"I’ve always been passionate about talking about the social and environmental impacts of fast fashion, but a lot of people don’t realize how the environmental cost of fast fashion goes way beyond landfill and air pollution."
Going back to track when my love for oceans began is quite difficult. I've always had a love for nature, and I think that’s prevalent in the work that I do today. As an activist, educator, geography student and sustainability focused content creator, now more than ever looking after my mental wellbeing has been a difficult journey.
When I think about when I used to look after my mental health, going for long walks round the countryside was always a go to for me and at night-time listening to the sound of ocean waves over my headphones was always relaxing. In the New Year I started cold water swimming to help manage my anxiety and stress response.
Connecting with nature in this way has been so crucial in reminding me why the work I do today is so important. Even going for walks along the beach is something that’s refreshing for me and allows me to reset my head. Connecting with nature has been something I’ve always been so passionate about, whether that’s going for a hike, swimming in the ocean, or taking a long walk around the countryside, it almost provides me with this fuel to continue the work that I’m doing today.
"When I think about when I used to look after my mental health, going for long walks round the countryside was always a go to for me and at night-time listening to the sound of ocean waves over my headphones was always relaxing"
I’ve studied geography at Queens University for 3 years now and Ocean conservation and management is something which is important for us to discuss, however it’s still not talked about enough. By 2050 it is estimated there will be more plastic in our oceans than fish, beaches around the world are increasingly littered with plastic rubbish and coral bleaching continues to worsen as high temperature’s plague our oceans. Facts like this can really send me into a spiral sometimes and allowing myself to reset and connect with nature again can fuel me to continue advocating and talking about the things I’m most passionate about.
I’ve always been passionate about talking about the social and environmental impacts of fast fashion, but a lot of people don’t realize how the environmental cost of fast fashion goes way beyond landfill and air pollution. Microfibers in clothing have been proven to kill marine life, clothing dye in wastewater has been a large contributor to polluting our oceans. Social and climate justice are so interlinked in this way because while there are so many ethical issues in fast fashion such as infringement of workers’ rights, it also has detrimental effects in our lithosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere.
Everything is so connected, and I think we live in such a busy and disconnected world, people forget to stop and smell the fresh air, take a dip in the ocean, and feel the ground beneath us. I truly believe that if more people reconnected with nature, we would see a huge positive impact in the social and climate justice space.
Words by Angel Arutura, sustainability, fair fashion and anti-racism advocate. Follow @angelarutura – She’s an inspiration
