Buy Less, Buy Conscientiously- Consider Life Cycle of Purchases

 We have become a nation of consumers. We all have so much STUFF we don’t really need, and we are not very aware of the ultimate cost of these habits.  The more STUFF we buy, the more materials are mined, harvested, or otherwise extracted, and the more waste we have to dispose of.   That’s a problem with serious environmental costs on both ends of a process called the Materials Economy, which involves extraction (use of finite natural resources), production (producing pollutants, using energy), distribution (more pollutants, more energy use), consumption (that’s us, and ok, the fun part), and disposal.  You KNOW that last one is a problem…

 Our enthusiastic (and not very well thought out purchasing) strains finite natural resources of water, minerals, oil, forests, animals; contributes billions of tons of unnecessary pollution, and goes quickly (only 1% of what we buy is still in use in six months!) into landfills that pollute water and soil.  We all know the toll that buying all this STUFF on credit has on our financial health, too.

 There is a wonderful, entertaining little video called “The Story of Stuff” that delightfully illustrates this whole idea, and you might even find it appropriate for children to help them understand how it helps the planet to resist the siren call of “more stuff!”

It’s high time we become more conscious in our buying decisions.  We need to reclaim thrift as a value, and be wise about the whole cycle of purchasing.  The next time an ad tempts you to be happier, healthier, sexier, or smarter by buying “whatever”; think twice.  Consider whether this purchase will REALLY deliver on that promise.  Maybe you could: Buy used/refurbished, borrow it from a friend, rent it, repair the one you have, trade or share. 

We have to work to change the paradigm we currently operate in, which has been humorously identified as “The one with the most toys when they die wins”.  Maybe instead of buying YET another pair of shoes to feel better, we call a friend. Or volunteer to clean up a local park.  We can learn to be involved with other people in ways that don’t involve getting in the car and going to the mall and buying things we don’t really need because we saw them on TV.  It can be so satisfying to grow things yourself, make it from scratch, repair, and otherwise be a wise and conservative steward of  dwindling resources.

 If buying is really the only good solution, compare carefully.  Consider the entire life cycle.  Buy products produced as intelligently as possible; minimal packaging, produced as locally as possible.  Consider the extraction part of the cycle.  Fair trade? Animal friendly?  Renewable resources? Read labels for toxic chemicals in the products.  A good one for cosmetics is the Cosmetics Safety Database. Is the same product available without coloring or additives?  Is it sturdy; will it last?  Many products now are intended to be disposable for convenience, but consider the wastefulness of that with each purchase.  Maybe a real razor with refills over plastic disposables.  Buy larger sizes to cut down on wasteful packaging.  Buy in bulk.  Also shop locally, and carry your own bag.  Stanberry has sturdy, reusable tote bags available for the asking!  

Tune in to Stanberry Sustainable Living Seven (3) for the next step in the process, disposing of waste in the best ways possible.