Off-Gassing (It's as gross as it sounds!)

Wow, has it really been a week since I posted last? I guess when you're not buying things, there isn't always too much to report. I'm still going strong on the "buy nothing new" year, and despite the absence of "new and exciting" purchases in my life, I am quite happy, well-equipped, and generally content. The goodwill pile is also building up and I'm feeling just a little less stressed with every useless bit of clutter that I'm eliminating. Woohoo!

Anyway, I've been thinking a lot about off-gassing lately as the Significant Other and I have been building our couch (I know, I know, I need to post the pictures!). Part of the reason that we have been putting together a couch ourselves is to avoid exposure to the dangerous chemicals in flame retardants and other components of furniture. After a recent cancer scare, this is pretty important to us!

There are so many dangerous chemicals in the air we breathe in our homes, cars, and offices these days. I used to love the "new car smell," until I realized it was just chemical off-gassing from all the new material in the car. I also went into a store the other day for the first time in 5 weeks or so and got a headache from all the off-gassing of the new products. 

The EPA confirms that indoor air is far more polluted than outdoor air, and a recent study found 300 foreign chemicals inside a newly furnished baby's room versus only 2 foreign chemicals right outside the window. 

You can check out an article about the study here.

The article also suggests buying used as an important step in minimizing exposure to these synthetic and usually dangerous chemicals, so you know I like that. (Although used furniture still continues to off-gas -- at a much lower rate -- hence our decision to put together our couch ourselves!)

Off-gassing is another interesting thing to consider when contemplating a new purchase. Do I really want to bring known carcinogens into my house, and support their continued use through my purchase?  Just another motivator for me to stick with used and handmade!

Disposable Consumerism - Tech Edition

Last week I vented a little about the environmental impacts of disposable consumerism. This week I just want to expand on this idea a little by mentioning a specific aspect about our disposable consumerism culture that drives me a little extra crazy -- the constant cycle of upgrading electronic devices. 

All the different natural resources and dangerous chemicals that go into cell phone production

It feels like, as a culture, we have placed soo much emphasis and importance on our cell phones, tablets, laptops, etc. They are "our lives," they go with us everywhere, and frankly, they are a status symbol. I guess this explains why we are constantly being told we need to upgrade to the newest, sleekest, smallest, coolest model. It seems most of the big companies these days cater to this mindset, coming out with "new and improved" phones every year or even more often (I'm looking at you, Apple!) and then convincing us that our lives absolutely cannot go on until we have 4G/Siri/Bluetooth/whatever the next cool thing is. And the result of this is that we have people standing in line for hours and sometimes days to upgrade their perfectly functional phone to the next "it" model. I mean really, how often have you heard of someone trying to get their phone fixed before going out to purchase a new one? The fact is that now even our cell phones have become "disposable".

So what's the environmental impact? On average, the U.S. now throws out 100 million cell phones every year. Not only is that a monumental waste, but because of the toxicity of some of the chemicals used in cell phone production, we are literally poisoning areas and communities all over the world with our e-waste.

This really motivates me to make certain important changes in how I purchase and use electronic devices:

1.) If something breaks, I will first do all that I can to get it repaired/replace a part.

2.) If it isn't reparable, I will:

   -- Purchase a refurbished model rather than new

   -- Make sure to responsibly recycle the old electronic device.

And honestly, I've come to the realization that I don't need or want the next "smartest" phone/tablet/etc. My current phone is only moderately intelligent -- it calls, it texts, and it can check my email in a pinch, and that's all I really need my phone to do :)

Thank you for letting me vent! Does this drive anyone else a little crazy?

 

Environmental Impact of Disposable Consumerism

Sometimes this is what our consumer society feels like to me:

 A constant revolving door of stuff. We input disposable products from the big stores, and then a short time later, output them into the trash. I call it disposable consumerism, and it drives me a little bit crazy. And yet there are so many stores that cater to this type of purchasing (Walmart, H&M, Forever 21, Dollar Tree, CVS, etc.). These stores sell cheap, low-quality products that aren't made to last, but rather made to be used a handful of times and then tossed to be replaced with a new product. And in the meantime, we are consuming millions and millions of tons of natural resources to create, transport, and then dispose of these products. 

Anyway, I thought this infographic was interesting, although it barely scrapes the surface of the problems with a disposable consumerism-oriented society:

 

What my wallet says about me

So why am I doing this crazy experiment anyway?

I've been thinking a lot more over the past few months about "stuff," and about consumerism, and about what influence our wallets are having outside of our own communities. This has led me to do the "buy nothing new" year for three main reasons:

1. I will not support dangerous and oppressive labor practices in other countries. The fact that people are dying in these factories overseas (from job-site accidents, chemical exposure, and suicide) in order to make cheap and often disposable products for the US is, frankly, horrific and unacceptable, and something I will not support with my money. (Hence if I do need to purchase a product new, I will get it from local, responsible manufacturers.)

2. The environmental impact of mining, manufacturing, packaging, and shipping all of these new products from far away countries is huge. Also not something I want to support.

3. I believe that I (and many Americans) have too much "stuff". It costs me money, it stresses me out, it makes moving awful, and I get attached to items that I really don't need. I would so much rather use my time, energy, and money to pursue meaningful experiences and retire early than to accumulate more "stuff" that really doesn't make me happy in the long run. I could go on and on about this and consumerism and how our culture feeds consumerism endlessly, but I'll keep it short and stop there.

Anyway, these are the three main reasons that I've decided to do a "buy nothing new" year. I also anticipate that I will save a lot of money, which is always nice.

I want to put out there that I know that doing this "buy nothing new" year is right for me, but recognize that it may not be right for everyone, and I am in no way trying to pass judgement on those who enjoy an occasional shopping trip to Target (or "Tar-jay"). I'm writing this blog just to document and share my experiences with this shift in purchasing in hopes that it may be helpful or interesting to any of you who might happen to read it. If I ever get too "preachy," please feel free to call me out :)

Where will my two cents go this year?

As part of my New Year's resolution to de-clutter my life, I've pledged to buy nothing new this year. (And encouraged by my friend Lisa, I'm going to write about it on this blog -- Lisa, you may be the only person who ends up reading this!)

What does this mean? How will this work? Is this even possible?

Well here is the plan:

• I will not spend any money on new items this year (but I won't refuse gifts from others, because that would just not be nice).
• If there is something I need, I will get it used or make it myself (so, as much as I love Goodwill, there will be no shopping trips just to browse).
• If, for some reason, there is really no other way to purchase something used (or if it would be really disgusting to -- i.e. underwear), I will only buy a needed item that has been made in the USA. More on the reasons for this later.

Of course every good goal has one or two exceptions, and here are mine. These are the things I will be purchasing new this year:

• Food (Yeah, going to need some of that).
• Toilet paper (Because, eew).
• Essential toiletries (Used toothbrush? No thank you).
• Medicines and other things my doctor may prescribe.
• Socks and undergarments (but only ones made in the USA).

Alright, this post is long enough, so I'll end here. I'm actually really excited for my "buy nothing new" year. Tomorrow I'll write more about my reasons for doing this, but for now -- Happy New Year! I hope you (Lisa, my only reader) have a fabulous day.