I have a lot of stuff. I have a lot of stuff that I’m emotionally attached to. A lot of my stuff is stuff I inherited, thus the attachment. Some of that stuff is holiday stuff that gets put out for 30 or so days between Thanksgiving and New Years. Every holiday season I find myself buying more stuff to add to my collection of stuff. I know I need to stop buying and start reducing, but that’s easier said than done. I did some stuff research to see if I could help curb my stuff addiction.
Did you know -
Ø Webster’s Dictionary defines stuff as: goods; belongings; useless matter; worthless things; trash?
Ø There’s a film called “Story of Stuff?” It’s 20 minutes long and can be found on the web at www.storyofstuff.com. It reinforces the statistics that American’s are 5 percent of the world’s population but we use 30 percent of the resources and produce 30 percent of the waste. That’s sobering.
Ø There’s a “Use Less Stuff Week?” Yup, it’s already passed for 2009 so you’re off the hook. Promoted by the Use Less Stuff Report, the week before Thanksgiving has been designated Use Less Stuff Week. According to the report, between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, Americans generate 25 percent more waste per week than during the rest of the year, or an extra 6 million tons for the holiday season.
The report also states that according to the USDA, Americans throw away 25 percent of food purchased (170 pounds per person). Adding restaurant waste jumps that percentage to 50 percent.
So what can we all do to reduce waste during such a fun holiday period?
One of my goals is to re-purpose my stuff, adding some history and heritage with the reuse. So far I’ve remodeled an old backpack that I made at one of my college jobs (sewing packs for a mountaineering company) into a gift bag that can also be used as a stuff sack. I’ve also made a velvet prom dress into small gift bags that are a perfect size for newly framed historic family photos. The recipient of each gift bag will also get a note explaining the bags original use and encouragement to “re-gift” the bag.
Here are some other ideas:
ü Start switching holiday lights to LED, they are greener and you’ll save money over time.
ü Purchase a live Christmas tree and plant it in the yard in the spring.
ü Always shop with re-useable cloth bags.
ü Give and use rechargeable batteries.
ü Give experience gifts – tickets to local art, cultural, and sporting events.
ü Shop at local art and craft fairs and buy local whenever possible.
ü Give your time and talent – offer to teach one of your special skills to a relative or friend.
ü Volunteer your time – to a local shelter or needy organization.
ü Donate to a cause for a friend or relative.
ü Give gift certificates for services.
ü If you are sending Christmas cards make sure they are made from re-cycled materials, better yet switch to ecards.
ü Consider renting holiday décor, dishes, and linens.
ü Shop for holiday attire at consignment shops,
ü Be creative with gift wrapping – use scarves, bandannas, old posters, pages from a child’s coloring book, reusable boxes, the list is endless.
ü Decorate the family tree with memorabilia – baby’s first shoes, dressed up dolls, vacation items, and old jewelry. Each item has a story that can be retold throughout the holiday season.
ü Buy holiday food in bulk and make sure to use recycling at your holiday parties.
After the holidays recycle as much as you can:
v Store wrapping and packing materials for reuse.
v Breakdown boxes and recycle.
v Compost your tree and food scraps.
v Make a promise that your 2010 holiday will be even greener than 2009.
