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
Upgrade to solar water heater
Water heating is a major energy user. As we use hot water for our showers, laundry and washing dishes, collectively, we are consuming a quarter of our residential energy worldwide. By changing to a solar water heating system you shift that energy to a clean renewable...
Use recyclable, reusable gift wrap
We usually consider wrapping paper to be recyclable, but did you know that is often not the case? Wrapping paper can only be recycled if it is not laminated, has no metallic pieces, and has no tape, ribbons, or bows. One way to figure out if your wrapping paper is...
Unplug vampire electronics
Are you paying for energy that you are not using? Up to 20% of your electricity expenses go towards so-called Vampire Electronics. These are devices that consume electricity in standby mode, even when they are off. Some consume nearly as much energy as when they are...
Sell unused items
Imagine if every item we bought created virtually no new pollution. That is what you get when you buy used goods. Now, of course, it takes a buyer and seller to make it happen. Do you have unused stuff lying around that needs a new home? Perhaps it is time to join the...
Ditch plastic straws
Single-use plastics play a much more significant role than many realize. Some of us use up to half our body weight in plastic every year. Then it ends up going on to pollute our land and water for potentially 100s of years. Billions of plastic straws are used around...
Use a refillable water bottle
Commit to avoiding single-use bottled water and bring your own water bottle with you. Single-use plastics are made from oil and will litter the land and seas for longer than your lifetime. They decompose slowly and very little of it ends up getting recycled, even if...