Waste has plagued me since I was young. I still obsess ruminate on stuff – all kinds of stuff – and where it all comes from.
While personally declaring a “no obligatory gift giving holiday” and opting for a “no gift” wedding next year, the stuff I already possess is too much to handle. I don’t need more stuff. In fact, I need less stuff.
In my youth (my younger youth, of course), I had a rule. I couldn’t own more than what would fit in (the back of) my car. Freedom, movement, and spontaneity were part of my ethos. Now that I own a home, I find myself acquiring things like garden hoses and sanders and it causes me pause. Am I somehow trying to make myself feel better, trading in “freedom” for goods? Well, it isn’t working.
Over at Treehugger, I found a post on this great 20 minute video made by Annie Leonard through Free Range Studios called “The Story of Stuff”. It’s all about the “Materials Economy” and tells the real story. You can watch that, or (re)read Natural Capitalism. I suggest both.