I am and always have been an avid environmentalist. I was the kid at school who rallied people into recycling programs. I don't kill spiders when I see them. I pick up other people's rubbish at the beach. We have one Mother Earth and one only, and she is worth protecting.
I'm not the only one who thinks like this either; hundreds of thousands, hopefully, millions, of people around the world today will march to share that message by supporting the #climatestrike.
Today, passionate eco-protectors are taking to the streets to strike and encourage their governments to make meaningful commitments to climate action. We are past half-baked broken promises from our government. We need policies that cement real, serious, change.
By 2050, there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish. If nothing changes in the fashion industry, we'll also have used up a quarter of the world's carbon budget by then too.
It's a hard fact to stomach, but it's exactly why The Fashion Advocate exists. We promote slow fashion to create positive social and environmental change. We promote better alternatives to fast fashion like organic and natural fashion and well-made fashion that lasts. We support designers who use recycled and circular materials, and labels who embrace zero-waste design. We promote Australian and New Zealand fashion labels who take responsibility for their impact, and who use fashion as a force for good.
Whether you've stopped to march for the #climatestrike or not, you have the power to create positive social and environmental change, not just today, but every day. The fashion you buy, the places you shop, the products you support, the government you vote for, the conversations you have with friends - and the ones you don't - shape our future. 'One plastic straw' might just be one plastic straw today, but when eight million people say that to themselves and do nothing - it's eight million more plastic straws ending up in landfill or the ocean. Every choice you make, matters.
No 'one' person creates global change. Millions of people do - together. Shop local, support sustainable fashion, and choose to reuse, reduce and recycle.
Oh, and did I strike? No. I stayed at the office, working, fighting climate change the same way I do every day, but I am so bloody proud of my friends and family who did. Are you listening now, Scott Morrison?
The Fashion Advocate x
