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Leading on from my previous post about Christmas, I started thinking about “present sense” and how I am going to try as hard as I can to avoid buying things that are “Made in China”. An impossible task, you may think, but it is possible. I am trying desperately not to contribute to the onslaught of cheap and tacky Chinese-made goods, and aim to buy things that are made in Europe. At least they have travelled less to get to the shop, and they may be slightly less environmentally harmful due to having been made to last longer and with better, safer materials. I have recently found lovely toys made in Denmark (hoorah for Lego), Germany and England, and the quality is also so much better. My small town in Spain is full of Chinese bazaars, little shops where everything costs virtually nothing but at the same time costs the earth… My son loves them but everything that has ever been bought for him in these shops (by a well-meaning neighbour) ends up breaking within a matter of hours or days.
A friend of mine from Australia, who is an ardent environmentalist and refuses to fly (she aims to leave a zero carbon footprint, admirable stuff; more on her another time), travelled across Asia by bicycle to get to Europe, and told me about the factory towns in China. She said it was like a vision of hell…
So, if you care just a little bit about the environment, take a look at the label and buy carefully. I’m not naive, I know it isn’t a cure for all environmental ills, no single action is, but each small step we all take may contribute to preserving our planet.
Christmas is coming, as I keep being reminded, and everybody’s thoughts turn to the frenzy of consumerism that is Christmas shopping… groan. My family and I say it every year, but this year we really are not going to buy lots of “stuff”. I am sure this goes against the government’s wishes, as they want us all to spend our way out of the recession, but I refuse to do it any more. It has nothing to do with being a Scrooge, but is basically good sense. We often spend money we may not have on things other people don’t need. I am all for a carefully chosen gift for a loved one, but do not like feeling obliged to fill the coffers of shops with my hard-earned money to do so. I was brought up to make and value home-made gifts and greetings cards. Unfortunately I really don’t have time to make things like I used to, but I know these gifts and cards are so much more appreciated. I am bringing up my son to make things, and hope he will carry on doing this, although I guess one day this will be seen as seriously uncool! Present buying also has an environmental cost, as people receive unwanted gifts, put them in a drawer for years and they either eventually get put in the bin, or given to someone else who doesn’t want them… All of those precious resources and energy to make novelty socks, soap sets, cheap tacky toys that break in five minutes… I realise that I probably sound a bit “bah humbug” but really the idea is to have “present sense”: think before you buy, and maybe suggest to friends and family that you all go out for a meal together instead, or do a “secret Santa” where each person gets one good “big present” instead of ten “stocking filler” sized (and priced) presents. I know which I would prefer…
I can’t bear throwing things that still have a useful life into the bin (for that matter, I can’t bear throwing anything in the bin so I recycle as much as I can). So I was very interested when a friend told me about the website “The Story of Stuff”; it’s scary stuff! The video’s writer and presenter Annie Leonard is very engaging and entertaining.
It’s so well made that even ardent non-environmentalists may stop and think twice (or perhaps I’m just being optimistic). The onslaught of consumerism is just relentless, at least until a “crisis” comes along to make people think whether they really need the latest DVD player when the one they have works fine but doesn’t have the latest gizmos.
How much of the stuff that you own do you actually use or need? I would love to do some scientific research into this. “What volume of stuff in your home actually serves a purpose on a regular basis?” “Are there objects that will never serve a purpose ever again until they rot into a landfill, there to remain for centuries hence?” For sure we are all guilty of harbouring this stuff, giving it (increasingly expensive) house-room year upon year.
It’s quite long but watch the whole video, it is definitely required watching. Prepare to be entertained, but also to be a more aware consumer afterwards.
Watch it from the website link:
Or watch it on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLBE5QAYXp8&NR=1
Or directly on your computer using Quicktime by clicking on this link:
http://web.1.c3.audiovideoweb.com/1c3web3536/StoryOfStuff.mov
