Stuff
How To Reduce Our “Stuff” and Its Impact on Climate Change
There are no two ways about it. Those of us in many, many countries have just created, manufactured, transported, housed, sold, and bought too much stuff. This has created stronger inequalities within those countries and across the world, and greatly damaged our planet. It’s time to reduce our noncritical ‘stuff’, to think long-term in designing the processing and transport of critical equipment, and to help create a different world.
Climate Steps: Stuff
Maintain your refrigerator and AC
Use a sharing library (tools, toys, etc.)
Stop receiving junk mail
“Libraries of Things are rolling together all the things people only infrequently need and bringing them together in one place, so they have something for everyone. Pay one membership or subscription fee, and you can borrow everything from camping gear to a popcorn maker.”
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About Climate Change and Stuff
Under Development!
But a nitty gritty study in 2020 found that the creation of every new product resulted in greenhouse gas emissions totaling 6 times the product’s weight!
Articles About Personal Belongings
Communicating with industry to mitigate climate change
Communication, Industry, Interviews, Minimization/mitigation, Politics Can we successfully communicate with industry about their greenhouse gas emissions? In May, 2024, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California-San Diego reported...
Avoid hotel toiletries
Bringing your own toiletries is not only more convenient because you know what you are getting out of your products, but it also reduces the amount of plastic you consume. I know the mini shampoos and conditioners are adorable, but try to admire rather than use them!...
Save by not pre-heating the oven
For some people, it is normal to preheat the oven before something is put in. However, if you think about it, it is a waste of energy and time because the oven is already generating heat while it warms to its target temperature. Why not use that heat to start cooking...
Save a green space
We are rapidly losing shared green space to private development. These spaces are our community meeting places, nature refuges, playgrounds and outdoor gyms. They improve water and air quality while providing a variety of mental and physical health benefits. Plus they...
Switch to e-billing
It is hard to believe that hundreds of billions of bills and updates are still sent out annually around the globe. That takes a lot of trees and energy to make happen. The hurdles to e-billing are dropping away as more people embrace the technology and see the...
Install low flush toilets
How much water do you flush down the toilet each year? That depends on the toilet, but on average, each of us flushes four or five times per day, which is over a thousand times a year. Traditional toilets use roughly 13 liters per flush, so that adds up to over 20,000...