Earth to Berkeley

5 simple ways to curb your single-use plastic consumption

photo of recycle / landfill / compost bins
Theo Wyss-Flamm/File

About a year ago, as I was scrolling through my Twitter feed, I saw a tweet that made me stop dead in my tracks: By 2050, there will be more plastic in the ocean than there are fish. The tweet was accompanied by an image of Juhu Beach in Mumbai, India, the shore completely littered with the muddy remnants of plastic bags and bottles. I could not fathom that such a grim reality for our planet could manifest so soon. 
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Earth to Berkeley

photo of the inside of an urban outfitters

Questions to ask yourself before buying an article of clothing

The average American purchases anywhere from 59 to 64 pieces of clothing and throws away 81 pounds of clothing per year, creating a never-ending cycle of buying and discarding. This culture of fast fashion contributes to a multitude of environmental concerns, from carbon emissions to water usage in the manufacturing process. Moreover, the clothes you discard end up sitting in landfills for decades before they even start to break down. Want to be a part of the solution but don’t know what to do? Here are some questions you can ask yourself before making a purchase the next time you go shopping.
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Earth to Berkeley

Photo of clothes shopping

Sustainable fashion on a budget

The fashion industry is one of the biggest polluters in the world and the amount of waste from fast fashion overwhelms landfills left and right. Though buying clothes from sustainable brands is a great ethical option, cost remains a significant hurdle for many clothing consumers. A plain white shirt from Patagonia, a brand known for its sustainable practices, is $40, while H&M’s fast-fashion equivalent goes for half of that. Sustainable fashion seems like something that is not accessible for those on a budget, but it can be. Here are some tips on achieving sustainability while serving looks on a dime.
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