Many big brands are not sustainable. Large clothing brands such as Adidas, Gap, Nike, Victoria's Secret, and Urban Outfitters are some of the worst. Gas companies like Shell are also extremely problematic. Instead of buying from chain stores or big industries, try buying and eating locally. Buy furniture and clothing at thrift stores, or use hand-me-downs. You can get something just as good for a lower price and a much smaller environmental impact.

Although cotton seems environmentally sustainable, it is bad for the environment. The cotton plants need a lot of water and are treated with more pesticides than any other plant. Only around 10% of cotton is made without harmful pesticides. Again, buy from thrift stores to reuse cotton that is already there. There is no great solution for this problem, as many of the alternatives also have bad effects, but there are some things you can do. Don't get thirty different shirts: You don't need that many. Get a few high-quality shirts that will last you a long time.

Styrofoam has been used in packages since 1941. It is mostly used for packaging in large amounts like bubble wrap, but it isn't recyclable. It doesn't decompose quickly and can only be used once. Not only that, but it breaks into small pieces, which are impossible to clean up, and animals then eat. These are hard to contain and can make houses and habitats messy. Styrofoam trash is very common in the streets, and it fills up landfills without an easy solution. Avoid styrofoam when possible, and when you do get it try to reuse it instead of just throwing it away.

There are many harmful effects due to plastic. It starts with the processing: To make most plastics, fossil fuel is burned to create tiny pellets that are melted down and molded into shapes. Although this is a fairly cheap process, mining and burning the fuel has a huge carbon footprint. But, the worst effects are after the plastic is used. Most plastic takes hundreds and sometimes thousands of years to decompose. It doesn't biodegrade and become part of the soil - instead, it breaks into tiny little pieces called microplastics. These can drift around the ocean or stay in the soil forever. Small fish eat them, and they're eaten by bigger fish. Those fish can be caught by fishermen, and are then sold in seafood restaurants, where humans eat them.

Batteries are terrible for the environment. In order to make them, large amounts of metals and other natural resources are needed to make small amounts of batteries. The waste from these batteries is often toxic, and when you throw them away there is nowhere for them to go except into a landfill, where they can poison the soil and nearby water sources.

Greenwashing is definitely something to look out for when you're shopping or looking for services. This is when a company makes themselves look more environment-friendly than they actually are, like saying they donated to a climate change cause even when they have a huge carbon footprint. Do research on the company before you buy too much from them, checking how much carbon they release and how sustainable their product sources are.