For my second inquiry project, I chose to do my question on: how overconsumption impacts our environment, and what people can do to reduce it? Overconsumption happens when people buy and have more products than they actually need. Today, this is a very common thing because things like clothes, makeup, and technology are constantly being advertised, and new trends popping up each week. One example of this is fast fashion, where clothing companies quickly produce cheap and trendy clothes that people buy and wear only a few times, and then throw away. This leads to huge amounts of waste and uses a lot of natural resources like water, energy, and materials.
This question is really interesting to me because I used to contribute to overconsumption too. In the past, I had so many makeup, skincare, and clothing products. I would constantly buy new things even when I already had plenty at home. A lot of the products I owned ended up sitting unused or eventually going to waste. Looking back, I realize I was buying things because of trends or sales, and not because I actually needed them. Over time, I started thinking more about how much waste this creates and how common this habit is for a lot of people.
This year, I’ve been trying to change my habits by not buying new products and instead using the things I already own. This has made me more aware of how easy it is to fall into the cycle of constantly buying more. Overconsumption doesn’t just affect individuals, it also has a large impact on the environment through waste, pollution, and the use of natural resources. Industries like fast fashion and beauty products produce huge amounts of waste and carbon emission, that is slowly killing our plant. Through this inquiry project, I want to learn more about why overconsumption happens, how it affects the planet, and what people can do to make more sustainable choices.
