The ThirdEye Project

Since we’ve been talking about consumerism and is this weekend, I wanted to share some obvious and not so obvious tricks companies normally use to make us purchase more 🛍

It’s important to remember this and question if we really need something, or if we’re simply falling into a marketing trick😂

Seems like I repeat this a lot but the most sustainable thing is to purchase what you really need (this “need” will depend on each person’s lifestyle and that’s ok, as long as you’re mindful of that).

Even if you don’t care about the environment or think climate change is a hoax, do it for you! Take care of your money and get in the habit of seeing purchases as investments☺️

Did you know any of these?

Reminiscing Thailand because I’m missing traveling a little extra today 🐘 (elephant sanctuary in Chiang Mai, 2017)

Also because thanks to adopting sustainability into my life, I’ve been able to do things I would dream about when I was younger; like traveling to far places, being able to quit the 9-5 in my mid 20s, have the ability to work from anywhere, among other things.

If you focus on the mindset changes more than the actual swaps themselves, it can truly change your life. You rely less on material things, learn to appreciate what you already have, learn to put more value on quality than quantity in every aspect of your life, and you get to know yourself better (from how crafty you are to your personal fashion style, your spending habits, etc).

Sustainability can be way more than carrying our reusable water bottle everywhere or being vegan. It can be an eye opening journey 👁 (yes, journey because you never stop learning)

I’ve talked to some people in here about the pressure to look “perfect”. So this is me telling you to be shamelessly imperfect 💁🏽‍♀️, to adopt sustainability as a lifestyle more than a trend, and to not let anyone tell you you’re less sustainable for not doing or having x,y,z.

Let’s remember that we’re doing our best in a capitalist system but that also, together, we can drive behavioral change.

So never stop learning and aiming to be better, but do it for you ✨

What are some ways sustainability has changed your life? ☺️

is fast approaching so I wanted to know when and how all the madness started 😂

Even though we’re going through economic uncertainties, some people are still ready to spend on things they probably don’t need 🤷🏽‍♀️.

So here is a brief explanation on how it all started and its impact.

We’ll always advocate here for less consumerism unless you absolutely need it. But if it’s something you want it, see it as an investment and support small businesses.

Remember that the best item is the one you already own 💁🏽‍♀️.

How are you taking part of Black Friday this year? I’m in (desperate) need of white sneakers so I’ll check if my favorite brand has any deals 🙃

____________________
Sources:
https://www.thebalance.com/why-is-it-called-black-friday-3305712
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/black-friday-history-why-is-it-called-black-friday_l_5d951322e4b02911e1154386
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/31581/brief-history-black-friday
https://www.moneycrashers.com/black-friday-history/
https://blackfriday.com/news/black-friday-history

Have you checked that privilege yet? 👀
Like many of you, I also follow (if you dont, please do!) And something that really stood up to me lately, was her question "What is Rich?" from a couple of weeks ago. The answers were so different, because they varied depending on each person's view of "rich".

How many times we wished to have xyz, a bigger abc, the lastest model of ___, to look a certain way, etc? Thinking that if we achieve that, it would make our lives better? (I know I have)

But when we put things in perspective, it changes everything. I found this privilege checklist (swipe) that I wanted to share with you because most of us are probably luckier than we think we are. I've been reflecting a lot on my position in society lately. I'm a lighter skin Latina, that has never experience racism, is straight, had access to higher education, is able to afford organic produce, etc. While many of these might not seem too especial for some, they are.
- Many lighter skin latinos attribute their achievements to their skin color.
- Latinos are the 2nd most discriminated against ethnic group after African-Americans. - Less than 4% earned advanced college degrees.
- And a study in 2016, Latino Americans had a median income (in 2016 dollars) of $46,882, about 20% less than the national median, which is $59,039.

As I always say, this is NOT something to feel guilty about. There are factors we didn't have control over when we came into this world 🤷🏽‍♀️. BUT we do have a responsibility to be better than the society we grew up in. Feel guilty (if you want to, or not hah) when you still choose to not do anything after learning about these topics.

Remember that change starts with ourselves. The more educated we are about these issues, the better decisions we can make moving forward. Social justice = environmental justice.

The link for the entire questionnaire is on the bio if you feel like doing some self reflection soon... or later.

Have you done and exercise like this before?

Voting with you money and redistribution of wealth!

When talking about activism, there is a certain stereotype of people protesting in front of institutions. So I want to point out that there are other ways to push for change. Protesting is an important way to raise awareness, but voting is also a form of activism, education is a form of activism, and our PURCHASES can be a form of activism.

Swaps are necessary (let's get rid of that plastic at home!) but our individual impact could go far beyond that. We need to agree that money is important because it enables us to have more control over our life, more freedom to carve out our own path, and fewer constraints on our choices. If we use our money for good (when possible), we could uplift each other and tranform entire industries! Swipe to learn more ➡️

What ways do you use your money for good? 💰

There’s been lots of biased opinions and judgment in the past last months. Even though there’s absolutely no excuse for racism, sexism, homophobic and misogynistic views, and climate change deniers, we might be forgetting to see outside our bubble of people that probably think like us, to dig deeper on other people’s views (what’s their background, level of education, religion, experiences, location, etc).

Understanding WHY other people think the way they do, WITH AN OPEN MIND, is not easy but definitely necessary. These elections were clearly just the beginning. With a country this divided, we still have lots of work to do to protect not only the environment but also the people.

Let’s keep raising awareness about these issues, educating ourselves, having those “controversial” conversations, and digging deeper to grow as a more conscious and respectful society. One that treats all species with respect and kindness.

Is this something you have done, do or even thought about? What are your thoughts?

Imagine that instead of paying for clothes with money, we would have to pay back the resources used?

How different our relation with clothes would be, ha?

Did you know that a pair of cotton jeans needs approximately 1,800 gallons of water? Swipe to learn more 🤓

Do you have a favorite jean brand or you prefer to thrift this one?

Happy Monday!

I love to see so many people voting, encouraging each other, and being more politically active than ever. If you're voting, AMAZING! But I would want to also encourage you to:
-Vote but also try reducing your weekly meat intake
-Vote but also think about your purchases
-Vote but also start questioning the fashion brands you purchase from
-Vote but also inform yourself about pollution
-Vote but also learn about the relation between  people of color, the environment, and policy
- Vote but also reduce your waste at home (less food waste and plastic use)
-Vote and (please) don't STOP at voting.

The biggest mistake we can make as a society is to wait for others to fix everything. Yes, vote, so politicians know what you stand for BUT also vote every day with your dollars and actions, so companies know that we're all demanding change ✌🏽

Let’s talk about food waste!

Moving to Florida, made me realize that not everyone have access to a composting side. While in San Francisco, it is part of the system so I never really had to think much about it. (SUPER nice!)

Right now, we’re saving all food scraps and taking them to Is it convenient? Not really 😂, BUT I have the time to do it so I don’t mind.

But I also know and understand why many people don’t. So... if we can’t always avoid food waste, what about trying to reduce it? Small steps, right?

Swipe to learn how 😊

What actions do you take to reduce your food waste at home?

Environment and Society

When we first started trying to live more sustainably, we tried so hard to live as ‘perfect” as possible, putting all the responsibility on our shoulders. The more we started asking questions and going deeper, though, we realized that it is not possible to be a perfect environmentalist in the system we live in.

Then we were sure it was a system problem: capitalism (dramatic sound in the back 🎶). The way the system gives more value to money than lives and achievements are synonyms of economic growth.

But then, we realized that the government, in theory, is the representation of the people and that corporations grow because we purchase from them. We are all one.

So maybe we don’t only need a system change but also a MINDSET change? The data points out that since the industrial revolution is when many of current problems started: faster production, more consumption, more waste, trends moving faster than ever, more natural resources needed, more CO2 in the environment. You get the picture.

We, as a society, got used to and learned to love the fast-paced world, one where we can have whatever, whenever, and wherever we want it. This was great for the corporations to make more money, governments to increase the standards of living in their countries, and for us, because we learned to believe that by having more and bigger means more power/status. A win-win-win situation.

But this way of living has led us to problems: social and environmental. That's why even if we buy secondhand but still purchase 100x tops or purchase all-new glass jars to achieve a certain aesthetic when we could easily reuse the ones from our food won't really move the needle.

What I'm trying to say is that we need to change the way we give value to material things and start asking hard questions about ourselves and consumerism. I really think a necessary step is to become more mindful and getting to not only know us better but understanding our role in society and the world.

Something we've been doing more is journaling (the good, bad, goals, etc) and reading about physics and philosophy 🤓

Any reading recs? And would love to hear your thoughts!

Climate Gentrification 🌍

Moving to Florida, especially Miami-Dade Area, we learned that the housing prices in Little Haiti had been growing in the last years. Why? Well, they live in one of the highest points in the area. This is displacing many local people because they can't afford their rents anymore.

When we talk about climate change, it's easy to ignore it because not all of us might suffer the consequences directly. BUT since we're all advocates of BIPOC and lower-income families now, we thought you might like this information. Climate change and social justice go together! The people that suffer the consequences first are usually the ones that are more vulnerable in our society.

If you have the privilege to vote, do it with climate change in mind AND also change habits at home that can reduce your impact. We might not get it right all the time, but we have to at least start educating ourselves about these issues.

Had you heard about climate gentrification? Do you know any of this issues in your area?