Last week when I was on vacation one of my goals was to clean off the sun porch. For months, it was home to a monitor, a laser printer, boxes of books, 7 bowling balls, a twin bed headboard and frame, 2 fish tanks, a tire, a blow up mattress, a plant stand, a TV and a microwave all just sitting out there taking up space. Instead of throwing everything away, I looked around for companies, organizations or people that might be able to benefit from them and found the following:
Got books? PaperBackSwap members want them! I have been a member of this site for years and never took advantage of it until this past weekend. Basically, for each book you swap with another member, you get a credit to receive a book. I posted 14 books and within 24 hours, I mailed four books to other members. You can also put books on your wish list and as they become available you can have them mailed to you. Rather than throwing books away, it’s a great way to pass them along to someone who needs it. If you decide to join, I’d appreciate it if you use my referral link that will enable me to get credit for one book! They also swap used CDs and DVDs.
WirelessRecycling.com is a site run by ReCellular Inc., the country’s (USA) largest recycler and reseller of used wireless phones. Why not dig through your junk drawers for old cell phones or any other accessories and recycle or donate your stuff! Just remember, erasing information from your phone doesn’t mean it’s gone, destroying the SIM card might be best.
If you have used prescription or nonprescription glasses or sunglasses in your drawers, desks, or closets, you can donate them to Lions Clubs International. Package the glasses and mail them to Lions Clubs International, Attention: Receiving Department, 300 W. 22nd Street, Oak Brook, IL 60523. Children’s glasses are especially needed. Click here to find a club near you.
After several unsuccessful attempts to sell some of my things on eBay or Craig’s List, unfortunately, I had to throw some stuff away. Every year I do my spring cleaning and my goal is to simplify my life and to control my “stuff” consumption. Less is the new more. The more you have, the more you have to worry about, the more you have to maintain, the more you have to throw away. This is the story of stuff…
“The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, (this above is only a teaser) fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It’ll teach you something, it’ll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.”
What do you do with the stuff you no longer need? Do you donate it, give it away or toss it in the trash?
Today I just found out that I’m a supporter of a movement that protests spending on November 23rd, otherwise known as Black Friday.
Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving, when retailers open up their doors to consumers, as early as midnight, hoping to capitalize on holiday spending, or overspending, by offering deep discounts.
Of course, not everyone is pleased with the consumption of stuff. Adbusters Magazine editor, Kalle Lasn created an unofficial holiday called, Buy Nothing Day to be celebrated on November 23* or Black Friday. They hope to get consumers to stop their excessive spending habits and realize that everything we buy has an impact on the environment.
Adbusters website says that “Buy Nothing Day is not really about refusing to spend a dime over the holiday season. It’s about taking a deep breath and deciding to opt out of the hype‚ the overcrowded malls‚ and the stressful to–do lists. It’s about reminding ourselves to really think about what we are buying‚ why we are buying it‚ and whether we really need it at all.”
What’s funny is that I have a rule in my home that says: When we buy something, something else has to go. I do this more so to combat clutter than to save the environment.
I like the idea of Buy Nothing Day, but what I don’t like is the irregularity of it all. How come we can’t implement more Buy Nothing Days in our life. How come we can’t be nicer to people all year round, instead of just around the holiday season? How come we have to wait until Thanksgiving or Christmas to get the family together? These things should be a way of life and not something we put on and take off like a coat. What happens on November 24th, do we go back to consuming and buying stuff we don’t need?
I’m not much of a social or environmental activist, but I do what I can for the environment. I’m not against shopping, I love to shop when I have money and I actually need the item, but I do wonder how much of this stuff that we buy will be sitting in a landfill this time next year.
What do you think about this unofficial holiday and are you planning on being in the stores on Black Friday? I’ll pass.
*November 23 and runs through November 26 in some countries.
“On October 15th, bloggers around the web will unite to put a single important issue oneveryone’s mind - the environment. Every blogger will post about the environment in their own way and relating to their own topic. Our aim is to get everyone talking towards a better future.
Blog Action Day is about MASS participation. That means we need you! Here are 3 ways to participate:
Post on your blog relating to the environment on Blog Action Day
Donate your day’s earnings to an environmental charity
Promote Blog Action Day around the web”
Here are some ways in which I help contribute to saving the environment:
Recycle plastic, bottles, cans, papers, magazines.
I don’t litter.
I don’t leave the running water if I’m not using it.
All lights in the house are off except for the room we are in.
I just started unplugging appliances not in use.
I choose energy star appliances over those that are not.
I print on both sides of the paper for misc. stuff.
I buy printed with or on recycled products.
We’re trying to be more green at work as well. We recycle batteries, cans, plastics and just recently an Environmental Committee was established to see how much more we can do around the office.
I want to do more than I’m doing, but since I can’t, I do what I can consistently. Every little bit helps. Let’s raise the awareness of being GREEN one blog at at time.
Pass it on……
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