Everything we do is about money, as much as I hate to admit it. But what to do when our love of money is killing us? Literally – and I’m not talking like Succession (not that I know: was there a real death?)
What is YOUR love of money and what it buys doing to your health and the future health of your children and loved ones?
Got Kids? Want kids?
Native Americans KNEW to care for the planet more than caring about STUFF.
Plastic pollution is NOT a game – or not a game we can win.
Reducing the amount of plastic used and tossed IS important – even more important than the newest on Succession or Ted Lasso or what this or that celebrity did.
Read and think what you can do – don’t just read/scroll/like – take action!
How much plastic did you use today? (honestly!)
Which plastic could you have carried your own bottle and/or bag?
What you buy – and toss – shows your beliefs: Support Ukraine – Support Black Lives Matter – TAKE ACTION by eating less beef, shopping less especially fast fashion, using fewer plastic bottles and bags. Your action makes a difference!
Did you buy a synthetic shirt/shorts/shoes today or this weekend? HINT: it’s like plastic!
Did you get an iced coffee drink or buy a bottled drink – in plastic? WHY? You know you could bring your own cup or ask for your iced drink be put in paper cup.
Become an influencer: Take a vow: Use one less plastic/day for the rest of June (at least). Post on facebook/instagram.
It’s way too easy to forget how loving money and stuff destroys what we really love – clean air, water, food.
Join the #BeatPlasticPollution movement through the official website of World Environment Day 2023. You can access more interesting information, the actions you can carry out to contribute, as well as a large number of materials to promote the movement through social media. Every performance, no matter how small, matters.
What do the deepest point in the ocean, the Mariana trench, and the highest mountain peak in the world, Mt. Everest, have in common? Despite being among the planet’s most inaccessible environments, they both contain tiny pieces of plastic from human activities miles away. Discover in this visual report the problem of garbage in the oceans. More interactive and visual stories here.
Plastic is predominantly produced from oil and gas, both of which are fossil fuels. The more plastic we make, the more fossil fuel is required, the more we intensify the climate crisis. Also, plastic products create greenhouse gas emissions across their whole lifecycle. If no action is taken, greenhouse gas emissions caused by plastic could account for 19% of the Paris Agreement’s total allowable emissions in 2040 to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Read more about climate change.
A few other thoughts recorded at the start of the Russian immoral invasion of Ukraine:
Your choices matter.
Choose as if your life depended on it.
Change the direction of war by authoritarian countries like Russia by lowering your use of oil and gas – including free shipping, fast fashion, and sadly… (for me) coffee!
It’s the Shopping season – aka ‘the holidays’. This year, ‘they’ say, people will spend more on holiday gifts. After all, last year’s holidays sucked, or should I say last year sucked. In fact, one source of entertainment was on-line shopping. (I was lucky to be able to go to Goodwill, and yes, it was a source of entertainment.) Of course ‘they say’ so much of what was bought was regretted because it wasn’t needed, really wanted, and honestly, likely crap. (Yup, even more Goodwill finds!). Now – this year – we’ll have even more crap as people shop – Yay!
Or, not so great, post COP26….
Shopping is a great salve for a battered soul. A new purchase adds a lift; a temporary lift. Like eating a bag of chips or a (large) chocolate bar. I should know – I’ve done the shopping, chips, and always the (large) chocolate!
BUT… Isn’t there always a BUT???? …. on the heels of COP 26, the BIG climate summit just ended in Glasgow, it was made VERY obvious the planet (Mother Nature) is in serious trouble. Mother Nature is in the ICU, about to put on life support.
If she’s in trouble, so are we. Mother Nature is the reason we are here: breathing, eating, writing blog posts, and, shopping.
Our relationship to Mother Nature, the Economy, and, even/especially to ourselves is in trouble. Therapy trouble. Which is why I think there needs to be a new profession: Environmental Psychology. Psychology to ask WHY we do what we do to the environment; to ourselves.
Because, why would we, humans, take so many actions we know will kill us, or, at best, make our lives miserable? Why do things that cause floods, draught, and fires?,
What would you do to fix a toxic relationship?
Shopping, buying more stuff, is insulting to our relationship with Mother Nature. Sure, spending money adds love to the economy. Most of us in the developed world have lots of goodies (even if we want more…). These goodies are, as usual, killing poor and indigenous people first. No worries, developed nations are next.
In the USA, did you ‘celebrate’ Indigenous People’s Day instead of Columbus Day? Lament the plight of wanna be immigrants at the southern border? Believe Black Lives Matter? Our use of cash and credit impacts their rights and health. Another example of put your money where your mouth is!
Psychology: Do you love money and stuff more than health? If so, why? Explore….
Without the environment there is no economy – first off, we’re dead – but, also, everything we do/eat/shop is from Mother Nature. Absolutely everything.
Every tree is a money tree. Every tree is a ‘Giving Tree’. But only if the tree is alive. Actually the whole forest needs to be alive to support that tree: important basic biology!
Psychology: Love money? Then protect what you love – protect Mother Nature.
Psychology: We know and we don’t do it…
Like I know eating a bag of chips will tighten my jeans and make me sick – but I do it anyway…
COP26 world leaders ‘blah-blah-ed’ as Greta said and really did nothing – why not? Obviously no WIIFM was met – I guess they love money and power more than they love their kids!
Forget world leaders: dig into your own psyche and be your own psychologist. Ask: What’s In It For Me? Health or stuff? Family or pollution from stuff. Money is power – and emotion/psychology.
This holiday season: Ask first, then take ACTION!
Each of us matter – our actions matter. Choose life and health. Buy less. Buy quality.
One more day of despairing climate news and one more action idea to hopefully(??) slow the direst effects of ‘Mad as Hell’ Mother Nature (aka climate change). As the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a UN based panel of scientists, meet to share the findings we’re feeling and experiencing daily, Greta Thunberg shares another wise suggestion: stop buying fast fashion.
Fast Fashion, like Fast Food, is quick, cheap, quickly consumed, and, oh so appetizing. Hungry to fill a retail shopping need the Amazon drive-through is ready for filling up on calorie-free (for us) junk clothes. Cheap – so cheap – stuff, no ‘nutrition’ to sustain one for long, and each piece uses tons of natural resources like water. Instagramable ‘wear once’ cheap clothes are killing us by killing the environment. No wonder Mother Nature’s mad as HELL – the heat dome covering so much of the world is proof.
Back to Fast Fashion’s deadly consumption. Substitute and/or add fast food to make this even more “fun” – notice the quotes. The actual quotes below are taken from actual news articles about fast fashion.
More plastic in clothes than in bottles…
Greta reminds us of the danger of this fast fashion and its destruction on the planet. Granted, she’s not a shopaholic like many of us are (me included thought I”m addicted only to Goodwill at this stage.
If this isn’t mind blowing, what is?
Chemically Fast Food isn’t totally ‘real’, right? Is Fast Fashion? There’s too much fake stuff in both. Have you ever read the ingredients on snack food? Probably if you’re reading this blog. But most people are looking for flavor or cheap.
Conor Hartman of Circ (above quote) highlights Fast Fashion is made from the same oil that makes plastic bottles and fuels cars. Polyester, nylon, acrylic that are cheap to make as advertised on Amazon. BUT, sincepolyester, nylon, acrylic, made from fossil fuels/oil, are not naturally occurring materials, they cannot be broken down/decomposed. Since they can’t be decomposed, (and look like crap after they’ve been worn a few times), they end up in a landfill. They’ll be here years after your grandchildren have grandchildren. That’s a long time and a lot of landfill.
So what’s the importance of decomposing ‘stuff’. Mother Nature shows us:
The mess Mother Nature leaves behind at the end of summer/fall is cleaned up by decomposers – the tiny little creepy crawly bugs in the soil and under the piles of leaves on the ground that magically disappear. Decomposers break down naturally occuring dead stuff into building blocks like Legos to be remade into new plants, trees, etc. Polyester and fake fast fashion cannot be broken down….
Anything not decomposable removes those raw materials needed to make new things. It’s like having a hand knit sweater that’s no longer worn: if the yarn is unwoven it can be made into a sweater that’s newly loved vs. a sweater that sits in a garage. Or when (I) spend my money on crap I don’t need that stuff can’t be decomposed into a vacation. Not to mention, anything not broken down piles up. Imagine mountains of fast fashion the size of the Himalayans in years to come.
So here’s the ‘thing’. We’ve been hearing the same thing about our overconsumption that’s killing the planet (and ultimately ourselves) for years. And yet:
What Human Nature needs aren’t being met as we destroy Mother Nature?
So what is in it for each of us to act on things we’ve learned? What will it take for lasting change? I have no idea, do you? I do know it’s based on our emotional needs more than our physical needs.
Hey, on some level we know we need oxygen to live and breathe from the trees more than they need carbon dioxide from us (they’ve got other animals to supply their carbon dioxide after all…. On the most basic level it seems our need for oxygen is enough for us want to save trees and nature. Yet it’s obviously not. It’s weird and self-destructive, right?
But then again, too many people aren’t getting vaccinated and/or not wearing masks to protect the spread of Delta virus (and all future virus permutations). So if people won’t take this simple step to protect themselves and their children from the virus, I can finally/kind-of see why, of course, most aren’t taking major steps to change consumption.
Regardless of what others do – or in this case DON’T do, I think we each need to follow our own moral compass to speak and do what’s right (for us). Fortunately there are some of us – like Greta and other young (and old) environmental spokespeople. Like I always say, ACTION is the way we should all become influencers.
The bottom line is? We all probably know we’re destroying ourselves by destroying the planet. Most of us aren’t happy with the weather. But each of us can take little steps – wearing masks indoors-reducing our plastic use and polyester-clothes addiction. Little steps.
What will you do to ensure you can enjoy walking outdoors and eating and drinking good food?
So let’s listen to Greta and take action. Skip the Fast Fashion, Skip the Fast Food. Share and swap the clothes we’re not wearing. Share and swap the stuff we’re not using – use Buy Nothing or Craigslist to get new for you stuff from others. Eat good food. Save ourselves the misery of a burning planet. Aren’t we worth it? And of course, wear a mask and get vaccinated please! The only thing that should go viral is this blog post – so please spread this idea through conversation and words! Thanks.
I’d say Happy Earth Day, but what does that really mean if it’s a day not focused on acknowledging the crisis we face and real actions to balance our relationship with Mother Nature.
Sure, we all need to do our part: use less stuff – let’s face it, recycling isn’t the answer – too much plastic CAN’T be recycled or just isn’t. But using less – or no plastic can be mighty difficult. It’s all but impossible to go without using resources that are destroying us by destroying nature.
Oy, so what to do??? I’m not totally sure, but I do think the first step is acknowledging that humans love of money and all it can bring us blinds our destruction of Mother Nature. This is not a win-lose competition….
We KNOW what it will take to balance the climate, right? Do we love money more than Mother Nature? Hmmm…
Is there an environmental therapist in the house? I guess the first thing we have to do is acknowledge there is a problem and that our unhealthy relationship is the root of that problem.
What do you think we should do? What can you do? What can we all do? I don’t have the answers though if NASA can put a flying rover on Mars certainly we can find an alternative to petroleum/oil and plastic. Why hasn’t the oil and gas people? I’m thinking it’s all about the MONEY whether it’s American dollars (Greenbacks since all our money is green – an old term), the Euro, British pound or yen.
Here’s to spending the day following Greta Thunberg and all the young environmentalists trying to secure their future, donating to organizations that plant trees. Perhaps, hugging a tree rather than dealing with pandemic burnout by shopping on-line or getting take-out with all the packaging. Sigh… this won’t be easy….
And feast on the images below as food for thought. Enjoy, share with others, and SUBSCRIBE!!
Our love of money may not love us as much….
It’s really all psychology and Abraham Maslow’s theory of human needs: we only act if we get a need met.
It’s hard to remember every tree is a money tree just as stands – not just clearcut for toilet paper… Trees give fruit, shade, save water, and of course beauty.
Unconditional love – humans and trees supplying our most basic need for life!
I know – we’re all weary of pandemic talk: the masks, the sanitizing, the distance, the lockdowns, the frustrations. But I think we should all look at this as good practice for the next pandemic. No, not literally plastic – but it’s likely plastic will be the instigator. Or rather, what plastic is doing to us – and our environment. My newsfeed reminds me of this:
What have you received lately?
Happy Holiday Shopping Season! And Happy Holidays! It’s the 7th night of Chanukah, the Jewish festival of lights celebrating hope that a one night’s portion of oil (for the eternal lamp) will last till more arrives – and it does for 8 miraculous nights. The true holiday that less is really more and may be enough? Or perhaps you’re preparing for Christmas, Kwanza, celebrated Diwali, or the Chinese New Year? Each of these light-filled celebrations (ironically?) feeds the plastic pandemic we’re facing. But this isn’t about despair – it’s about hope and the promise of leaving behind this stressful, depressing year and thinking of what/how we can do better. And we can. We have to!
I don’t often buy from Amazon – only because I have no need, no money, and, no room to store anything I buy. Well, except for the silk pillowcase I needed for all the time I’m spending sleeping. But I look – a lot – at wonderful things I WANT to make my life better; to add light to these crazy and dark days of covid and winter.
My pillowcase came in a plastic bag that went straight into rubbish:
If pharmaceutical companies could come up with a vaccine for a ‘new’ coronavirus in six months – surely there are scientists and engineers who can come up with a vaccine for the waste and plastic that is killing us – and will ultimately release more deadly viruses, right?
But we can’t wait for the scientists and engineers or even the companies that are making the money that is killing the planet and ultimately us – we have to take action and responsibility. We’ve learned some people will mask up and (not breathe on others) – and many feel immune to responsibility and disease. Pandemics, challenges, and life doesn’t work that way.
Surely Amazon can come up with a solution, right? But honestly, if we buy from them we can’t vilify them too much. BUT we can demand better of them!
Here’s the thing: dealing with plastic pollution, like covid, is not a competition – not a win/lose – as we’re seeing if you get covid and I don’t – we both still lose – I’m STILL on lockdown! Addressing the pandemic of coronavirus and micro plastics in water/food/our bodies, lost oxygen supplies, green spaces, etc. must be an act of mutualism – it HAS to be viewed as a WIN-WIN. We all win or we all lose. So we have to work together in our houses, communities, and internationally.
Blah, blah, right? Most of us have heard this before. Who am I to write about this and make a plea, a call for action? I’m like you – a concerned and passionate woman who loves life, breathing, eating, and quite honestly – stuff. I think we all have to start making the changes we can while waiting for companies and scientists to meet us on our quest. And they will, because:
Spending money has POWER! What we buy and how we spend has tremendous power in forcing global corporations to act. But we have to act first – and hope politicians do their thing.
Getting to a WIN-WIN is all about getting needs met:
Irony? Important need of air, water, food destroyed by need for recognition…
Greta Thunberg, the Swedish environmental activist and spokeswoman’s speech at the United Nations:
As Greta says- it’s about action. Just like we can’t wait for the Covid vaccine for the ‘new normal’ to return, we have to wear masks, and follow social distancing guidelines NOW. Yes, it all sucks. It also WORKS.
Ditto on dealing with the Plastic Pandemic which might be even more difficult. After all, some of the ‘action items’ for eliminating plastic are also current coping mechanisms. In lockdown, we might be shopping more, and not using reusables (like when we go for a cup of coffee and have to take a throw-away cup).
So let’s just DO something and not let things get so bad we’re in permanent lockdown. Here’s 10 plastic pandemic prevention steps to think about and take action. It’s also thinking about WIIFM – what needs are being fulfilled now in lockdown – what steps are filling those needs? What action will ensure our most basic need of clean water and air are met next holiday season?
Don’t use wrapping paper for the holidays this year – or any year. We don’t have control over using our own reusable cups right now, but we can cut down on wrapping paper as beautiful as it is. Why? It goes straight to the trash/rubbish/garbage. Re-use any paper, old fabric, colorful newspapers, etc. It will get ripped off just as quickly. And no worries, manufacturers will find other things to make and focus on more sustainable products.
Buy clothes, etc. that will last longer than a few months. OUCH – right? Even if around the world we’re wearing the same things over and over in lockdown, we’re likely drooling over new, beautiful clothes and buying on-line. If you’re like me it may not be as beautiful at home – and worse, not last past a few washings. I know I have to remind myself to buy ‘better’ even if it’s fewer. If you can go, put on a mask and carry your hand sanitizer to a used clothing store/charity-type shop and check out what lasts and still looks good. I’m big on used clothing and it’s better for my wallet and the environment. A real win-win when I find a cashmere sweater for 10USD.
Not a real action item, but going to a used clothing store provides a chance to compare the quality of things made of natural fibers like cotton or wool with nylon or polyester items. Call me an environmental snob, but feel the difference and buy what looks better (and it’s probably the natural fiber ‘stuff’).
Only buy what you love and what looks good on you rather than this year’s trend. JEANS should be a category in and of itself – I think it’s the universal product people of all ages, nationalities, sizes buy and wear. Yet how ut how many new pairs of jeans do each of us need considering all the water that is wasted to make one pair! Easier said for someone like me who doesn’t follow trends – but really think about things in your home that was the ‘it’ product that you didn’t use more than once – whether it’s an item of clothing or a gadget or a face mask! How many cell phone cases do each of us really need?
Swap stuff for FREE – with friends, neighbors, etc. There are lots of places and sites to swap stuff for free – get rid of what you don’t want or get what you want or need. Some include: TradeMade, Freecycle, LetGo, and of course, Craigslist, which is also international. This way you also don’t have to feel guilty if you don’t use the product more than a few times – you can just get rid of it.
The usual reusable bags: carry your own bags as much as you can right now. If you’re ‘lucky’ and can go to the supermarket you can use/reuse plastic bags for fruit and vegetables or buy produce bags. I like reusing heavy plastic that apples come in (just be careful not to rescan it!) and the mesh bags for citrus. It’s a little thing but if each of us saves 5 bags every time we shop that’s HUGE.
Personal care product packaging! As a woman – and I know men use products also! – I’m horrified by the amount of plastic and packaging all my skin care products come in – and end up in land fills. I admit I’m going to buy the products – sunscreen for starters – and I do try to buy products that don’t have any extra box and or plastic, etc – but not always. Can’t we do better beauty companies? Come up with packaging in real recyclable plastics?
Recyclable plastic that can’t be recycled. Crazy, right? Too many products with that wonderful triangle of re-use, reduce, recycle can go anywhere other than the rubbish bin. At this time of technology and environmental know- companies can make better products to be decomposed or re-used. It’s about the money: It may be more expensive now but in the future will be a money maker! Another WIN-WIN!
Fewer synthetic fibers and more natural fibers: Another OUCH since natural fibers are costly to make: cotton takes tons of water and then there are the sheep and energy and manpower to make wool stuff. (Also a possible new job market and opportunity here!) It would take more money for us to buy a product, but we would also have it a year or two – imagine! Also, synthetic stuff NEVER degrades, also takes resources to make and at least newer synthetics don’t wear well…. I always wonder about ‘faux leather’ – no animal was killed, but environmentally, is it really better or is it a break even? And then I think it’s important to think about what will last and look good in 10 years: probably the leather, right?
See the note above on Jeans/denim – so much water! So much cotton and SO HARD to find a pair of good fitting jeans that look good months and years after they’ve been bought. Levi’s used to be the jeans that would last decades and always look good but I know not all their products are as well made – or should I say as long lasting as they used to be. Interestingly? Sadly? I definitely have a woman’s body yet still find men’s Levi’s/jeans to be better made and sometimes even better fitting. I may not follow trends, but I want to look fab in my jeans. Here’s where shopping second hand/used helps to find the type of jeans you actually look best in. This is a personal action item too. The search is on for a few good jeans and NOT those 5 or 6 pairs in our closet never getting worn – a genderless issue! Companies need to make long-lasting jeans and also find new manufacturing techniques. And we need to buy fewer pairs!
Admittedly, I’m obsessed with stuff – because I both love it and also know it’s unleashing environmental problems making life on earth a living hell. Dramatic? Read this!! More than a little scary!
If this makes you want to purge your stuff, remember you can swap, donate, share, etc. Perhaps even get someone’s purged treasures!
A special reminder for us here in the USA (and other economic powerhouse countries): Go small-er: here in the USA, bigger is usually considered better whether it’s a house, car, or beverage! Big cars use more gas – unless you’ve joined van-life and live in your car! Big houses need more heating/cooling mean higher utility bills. I think it goes back to recognition and WIIFM: recognition vs. clean air and water….
I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of pandemic living – I want sustainability in my future! If we all do a few small things and show companies and politicians what we’ll pay for (less plastic in our food, water, air, bodies) change will happen. Let’s make it so.
Forest wildfires raged up and down the West Coast. Here in Portland, Oregon skies turned an iridescent grey and for a time boasted the worst air quality in the WORLD. Western wild fire smoke traveled to the midwest and east coast with far greater ease than I could at the moment.
That’s not all of course: Coronavirus has locked us in physically, sickened us, and already decimated the global economy in so many ways. Somehow we think the economy is everything. When there’s a natural disaster like this fire it reminds us how vulnerable we are – in so many ways – again.
Burning trees was the ‘face’ of the wild fires. All trees are money trees with all they provide. Homes and businesses turned to ash – money trees burned. No money to pluck off charcoaled trees. People were hurting before – this raging fire burned through so many people’s last reserves of peace, safety, and money. It’s not like people can crowd together and commiserate over a cup of coffee anymore – not with Covid.
I'm starting to wonder about burned trees and that loss of oxygen. Trees that have sucked our carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere...
We can THINK we humans are king of the universe – but we SHOULD know better now. A tiny invisible virus has taken the world prisoner. One virus.
A virus is killing people. A fire killed trees. Both ‘kill’ the economy. Maybe we need to focus on what we really need to live. – live and strive!
This year’s burned forests will make it harder to breathe. AND quite possibly unleash long-buried viruses from permafrost; a result of warmer temperatures. Everything’s connected: a changing climate and the coronavirus; shopping on line and racial inequality; education and racial inequality. Sorry, I’m getting too over-connected here. But…
It’s personal – if it’s NOT personal, it’s not a problem, right? Don’t think this is a problem for you? Well, many here in the US thought it wasn’t a problem either and the death toll is now over 200,000 in this country alone. So many people have lost jobs. It’s time for all us to ACT:
Think before buying on-line – think of the packaging each product comes in that ends up in a landfill.
Love fashion? Opt for resale treasures rather than poorly made fast fashion that will look crappy after a few wears and end up in the trash.
Find ways to walk or bike and in the future to take public transport over a private car – cheaper and less air pollution.
Buying on-line, having products shipped is also a BLM issue: large trucks are more likely to drive through black and brown poor neighborhoods, causing pollution and increasing asthma and other health problems . Don’t contribute to the trucks that are shipping stuff you could buy down the block – don’t contribute to environmental racism.
Think small in size when it comes to living quarters and cars (if you have to buy): for a house it means less to heat/cool, furnish, and fill with stuff. Imagine all the money you’ll save and all the dinners you can enjoy when you are able to go out again. Last,
Gift trees – most of us don’t need more stuff – but we need oxygen, we need fruit trees, shade, and roots to prevent land slides. Wild fires burned thousands of acres in the west this year and now we need to replace them – you can make a difference. Call your city and find out how you can make your city more livable. Because ALL trees really are money trees. Trees enrich lives in so many ways. Add value to your life, to all our lives – plant trees.
There’s so much more of course – but all of us can start here – one small thing. We can do this.
START BY VOTING FOR HEALTH AND WELL BEING IN NOVEMBER: Vote Biden-Harris!
Most of all VOTE this November – Trump has overturned environmental regulations that will make our air and land polluted and less livable. If you have kids, like kids, ever want kids, vote Trump out of office for the future of your children. Choose life. Choose peace.
Truth: EVERY tree is a money tree. Trees provide food, shade, healthy soil, and of course oxygen. Trees provide calm and a sense of peace, reasons why walking in parks and forests is soothing and healthy.
But here’s the thing: like trees, all of nature is THE source of MONEY.
All money comes from the environment – no environment – no money!
True, Money is the food of the economy – a key driver of society. Money is a cruel dictator though, killing off nature and in a sense, HUMAN nature. Is it worth it? Donald Trump would say it is…
The Trump Administration is rolling back environmental regulations – regulations put in place to keep PEOPLE healthy and safe. Regulations to ensure safe and clean air, water and food. Trump is destroying the environment even further, pretending it’s to feed the economy – HIS economy. BUT, at what price?
The economy may sacrifice trees for its health – but what about human health? We CAN survive without new stuff, bigger houses and cars.
Time for US citizens to decide what is more important: BREATHING or BUYING.
Would you rather you and/or your kids had oxygen or new clothes? What do you think? What makes for a good life?
Joe Biden would push for breathing.
Donald Trump for buying – and environmental destruction.
This is about survival – and racial equality: it’s important to know that Black and Brown neighborhoods suffer from more environmental insult than wealthier and whiter neighborhoods.
Vote for Environmental Health – the only way to build a strong economy too! Vote on November 3!
‘Celebrated’ by the ‘refunded’, mourned by the owe-ers, April 15th, Tax Day, is a red letter American ‘holiday’. For better or worse, it’s a day that seemingly sums up successes, and/or survival of each year.
Subtly, Tax Day honors life’s most dominant ‘character’: the almighty American Greenback, slang name for USA’s green money.
As much as Americans may hate Tax Day, we love Greenbacks. It’s weird though, we love money, think a lot about it, but think it’s taboo to talk about it. Personally, I wish we’d talk about it more – I think a lot about how I spend and save money, and, how it impacts my day to day life. For me, money is freedom and the ability to explore and expand my horizons. Yes, I know I’m lucky…
If we were chatting over a cuppa I’d ask: what role does money and the almighty Greenback play in your life? How does money define your values and what’s important to you?
USA Greenback is loved and desired around the world and hungered for as much as McDonald’s and Starbuck. Money is POWER. Money influences.
Humankind has this strange love affair with Greenbacks – and really all money, any currency. That love affair isn’t healthy and like with all unhealthy relationships destroying those that keep us healthy and alive.
Greenbacks, have a deep, dark secret though. A secret shared by currency currently everywhere: Greenbacks’ value depends on, and is in thanks to Mother Nature, and, her bounty. Humans love affair with money and all the great things we need and crave are expensive – and at Mother Nature’s expense.
Think about it: the only reason Tax Day exists is because of the Environment. EVERYTHING we buy and need comes from Mother Nature.
Somehow we humans think we’re at the top of the food chain, though as we’re learning from the coronavirus – and all viruses – we’re not. In fact we rely on and are connected to all living things. We’re part of a WEB.
Humans think we need money, stuff more than we need the environment. That’s bad science, bad science education. The coronavirus can be our new teacher: We humans can’t trample on the environment as we have: we’re connected to everything living. The tiny and powerful coronavirus has proven that connection AND shown how the tiny can conquer the big and mighty.
We HUMANS would not existwithout Mother Nature’s Environment and allshe provides.
Tax Day, 15 April, (extended this year because of the coronavirus) is followed a week later, 22 April, with Earth Day. Coincidence they are a week apart? I don’t think so considering their connection.
Proof there’s a connection between Greenback and Mother Nature is in their (nick)names:
Still not convinced Greenback and Mother Nature are connected?
ShortenGreenback to Greenie, a nickname for someone caring about nature and the environment.
Cliff Note: We need MoNa for Greenie!Save Greenie by Saving MoNa
We’ve got all this wonderful time to think more about this important connection. A connection that impacts every aspect of our life and allows us to live. Some food for thought:
What’s most important to you NOW (in the coronavirus-age)? Health? Healthy food? Eating out (food, again!)? Breathing fresh air? Taking a walk? New clothes? A better phone? Stuff?
Walk through your room, your house, peak into closets, drawers and identify what gives you pleasure, what you use now, and know you’ll use in the near future (when you can leave your house).
Think (and calculate) how much you’ve spent on things piled in the corner of your room or basement, hidden in the back of a closet. Write that number down somewhere. What would you do with that money now? How would you spend it differently to give you more pleasure, more happiness?
How much money have you spent on what’s important to you? Your health, the air and water responsible for your health? For parks, trees, and, rivers you want to walk and run past now?
Earth Day is coming; one day soon-ish we’ll re-enter ‘normal’ life, or the new normal. Answering these questions will help you stay focused on what’s important for YOUR quality life.
Let’s all put money on what we value:
Let’s buy stuff that will last for years: A friend went to buy a cartridge for his printer and was told it was cheaper and easier to buy a new printer: wtf??? That is criminal on so many levels.
Buy quality clothes (natural fibers) and shoes: it’s why vintage clothes look and feel great; because they were so well made. I’m addicted to second hand I admit to feed my retail therapy cravings. I justify buying as better for the environment and better for (my) wallet. A true win-win.
Volunteer, somewhere, anywhere to help others. Plant a tree, or two, or three! In Portland, OR, “Friends of Trees” plants trees which are regularly monitored by volunteers – I bet there’s a similar organization in your city to get involved.
Back to my optimism: Spending money is POWER – If we don’t buy – leaders and corporations MAY finally listen:
IF we don’t buy something, it won’t be made.
IF people refused to take plastic bags (and I realize the coronavirus has delayed a plastic bag ban most places), oil and petroleum companies would stop producing them.
IF we carried reusable bottles and didn’t buy bottled water – same thing for all those bottles that end up in land fills – they wouldn’t be made.
IF people bought smaller more fuel efficient cars which help decrease air pollution – like most of the rest of the world drive, car manufacturers would make those kinds of cars.
IF we stop buying clothes that look great the day you buy them and look like crap a month later and have to be tossed – crappy fast fashion wouldn’t waste so many materials and resources making us poor and filling garbage dumps.
Let’s measure success by Earth Day action, not by Tax Day numbers. We’re in this together. Let’s create a healthy, happier world with our actions. And remember:
I used to tell people I had a money tree in my backyard when they wondered how I could afford something (without going into debt). I had no backyard (or tree!), but, I was a darn good bargain hunter and shopped second-hand!
Currently, self-quarantined with cousins outside of D.C., I sure wish that tree outside my window was a money tree that I could pick from every morning. Yet, I have to remind myself that every tree is a money tree, whether with fruit, nuts, shelter from the sun, sucking up rainwater and keeping it in the soil, and, most priceless of all supplying OXYGEN.
Don’t we all wish we had a money tree in our backyards? It’s hard to remember that trees supply the most precious of all riches: OXYGEN!
Oxygen… Ironically, the coronavirus impacts our lungs, our ability to breathe. Breathing, like trees and all they offer, is something we may usually take for granted. Looking at the silver lining in our surreal self-isolated rooms: now is the perfect time to think about what’s important to prioritize and protect.
Even though it’s hard to think about balancing the economy and the environment as the world is stopped for the pandemic; Money/Economy will survive ONLY with the Environment/Trees: The Economy, like each of us individually, needs the Environment to keep alive.
Perspective: two months ago, the world was awash in news and warning of climate change and environmental dangers. Pictures of plastic waste, wasted forests cut for cattle grazing or construction filled our news feed. Unseen and sorely felt, microscopic Coronavirus has now replaced our worry for the future with alarm for the present.
It’s a bit overwhelming now to realize climate change is still a critical issue!
Priority: I bet most of us right now are craving the comfort of walking in nature, seeing a tree, listening to a bird, smelling the freshness of spring. As important as oxygen, walking in nature is like a needed gift, filling us with calm, good energy, and optimism. It’s PRICELESS.
Balance: Everything is changing and we can weigh the options and refocus our wants to prioritize our needs: We need fresh air and the calm of nature. The economy needs the environment for survival.
Where and what is your sense of balance?
WEIGHING OUR OPTIONS: FRESH AIR AND NATURE OR THE ECONOMY? IRL it looks and feels as if we have to choose between money – or – trees. AS we’re currently indoors most of the time, it’s the perfect time to think about what makes us feel rich and full of life: a walk in a park or down a tree filled street or locked at home waiting for deliveries. Mull it over for the next week, especially if you’re sitting at home in quarantine or isolation.
Nature and trees are ‘priceless’ and add value far beyond their monetary worth: oxygen and Emotional Well Being!
The best way to not stress (too much)? Take action! I don’t want to stress about money so I won’t buy that T-shirt or jeans; I certainly don’t want to stress about the environment and I can relax knowing cutting down on spending and using throw-aways is a win-win. And I certainly don’t want to be stressing about the coronavirus, so I’m staying away from others and washing my hands (a lot) with plain soap and water.
Most of all I know how lucky I am to have time right now to re-prioritize my needs and wants, while also paying attention to my checking balance and mental health. Let’s plan to make this pandemic an opportunity for changing actions when we re-emerge from our cocoons of isolation.
What do you choose? Have a discussion with friends and family about:
Where are priorities based on what’s important to you?
How do you define ‘Money Tree’?
What are some actions you can take to address both the environmental and economic challenges we’re faced with?
Let’s choose life: oxygen, water, and safe food! Trees give life and supportour health and well-being. There are some things money can’t buy. Let’s remember this for our present sanity, future environmental health, and long time well-being.
AND – reach out to friends, even those who aren’t reaching out to you – it’s a kindness as important as fresh air!
We’re all at home – or should be – self-isolated to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Not to mention that most shops, public places, restaurants, even coffee places are closed. It’s a new bizarro world out there, right?
One thing I always think is weird: if I just want to be home and not go out it’s a wonderful luxury. BUT, if I CAN’T go out because of the weather, or now this virus, I’m frustrated and annoyed, and, all I can think of are all the places I could be going.
But, for the health and safety of all of us, we’re home, not just where you are but around the world. Likely, figuring out what to do with our time and energy; boredom and fear.
What have you been feeling these days? Can you put a name to it?
In the meantime, it’s easy to get on-line, and think about all the things you WILL be doing, and all the things you’ll need to do them. On-line shopping is easy, fun, and expensive. Expensive for those of us unable to work and collect a paycheck right now, and, even more expensive for Mother Nature.
Check out this article about FAUX FAST FASHION and the quote by Emma Watson: ‘We have the power to change the world by just being careful of what we buy.”https://apple.news/AnBZb7fuQRe6oGr-h3tgdRA
If you’re like me and feeling powerless to do much as we self-quarantine and self-isolate, how we shop and spend money is one way to take back that power. That will be even more important since so many of us are not working, not making money, and in truth, don’t have the money to buy clothes that won’t last as long as it will take to pay them off. So here are some actions to take:
Thoughts for this week’s #WasteFreeWednesday?
Don’t add to your (financial) debt;
Don’t add to the landfill excess of today’s trend that will pollute the planet even more.
INSTEAD:
Go through all your clothes and stuff.
Take pictures and think what feels good and what you need – post on Instagram and/or FB and ask people for their opinion
Reach out to friends and FB friends and see if someone wants to swap or just take things out of your closet
See if anyone has something you want and can easily swap
There’s so much written about this and here are just a few articles…
Is 2020 the time for a full wardrobe detox? If your clear out has left you with a pile of unwanted clothes, read on for our guide on how to recycle clothes you no longer want or need responsibly.
Are you de-cluttering your wardrobe? Purging your closet of the clothes that no longer make you look and feel confident will leave you with two things a) the streamlined wardrobe you’ve always dreamed of – and –b) a mounting pile of clothes that you need to dispose of.
The mere thought of that jumbled pile growing on your bedroom floor has been enough for many of us to postpone that long overdue clear out for another few months. But not any more – when it comes to finding new homes for your unwanted clothes, there have never been more options. Whether you choose to sell your pieces online, donate to a local charity shop or even take them to a clothes swap, there’s nothing more satisfying than seeing your old pieces find a new lease of life.
But what about the pieces that aren’t in a fit state to find a new home? We’re talking the moth-eaten jumpers, damaged-beyond-repair jeans and stained T-shirts that can’t be cleaned. Though it might be tempting to chuck the odd ripped sock or pair of laddered tights into the bin, what about those bigger ticket items?
With Brits sending a nausea-inducing 350,000 tones of clothes to landfill in spring 2018, our fashion waste problem is an epidemic that we can no longer ignore. Campaigners are urging us all to start recycling our old clothes rather than throwing them in the rubbish – and for good reason.
Over the last decade, clothing has become the fastest growing stream of waste in the UK, and it now represents the fifth biggest environmental footprint of any industry in the UK.
10 questions to ask yourself when cleaning out your wardrobe
Though the figures leave us little to argue with, we find ourselves asking exactly how can we recycle our old clothes, and what do we need to know before we detox our wardrobes?
To answer these all important questions, we looked at the recycling options available on the high street and spoke to Catrin Palfrey, project manager for the Love your Clothes campaign, to find out how we can do more to help at home.
How to recycle clothes: all your questions answered
Stylist spoke to Catrin Palfrey, project manager for the Love your Clothes campaign, part of the Sustainable Clothing Action Plan (SCAP), to find out how we can do more at home, and how taking our unwanted items back to the high street can help.
Where can people in the UK go to recycle their clothes?
“People can donate clothes for reuse and recycling through a number of routes. For example, this could be via charity shops or collection bags from the door step, at a textiles bank at a supermarket or the local Household Waste and Recycling Centre (HWRC).
“Some councils will also offer a clothing collection service as part of their recycling collection. The best way to see what to do in your area is use the Love Your Clothes Recycling Locator, where you can pop in your post-code and find out where your nearest textiles bank is.
“Or, you could try refashioning or upcycling unwanted items.”
Why is it important to recycle our old clothes rather than throwing them away?
“Globally, the natural resources (e.g. water and petroleum) needed to make products such as clothes are reducing. Repair, reuse and recycling reduces the amount we are sending to landfill, and makes use of resources already available rather than making them from scratch.
“Ultimately this means reduced levels of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere which contribute to climate change. It’s also believed that better reuse and recovery can maximise value, create jobs and build skills.”
Are there any parts of clothing that can’t be recycled, such as zips or buttons?
“European Recycling Company is a SCAP signatory which recycles garments and shoes. Nothing goes to waste: buttons, zips, chains and rivets are all removed and sent for recycling.
“Even the dust generated in the process is compressed into blocks and used again in the manufacture of paper, concrete production or utilised as energy.”
Where to recycle clothes on the high street
A number of high street retailers are offering in-store initiatives that aim to make recycling even simpler.
Recycling clothes at H&M
H&M has been offering a garment recycling service since 2013, with every item donated being recycled, reused or re-worn. The fashion giant collects clothes or textiles in all H&M stores worldwide, and if you drop in a bag of clothes to be recycled, the company will give you a £5 voucher to spend in-store as a thank you.
Speaking to Stylist, Catarina Midby, H&M UK sustainability manager, said, “We are one of the world’s biggest fashion companies and this comes with both responsibility and opportunity as we have a unique reach and possibility to create change that few others have.
Currently 26% of all H&M products are made using sustainable materials and our goal is to produce 100% of our products using sustainable materials by 2030.”
Recycling clothes at Zara
Zara began installing collection bins in its stores across Europe in 2016, and currently has containers spread across countries including the UK, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden.
The clothes left in the containers are donated to charities such as the Red Cross.
Recycling clothes at & Other Stories
You can swap your unwanted clothes, textiles and beauty packaging in & Other Stories stores in exchange for a 10% ‘recycling treat’ voucher. Not too shabby…
This article was originally published in June 2017 but has been updated throughout
Sarah Biddlecombe
Sarah Biddlecombe is an award-winning journalist and Digital Commissioning Editor at Stylist. Follow her on Twitter
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