The Story of STUFF

I was thinking about the new year coming up and my compact pledge. I have kept to it for the most part, with the exception of some books that I should not have purchased. I am going to be more diligent in 2008.

For those contemplating doing something similar or are simply interested in where our stuff comes from and where it goes, there is an interesting video that talks about this.

The Story of Stuff

From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It'll teach you something, it'll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.

The Compact

If you haven't yet heard of The Compact, you may want to check into it. It was started by a group of people in San Francisco whose aims were:

1) to go beyond recycling in trying to counteract the negative global environmental and socioeconomic impacts of U.S. consumer culture, to resist global corporatism, and to support local businesses, farms, etc. -- a step, we hope, inherits the revolutionary impulse of the Mayflower Compact

2) to reduce clutter and waste in our homes (as in trash Compact-er)

3) to simplify our lives (as in Calm-pact)

The main rules are:

First principle - don't buy new products of any kind (from stores, web sites, etc.)

Second principle - borrow or buy used.

A few exceptions - using the "fair and reasonable person" standard -- i.e., you'll know in your heart when you're rationalizing a violation:

• food, drink, and necessary medicine (no elective treatments like Viagra or Botox)
• necessary cleaning products, but not equipment (don't go out and buy the Dyson Animal, for example).
• socks and underwear (utilitarian--non-couture or ornamental)

Some articles about The Compact:

• SF Gate: Out of the Retail Rat Race
• USA Today: Idea of Simple Life Takes Hold
• SF Chronicle: SF anti-consumerism group 'staggered by response'
  

Some resources to help with compacting:

• Freecycle
• Craig's List
• Cheapcycle
  
• Bookcrossing.com
• Paperbackswap.com
• Of course, local thrift shops, classified ads, etc

Thank you to Jenny for providing most of the material for this post!