Today is "Stop Buying New Stuff" day.
I thought a lot yesterday and today about what's hard to give up buying and what I already don't want or need.
Consumerism has ruined us - as Colin Beavan puts it, this "keeping up with the Joneses" business. Even though I know the only reason I want any of that stuff in the store windows is because I've been conditioned to think I need it, and deep down I DON'T want it, I still struggle daily with the urge to buy.
I have always been uncomfortable buying things secondhand (except books). It's a weird trust thing -- I know for sure if the item is brand-new that I can trust its cleanliness, its ability to work and its durability (insofar as it is durable). It's something I have to get over, and maybe some fun evenings swapping clothes and other belongings -- CD's, magazines, books for those of us who don't live in second-hand bookshops like I do -- will break the ice.
Some things you just have to buy new, though. I draw the line at underwear. I've also got terrible feet and have to buy shoes new, or else I pay with days spent horizontal. In that kind of a case, what do you do? I guess you make sure your shoes go to a good home once you're done with them and suck up the one or maybe two things in your life you just need to buy.
I had to make a list of all the things that I "need" to buy this week, and figure out which I really didn't need or could make, borrow, or get second-hand.
Here is my list:
- food (you buy this new, no getting around it; try to buy with minimal packaging, or reusable packaging like glass)
- a coat and hat, if it gets much colder (researching a second-hand shop here)
- train tickets (it's a must, and you have to have a paper copy, no getting around this)
Short list, eh? Everything else I am tempted to buy, I can probably do without, can't I.
In honor of this auspicious day in which I have promised myself to try my absolute best to stop buying new stuff, I leave you with the Story of Stuff which is a really entertaining video about the effects consumerism has on our earth and what you can do in your own little way.
If you'r einterested in knowing how specific companies stack up, you can go to Climate Counts to check their carbon-output rating. Very interesting stuff!
I'm also looking into recipes for body products like soap and lotion. If you have any please leave them as comments!
That's all for now. It's bedtime here. Toronrrow I take out the trash for the "last time"!
Bonjour, c'est moi.
- Danielle
- Your average Canadian soprano sallies forth into the big bad world of classical music in search of integrated, meaningful experiences as a performer and spectator. Currently in Baltimore, MD, pursuing a Masters degree in voice performance under the tutelage of Phyllis Bryn-Julson. Special interest in contemporary and experimental classical music, as well as interdisciplinary projects.
2 comments:
Boy, this is a tough one. It may well be conditioning. I have come this far ergo I deserve this. Or it may be that this is what the western world is about. I work hard, I deserve some reward. I like to simplify things........the world is far too complicated to analize.....we are given the opportunity to move forward. It is part of our being. We do it, we are rewarded, we pamper ourselves. It is really simple.
At some point during this process we give back. And this is the part that makes all of this process worth while. Don't be uncomfortable. Your success is deserved. You give back what you can.
No, I think it has to with marketing. Most of the crap we buy we don't need. Our stuff isn't old or broken but we buy new and we throw away the old. I encourage you to watch the Story of Stuff and reflect on your purchasing habits-- it is enlightening in this regard. It definitely helped me clarify what I can and can't do without. I am very much a "bare minimums" person in my head -- it's putting that into action that can be difficult but I think it will be a big step in the right direction and if more people thought that way... imagine the reduction in refuse we would see.
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