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A local "daughter of a hoarder" is aiming to fight Jersey's 'wear it once' culture and encourage others to move towards ethical consumption one podcast at a time.
Ruby Fern began her podcast, Daughter of a Hoarder, last autumn as part of her degree.
Studying Digital Media, Ruby decided for her final-year project to begin a podcast that focused around sustainability, ethical consumption and her fight against fast fashion - a subject which she is particularly passionate about.
She received a first for the project - and the podcast and her Instagram page, as well as her newly launched YouTube channel, has only grown from there.
The keen sustainability advocate spoke to Express about her goals...
I've always loved shopping second-hand, because I get really overwhelmed when I think about how many clothes are on the planet already. That's something that I try and encourage my listeners to understand and appreciate, because the way that we view shopping and consumption at the moment is just not sustainable.
People often thing that the main issue is plastic, but it's actually consumption more generally. There's so much emphasis on recycling, which is definitely important, but reusing and more specifically reducing is paramount to saving the planet, and that's something I really try to make clear.
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The attitudes of my friends in Jersey compared to those in the UK definitely surprised me. At university, my friends would go the whole year without buying anything new.
Once I put a poll on my Instagram page asking whether people felt that they have to wear something new every time that they go out, and all the people who voted yes were from Jersey. I think the 'wear it once' culture is really prevalent in Jersey, and makes people feel pressured to constantly buy new things.
I'd love to see more young people my age challenge this and reduce how many clothes they buy. Our generation is very concerned with social and environmental issues, but often forget that we make up a huge amount of the fast fashion customer market. Sharing clothes with your friends, selling things that you don't use and buying more things second hand are all amazing ways to help reduce the amount that we consume.
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1. Be critical with and really consider your consumption. Ask yourself: Do I need it? Do I love it? Will it last? As much as possible, avoid impulse purchases and make sure you consider what you buy.
2. Clear out and cleanse. Once a month, twice a year- whenever you can find the time. It really helps you to consider how much you own, how much of it you actually use, and may make you think twice in the future about your purchases. They always say that the most sustainable way to dress is wearing what's already in your closet.
3. Remember that when it comes to being an ethical and environmental customer, it is impossible to be perfect. A large part of the responsibility for our current environmental issues lie with governments and the big players in industry. However, our personal attitudes and habits are important, and sometimes even pressure these larger bodies to make changes.
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Now that summer is over and everything and everyone is winding down, I plan on really throwing myself into producing content for my platform, podcast and YouTube videos, as well as continuing to sell clothing and encourage others to make positive steps. Hopefully it will lead somewhere exciting!
CLICK HERE to follow Ruby's journey on her YouTube channel.
The Daughter of a Hoarder podcast can also be found on Apple Music/ Spotify.
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