Many people love shopping, but little are aware of the harmful effects it can have on the environment. I have been a fan of thrift store shopping for quite a while but until recently, I was only aware of the benefits it could have on my wallet, not my environment! One day I came across an article that discussed the benefits of thrift store shopping. It explained how the production and distribution of new clothing is extremely harmful to the environment. Because most clothes in the US are produced in different countries, they are shipped to America through boats or planes which creates a HUGE carbon footprint. By shopping at thrift stores and buying previously used clothing, you are significantly reducing your own carbon footprint and therefore helping the environment by not endorsing international clothing shipment. Overall, you should choose to shop at thrift stores not only to ease your wallet, but also your Earth. For more information of the benefits of "thrifting", read this informational article! http://www.greensocietycampaign.org/thriftshopping101/

I love thrift shopping because you can always find really awesome clothes for pretty cheap. I had no idea about the benefits that it has on the environment. I will definitely be thrift shopping more now!

Lily,
Thank you so much for sharing this article. It was both insightful and interesting. When I calculated my personal carbon footprint, I did not understand why buying new clothes affected the environment so harshly. Now I can be more aware of what the costs are on buying things new all the time. As well as thrift shopping, you can work with your family members to pass down clothing, or as it's more commonly known as hand-me-downs. Now this can be a problem if a family does not have strong connections or there are simply not enough members to provide hand-me-downs. This is the case in my family because I am the oldest, so there are no members to hand down any old clothing. The solution that I have come up with is to either sew my own or to find local boutiques that sell items either sewn by them or made in America to cut down to carbon emitted through transportation. Again, thank you for the idea and help towards making the environment cleaner.