"Green" products
Maintaining an extremely minimalist lifestyle may be very difficult in our society. There are always new products, and some humans have a desire to keep reinventing themselves. I haven't found this desire within me, but I empathise with the fellow humans who say that they want to change their wardrobe to disconnect from a difficult situation (such as a break-up) or they wish to look different for a special occasion such as their wedding. While more sustainable options are good, there is also a danger of overconsuming these products. One might think, it does no harm if I get objects that are certified organic, in the worst case I will donate them and someone else will use them. But everything that is produced requires materials and energy. Even sustainable goods. I think it's also easy to imagine a fast fashion company producing everything from organic materials. Genuine sustainability requires not only choosing natural, organic, biodegradable etc. materials, but also consuming less.
It is also possible to buy second-hand, thus avoid contributing to the production of new objects. I avoid this option when I buy clothes, because I want to look the same every day. I do not want to normalise looking different for different roles. The way I look when I teach is exactly how I look when I go for a walk, when I go to a supermarket, when I travel, when I relax at home, and so on. My fellow humans ask me so often why, as a sustainability researcher and practitioner, I do not buy second-hand clothes. And my reason is always the same: I want to live with very few clothing items that look the same, and wear them all the time. For my students, friends, my stepchild, and others whom I see regularly, it is impossible to tell if what I wear was bought new or second-hand. The only thing they would notice is that I change my outfits.
Recently I added a tiny accessory to my wardrobe. There is a dusty green cotton ribbon that came into my life with a household object. I usually keep such ribbons for gift wrapping. But this one looked very beautiful to me, and I tied it around my neck. I do not intend to wear it very often, but I wanted to wear it today to celebrate moving towards spring.