Minimalism in Practice: Declutter

Recently, I have begun to reconsider many things in my life.  By things, I mean physical possessions.  I live in a small apartment, it is approximately 800 square feet, it has one bathroom, one open kitchen/living room, and one bedroom.  There is one small storage facility that I use to run my home business.  However, I own hundreds of pieces of clothing, notably over 30 pairs of shoes, over 40 dress shirts, 25+ pairs of pants.  I own a number of kitchen appliances including a Vitamix, George Foreman style grill, Pressure Cooker, 3 frying pans, Le Creuset Dutch Ovens, Sauce Pans, Stock Pots, beer glasses, wine glasses, multiple bowls/plates/small plates/mixing bowls and the list goes on and on.  Do I really need all of this, especially given my limited real estate.  I have a book shelf teeming with books that are rarely read.  Some of these things I love, but some of them I just tolerate.

What to do about all of this?  My goal over the next year is to figure out the items that I use the most, and get rid of the rest.  Sure it is difficult to give up things that you may have purchased for large sums of money, but there is a cost to having immense clutter in your life.  I can donate the items that still have life left to Goodwill, or try to sell them to earn extra cash.  Avenues to sell items include Craigslist and Ebay.  You will be able to help someone repurpose the goods you no longer need, and give them a bargain.  This is good for them and the environment.

The two images above are an exaggeration, but sometimes it feels like that.  Below is my goal.

Buy Once - Quality Over Quantity (Minimalism)

Buying products is an integral part of life in the modern world.  We need products to provide various services and for various functions that make up our lives.  The bad part of this, is that the manufacture, sale, distribution, etc of these products can have a horrible impact on the environment.  My thesis is to buy something of high quality that will last an extremely long time, so that we can minimize the amount of purchases that need to be made.  A prime example of this is in clothing, which is something I think about constantly, but it also applies to furniture, cooking utensils, and really every product.  The one that can be most frustrating, is technology which goes through constant iteration, and products that were recently state of the art are almost entirely outdated in a few years.

Let's consider this through the furniture example.  Furniture at Ikea or other low cost makers is extremely affordable for any budget, however the expected life on many things is only several years.  In addition, the amount of travel and economic output that went into this product is extremely high.  Instead, you could contract with a local woodworker to have a piece custom made for your home with high quality materials.  Sure, the price would be much higher, but you would have a one of a kind piece, made by a local craftsman.

That may be a bit extreme, especially since the marginal price increase of artisan furniture is probably beyond the budgetary confines of most people.  Instead, you diligently research your options and find a piece that you know will last you a long time from a stylistic perspective, and also make sure that the item is sturdy and well built.  For example, check out the Herman Miller above.  This means you will not need to replace it nearly as soon.

If your piece of furniture begins to wobble in its legs, instead of just donating it to the Goodwill (or even worse throwing it in the garbage) try to repair it yourself.  Or if you are not able to, call in a favor with a handy friend.  It would even be preferable to consult with a carpenter who would possibly be able to repair it himself.

This applies to all things.  If your computer is slowing down, instead of simply replacing it, see if you can upgrade it.  Your car as well.  Clothing may become damaged or you may gain/lose a few pounds.  That's what tailors are for, especially if the garment is well made, it can be adjusted.  Shoes can be repaired.  Make sure to perform all regular maintenance to ensure that you can facilitate the longest possible life out of these assets.

What's better than heating your home by consuming natural resources?

Many people turn on their furnaces and space heaters full blast as the weather turns cold.  While this is certainly the most convenient, and modern method to get warm and be able to wear shorts 365 days a year, it is not the best one.  Instead, take out your sweaters, long johns, wool pants, and so forth and put them on.  If you don't have adequate clothes, walk over to a thrift store and spend some money, it goes to a good cause.  If you have a little more money, support one of the great merino wool brands available today, my personal favorite is Ibex.

Green Winter Clothing Redux: Merino Wool

I have already extolled the virtues of merino wool for green winter clothing before.  It is a superior fabric, both from a performance standpoint and an environmental impact aspect.  Although Patagonia is one of my favorite brands, they are not the only great company these days.  If you aren't able to find something second hand at a thrift store or online auction, there are several companies and pieces that I would recommend.

Below is a list of the items that are in my regular winter rotation, this post appeared previously on my other blog ATerrificLife.

I am a huge fan of merino wool.  It is warm, soft, comfortable, and stylish.  Not only that, but it is environmentally friendly! Only downside is the relatively high cost.  I think all considered it is worth it, especially if you are careful to shop during sale times!

First item is my Smartwool, gray stripe s/s 

This is a great, versatile piece and I am very happy with it, need to get more short sleeves for the slightly warmer months.

Ibex Zepher Zip - Ibex' thickest base layer.  Very soft! pretty warm and stylish, although it is a little bit big for me as it is a size large.  Certainly not a deal breaker.  Purchased on Black Friday from the Ibex store on Newbury St, Boston.

Icebreaker Mondo Zip Tee - Bright red, a favorite of my wife.  A very slim fitting piece, I think this has to do with the provenance of Icebreaker, people not from North America are just smaller!

Ibex Woolies - Thinner than the Zepher and more appropriate for wearing as a layering piece.  I like the black and white stripe design.  This is also the piece I sleep in most often!

Ibex Shak - given to me by my wife, its one of ATL Essential: Winter Edition because it is such a great piece!  Much thicker, not a base layer in any but the most outlandish locations.  This is an amazing mid layer and can even be worn as an outer layer on milder days.  I tend to pair this with my Smartwool short sleeve.

I sometimes wear synthetics too. Patagonia Capilene 3 and a Regulator Zip fleece mid layer.   Not as warm and tend to get stinky, but I got them awhile ago.

Go Green for Free

Going green is often done by those who are thrifty in method, it can be a great money saver over time, but one of the biggest problems is start up costs.  Not everyone has $35,000 laying around to buy a Prius and not necessarily everyone can afford to buy from a CSA.  I would definitely argue that both of these things are worth the money, but that is beside the point.  I wanted to present some ways to go green that won't cost a penny, and hopefully will have a positive impact.

1) Reuse - Reusing stuff is one of the simplest ways to go green for free.  Need rags?  Don't buy them from Target, cut up old threadbare shirts or sheets, these make perfect rags.  Storage containers?  Reuse old grocery bags, beer crates, produce boxes!

2) Recycle - Take your old bottles and cans to be turned to cash in bottle deposit states, something that I think should be expanded.  In those states you will make 5-10 pennies per can.  Even if you don't live in one of those states, recycling require minimal effort, especially in single stream recycling communities.

3) Borrow - Before you go out and buy something new, especially a book or media, ask your social network if they have it available for you to borrow.  Maybe you can repay them buy letting them borrow one of the many things you already own, or trade another service such as cooking or watching their children.  Libraries are a great resource, not only for dusty old books, but DVDs and Blu-Rays are available in most towns.

4) Re-gift - Giving green gifts is an extremely effective way of saving money.  You can bake, cook, build or create online tons of gifts that will be appreciated.  You can also let your extended family know that you would prefer they not purchase you any items for upcoming events.  Let them know your philosophy about buying frivolous things and the impact it has on the environment.  They might think you a little eccentric, but will respect you.  If you have something that you received as a gift, don't feel bad to re-gift it to someone else, just make sure you don't give it back to the person who gave it to you!

5) Exercise outside - Don't get me wrong, I love to exercise in the gym, but that $30 a month that Gold's gym takes from you each month really adds up.  Not only that, but they keep the lights, TVs, and legion of machines on 24 hours a day at many gyms, no need to support that!  Get outside, take a hike, run, walk, play.  It's free!

I hope I can come up with more cost-free tips to go green, but feel free to check out my list of 20 Effective Ways to Go Green that Make a Difference.

Western Mass CSA: Introduction

As a relatively recent new resident of Western Massachussett's bucolic Pioneer Valley, I am very happy with all of the great agricultural options that are available near by, especially compared to Boston, where I was born and raised.  There are tons of local farmstands and it is not at all uncommon to drive by a farm.  I have always been fascinated by CSAs, which is an acronym for Community Supported Agriculture.  It's basically a pre-paid subscription to a delivery of vegetables from a specific farm.  You put up support, often before the planting even occurs, then you reap the benefits of the harvest.  The benefit to the farm is that they are secured funding and customers, and the benefit to you is you are guaranteed whatever food is produced at the farm that summer.

Some of the things that are attractive to me, are that I would be supporting a local farm.  This is good, because local food is often fresher and certainly greener.  I will not be contributing as much to the pollution associated with full size agricultural operations or the transport of the food to my local market.  It will force me to eat more vegetables, which have a lower environmental impact than meat does.  They are also likely healthier, which supports a secondary goal of improving my health.  Finally, it will force me to be creative, as CSAs are known for sending all kinds of oddball veggies in their assorted weekly pickups.  I am struggling to become a decent cook, and one of my trends is that I tend to buy and cook the same things all the time, hopefully the CSA veggies will force me to do otherwise.

Downsides are the big upfront cost, probably in the $600 range.  This is a lot of money for me, but if I break it down into 20 weeks of vegetables, its only $30/week, not too crazy.  I fear that at times I will need to augment my CSA veggies with others to make some of the dishes that I plan, but hopefully that will not run more than an additional $10/week.  If i budget out $60 a week in meat/cheese/other veggies, I should be able to achieve a $100/week food budget, which would be great.  On the other hand, I could take the $40/week and go to a local farmers market or Whole Foods, I would be paying more per item, but I would have greater choice over my elections.  Also, I am only cooking for myself and my wife, hopefully this will not be way too many veggies for me and her, as she is already not the biggest vegetable fan to begin with!  Finally, I need to be able to pick up on my schedule, which is often quite busy during the week's business hours. 

In my next post, I will compare the various CSAs available here in Western Mass, and make a decision based on the various factors that are valuable to me.

T.A.P. 2012 Year in Review

If I haven't said it before, thanks for reading my lowly little blog.  I write it because it gives me an outlet to promote my thoughts regarding recycling, green living, and environmental friendliness.  The blog is not an overwhelming commercial success in any sense of the word, but thanks for those of you who put up and occasionally click on ads through my blog.  I sincerely thank you for tolerating them even though I generally am not in love with the thought of acquiring more items.

I have made many personal strides in my own life this year.  Eating locally, purchasing items second hand, preferring hand made goods to those commercially made abroad are some of the strategies I have focused on.  I will continue to put these to good use, and may even opt in to a local CSA for the summer months. 

Here are three of the most popular posts on Think, Act, Prosper this year, and I hope you will re-read them or discover them for the first time, since many of these articles are worth reading more than once!

1) Replace Paper Towels with Rags
2) Use Natural Light and Air Conditioning
3) Go Green: Beer Growlers
4) Green Investing
5) Buy Food in Bulk

Check out my series 20 Ways to Go Green that Make a Difference for a number of small ways to make impactful change

Finally my favorite post of all time, Single Stream Recycling, a topic I plan to revisit!