There's no denying it — the Earth is dying and it's due to years and years of pollution and neglect on our part. Climate change is more real than ever now, and the public is finally taking note and fearing the worst for our planet's murky future. Which is not necessarily a bad thing; global awareness is the first step to solving a widespread problem.
However, this has gone far beyond awareness. Environmentalism has become a trendy fad.
It doesn't take a lot of expended effort to reduce our carbon footprint and lead more sustainable lives. Veering away from using plastic as often as possible and reusing our plastic bags and bottles before recycling them is a significant help, no matter how small of a step it seems.
Yet businesses are jumping in and taking advantage of our efforts to go green.
Take a look at the Hydroflask: a great product, no doubt about it, with money being pooled into the development of public parks. But one of these stainless steel flasks could set you back $40 to $80 unless you want to customize it, which I'm sure would cost extra.
But the Hydroflask is a useful investment with proceeds funneling into a worthy cause. Let's take a look at Whole Foods, which is a favorite among wealthy yuppies for selling natural and organic products. However, contrary to the store's seemingly holistic message, the CEO has made disturbing claims about climate change as something that is "natural and not necessarily bad... we will adapt to gradually rising temperatures." Essentially, you're buying your boujee organic expensive salmon from a man who's not concerned about the effect that melting ice caps can have on our planet.
Saving the turtles, which have become threatened thanks to people littering plastic everywhere, has become a big agenda on the environmentalist train. Boycotting plastic straws in exchange for metal straws seems like a healthy shift, yet is that really enough to protect this species? Scouring the beach and cleaning up the vast amount of trash as well as trying to either recycle or reuse the plastic we already have would interfere more directly with the issue of turtles and help save more aquatic species.
I'm not bashing environmentalism. I think it's absolutely necessary for us to take it upon ourselves to worry about the impact that our industrialized society has had on the planet we live on and expend our best efforts to reduce these harmful effects in the future. All I ask is that we remain a little more informed of the businesses we choose to support and that we take going green as an important cause, not just something that will look good on our Instagram feeds.
