How Green is Minimalism?
We live in a disposable culture that pushes us to buy and replace items all the time, yet hasn't paid enough attention to what we should do with the things we're getting rid of. No wonder there are people who would rather hang on to things they don't use – effectively creating a garbage dump in their own homes.
How do you declutter if you care about the environment? Where can you take your items so they don't just end up in a landfill? How can you donate so that you're helping an organization, not burdening it?
The good news is that with some thought and care the problem can be solved, and you can use these solutions to keep your space calm and clutter-free without feeling guilty about the process.
Thrift stores aren't always the solution.
Decluttering experts may have a lot to answer for. Since the premier of Marie Kondo's Netflix show, Tidying Up, donations have risen to the point that some charities are begging people to consider other ways of unburdening themselves.
Our need to declutter is a result of incredible privilege and an incredible lack of boundaries and self-control. It's our shopping habits that have made our spaces crowded and chaotic. And when we decide we've had enough of the accompanying stress and overwhelm, we remove the things that don't "spark joy," take them down to the thrift store, pat ourselves on the back for our generosity, and wash our hands of the outcome.
We're taking our waste and turning it into someone else's problem.
Now, thrift stores do keep a lot of things out of landfills by extending their lifespans. However, they also create a false sense of hope that someone else will want the things we no longer need. And this isn't always the case. Thrift stores wind up dumping a lot that doesn't sell, or they ship it to developing countries where it can negatively impact local economies.
People in Western countries are donating more than ever before because we're buying more than ever before. This is true in all areas, but clothes are a prime culprit. Fast fashion has contributed to a huge rise in production, spurred by ever-increasing consumer demand. (Greenpeace reports a rise of 60% in purchases just since 2014.) However, these clothes only last half as long (or less) before consumers discard them and move on to newer trends.
As much as we might love a good deal, our addiction to fast fashion has consequences. That $5 tee shirt may seem like a steal, but its afterlife probably contributes to mountainous landfills in Kenya or Ghana.
The things we really need – homes, education, medical care – have increased in price. But clothing costs have decreased. And the number of retailers selling really, really cheap crap of all kinds has increased.
When we live in the fog of auto-pilot, we can buy without thinking, on impulse, with no plan. And that's often the stuff we wind up decluttering.
Is the current decluttering craze unsustainable?
I've written a lot about the increased focus and feelings of relief, calm, and even euphoria that can accompany decluttering. And while all of that is true, we need to take care that our enthusiasm for a freshly tidied space doesn't become "the joy of throwing away."
When we declutter – and, more importantly, buy – without thought, we're contributing to the problem.
Properly understood, minimalism isn't about the freedom of getting rid of things. It's about the liberation we feel when we don't need to add more because we realize we have enough, and we have what's important.
A minimalist figures out what adds value to his or her life and takes care of those items. This leads naturally to maintenance, repair, and even reuse. For example, instead of tossing out clothes that are a bit worn, a minimalist might mend or alter a piece, which would keep it out of the donation bin and the landfill. A minimalist would buy fewer items of higher quality and more timeless design that can be worn longer. And when a minimalist needs to donate, he or she gives clothes that still have some life in them, rather than passing the buck on their wardrobe cleanouts.
Marie Kondo (who insists she's not a minimalist) doesn't advocate mindlessly discarding things either, and people who think that have misunderstood her. Her method is also about respect and value. For every item we choose to remove from our homes, she suggests that we thank it for what it brought to our lives and remember what went into bringing it to us. That's not mindless decluttering.
What real environmentalism looks like
A green lifestyle doesn't include your Tesla doing 80 on your 80-mile daily commute. Green isn't a new solar roof on a 3,500-square-foot McMansion, or a new Energy Star-certified refrigerator that's really twice as big as you need. Green isn't ripping out your perfectly decent carpet to replace it with sustainable bamboo flooring. And green isn't a closet full of organic cotton clothing if the cotton was grown by under-paid workers in India, the clothes cheaply sewn in Cambodia, and the finished garments shipped and sold all over the world.
No. Green is making things last as long as possible before discarding them. It's buying only what you need and no more.
Green is keeping the car you have for ten or more years, and driving less – whether that means living close enough to work to take a bus or ride a bike, or telecommuting one or more days each week.
Green might be the farmer's market, as long as you don't have to drive 25 miles to get to one. Green might be growing some of your own food if you can fertilize with compost you make, avoid pesticides, and have an efficient drip irrigation system. Otherwise, green might be the closest supermarket where you can buy food in season that's produced within a reasonable distance from your home. In some places that might mean a 100-mile radius; in others it might need to be a 250-mile radius, or even more. But it definitely doesn't mean peaches from Chile in February.
And green means acquiring fewer, higher quality clothes and other consumer goods. Their initial cost may be more, but their cost per wear is less.
As is usually the case, prevention is the best cure. Buy less, and buy better.
Eco-friendly decluttering tips
I've written quite a lot about this, so I'm going to refer you to several previous posts for my best ideas.
Comments
Post a Comment