separate different peoples carbon footprint though I think there needs to be a balance between the two.

I think its very important to know what u really need then what u want.

I think having a phone that's a new model doesn't matter as long u can get in touch with someone.

I agree, getting the newest phone is a want, not a need, unless your current phone is broken.

Having the latest technology can be a want because we love to be around the media and it is a way to communicate.I don't get a cell phone often. I consider that you can have a long lasting device until you NEED a new one. Breaking ur addiction can be, not depending on your phone and making time for yourself.

People always say not to buy fast fashion, but why? If the clothes are already there in the store what difference does it make if I buy them? You have probably also heard of supply and demand. When there is high demand for a product, more supply will be made. When you buy clothes, decor, etc. from fast fashion stores you are creating demand. Then, companies create more supply to meet this demand. If we keep up this mindset that what we buy doesn't matter, then companies will keep creating supply, and damaging the earth.

I agree, and I think a way to bring down the demand is for more people to switch to thrift shopping. It is much more environmentally sound, it saves money, and as an added bonus makes you swaggier. The more people who switch to this environmentally sound way to shop, the less demand the stores will recieve, and the less they will produce, ultimaely leading to much less waste from clothing items. Although thrifting is a great way to reduce personal global impact, I believe there also needs to be more laws and regulations in the clothing industry because fast fashion is thriving despite having a continuously bigger impact on the environment. There needs to be a limit on the amount of clothing items that can be produced at once, ensuring the least amount of excess stock.

The strong want to be able to have the popular things/items that are seen all over the internet, muddle the opinion of whether it is actually needed, or do we want it so bad that it feels like we need it? Lots of things are bought because someone wants it, but when something is needed, people noticeably slack on buy that item because it isn't wanted.

These days a lot of people buy useless clothes that they never wear. I don't think that these people realize the harm they are doing to our planet by doing that. Until I joined this project I didn't even realize that just simple shopping can endanger our planet. So, next time you shop. Make sure that you buy only the most necessary things or shop in second hand shops. That way you can save money and our planet.

I agree with this completely. More recently I've found myself feeling similar wanting to buy less but for a different reason, I wanted to not buy clothes to have sitting in my wardrobe that I don't wear. Feeling bad due to the number of these clothes I have. But now this website has enforced my intuition and now puts into perspective the role that I have even when shopping. Also I do love to indulge in second hand shopping due to finding cool, old, and not ridiculously priced, makes me thrift frequently. I sort out clothes while shopping personally by thinking do I really need it? Then another way to help the clothing cycle is selling, or donating your clothes thus helping buyers not purchase new for no reason when you can get it cheaper, and saving people from throwing away there old clothes.

You are right about how buying too many clothes can harm the planet. A lot of people don't realize that buying clothes that they are never gonna wear is gonna take up space in their closet, and it contributes to massive amounts of waste and pollution, as the fashion industry is one of the top global polluters. I had a similar realization when I watched a documentary on fast fashion and saw how much water is used just to produce a single T-shirt. Since then, I’ve started shopping more intentionally, focusing on quality over quantity and choosing second-hand stores when possible. Your point about saving both money and the planet is important and practical—it’s a small step that can make a big difference if more people adopt it.

I agree that lots of people today buy clothes just to buy them and never end up wearing them. I think trends contribute to that because people like to buy what's popular now. The bad thing is that trends change quickly, and the more people buy into trends and buy unnecessary things, the more it harms our planet. For me, I try to limit myself when going shopping, and if I see clothing I like, I always ask myself, "Would I actually wear this frequently?" I find this limits me from buying more and spending more. I hope more people come to the realization that we are harming our planet, and this will have a massive impact on the future, or even now. If you're going to buy clothes, be honest with yourself about whether or not you are going to wear them or toss them after a few months, and it ends up in a dump.

Product shipping and delivery is a significant contributor to climate change. Although freight shipping accounts for 3% of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions, the numbers could rise dramatically in the next couple of decades. Additionally, not only does international shipping and delivery result in the burning of fossil fuels for transporting goods long distances, but it also oftentimes result in a lot of excess packaging and plastic waste. The alternative to this is shopping in-stores or supporting local businesses to reduce the amount of fossil fuels being burned for transportation and the amount of plastic waste from excess packaging. Unless it's imperative to buy something online or internationally, it's overall more environmentally friendly to buy local in order to reduce your carbon footprint from shipping.

Having the latest technology is definitely a want, not a need. I've been using the same iPhone 12 since sixth grade and the same HP computer since fifth grade, and they still function perfectly well for everything I need. I’ve felt the urge to upgrade just because a newer version came out, but constantly buying the latest phones, headphones, or computers contributes to environmental harm, since the production and disposal of electronics generate a significant amount of waste and pollution. Most of the time, the upgrades are minor and don’t justify the environmental cost. Breaking the habit of always needing the newest tech starts with being more mindful and asking whether you truly need a new device or just want it. Educating yourself about the environmental impact can help shift your mindset toward using what you have for as long as possible.