A loyal blog reader linked me up to this Unsuitablog post, reminding me of a recent conversation regarding the growing consumption of eco-friendly or green goods. Is it better to purchase a piece of furniture that was made sustainable bamboo than one from Ethan Allen? I guess so, but buying a used set from a yard sale or local consignment shop is much better. Or even better, not buying it at all. Keith Farnish said it best in his post The New Shopping Order:
...there is a colossal battle to be won, against virtually every commercial interest on Earth, that relies almost entirely on people choosing to buy new and replace existing items that they have at a rate that is increasing at currently 5 times the speed of global population growth. In short, we need to have a completely new attitude to shopping, where reality and conscience takes precedence over the open mouthed acceptance by the public of new goods, and where the people of Earth are prepared to stop for a moment and think about the effect that every single new item that they purchase is having on this planet. There needs to be a New Shopping Order. Being part of it is simple: next time you want to buy some new trainers, a new lawnmower, computer, digital decoder, anything at all, ask yourself the following questions, in this order:
1) Do I need to buy this thing at all?
2) Can I repair or refurbish this thing, or have somebody do it for me?
3) Can I buy or obtain this thing, or something similar, pre-owned?
4) Can I buy this thing in a more ethical way?
This video, that I've gotten from the Unsuitablog post but don't know the actual origin of, is a great illustration of the issue:
(thnx Lisa)
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