buying clothes

Instead of shopping for school furniture and clothes at a big-box retailer, try these four alternative options to help your budget and the environment.

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.