Buy Less
- In America, we spend more on fashion accessories than we spend on college tuition.
- We spend $100 billion on shoes, watches and jewelry.
- American kids make up 3% of the global population of children and consume 40% of the world’s toys.
- In the US, we throw away 40% of all food we purchase.
- We throw away about $165 billion worth of food each year.
Buy Less: the number one way to reduce trash!
- Think before you buy. It’s not easy being mindful!
- If you don’t need it, don’t buy it.
- Go shopping for something specific and don’t buy something just because it’s on sale.
- Buying less can be applied to clothing, tools, household goods, food, and makeup.
- Do I really need another pair of jeans that won’t fit . . . in my closet?
- Can we possibly eat all this food before it spoils?
- Do I really need more glassware?
- Can I borrow, rent or repair an existing piece of equipment?
Be Mindful of Clothing Purchases
In America, we spend more on fashion accessories than we spend on college tuition. $100 billion on shoes, watches and jewelry.
- Purchase good quality products that will last.
- Don’t buy something just because it is on sale or cheap. Refrain from the “I don’t know if I’ll ever wear it . . . but it was so cheap!”
- Be mindful about what we buy and where it will go.
- Do we really need one more pair of jeans or 10 more T-shirts?
- Buy second hand. Reduce the amount of new materials manufactured and save money.
Reduce Toy Purchases
American kids make up 3% of the global population of children.
American kids consume 40% of the world’s toys.
Through mindfulness, we can learn to appreciate life rather than things . . . as children and adults.
What we can do:
- Look at each day as a gift.
- Take care of and respect items so they will last.
- Talk with our kids so that they learn to appreciate the best that life has to offer.
- Talk with kids about toys they have and how many children go without.
- Help children select toys that they have outgrown to donate to charity and bring the child along to participate in the donation.
- Host toy swaps with friends and neighbors.
- Start a tradition of swapping toys for birthday parties and Christmas. Help our children understand how they are benefitting the planet and helping others.
- Start a Christmas tradition where the children may open all of the gifts they receive, and will get to keep 2 or 3 of the new items. Create a fun family event of bringing the other new toys to a charitable donation site.
Reduce Food Waste
- Buy local: Reduce your carbon footprint
- Shop at your local farmer’s markets
- Buy local at the grocery store
- support local businesses
- Buy Organic
- Check out: Organics, It’s Worth It
- Reduce pesticide use
- Reduce antibiotics from factory farming
- Reduce inhumane treatment of animals
- Support organic farmers
- Better for you and the environment
- Use what you buy
- In the US, we throw away 40% of all food we purchase.
- We throw away 50% of all the produce grown.
- We throw away about $165 billion worth of food each year.
- Make a list and stick to it.
- Plan meals before shopping.
- Freeze leftovers and write a date on the package. Leftovers in the refrigerator do not last forever!
- Check out Food Safety for tips on refrigerator and freezer storage.
- According to the foodsafety.gov website, the timeframes for freezer storage are only for quality.
Food stored at zero degrees or below will keep forever . . . but it might not taste very good.
I still remember as a 9 year old, visiting my grandfather’s farm. My 90 year old great aunt served frozen blueberry pie which had been in the freezer for years. It tasted like sawdust! No one died . . . and no one said a word!