I love to shop for new things. There’s a new design that’s so cute and in a different color, and oh – there are so many sales and coupons that I must take advantage of! Yet I always talk about being the change, which starts with being more responsible for my actions. How can I close the gap? It is so important that i follow the 3Rs – reduce, reuse and recycle – so I’m blogging to remind myself that as the holidays roll around, my goal is to be mindful & simplify. Shopping reform start!
reduce: this is the quickest route to a cleaner, greener world. simply eliminate as much waste as possible by cutting out excess packaging, single-use goods, poor quality products that need to be replaced after a few use and things you will never use.
I used to love buying:
but, I’ve stopped buying them. I thought that I was a pretty green person since I caught the bus, walked, composted and hang dry laundry, but one day I woke up and realized how much plastic and waste I was promoting. Not to mention I really had little use for all the toys, shoes and slippers that I was buying. I have probably only worn 40% of all the havaianas I own – and that’s like over 20 pairs. It’s almost like once I purchased the goodies, their value for me went down.
I still shop a lot more than I ought to though. If you are like me, you’ll make up excuses for why you need this and that. I totally convince myself that I can use all the things I buy – whether it’s for me or to give away. “Oh I’m totally getting this for Kat because she’ll love it and her birthday is coming up in 2 months.” But, wait, do I really hear myself? Is my room a shop that stores all these products just to give away to others later; and do I actually remember to give away the gifts? Hmm.. : /
reuse: minimizing waste and maximizing the use of our resources. you can either reuse the product for its same purpose of for a different purpose. reusing is economical, ecological, and can allow our often dormant creative side to shine. come on, don’t be lazy. of course you can think of another use for that photo frame. how can i ensure that the things I buy have the longest possible lives before I donate, sell or dispose of? what reused products can i buy so that i can save money while i help save resources?
every time i clean my room, i wonder why (again) i have so many water bottles, bags, and blank notebooks. good news is that they’re all still in great condition, if not brand new, so i can donate or give away. but i did spend hard-earned money on them. that money could have gone into something more useful, eh? next time i am tempted to buy another bottle, bag or notebook, i’ll remember that i have loads at home still.
recycle: this is the last on the 3Rs’ order of hierarchy. it is the reprocessing of an item for use in a new product. though of the 3Rs, it’s the last choice, but in many cases recycling is still better than throwing away.
of the 3Rs, recycling has caught on the best – partly because there are so many recycling programs today, making recycling easier than reducing and reusing. my family has been composting our food for as long as i can remember. composting is nature’s process of recycling decomposed organic materials into a rich soil called compost. it’s great as we also grow our own vegetables.
so, this holiday season, I challenge you to Simplify with me. Kanu Hawaii will be kicking off their annual Simplify their Holidays campaign tomorrow, 11/02/09. Click here for more on last year’s campaign. it’s fun, good for our environment, you’ll feel great about yourself and save some money. Rather than to buy a gift just for the act of giving something, this year how about:
- giving presence over presents
- buying local
- buying mindfully
1 Comment
November 2, 2009 at 12:52
Is this why you paparazzi attacked me at my desk?
Anyways to answer your question… I think one of the best ways to simplify around the holidays is to give away food in reusable containers. I think when you bake or make something for someone it really shows that you took time to do something for them and who turns down baked goods!?
Plus giving things like cookies, cakes, breads or muffins away in holiday Tupperware or other reusable containers is an added bonus. Not only do they get what is inside the container but also the container itself. And that’s where you can really customize it, like I think a Hello Kitty or maybe a Baby Chick cookie tin would be great for someone like you, right?
Anyways gifts like that, are inexpensive, reusable, help to cut down on how much gets thrown away, and really get the sentiment across of how much you care for someone. Hope this helps.