Two Nevada women are pushing back against the cycle of overconsumption, helping people rethink how they shop, what they keep, and how to create a more intentional home.

According to KOLO, Jasmine Cividino, the founder of Upside Tidying, and Ali Conway, the creator of sustainable swimwear brand Strange Bikinis, are encouraging people to shop smarter, reduce waste, and create homes that are less cluttered and more sustainable.

Cividino, a professional home organizer, helps clients cut down on unnecessary purchases and find peace in a simplified space. Inspired by the Marie Kondo method, she believes decluttering is about changing consumer habits.

"It takes so much work to buy all this stuff, consume it, and then, you don't even love it anymore," Cividino told KOLO. 

She pointed out that buying too much doesn't just waste money; it also adds to the growing piles of stuff that end up in landfills instead of being reused.  

The Environmental Protection Agency found that in 2018, Americans tossed out over 12 million tons of textiles. A huge chunk of it came from clothing and household goods that could have been kept in use longer.  

Conway is tackling the problem from another direction. After years at Patagonia, a brand known for making clothes that last, she started Strange Bikinis, a swimwear company built around slow fashion. Her focus is on making pieces that hold up over time, treating workers fairly, and keeping waste to a minimum.

"Do people know how much work goes into making a T-shirt? So much! So if you're buying a T-shirt for $8, somebody didn't get paid," Conway told KOLO.

Her concern isn't just personal. The Clean Clothes Campaign found that many garment workers make less than half of a living wage, especially in the countries where fast-fashion factories are most common. Instead of adding to that system, Conway sticks to small-batch, high-quality swimsuits that last longer and create less waste. 

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When pieces don't sell, she doesn't toss them. She repurposes the fabric into new designs, making sure as little as possible ends up in the trash.  

Cividino and Conway show that being mindful about shopping isn't about giving up style or convenience. It's about making sustainable choices.  

Their methods are different, but their goal is the same. Both want to help people think more carefully about what they bring into their lives. The less we buy and waste, the cleaner our homes will be (and the planet).  

Instead of throwing out clothes, thrift stores and resale apps like Poshmark and ThredUp give them another chance. Choosing better-made clothing over fast fashion means fewer pieces are worn out and replaced. And when something no longer belongs, donating or repurposing keeps it from piling up in landfills.

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