We love shopping and eating out but we often feel guilty because of the environmental costs. However, over the years we have been seeing a slow but sure behavioral shift towards greener lifestyles in Kuwait. Pre Covid-19, more of us at bazaar were reaching for their reusable water bottles instead of disposable ones. Some of us were refusing plastic bags when we did our groceries and instead opted for reusable tote bags. And we know that it is not just us, because we have noticed that there are so many local establishments that are making the switch to more sustainable options.
This is more relevant now than it has ever been, because of our fear of getting diseases more people are leaning towards single use items like masks, gloves and small bottles of hand sanitizer. What’s even worse, is that some people seem to think they can just discard these wherever they please. We would like to invite you to consider more environmentally friendly options instead because this might be our way of life for the foreseeable future and the environment should not be paying the price. Try fabric masks, or buying hand sanitizer in bulk and decanting it in smaller reusable containers instead.
Despite everything, we’re still really proud of the local brands that are moving in the right direction and are making the necessary changes that reduce our consumption and waste in different industries. Kuwait might not be Paris or Milan, but we definitely are a country of fashion lovers. Just take a quick stroll in the Avenues and you will see that everyone loves putting together a fabulous outfit. And while we are not ready to break up with our favorite fashion giants, we are seeing more slow-fashion brands popping up. From brands like Maya (@mayaeco) that focus on sustainably produced items to the thrift store Odette’s Closet (@odettes_closette) and NAZ World (@world.naz) that offers rentals, consumers now have so many different options. We still wish we could own ALL THE THINGS, but we keep telling ourselves that we won’t buy more because we care about the planet.
Food packaging is another huge polluter, and thanks to social media we’re now more aware of the effect of plastic straws on sea turtles. So many restaurants and cafes have stopped using single-use plastic and have replaced them with paper, bamboo, or other biodegradable materials. You can also easily find and purchase your own reusable straw from Ao (@ao.kwt). They also have green options for everyday items like toothbrushes and razors. We are pretty attached to our canvas bags from The Untitled Bag (@theuntitledbag_kw) that are screen-printed with local snazzy designs.
If you feel that these are all small changes, the Trash Tag team (@trashtagkuwait) are out there cleaning up our beaches. They are leveraging the power of large numbers to clean up large areas in short spans of time by bringing people together. In a recent edition of bazaar tries, we joined in and realized that not only is it a lot of fun, but it can also be very rewarding. It can also be an eye-opener. Even if you don’t litter (which we hope you don’t), plastic is very difficult to get rid of and it is just easier to not use it in the first place.
We have also been seeing more electric vehicle charging points popping up all over Kuwait and more automakers marketing their cars in the region. We’re sure that change is not going to happen overnight but it is heartening to see that things are finally moving in the right direction. We don’t know about you, but we really want to enjoy fresh air and clean beaches for as long as we are alive, so let’s all do our part.
You can help too! If you know of a business or an initiative that helps us make better choices please let us know. Photo by Brian Yurasits on Unsplash.
