We’ve all seen the news lately. The Brock Turner rape case, the huge protest going on about rights to Native American land in North Dakota, the atrocities of the Syrian civil war, shootings, bombings, disease, etc – the list goes on and on.
Hearing about all of the horrible events going on in the world often leaves me feeling powerless – what could I possibly do to change any of this? These world events are huge and complicated and sometimes it’s difficult to find a feasible way to make change while also maintaining relationships, work or school in our lives.
Now, I’m not saying that media coverage of violence and injustice isn’t productive – quite the opposite, actually. The things that are hard to hear need to be heard in order for change to be made. But, sometimes, too much ‘bad’ news is discouraging. It can leave us feeling overwhelmed and powerless. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I have gotten a serious case of the news blues many times before. Assuming that I’m not the only one, here are some at-home remedies to relieve feelings of hopelessness about the state of the world.
1. Be an advocate.
The word “advocate” means “to give voice to.” Being an advocate has come to mean playing a role of service, support, and solidarity.
People all over the world are losing their voices – because of distorted media coverage and hierarchical systems of power, race, class, gender etc, a platform to speak on isn't being given to those who need it most.
Because of the lack of voice given to groups of people, misunderstandings occur, racial profiling is reinforced, and people are becoming more and more divided.
This corrupt system of communication is perpetuating the suffering of millions of people, and this is something that we can individually change through small conversations, at home, in our everyday lives.
We must talk about the fight for Native American land justice in North Dakota. We must speak about the injustices of the criminal system when it comes to sexual assault, and give support to those who have been victims of this injustice. We must give voice to those who aren’t shown on the news or interviewed for articles. We must speak loudly for those who have been silenced.
2. Shop locally and seasonally.
Shopping locally not only means supporting members of your community, but also supporting the sustainability of our planet. Nowadays, food has become so globalized that walking into a grocery store, there are barely any produce items that aren’t available for year-round purchase.
This means that foods are being shipped, constantly, from all over the world. Air transportation of food (its main form of transportation) accounts for a whopping 11% of our planet’s carbon emissions.
In my opinion, having tomatoes in the winter is a luxury that we can live without, especially if it means saving our planet.
Not only is shopping locally and seasonally good for the environment, it’s good for us, too. Farmers markets are becoming more and more accessible all over the country and often have lower prices than grocery stores because the produce isn't shipped. Less time shipping means fresher, more nutritious food. Also, by shopping at farmers markets, we can have a little creative fun cooking with what's in season and pretending to be chefs on Food Network’s TV show, Chopped.
3. Keep an eye out for Fair Trade products.
Fair Trade means that the workers who harvested or created the product you are interested in buying were paid a fair wage for their work. It is a system of respect and partnership between employer and worker rather than a relationship of abuse and inequality.
Each purchase holds power. Buying a certain product from a company that is disrespectful to people or the environment is supporting and validating their lack of respect. Looking into what exactly your money is supporting is a very empowering action, and can make a huge difference. Companies, (for obvious reasons), don’t seem to advertise their unethical/unsustainable practices, so it takes a bit of research to find out what products you do and don’t feel good about purchasing, but I promise that the extra effort is worth it.
The down-side is that Fair Trade products are, inevitably, more expensive than conventional products. Paying employees a reasonable wage means that companies must increase the price of their products. Because of this, Fair Trade products are not financially accessible to many people, but if they are accessible, it’s definitely worth the extra cost. It feels good to know that the purchases you make are supporting equality and making a difference.
For more information, check out the Fair Trade USA website.
4. Buy recycled clothes.
The fashion industry has become more and more based around ‘quick fashion’ – items of clothing that aren’t meant to last very long so that consumers come back for more, specifically when the next month’s trends come into stores. This business model works out well for clothing companies, but our planet is taking a huge toll. I was extremely shocked to find out that the U.S. puts about 10.5 million tons of discarded clothing into landfills every year.
Not only are people throwing out more textile waste than ever before because of the quick fashion business model, but fashion companies also often take advantage of out-of-country sweatshop labor so that their prices can be cheaper while still making a large profit.
Buying from companies that pay their employees a non-liveable wage is perpetuating our planet’s wealth disparity. Buying second-hand clothing, however, from thrift stores or recycled clothing stores, is a good way to keep a huge chunk of waste out of our landfills and not condone the unethical business models of clothing companies. Thrift stores also have much cheaper prices than first hand stores, and more unique clothes, as well.
We don’t have to donate hundreds of dollars to a cause or get on a plane to Washington D.C. in order to make a difference. We can be activists and make huge changes in the world just by altering small decisions in our everyday lives, and being more conscious of the impacts we have on our planet.
