As an 18 year old, why am I being made to feel like I’m 85 years old?

Everywhere I look, products are needlessly improving that are already functional. Out with the old, and in with the new seems to be everyone’s motto.

These items don’t need to be improved.

Constantly upgrading every time a piece of clothing gets old is not only a waste of money, but it’s actively hurting the environment.

Pollution, deforestation and global warming are actively destroying our planet, and a lot of it is due to the fact that we are constantly improving and upgrading everything and discarding what we think we don’t need anymore.

By 2050, top causes of environmentally-related deaths worldwide will be outdoor air pollution, particulate matter and ground-level ozone, according to Fidelity International.

Growing up as a younger sibling, upcycling was all I knew. I grew accustomed to hand-me-downs and playing with old toys.

By the time I grew out of my clothing, all of it would be donated to the Salvation Army or Goodwill for someone else to enjoy. While buying new items might be essential at times, a lot of things can be found at thrift stores for cheap prices and in good condition.

Places like the Salvation Army are affiliated with charitable organizations. Donating items you don’t use anymore can help contribute to great causes.

You can save a ton of money buying items that are lightly used or sometimes even brand new from thrift stores.

Thrifting keeps clothing in use for longer, which limits wasted resources through decreased demand for new products, according to the University of Colorado Boulder.

There was definitely an uptick in thrifting among Gen-Z throughout 2020 and 2021 and even now, as we’re making more environmentally conscious choices in an effort to practice sustainability. As of Oct. 26, 83% of Gen-Z Americans thrift second-hand items or are willing to, according to The Blackprint.

Thrifting can also diversify your wardrobe and help you find unique pieces that add a lot to outfits. You can often find items that have been discontinued from retail stores or that you’d never see in stores today.

However, thrifting is being hurt by the fast fashion industry. When people purchase clothing from online stores like SHEIN and Fashion Nova, they quickly realize that the clothes were poorly made. A lot of these clothes end up in thrift stores and ruin the sustainability of thrifting.

Not to mention that buying fast fashion is unethical. A lot of those companies utilize child labor and treat their workers poorly.

People turn to fast fashion because it’s cheap and easy to keep up with trends. However, these clothes are not durable and they end up being thrown or given away. Thrifting your clothes is a great and cheap way to find long-lasting pieces that can spice up your wardrobe.

Just because something might be old to you, doesn’t mean it will be to someone else. Tag sales are a great way to get rid of items you don’t use anymore and to make money.

Rather than throwing away usable items, hosting a tag sale can help reduce the amount of items in landfills. A lot of people go to tag sales as a hobby and you’d be surprised what people buy.

Tag sales and upcycling are also great for DIY projects. I love arts and crafts and it’s really cool to be able to find unique items that you can use for problem-solving.

While some upgrades are good, I can’t find any that outweigh the fact that the earth is dying, and modernization is one of the top contributors to that.

So, the next time you’re going through old clothes and deciding what you don’t need, keep in mind that someone else might find your trash to be treasure.