how being a shopaholic influenced my environmental views.

That was a really long title, but it's true. Like most of our generation of teenagers privileged enough to buy whatever clothes or items that we want, it's often hard to see the environmental impact of our purchases. Especially online shopping which is basically like a drug, we just can't stop ourselves. Especially when you see free shipping. 

For example, half of the people I know have Amazon Prime, which is a great tool for getting your orders so quickly and efficiently. But it also poses such an environmental problem. Our society runs on efficiency--we are literally running out of patience as a society. And it is in part due to the advances made by companies that are appealing to that weakness exactly. Take the 2000s for example, there weren't even iPhones yet! That's so crazy to think about, but now that we do have iPhones, flip phones are so clunky and inefficient. 

I feel like this is an effect that probably has a scientific name for it. So, with the online shopping problem, now that it exists, less and less people are going to malls and they're all clicking their keyboards and the "order now!" buttons on their screens. It's so convenient. Too much so. 

With every box that's delivered to your doorstep, that's one more box thats being thrown into a landfill. While there are more and more people recycling now, half of all delivery packaging is still being thrown into the garbage. 

So, what's the solution? There is none, to be frank. At least, not without the majority of the planet stepping up to work together. Hemisfere is just one of the few ways that I want to start by bringing people together to work towards a common goal of cleaner, greener planet.

xoxo
​Carina Sun