Be Kleen

I have began to notice a trend in my blogs: I am advocating purchases. However, the purchases I advocate are items and products that will lead to being more compact and green. In Fashionology by Kawamura she cites Holbrook and Dixon defining fashion "as public consumption through which people communicate to others the image they wish to project" (94). Kawamura goes further to explain that fashion must be consumed and then used for others to understand that it is "fashionable." So going back to my own consumption and relating that to consumer behavior, if everyone would first invest in "green" products, the trend would spread and become truly "fashionable." Sure being "green" is already very trendy right now, and everyone understands the benefits of going "green," but not everyone has adopted the lifestyle yet.

Something that I have seen on the rise is the very hot (and trendy!) Kleen Kanteen. The Kleen Kanteen promises to keep your beverages nice and cold, so say goodbye to buying the 24-pack of water and simply refill your Kleen Kanteen. Another good investment would be a Brita, so you would only be using your tap water because as Kawamura points out, "fashion involves not only added effects but also interactions among parts" (94). A lot of my friends have bought Kleen Kanteens in the many colors they come in and I have also seen some with different patterns at the Corral. You can put stickers on them, decals, etc. So let's all buy one and make it the hottest accessory for summer, especially in the scorching Davis heat.

So as I pointed out earlier, products function together. Brita + Tap Water + Kleen Kanteen = Cold Water. But it doesn't stop there! Full education on ways to go "green" is essential for this movement to continue. Yes, some items may be just trendy, but to call something trendy, means that the trend may go out of style soon. So, to go "green" is to adjust your lifestyle. As an intern for Campus Events and Visitor Services, we hosted a conference in February called "Plan Green." At the conference, we had speakers come in to give event planners ideas on how to make their events more "green." We also gave away a canvas bag full of fun stuff such as energy-saving lightbulbs, a reusable mug, and notebook made of recycled paper.

A resource I have come across is Nice White Lady: Ethical Fashion and Ethical Consumption. Her blog is full of tips and entertaining posts about ways to reuse clothes, consumer news, and other things. So even as I fail to stop consuming, I am on my way to it by buying products that are reusable and sustainable.

Raphael Sarmiento Blog #4

Sources:
"Adoption and Consumption of Fashion." In Fashion-ology by Yuniya Kawamura
Plan Green
Kleen Kanteen
Nice White Lady: Ethical Fashion and Ethical Consumption