Amidst rapidly cycling trends, a high demand for Artificial Intelligence (AI), and a general increase in overconsumption, the environment is suffering. These shortened trend cycles lead to high production rates, which can have adverse impacts on the environment, including but not limited to resource depletion, a decrease in biodiversity worldwide, pollution, and the acceleration of climate change. Despite this, there are a few simple things that one can do in their everyday life to decrease their footprint on the environment, and even make a positive impact.
Buying reusable cups and household items without overconsuming
Every year, there’s a new “it” water bottle. First, it was the HydroFlask, then the Stanley, and now, the Owala. Despite having more water bottles and cups than they know what to do with, people swarm to websites and stores to purchase the newest trending water bottle. This essentially defeats the entire purpose of buying reusable water bottles: reusing them. Although they are no longer using single-use plastic water bottles or to-go cups, the water consumed to produce one stainless steel water bottle is equivalent to what it takes to produce 12.5 single-use plastic bottles. When one person may own up to—or more than—10 reusable water bottles, that is the equivalent of producing 125 single-use plastic bottles, not including the packaging or materials. By simply using the water bottles that one already has, they can greatly decrease the amount of water and other resources depleted during the production process. Although these specific statistics apply to water bottles, the same idea applies to other household items that can be reused for many years at a time before needing to be replaced or repaired.
Using eco-friendly browsers like Ecosia
As the demand for AI and Generative AI increases, they are having extreme impacts on their immediate and surrounding environment, as the data centers in Texas alone will use 49 billion gallons of water in 2025, and as much as 399 billion gallons in 2030. Furthermore, their energy consumption is exorbitant as one of Meta’s Hyperion data centers in Louisiana is projected to use twice as much energy as the entire city of New Orleans at its completion. By avoiding using AI platforms like Meta, one can already decrease their personal footprint. By opting to use search engines such as Ecosia, which uses 100% of its profits to finance planting trees, rebuilding habitats, and other climate actions, they can reduce it further. Ecosia also still provides an AI platform, but it’s based on smaller, faster AI models and clean energy.
Wearing the clothes that one already has
At the beginning of every turning season, influencers post large hauls of their new clothes for the coming season. Oftentimes, the hauls are full to the brim with fast fashion that will end up at a landfill within the year. With the rise of social media and fashion influencers, trend cycles have been tremendously shortened. While this may not seem like a big deal, this decreased length of trend cycles has resulted in the average person buying a new piece of clothing every 5.5 days. This high level of production and waste that has resulted from this trend in overconsumption has been a large contributor to the formation of five giant garbage patches in the oceans, specifically in the Great Pacific Ocean, the South Pacific Ocean, the North Atlantic Ocean, the South Atlantic Ocean, and the Indian Ocean. The largest of them covers 1.6 million square kilometers, which is approximately 99.4 thousand square miles. By opting to thrift clothes and wearing the clothes that one already owns, they aid in decreasing the waste created by the fast fashion industry. Thrifting clothes gives items a second home that extends their use and prevents them from ending up in landfills.
By doing these three simple things, one can decrease their negative footprint on the environment and even create a positive impact.
