photo or infographic by Melissa Guerrero

FAST FASHION FAUX PAS. The price is low, but the cost is high when dealing with fast fashion.

That time of the year full of pep rallies, cheers, Friday night football and spirit days are back. While homecoming season is much sooner this year than in previous years, there is no reason not to go because of a lack of planning. 

The mums, dance attire and overalls are big on tradition, but homecoming can harm the environment because of the consumer culture that powers the traditions most students follow. There are smart ways to make the memories and not harm the environment. 

Homecoming can quickly become costly, especially for seniors who have the price of dresses, senior overalls and mums to pay for. There are many ways to gather the materials needed for your traditions. For example, mums can cost around $300 to buy, and many students throw them away after homecoming. According to the OECD, only 9% of the plastic used in the United States is recycled. To reduce the amount of waste produced, students should find a way to reuse some of the materials on their homecoming mums. Another alternative is to pass on or sell mums to someone else for them to add garnishes to their liking. There are an estimated 5.4 million high school students in Texas. If half of those students wear mums or garters, approximately 2 million mums are used in one homecoming season. Knowing this, be aware of how you dispose of your mum and its detrimental effects on ecosystems. 

During homecoming, many students buy fast-fashion dresses to save money. These dresses are only worn once because they’re based on micro trends, which can quickly become “cheugy.” However, this can be detrimental as fast fashion contributes between 9% and 10% of global carbon emissions. If fast fashion continues to grow at its current rate, an increase of 50% in greenhouse gas emissions is expected within a decade. Students can help reduce the waste produced by homecoming by purchasing a pre-owned dress or by reselling their dress after the dance. 

Homecoming creates everlasting memories for students, but it can be harmful to the environment. Therefore, the student body should put forth the effort to be more environmentally aware when pursuing their homecoming traditions.