In the spirit of Earth Day and my new found mission to use/have less stuff, I’m including the last of EarthDay.net‘s Top Ten list to help accomplish that.
Be a minimalist.
We know it’s difficult, but in today’s consumer economy, an easy way to conserve energy is to simply use – and buy – less. Every time you buy something, energy has gone into getting that product to you. So the less you buy, the more you save energy-wise. It’s a simple equation.
This last item on our Top Ten list may, in fact, be the single biggest way to make a dent in the global warming problem. Again, we know it sounds obvious, but buying less things – some of which you just don’t need – changes the energy equation across the board, on every single consumer product. If everyone used less, the impact would be large indeed.
So how about some specific things? Here are a few:
- Buy in bulk. In short, bulk items use less packaging, which translates into less energy.
- Buy one of something, not 21 of something. You don’t need 21 pairs of shoes, if one pair works just as well.
- Go through your closet. Donate or recycle what you really don’t need, then make a pledge not to replace everything you just got rid of.
- Buy quality products that will last longer. Over time, you’ll obviously buy fewer products that way.
- Be creative in what you use for work, play and leisure. You don’t always have to buy new products for activities. Re-use in creative ways.
Good stuff.