Not So Fast

It’s Sunday and I’ve just finished arranging a “porch drop-off” of a pair of shoes that only saw my son’s feet for a few weeks. His growth spurts are ongoing and keeping him in clothes that fit is a battle.

The buy and sell on Facebook Marketplace is somewhere I go to offload some of the great clothes that either he has worn minimally or are still in great condition. I can give them a continued life and get a little money back. Porch drop-offs make for quick and hassle-free exchanges of goods. I put a bag containing the shoes on the porch and later take the buyer’s money from under the mat.

Buying and selling on Facebook has also helped me with our new place. I bought some vintage rattan for the porch, gave it a coat of paint, and it now sits proudly out front. I discovered a lovely hanging chair as well – it’s boho chic vibe is very on-trend. As it turned out, the seller was my Grade 11 math teacher. We had a good laugh when we recognized each other and caught up on his driveway in the Purple Hill subdivision.

I think the way we shop for clothing and home goods is changing. I’ve always loved shopping, and while I don’t subscribe to so-called retail therapy, I do appreciate the creative displays and marketing (yes, I love the marketing – the enticing ads and clever merchandising), and indeed, the newness. Going back earlier in my generation, there was less access to these goods, especially for farm families like mine. The transition from the glossy pages of magazines to the local sales rack took months. A trip to the shopping centre in the city where these items were available was something I enjoyed once or twice a year with my mom and Nan, and then, maybe, a special item was picked. One. Item.

Since my youth, however, fast fashion and Amazon overnight delivery around the globe have taken over purchasing habits. Retailer Forever 21 famously has 52 “seasons,” refreshing their lines with new shipments madly processed every 24 hours. Customers who shop in their store multiple times a week can choose from new fashions every time they visit. Forever 21 ranked as the fifth-largest specialty retailer in the United States, with the average store a whopping 38,000 square feet. Recently, Forever 21 informed their customers that they had filed for bankruptcy protection. Immediate restructuring and store closures have begun.

It’s hard to get kids to feel excited about used goods when the constant smell of “new” and aggressive marketing campaigns have been the norm for their entire lives. It’s all my son has known as a consumer. For Adrian, new is better, and as a growing teen, he is constantly in need of a wardrobe refresh. I’m aware we contribute to the tidal wave of used clothing every time he adds an inch or two.

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I try to be a mindful consumer, but it takes a conscious effort. Arming our kids and ourselves as parents with knowledge through ongoing climate change dialogue and modelling our own shopping habits helps. And it’s inspiring to hear about other initiatives leading the way. During last year’s Waste Reduction Week, for instance, a program called Give a Sh!rt, sponsored jointly by the Recycling Council of Ontario and Value Village, involved 70 secondary schools in Ontario and B.C. in clothing collection drives to extend the useful life of clothes. With nearly 60,000 students participating, 16.2 metric tonnes of clothing were collected and diverted from disposal. Perhaps the fast fashion tsunami of the past two decades is finally subsiding.

I’m trying my best. In my house it is still me (alone) who manages the recycling of clothing and home goods. I’m the shopper who decides which of Adrian’s clothes are still in good enough condition to sell. I take the pictures and post them online. I also enjoy bundling goods and taking them in person to one of our lovely local thrift shops, such as Orangeville’s Seconds Count, Paws & Claws or The Salvation Army. These stores are fun to visit and I’ve picked up goods for myself or the house while doing drop-offs. Adrian will have no part in it, but I love the eclectic offerings and the dedicated volunteers who run the shops. Knowing the money from my purchase is going to a worthy cause and the goods are kept out of landfill is win-win.

Will we ever return to a time when mending, reusing or not buying in the first place is the norm? I think of my Home Economics course in Grade 9 when I learned to sew by pattern, and my long-lost skills of knitting and crocheting I learned as a child. Perhaps these skills – repairing, recycling and just owning less – can make a widespread comeback. For now, I look at Adrian’s growing feet noodling under a blanket on the couch this Sunday morning and am reminded we need to get him new shoes.