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Icelanders are electing a new parliament Saturday after disagreements over immigration, energy policy and the economy forced Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson to pull the plug on his coalition government and call an early election. This is Iceland's sixth general election since the 2008 financial crisis devastated the economy of the North Atlantic island nation and ushered in a new era of political instability. Opinion polls suggest the country may be in for another upheaval, with support for the three governing parties plunging. Benediktsson, who was named prime minister in April following the resignation of his predecessor, struggled to hold together the unlikely coalition of his conservative Independence Party with the centrist Progressive Party and the Left-Green Movement. Iceland, a nation of about 400,000 people, is proud of its democratic traditions, describing itself as arguably the world's oldest parliamentary democracy. The island's parliament, the Althingi, was founded in 930 by the Norsemen who settled the country. Fierce weather in the sub-Arctic nation threatened to hamper some voters getting to polling stations on Saturday, with heavy snow blocking roads in many areas. The weather could also delay the delivery of ballot boxes to counting centres after polls close at 10 pm (2200GMT). Here's what to look for in the contest. How does the election work? Voters will choose 63 members of the Althingi in an election that will allocate seats both by regional constituencies and proportional representation. Parties need at least 5% of the vote to win seats in parliament. Eight parties were represented in the outgoing parliament, and 10 parties are contesting this election. Turnout is traditionally high by international standards, with 80% of registered voters casting ballots in the 2021 parliamentary election. Why now? A windswept island near the Arctic Circle, Iceland normally holds elections during the warmer months of the year. But on Oct 13 Benediktsson decided his coalition couldn't last any longer, and he asked President Halla Tómasdóttir to dissolve the Althingi. “The weakness of this society is that we have no very strong party and we have no very strong leader of any party," said Vilhjálmur Bjarnason a former member of parliament. “We have no charming person with a vision... That is very difficult for us.” Why is Iceland's politics so fractured? The splintering of Iceland's political landscape came after the 2008 financial crisis, which prompted years of economic upheaval after the country's debt-swollen banks collapsed. The crisis led to anger and distrust of the parties that had traditionally traded power back and forth, and prompted the creation of new parties ranging from the environment focused Left-Green Alliance to the Pirate Party, which advocates direct democracy and individual freedoms. “This is one of the consequences of the economic crash," said Eva H Önnudóttir, a professor of political science at the University of Iceland. “It's just the changed landscape. Parties, especially the old parties, have maybe kind of been hoping that we would go back to how things were before, but that's not going to happen.” What are the issues? Like many Western countries, Iceland has been buffeted by the rising cost of living and immigration pressures. Inflation peaked at an annual rate of 10.2% in February 2023, fuelled by the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine. While inflation slowed to 5.1% in October, that is still high compared with neighbouring countries. The US inflation rate stood at 2.6% last month, while the European Union's rate was 2.3%. Iceland is also struggling to accommodate a rising number of asylum-seekers, creating tensions within the small, traditionally homogenous country. The number of immigrants seeking protection in Iceland jumped to more than 4,000 in each of the past three years, compared with a previous average of less than 1,000. What about the volcano? Repeated eruptions of a volcano in the southwestern part of the country have displaced thousands of people and strained public finances. One year after the first eruption forced the evacuation of the town of Grindavik, many residents still don't have secure housing, leading to complaints that the government has been slow to respond. But it also added to a shortage of affordable housing exacerbated by Iceland's tourism boom. Young people are struggling to get a foot on the housing ladder at a time when short-term vacation rentals have reduced the housing stock available for locals, Önnudóttir said. “The housing issue is becoming a big issue in Iceland," she said.Prospera Financial Services Inc Acquires Shares of 31,979 First Trust Ultra Short Duration Municipal ETF (NYSEARCA:FUMB)Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy to meet with House Republicans this week to discuss DOGE

Bears force OT with 11 points in 22 seconds but still lose their 5th straight, 30-27 to VikingsIf you're looking for tomorrow's investment winners, the technology sector is one the best places to start. It has produced plenty of market-smashing stocks in recent decades, and artificial intelligence (AI) is a massive opportunity that could create tremendous wealth for investors in the coming years. Here are two tech stocks ripe for the picking in November. 1. Micron Technology Shares of Micron Technology ( MU -0.12% ) rose to a high of $157 earlier this year before pulling back to around $100 at the time of this writing. That dip has made the stock's valuation even more attractive, as the most recent earnings report still showed surging demand from data centers for the company's high-capacity memory products. Micron has seen a sharp rebound in its revenue over the last year. In its fiscal 2024 fourth quarter, which ended Aug. 29, revenue jumped 93% year over year, showing the company's growth accelerating. Strong demand trends are lifting its margins, which caused Micron's earnings per share to more than double over the year-ago quarter. Earnings should continue to grow as Micron shifts more production to higher-margin products such as high-bandwidth memory that are expected to see surging demand in the new year. Management is seeing demand coming from AI and traditional servers, which indicates broad strength across the data center market. Micron is ramping production up as much as it can to meet demand, as supply is the chief factor limiting its sales. This will significantly benefit the company's margins. On average, Wall Street analysts currently expect Micron's adjusted earnings per share to jump from $1.30 in its fiscal 2024 to $8.93 in its fiscal 2025, according to Yahoo Finance. In light of these trends, the stock's valuation looks attractive at just 11 times next year's earnings. Relative to its expected fiscal 2026 results, the stock carries an even cheaper forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 8. Micron shareholders are looking at potentially substantial upsides over the next few years. 2. HubSpot HubSpot ( HUBS 3.14% ) offers an easy-to-use platform that helps small businesses manage services, marketing, and sales. It has delivered robust growth in recent years and produced phenomenal returns for its investors. The stock is up 18% since the company reported its third-quarter results in early November. Revenue grew 20% year over year on a constant-currency basis in Q3, driven by 10,000 net customer additions -- bringing the total customer count to 238,000 -- and continued spending by established customers. It reported strong customer interest in new AI features such as a new Copilot assistant, which is currently in beta testing. These were solid results during a relatively weak year of growth for leading software providers. Businesses have been hesitant to spend money on software, but HubSpot has met the challenge. While it expects revenue growth to slow again to approximately 16% year over year in the fourth quarter, Wall Street is starting to give the company more credit for its long-term opportunities and ability to improve margins. HubSpot is showing signs of building a durable competitive moat. Its adjusted operating margin improved from 16.5% in Q3 2023 to 18.7% in Q3 2024. This was an excellent performance following management's move to reduce prices to win more customers. It demonstrates the ability to be competitive on pricing and still grow profits, which helps explain why the stock is moving higher. On a price-to-sales basis, the shares still look attractive at a multiple of 14. The stock has soared by more than 2,000% since its IPO in 2014, but its average P/S ratio over the last decade was just over 12. With HubSpot still in growth mode, investors can anticipate earning returns that are consistent with the company's revenue growth over the long term.2024 isn't over yet, but the S&P 500 ( ^GSPC 0.25% ) is set to cap off a banner year. Even though most Wall Street experts had expected only modest returns at the beginning of the year, the S&P 500 is up 28% year to date through Dec. 4, on track for one of its best years in history. The artificial intelligence (AI) boom, interest rate cuts, a resilient economy, and excitement around the incoming Trump administration have all combined to send stocks soaring for the second year in a row. This year's performance comes after strong results in 2023 when it jumped 24%, and there's another sign that 2024 is one of the most bullish years on record for the stock market. Through Dec. 4, the S&P 500 has closed at an all-time high 56 times. While it could add to that mark by the end of the year, that is still the fifth best showing since 1929. What the surge in record highs tells investors We're not even two years into a new bull market, but already some investors seem to smell a bubble. Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway has been a net seller of stocks every quarter this year as it stockpiles cash, and it even declined to repurchase its own stock for the first time in six years. Other investors have questioned the billions being poured into AI infrastructure, suggesting the consumer end market doesn't justify it. Stock valuations are also high by historical levels, as the S&P 500's price-to-earnings ratio has reached 30.3, according to some measurements, showing that stocks are expensive compared to historical averages. So how does 2024 compare to previous years with even more all-time highs? The table below shows the five years with the highest number of days when the S&P 500 reached a new all-time high. Year Annual Gain for S&P 500 # of Days S&P 500 Hit All-Time High 1964 13% 65 1995 34% 77 2017 22% 62 2021 29% 70 2024 YTD 28% 56 Data source: Bilello.blog and others. YTD = year to date. In two of the four years above, 1964 and 1995, the S&P 500 gained the following year. In 1965, the S&P 500 climbed another 9%. However, it fell 13% in 1966 as the bull run of the previous few years got overheated Meanwhile, in 1995, the dot-com boom was just beginning, and the stock market wouldn't peak until 2000. But for 2017 and 2021, the momentum didn't last. In 2018, the S&P 500 finished down 6% due to rising interest rates, fears of a trade war with China, and the threat of a federal government shutdown. And in 2022, stocks fell 18% as the pandemic-era bull market left valuations inflated, and growth in the tech sector slowed significantly as the economy fully reopened. What it means for investors There are no ironclad rules in stock investing, but looking back at history can help inform your understanding and decision-making in the current market. While the sample size above is limited, there is some indication that a surge in new all-time highs one year can lead to a pullback in the near term. While it's impossible to know how the stock market will perform in 2025, investors should be prepared for the current momentum to temper itself, given current valuations. However, a lot can change in a year, especially with a new administration taking control of the White House and ongoing developments in AI. There's another lesson here as well. Over a longer time horizon, the stock market has consistently climbed to fresh all-time highs, even after a bear market -- and often sooner than you might think. By 2019, the S&P 500 was back to a record, and this year's results show why buying in 2022 paid off as well. In other words, betting on the S&P 500 over the long term comes with volatility, but it's also a tried-and-true way to build wealth. That's worth remembering no matter what happens in the stock market next year.

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian police raided several bars and nightclubs across Moscow on Saturday as part of the government’s crackdown on “LGBTQ+ propaganda,” state media reported. Smartphones, laptops and video cameras were seized, while clubgoers had their documents inspected by officers, Russia’s Tass news agency said, citing sources in law enforcement. The raids come exactly a year since Russia’s Supreme Court ruled that the “LGBTQ+ movement” should be banned as an “extremist organization." Its decision followed a decades-long crackdown on LGBTQ+ rights in Russia, where President Vladimir Putin has touted “traditional family values” as a cornerstone of his quarter-century in power. Footage shared on social media appeared to show partygoers being ordered by police to lie on the floor as officers moved through Moscow’s Arma nightclub. The capital’s Mono bar was also targeted, Russian media reported. In a post on Telegram on Saturday, the club’s management didn't directly reference an incident with law enforcement, but wrote, “Friends, we’re so sorry that what happened, happened. They didn’t find anything forbidden. We live in such times, but life must go on.” Police also detained the head of the “Men Travel” tour agency on Saturday under anti-LGBT laws, Tass reported. The news agency said that the 48-year-old was suspected of preparing a trip for “the supporters of nontraditional sexual values” to visit Egypt over Russia’s New Year's holidays. The raids mirror the concerns of Russian activists who warned that Moscow’s designation of the “LGBTQ+ movement” as “extremist” — despite it not being an official entity — could see Russian authorities crack down at will on groups or individuals. Other recent laws have also served to put pressure on those that the Russian government believes aren't in line with the country’s “traditional values.” On Nov. 23, Putin signed into law a bill banning the adoption of Russian children by citizens of countries where gender-affirming care is legal. The Kremlin leader also approved legislation that outlaws the spread of material that encourages people not to have children .

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BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — If you're caught driving past a school bus with its stop arm out in the City of Buffalo, it's going to cost you between $250 and $300. This is because the city started enforcing its School Bus Stop Arm Camera Program about two months ago. "The program has let us realize that we do have vehicles that pass school buses every day when a school bus is out on the road." said Octavio Villegas, Executive Director of the Buffalo Traffic Violation Agency. Since the program began on October 1, there have been 16,550 "events" where a vehicle has been caught on camera passing a school bus as it activates its stop signals. Nearly 10,000 of these events have been reviewed so far. "Unfortunately, we're still seeing folks ignoring the yellow lights, and so when they are going by those school buses, it's not only going from yellow to red, but the stop arm is coming out," Villegas said. If you are caught passing a school bus with the stop arm extended, AI technology notifies Bus Patrol, the company providing the cameras on each school bus. That information is then sent to the City of Buffalo, which determines whether or not a ticket will be issued. "We are confirming that a vehicle passed the school bus when it was in the process of picking up and dropping off a student," he said. Despite the cameras, some drivers have shared concerns that they were caught when the bus's yellow lights were flashing, only to have it switch to red too quickly. I asked Villegas about this concern. "I just really focus on explaining to the motorists. When you see the school bus and those lights turn yellow, that's an indicator that you should start slowing down because that bus is trying to signal to you it will come to a stop." If you receive a ticket and believe it was issued in error, Villegas said you can contest it when you get the letter in the mail. "Also, on the bottom, we have a section to fill out if you want to contest your matter," he said. But the bottom line is, that he hopes the program can help prevent people from driving past a stopped school bus. "I feel we could just stop and wait an extra 30 seconds. It really would not take away from your day. It will help keep students safe coming up and off the bus," Villegas said.Short-handed Lady Raiders rollAt least one judge has seen the transphobic hysteria for what it is. In denying a request to upend this week’s Mountain West volleyball tournament and/or force San Jose State to leave one of its players home, a federal judge called out the disingenuousness of the lawsuit. And in doing so, revealed the farce behind this sudden groundswell of opposition to transgender women athletes. “The Court finds their delay in filing this action and seeking emergency relief related to the MWC Tournament weakens their arguments," U.S. District Judge S. Kato Crews wrote in his ruling issued Monday. “The movants could have sought injunctive relief much earlier if the exigencies of the circumstances required mandatory court intervention.” For three years now, San Jose State’s volleyball team has included a transgender woman. (Neither the young woman nor San Jose State has confirmed it but, as Crews pointed out, no one has denied it, either.) The Mountain West Conference created a participation policy for transgender athletes back in 2022, which included forfeit as punishment for refusing to play a team with a transgender athlete, and athletic directors at every school in the conference agreed to it. Yet not until this season, after the player had been outed by a right-wing website and then thrown under the bus by one of her own teammates, did the howling and forfeits begin. This is an important point, so I’m going to repeat it: For two years, the San Jose State player was on the volleyball team and the world continued to spin. No one was injured, no one was assaulted in a locker room, no legion of transgender women showed up in formation behind her to take over women’s sports. The San Jose State player practiced and played and no one, not her teammates and not her opponents, took issue with it. Whether that’s because no one realized she’s transgender or it was deemed inconsequential are two sides of the same coin. So what changed? Other than teammate Brooke Slusser and the other grifters deciding that demonizing a young woman would get them a spot on Fox News? Nothing . Not a damn thing. If the San Jose State player was such a threat, if the Mountain West’s transgender participation policy was so onerous, surely the athletes and the schools who filed the lawsuit would have done so immediately. Unless, of course, this was all for show. In which case, waiting until the 11 th hour would add fuel to their faux outrage. “At the earliest, Moving Plaintiffs or their institutions began to learn that one of SJSU’s teammates was an alleged trans woman with an article published in the spring of 2024. And they certainly had knowledge of this alleged player when the string of member institutions started forfeiting matches against SJSU in September 2024,” Crews wrote. Predictably, Slusser and three other athletes filed a notice of appeal. But the likelihood of it succeeding would seem to be slim, as well, given Crews’ painstaking detailing of precedent. The anti-trans ilk likes to claim that allowing transgender women to play sports is a violation of Title IX. But Crews says it’s actually the opposite, taking five pages of his 28-page ruling to cite previous Supreme Court and Tenth Circuit cases that found discriminating against someone for being transgender is sex discrimination. Which is prohibited by Title IX. “The (plaintiffs') Title IX theory raised in this case directly conflicts with Title IX’s prohibition on discrimination against trans individuals,” Crews wrote. San Jose State is the No. 2 seed in the Mountain West Conference tournament, which begins Wednesday. The Spartans have a bye in the first round and will play either Boise State or Utah State on Friday. Those are two of the schools that forfeited games during the regular season, which means we’re about to find out how committed to the bigotry those teams are. For all the shrieking there is about transgender women athletes, it’s the cisgender women pushing the forfeits who cost their fellow athletes opportunities to play and saddled their teams with losses. It’s those women, not the San Jose State player, who are the real threat . Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.

The political landscape in Maharashtra is poised for a shift as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which secured 132 seats in the recent assembly elections, readies to take the helm. The Mahayuti coalition, consisting of the BJP, Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde, and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by Ajit Pawar, is the dominant force. Ajit Pawar, during a visit to meet social activist Dr. Baba Adhav, confirmed the new government structure of a BJP chief minister alongside two deputy chief ministers from the coalition. While the exact leadership decision has yet to be disclosed, December 5 has been tentatively set for the oath-taking ceremony, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi expected to attend. BJP sources suggest Devendra Fadnavis is the likely candidate for the chief minister position, as he has held the role twice previously. The announcement is anticipated soon, as Mahayuti activists and supporters await the official declaration of Maharashtra's new leadership. (With inputs from agencies.)Graeme McDowell LIV Golf future in doubt as Brooks Koepka yet to decide on rosterOmaha man pleads guilty to attempting to deposit 60 counterfeit checks

BEIRUT — Israel's military launched airstrikes across Lebanon on Monday, unleashing explosions throughout the country and killing at least 31 while Israeli leaders appeared to be closing in on a negotiated ceasefire with the Hezbollah militant group. Israeli strikes hit commercial and residential buildings in Beirut as well as in the port city of Tyre. Military officials claimed they targeted areas known as Hezbollah strongholds. They issued evacuation orders for Beirut's southern suburbs, and strikes landed across the city, including meters from a Lebanese police base and the city's largest public park. The barrage came as officials indicated they were nearing agreement on a ceasefire, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Security Cabinet prepared to discuss an offer on the table. Bulldozers remove the rubble of a destroyed building Monday that was hit in an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon. Foreign ministers from the world’s leading industrialized nations also expressed cautious optimism Monday about possible progress on a ceasefire. “Knock on wood,” Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said as he opened the Group of Seven meeting outside Rome. “We are perhaps close to a ceasefire in Lebanon," he said. "Let's hope it's true and that there's no backing down at the last-minute.” A ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon was foremost on the agenda of the G7 meeting in Fiuggi, outside Rome, that gathered ministers from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, in the last G7 encounter of the Biden administration. For the first time, the G7 ministers were joined by their counterparts from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, as well as the Secretary General of the Arab League. Thick smoke, flames and debris erupt Monday from an Israeli airstrike that targeted a building in Tayouneh, Beirut, Lebanon. Meanwhile, massive explosions lit up Lebanon's skies with flashes of orange, sending towering plumes of smoke into the air as Israeli airstrikes pounded Beirut's southern suburbs Monday. The blasts damaged buildings and left shattered glass and debris scattered across nearby streets. Some of the strikes landed close to central Beirut and near Christian neighborhoods and other targets where Israel issued evacuation warnings, including in Tyre and Nabatiyeh province. Israeli airstrikes also hit the northeast Baalbek-Hermel region without warning. Lebanon's Health Ministry said Monday that 26 people were killed in southern Lebanon, four in the eastern Baalbek-Hermel province and one in Choueifat, a neighborhood in Beirut's southern suburbs that was not subjected to evacuation warnings on Monday. The deaths brought the total toll to 3,768 killed in Lebanon throughout 13 months of war between Israel and Hezbollah and nearly two months since Israel launched its ground invasion. Many of those killed since the start of the war between Israel and Hezbollah have been civilians, and health officials said some of the recovered bodies were so severely damaged that DNA testing would be required to confirm their identities. Israel claims to have killed more than 2,000 Hezbollah members. Lebanon's Health Ministry says the war has displaced 1.2 million people. Destroyed buildings stand Monday in the area of a village in southern Lebanon as seen from northern Israel. Israeli ground forces invaded southern Lebanon in early October, meeting heavy resistance in a narrow strip of land along the border. The military previously exchanged attacks across the border with Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group that began firing rockets into Israel the day after the war in Gaza began last year. Lebanese politicians have decried the ongoing airstrikes and said they are impeding ceasefire negotiations. The country's deputy parliament speaker accused Israel of ramping up its bombardment to pressure Lebanon to make concessions in indirect ceasefire negotiations with Hezbollah. Elias Bousaab, an ally of the militant group, said Monday that the pressure has increased because "we are close to the hour that is decisive regarding reaching a ceasefire." Israeli officials voiced similar optimism Monday about prospects for a ceasefire. Mike Herzog, the country's ambassador to Washington, earlier in the day told Israeli Army Radio that several points had yet to be finalized. Though any deal would require agreement from the government, Herzog said Israel and Hezbollah were "close to a deal." "It can happen within days," he said. Israeli officials have said the sides are close to an agreement that would include withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon and a pullback of Hezbollah fighters from the Israeli border. But several sticking points remain. A member of the Israeli security forces inspects an impact site Sunday after a rocket fired from Lebanon hit an area in Rinatya, outskirts of Tel Aviv, Israel. After previous hopes for a ceasefire were dashed, U.S. officials cautioned that negotiations were not yet complete and noted that there could be last-minute hitches that either delay or destroy an agreement. "Nothing is done until everything is done," White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Monday. The proposal under discussion to end the fighting calls for an initial two-month ceasefire during which Israeli forces would withdraw from Lebanon and Hezbollah would end its armed presence along the southern border south of the Litani River. The withdrawals would be accompanied by an influx of thousands more Lebanese army troops, who have been largely sidelined in the war, to patrol the border area along with an existing U.N. peacekeeping force. Western diplomats and Israeli officials said Israel demands the right to strike in Lebanon if it believes Hezbollah is violating the terms. The Lebanese government says such an arrangement would authorize violations of the country's sovereignty. On paper, being more sustainable and eco-friendly while shopping sounds great—so why don't more people do it? There is growing consumer consciousness about the environmental impact of where people choose to shop and the sustainability of the products they buy. According to McKinsey, over 60% of individuals surveyed in 2020 said they would be willing to pay more for a product that is packaged in an eco-friendly way. Since 2019, products marketed as being environmentally sustainable have seen a 28% growth in revenue compared to 20% for products with no such marketing, a 2023 McKinsey and NielsenIQ report found. Much of this is thanks to the preferences and attitudes of Gen Z, who, on average, care more than their older counterparts about being informed shoppers. The younger generation also has more social justice and environmental awareness altogether. Shoppers are willing to spend around 9.7% more on a product they know is sourced or manufactured sustainably, with 46% saying they would do so explicitly because they want to reduce their environmental footprint, according to a 2024 PwC report. Sustainable practices consumers look for from companies include production methods, packaging, and water conservation. But despite the growing consciousness around being more environmentally responsible, consumer actions don't always align with their values. In psychology, this is defined as the "say-do gap": the phenomenon wherein people openly express concern and intention around an issue, but fail to take tangible action to make a change. According to the Harvard Business Review in 2019, most consumers (65%) say they want to buy from brands that promote sustainability, but only 1 in 4 follow through. So why don't people actually shop sustainably, despite how much they express a preference for eco-friendly products—and how can we close the gap? The RealReal examined reports from the Harvard Business Review and other sources to explore why some shoppers want to buy sustainably but struggle to follow through. This lack of action isn't due to a lack of caring—in many cases, it's hard to know how to be a sustainable consumer and other factors are often outside of shoppers' control. But the more people shop sustainably, the easier and more accessible that market will be for everyone—making it much easier for folks to buy aligned with their values. There are many obstacles preventing shoppers from upholding eco-friendly habits as much as they may want to—but not all of these barriers are necessarily real, or accurately understood. Shopping sustainably simply isn't convenient or accessible for many. Those who live in apartment buildings are 50% less likely to recycle , according to Ipsos. Reasons for this can vary from lack of space to buildings being excluded altogether because of recycling contamination issues. Many believe that sustainable products are too expensive or of a lower quality. The former is often true, which does create a hurdle for many: The manufacturing processes and materials for sustainable products are pricey. For instance, organic cotton requires an intensive production process free of certain chemicals or pesticides; by definition, true eco-friendly products can't be mass-produced, further upping their price tag. Using recycled materials for packaging, or obtaining an eco certification, can also be expensive. However, although the narrative of eco-friendly products being more expensive is true, there is often more of an effort to use better quality materials that last longer than their noneco-friendly counterparts. This could end up saving consumers money in the long run: By paying more upfront, they can get more wear out of sustainable fashion, for instance. There is also undeniable political rhetoric surrounding eco-friendly products—however, despite many Conservative politicians decrying sustainable products, members of all generations are increasingly choosing to prioritize shopping sustainably regardless of their political affiliation, according to research from NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business . This finding shows a trend toward seeing sustainability as a nonpartisan subject everyone can benefit from, no matter where they lie on the political spectrum. Some might think eco-friendly clothing, in particular, is not fashion-forward; after all, many of the top clothing retailers in the world partake in fast fashion. However, brands are increasingly being recognized as 'cool' and 'trendy' for supporting environmentally ethical practices, particularly as younger generations prioritize sustainability, as noted before. Many increasingly popular online stores are taking advantage of this paradigm shift by offering secondhand shopping options that are not only fashionable, but also more affordable, like ThredUp or Poshmark. Additionally, many legacy large-name brands are hopping on the sustainability movement and are gaining appreciation from loyal customers. Amazon's Climate Pledge Friendly program partners with third-party certification bodies to make it easier for shoppers to identify eco-friendly products as they browse the website. H&M's newly launched H&M Rewear program debuts a resale platform that allows the resale of all clothing brands—not just their own. Similarly, Patagonia's Worn Wear program allows shoppers to trade in and buy used gear and clothing. The federal government is also working to close this gap. The Environmental Protection Agency's Safer Choice program is attempting to make sustainable shopping easier for consumers and companies alike. It includes a directory of certified products, a list of safer chemicals to look out for on labels, a "Safer Choice" label that products can earn to denote they are eco-friendly, and resources for manufacturers looking to adopt more sustainable practices. Most of all, though, the biggest way shoppers can shift toward sustainable shopping is through their behaviors and attitudes amongst their peers and communities. Studies show that humans largely care what others think of their actions; the more shoppers make environmentally conscious shopping the norm, the more others will follow suit. From an economic perspective, the more consumers shop eco-friendly, the more affordable and accessible these products will become, too: Sustainable products are currently more expensive because they are not in high demand. Once demand rises, production rates and prices can lower, making these products more accessible for all. Story editing by Carren Jao. Additional editing by Kelly Glass. Copy editing by Kristen Wegrzyn. This story originally appeared on The RealReal and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Get local news delivered to your inbox!