Beyond the straw: Sip, Shop, Pollute

Greenwashed

People are fighting climate change with a zeal, using metal straws!

At last, it appears that the way to save the planet is not by dealing with industrial waste or the carbon footprint that we love to measure but by making sure that we do not sip that one final drop from a plastic straw.

“I can’t limit the pharmaceutical factories churning toxins,” complained 25-year-old Sara carefully positioning her set of reusable bamboo forks for an Instagram story. “But I can guarantee the defenceless fish never have to choke on inedible straw ever again. That is what counts.”

While parents and educators can no longer keep a straight face at how ill-advised this prattle sounds, the specialists are not far behind.

“It cheers me up to think about a revolution of steel straws,” said Altaf Ahmad, an environmental expert, as he burst into laughter.

He isn't wrong.

While Sara is sipping her frappe through a metal straw at a coffee shop in Srinagar, she might be in the thirteenth outfit she has bought this season and all her outfits have arrived through an orchestra of cardboard boxes smelling of express delivery.

This is metaphorical and literal because the irony of her statement is thick!

“You know, saving the planet is not easy,” Sara admits, just as she mindlessly clicks through online shopping sites that contain mainly fast fashion clothing. “At least I’m not using steel straws, right? Baby steps!”

Perhaps.

But until those baby steps include directly addressing the larger questions, one is left wondering what exactly is being saved.

People like Sara are environment-friendly to the core.

Where others are content to drink their shakes and mocktails from disposable plastic straws, they have gone and purchased elegant steel replacements.

Of course, this pioneering work does not end at drinks, with these innovations certainly opening a window to what may be expected in the not-too-distant future.

In doing so, eco-conscious Kashmiris are ensuring they offset their positive green karma with a little dose of the Fukuyama-esque consumerist instrumentalism.

What better way to support people’s devotion to the environment than by consuming the newest styles, wearing clothes from fast-fashion brands, replacing new phones every year, and purchasing never-ending lists of items online – with multiple layers of non-recyclable packaging?

Indeed, there is nothing more concise in the declaration of loving Earth than having a closet full of clothes and a pile of e-waste as high as a mountain.

This could be considered as the postmodern version of cognitive dissonance through which these young consumers can be more than proud to make tiny changes, while at the same time, refusing to accept the fact that they are contributing to the colossal environmental problems resulting from their unprecedented demand for the newest technology, clothes, and other disposable items.

A particular iPhone, which Danish, a 27-year-old techie, has used for half a year, works satisfactorily for him but is not sufficient any longer.

“I have to get the new one so that I can help save the environment,” he says.

In its never-ending endeavour to accuse others of wrongdoing, it seems that the management of such organisations would have the world believe that the rare earth minerals which go into making these devices are to be found growing on trees, and the energy used in manufacturing these marvels is sourced directly from rainbows and unicorns.

With a minimal and relatable shift for the better, these eco-conscious Kashmiris have somehow fixed climate change!

One of the best examples of this is coffee places. That is where you will find a platoon of concerned green citizens. These supermen and superwomen comprehend that rescuing the Earth is not about opting for lesser items or giving support to companies that practice ecologically sustainable ways solely. It’s about putting in as little effort as possible while attending to everyday tasks; but creating social media-ready graphics.

Of course, it contributes to remembering such an essential component as the increase in the availability of environmental friendly transport. Many people are now avoiding the use of cars for their daily commute. But after the midweek stress, they are on vacation; probably adventurous, carefree, searching for themselves physically and leaving a dark carbon stain behind. Details matter, especially when it comes to preparing for the next snapshot in popular social media platforms, don’t they? So, why not build your exotic island only to see it gradually disappear due to global warming?

Another promise that has been made in this steady march towards a greener lifestyle is the home front. These eco-conscious Kashmiris rush to their new houses to invest in every trendy item that they find in the market, imported from half the world in the name of being green. Sustainable wood furniture? Check. Organic cotton sheets? Absolutely. Consumed yesterday in a restaurant, was the food you ordered organic? Naturally. It is a game of being sustainable and looking sustainable, while also making sure that things are easily accessible and sourced from all around the world if needed.

But, of course, it is what matters, isn’t it? Because with just good intentions one can do nothing right. So long as the people are using a steel straw to act in the picture, who cares if the cup is single-use plastic? This is the type of activism that is changing the face of combating environmental issues, fearlessly and more pragmatically.

Well, here is to the next generation of environmental activists. May their obsession with the idea of sustainability as seen from the surface-level initiatives encourage future generations to tread on the carbon footprints they leave behind.

Trendy environmentalist ‘appropriations’ have seen science, education, and dogged public campaigns unravel years of achievement in weeks. And so, say hello to the generation that ditched the straws to save the world but is busy drowning it in disposable clothing and electronics.

It’s a unique type of hypocritical existence wherein these people can turn a blind eye to the terrible and reckless way they live when it comes to the environment, all for the sweet and noble act of at least doing something good for the environment.

So, the next time you see a youth sipping from a metal straw while draped in fast fashion and clutching the latest tech gadget, remember that is not going to help the world; instead, people are just putting a layer of hypocrisy on the face of materialism.