pause, and reflect

Reviewing all the information from this past week, there was a lot to take in. However, I think I benefited greatly from each article and reading and it has made me more aware of what crisis our world is in today. One of the most important things I learned was that there are numerous ways our society can help to contribute to this problem. Whether it be through using recycled materials; from carpets all the way to clothes and everything in between. We as a whole can make a difference but everyone has to pull their weight to some extent. Making businesses more aware of what they are selling and where it comes from can be a demonstration to customers in making them more conscious. Learning doesn’t just have to come from just newspaper articles or books, people can be taught through others actions. Soon enough it could become a chain reaction making us one step closer to preserving our planet. Knowing what I know now, I have been more cautious of when I pull materials for projects at work, seeing if they are recycled and what they are made of. Or waiting to do laundry until I have a large enough load and I even tried hanging my clothes to dry. I have always been taught at home to recycle things like plastics, papers and glass. This is something I will continue to do and hope that others will see that actions can sometimes speak louder than words. Being an interior design major I had never really thought much about apparel, and stores that sell it, being a contributor to sustainability. Now, after reading this weeks articles I would love to know more about how to make a store go “green” and why there hasn’t been more of a change already. Things like the window displays are intriguing on whether paper was recycled or reused. Where clothes are manufactured and in what kind of working conditions? I plan to further investigate these areas so I know how to better educate those around me as well as myself so maybe we can stop being such a greedy consumerism society.