How minimalism could resolve overconsumption | SÍ Magazine | Explainer

Our world has gone mad. People consume, consume, and consume. Most of us keep buying things we don't need without truly considering how this could impact our environment.

“OMG that jacket looks so great! – got a dozen in my closet, but this one is just calling my name!” According to an article published by Uplift in 2017, due to the rapid growth of industries such as fast fashion, people are now buying 400% more clothes than they did 20 years ago. But what does this mean for the environment? Unfortunately, it adds to greenhouse gas emissions, rainforest destruction and water pollution, amongst many other disastrous impacts. We continue to disregard that we are turning the Earth’s resources into waste each time, and it soon could be too late, as natural ecosystems are losing their ability to adjust. At the rate we are going, we will need two earths by 2030 in order to sustain our lifestyle.

A study published in the Journal of Industrial Ecology revealed that what people consume makes up for up to 60% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Outrageous, right? But when browsing The World Counts website – which gives an overview of critical global challenges and uses data from the world’s most reputable organisations – the first thing we see is that consumption does not make us happy. The site asserts that “it would be more forgivable if there was evidence which proved that material goods and wealth lead to happiness, but the evidence fails to show this”.

Minimalism is a lifestyle choice in which you reduce your possessions and only live with the bare essentials. Believe it or not, some minimalists such as Japanese writer Fumio Sasaki own little more than three shirts and four pairs of socks. Although this concept isn’t new, it has become a trend that people are increasingly practising, with many claiming that they have found happiness in only owning stuff that truly adds value to their lives. Numerous people also take this to social media by sharing encouraging vlogs to show how they live a happy yet simple life. Vloggers such as Youheum, the owner of Heal Your Living YouTube channel, shows how she lives an extreme minimalist lifestyle in which she has gone zero-waste and plastic-free to minimise her consumption and her waste. This means that barely any waste is produced, as she has a mostly fruitarian and 100% raw vegan diet and nothing she uses is made of plastic.

Nate O’Brien, is also another minimalist YouTuber and explains how his aim is not just about saving up or avoiding clutter – which are also major benefits of practicing minimalism- but mainly due to his concern for the environment. “I think that people just consume so much, and it bothers me, but I can't change the way other people think or the way other people act. It's my hope that one day, people can just really think twice about buying an item that they might not need”.

Overconsumption is clearly an ongoing issue in our society, and it is through contributing to the overproduction of goods that the environment is increasingly deteriorating. However, with the minimalist movement gaining popularity, many people are becoming more mindful by exclusively buying things they actually need and not just want. Do you dare to make a difference too?