the unwash • social impact

Here on The Unwash, we often talk about making different sustainable swaps or supporting brands innovating how we care for the environment. The truth is that making those choices comes with an absolute privilege. But, we can enact positive change with our purchasing power when making these choices. When the state of Michigan and the country failed Flint, plastic water bottles became a necessity for the town of almost 100,000 people. Given the lack of concerted effort to find resolve for Flint, small brands and businesses have rallied to try to find solutions themselves. In comes Genusee, the brand creating eyewear out of Flint’s plastic water bottles.

Genusee’s eyewear line consists of prescription-grade optical sunglasses and blue light glasses, which come in a wide range of colors and styles. You can feel good knowing that with every purchase made, fifteen plastic bottles are upcycled, and 1% is donated to the Community Fund of Greater Flint. 

the unwash • social impact

It’s no secret that Gen-Z has the power to completely change the political and social landscape in the United States and around the world. Young leaders are loud and proud about what they stand for and aren’t scared to be heard. From ensuring there would be empty seats at campaign events to shutting down anti-abortion tip lines in Texas, the narrative around the power young people have is changing. Whether it’s getting involved in their schools, local communities, or taking to social media, young people are a force to be reckoned with. Younger generations have the power, but how do we put that power to work?

Get Involved in Your School or Local Communities

Joining a club at your school or finding a group in your local community is a great starting point to get involved and find additional opportunities. Whether in high school or college, plenty of larger advocacy groups offer the chance to open chapters at schools across the United States. You can join in on protests and rallies and have plenty of volunteer opportunities through these networks. Making a change at the local level is one of the best ways to make a huge impact, and it’s on the local level where we need people to be dedicated to implementing change.

Turn Your Voice into a Vote 

Be prepared for turning the voting age. In the United States, you can submit your voter registration shortly before you turn eighteen, reminding yourself and your peers to register to vote and make it to the polls. If you’re worried about family pressure to vote a certain way or are nervous about sharing your desire to vote, reach out to resources within your community or voter mobilization organizations to find a way to exercise your right within your comfort zone. Get some friends together and carpool to the polls!

the unwash • guides

Being conscious of our decisions goes far beyond what we’re purchasing but extends to everything in our lives. From the media we’re consuming, to who we choose to follow on our socials, to what books we’re reading, and everything in between is a chance to make a more informed decision. Unwashing your current cycle of podcast rotations may give you a new perspective, help you find a new passion, or become your latest listening obsession. Here are the five podcasts The Unwash is currently loving.

Hot Take

This podcast takes a “no-bullshit” approach to discussing climate change and its impacts. Taking a hard look at political and environmental issues in the United States, this is an excellent podcast for someone wanting to learn more about important political issues.

Matriarch Movement

Hosted by Shayla Oulette Stonechild, Matriarch Movement amplifies Indigenous voices by sharing the stories of Indigenous women worldwide. Bringing Indigenous women role models to mainstream media, this is a podcast people of all walks of life can find importance in. 

How to Save the Planet

How to Save the Planet breaks down climate change and helps tackle a sometimes hard to disgust topic—hoping to ease fears; how the Save the Planet gives inspiring stories and practical solutions to the climate crisis, making it an issue you’ll want to listen to.

the unwash • sustainability

It’s easy to demonize fast fashion. It’s an industry causing more than just environmental destruction. Fast fashion thrives off of unethical practices – exploiting workers with dangerous conditions and next-to-nothing wages, preying on consumers, and being a significant player in the environmental crisis.

What’s the big deal with fast fashion anyways? What’s the solution? The landscape for trend cycles has significantly changed over the past decade. Trends are in and out in a matter of weeks, driving consumer demand to get the next best thing as quickly as possible. Fashion isn’t the only place we see this. Still, it is a major polluter – accounting for approximately 4.8% of global carbon emissions as of 2015. Using cheap materials has a cost. Similar to plastic water bottles, most of these textiles don’t break down. You’d think the majority of waste in fashion is caused by consumers throwing a product out after a certain amount of time. Much of the waste from this industry is from products that never end up in the consumers’ hands. Eventually, these materials go full circle and make their way back to us through microplastics in our water systems or the methane and carbon dioxide leaking into the atmosphere from the 92 billion tons of textile waste in landfills.

The environmental concern is only a small piece of the puzzle. Fast fashion may be low-cost for the consumer, but someone is paying the price at the end of the day. Exploitation and, often, human rights violations are at the core of the fast fashion industry. Garment workers are underpaid and subject to harsh work environments, regardless of where your product is manufactured.