What Does It Mean to Live Sustainably

Okay, I'm going to go ahead and get the ball rolling on this one. For our inaugural APLS carnival, Melissa posed the question, "What does living sustainably mean to you?"

When people discuss living sustainably, they're generally talking about the ways that they have reduced their carbon footprint. I'm not going to give you a laundry list of things I've done to live lightly, mostly, because I've already done that. Instead I'd like to explore what living sustainably really means to me, personally.

In my mind, living sustainably is about finding balance. I've talked a lot about how I believe APLS are people who embrace the duality of living a lower impact life in a higher impact world. But by balance I don't just mean societal balance. I mean personal balance as well.

When I first embarked on my non-consumerist challenge, I decided to pursue a path that theoretically, I could continue indefinitely (albeit with minor tweaking and the odd 'cheat' here and there.)

I think, I can live quite happily buying 90% used stuff. Sure, I'm really looking forward to new underwear and socks, and when my laptop finally goes completely and totally dead, I'll likely buy a new computer. But even when my year is over, I will probably be buying most of my stuff used.

I thought about pursuing a different challenge. I thought about including restaurants, movies, plays, and other experiences under my non-consumerism banner. But such a life is not sustainable for me. Eating out, seeing a movie or a play, listening to a band? These things give me great pleasure, and they generally allow me to spend some time with a friend or family member. If I never went to a restaurant or never saw another play, I would be less happy than I am today. And if I had made the rules too strict, I might have given up and started buying everything again. So to me, not buying stuff, but allowing myself to buy experiences is the right balance. It's something that I can sustain.

Sustainable living, then, is about living lighter, yes, but it's also about living happier, and with less guilt. It's about recognizing that the perfect is the enemy of the good, that we can't go it alone, and that yes, sometimes we have to compromise our ideals. If an aspect of living lighter is making you miserable, then ... it's not sustainable. It just isn't. And that means we have to figure out a way to make living lighter not miserable.

The truth is, there is no one size fits all answer to living sustainably. I may have gone a year without buying clothes, but I still buy my jam. I don't make my own bread or pasta sauce. What works for me may not work for someone else. Which is why I think living sustainably also means having an open mind, being willing to try out new things, and being okay with failure. Who knew that going without toilet paper for number one would be one of the easiest changes I'd make? Not me!

My rule is try everything LEGAL once (yes, this ruled out pee terrorism.) Give it your best shot, and see how you do. If it works for you, great. If it doesn't, try something else out. This isn't about guilt. This isn't a competition. This is about what makes sense for you and your life and your circumstances.

Balance. It's a tricky thing to find initially, but once you figure it out, you'll never go back to living any other way.

What does living sustainably mean to you? Get your posts up by August 12th in order to be included in the APLS Carnival.

It's the Economy, Stupid!

A couple nights, ago, I was hanging out with Miss V, drinking some wine, and we started discussing our furniture. What? Are you telling me you don't spend your weekends getting drunk and talking about end-tables? 

Anyway, SPECIFICALLY, we were sitting there laughingly looking at the half of our joined furniture that had ended up in her apartment, wondering ... why the hell we spent so much money on new, crappy furniture.

"Why did we buy that horrible TV stand new for $40?" I asked looking at the TV stand that was, for so long, the bane of our collective TV watching existence, and is now merely the bane of Miss V's crime drama watching existence.

Miss V: "Uh, excuse me, it was $80! At K-Mart!"

Arduous: "$80!! We paid $80 for that thing?"

Miss V: "Yes! Because I was obsessed with finding a TV stand that would match our coffee table."

Arduous: "It doesn't even MATCH!"

Miss V: "Look, it was the CLOSEST I could find."

Arduous: "And why did we buy a new coffee table anyway?"

Miss V: "I don't know, but I loved our coffee table."

Arduous: "Oh, don't get me wrong, I love it too, but, hello, it's an Ikea coffee table."

Miss V: Right? There are probably like 20 JUST LIKE IT on Craigslist.

Arduous: For cheaper.

Miss V: Yeah. And yet for some reason...

Arduous: It just didn't OCCUR to us.

Miss V: No. Why didn't it occur to us? I mean, we had less money then than we do now.

Arduous: I know, it's so weird. Like, why did I buy new bookshelves?

Miss V: Seriously, why? There are literally 50 Billy bookcases on Craigslist right now.

Arduous: For $30. And like ... the TV we bought? I just feel like, if you're not going to buy an LCD TV, then why not buy off Craigslist? You're going to get something just as good for $50.

Miss V: I got the TV in our bedroom off of Craigslist for $50!!

Arduous: See!

Miss V: Why didn't we think of this sooner?

Arduous: I really don't know.

There is nothing like packing up an apartment and getting rid of stuff to remind you of how the worth of your possessions drops dramatically the second you leave the store. They say this is true of cars. That the moment you drive your new car off the dealer's lot, your car drops steeply in value.

But the same is true of just about anything. The $15.00 new book is selling for $5 used on Amazon Marketplace. The $90.00 Billy bookcase is $30 on Craigslist. The Toshiba television that you bought for $300 and used for six months? You'll be lucky to sell it for $75.00.

On the other hand, if you buy a used book for $5, you can likely sell it for the same exact price. If you buy a two year old bookcase for $30, and then use it for another 3 years, you'll still probably get about $25 from someone. And as long as your television isn't too old, and is in working condition? Someone will probably give you $50 for it.

So, even if you don't care about the environmental cost of your stuff, there's still a pretty good reason to buy used. Buying used just makes good financial sense. From an investment point of view, while both new and used bookcases are generally depreciating assets, a used bookcase tends to depreciate less than a new bookcase. And from a utility point of view? A used bookcase is going to work just as well as a new bookcase. 

Sure there are a few things that are probably worth buying new. A laptop. Maybe an iPod, or a cell phone. But a used book, a used table, a used set of dishes? Those things? Tend to work just as well after a few years of use as they worked the day they were first bought new from the store.

With that said, anyone want to buy some crappy Ikea furniture? Call me!

Let's Back Up

There's a story, a story I've been reluctant to tell, because I'm not sure how to tell it the right way. But I'm going to do my best, so bear with me.

About a month ago I was at the Vons to buy my monthly bus pass for July. I was late for work, and normally, I would have been grouchy and impatient. But, as it happened, I was in a good mood, it was a beautiful day, and, for once my sense of perspective hadn't deserted me. So I was standing in line, idly looking at the magazines, when I became aware that the woman in front of me was kinda ... hysterical.

Apparently she'd either lost her wallet or it had been stolen earlier that day, I couldn't figure out which, and she was trying to pay for her packed sandwich by check. Except, of course, the Vons clerk wanted to see her ID, and since she had lost her wallet, she didn't have one. And so they were going on and on in a little circle.

"I'm sorry ma'am, I need some ID, those are the rules."

"Well how can I show you ID if I LOST MY WALLET!!"

Now, frankly, this woman wasn't doing herself any favors. She was growing more and more stressed out, and when the store manager asked her is she could give them her license number she didn't do anything to meet him half way. She could have said, "Sure. I will get you my license number." 

But instead she was talking about how her checking account was FINE, and yes she could get them her license number but she didn't KNOW it, and she didn't have TIME, and so on, and so on.

So I'm watching all this, and I'll tell you straight. My normal response would have been to get huffy like her. To start tapping my foot. To wonder why the HELL I picked this DAMN LINE when I'm late for work. 

My normal response would have been to take her histrionics, and top it.

But, I didn't. I'm not sure why. Maybe because it was the month of the Giving Challenge and it was having a positive effect on me. I don't know. The point is, I looked at this semi-hysterical woman and I thought, "This woman could be me."

She was freaking out because she a) lost her wallet today and b) because she was starving. Her blood sugar had probably bottomed out, and that's why she couldn't keep it together. 

And because I saw myself in her cranky, fatigued self, I shifted. Instead of thinking, "God, why can't this woman get her act together and stop acting like a crazy person? She's holding up the line!" I thought, "This is a person who needs someone to be nice to them."

So I piped up.

"I'll pay for the sandwich," I told the Vons clerk.

"Okay!" said the Vons clerk, clearly relieved at having the situation finally solved.

Meanwhile the woman was floored.

"What? No, no, you can't do that!"

"It's okay, really. It's like six bucks. And you're starving. Don't worry about it," I said.

"Well, no, I mean, I haven't eaten lunch, but it's not like I can't afford food. I do eat. I'm not ACTUALLY starving!"

"No, no, I get it. I totally know what you mean. But seriously, don't worry about it."

And the woman looked so relieved to have her sandwich, to have something going right in this really crappy day, that I really couldn't have cared less about the six bucks. But she, who a minute ago had been extremely difficult with the Vons clerk, was now extremely eager to repay me even though I said it wasn't necessary.

I told her she could write me a check, since I didn't need to verify her ID. 

She wrote me the check, promised me the money was in the bank, handed me her card in case anything went wrong, and thanked me effusively.

I didn't cash the check. I have no doubt the money is in there, and perhaps I will cash it yet, but for now, I prefer to see that check as a reminder.

See, I tell you this story, and this is why I said this was tricky. I'm not telling this story so you can see what a good person I am. I'm not particularly good. I'm not particularly bad either. I have my moments of kindness, and my moments of bitchiness like everyone else. At that moment, I was a good person, but believe you me, there have been plenty of moments of bad, selfish behavior in my past, present, and future.

But you see, this story isn't about me. This story is about a woman who had a really crappy day. This story is about a woman who wasn't particularly good, nor particularly bad, but who was crabby because she had lost her wallet and hadn't had lunch, and now the Vons clerk was giving her a hard time. And because she was having a bad day, and the Vons clerk was being difficult, she responded by being similarly difficult. Which, I think, is human nature. And when someone did something nice to her, she snapped out of her crabby funk, and became the generally decent human being she probably is most of the time.

I tend to spend my life wondering why people don't cut me slack when I'm having a bad day or I make a mistake, and yet, the minute someone else is cranky or rude or difficult or makes a mistake, I become Judgey McJudgerpants. "What a terrible person that is who just stole my parking spot!" "Oh my God, how long is that guy going to whine? Get OVER it!" "That bubble head is totally not paying attention to anyone else on the street. She acts like she owns to road!"

And I don't stop to think that terrible person might have spent the last 20 minutes listening to a screaming toddler. Or that the whining guy might have had his heart broken recently. OR that bubble head might not actually be a bubble head, but might have made an honest driving mistake, and she might actually be sorry for pulling out in front of my car like that.

But you see, when I assume the worst about people, it never makes the situation better. Instead, it makes me cranky and badly behaved because I'm so busy stewing and judging other people. And when people see me cranky, well ... they feed off that.

Humans are responsive beings. 

By contrast, when I am nice to someone, even if it's someone I don't really like, frequently that person will turn around and surprise me by being super nice back.

That's why I keep that check. To remind myself that while yes, human beings can be cranky and rude and selfish and dumb, we also have a great capacity for love and kindness and good.

That kindness begets kindness. And crabbiness begets crabbiness. 

That I am not a saint, not a devil. I am not better nor worse than anyone else.

And at the end of the day? That I should err on the side of cutting people slack. Because, here's the kicker. I would rather believe in the basic goodness of human beings. When I believe people are good, I strive to be good as well. I am happier, more generous, and just nicer when I focus on the positive rather than the negative.

So even if I cut someone slack who doesn't deserve it? Who really is rude or mean or selfish all the time? Who cares? That person already has a miserable life without my adding to it. 

But most likely, that person isn't a terrible, mean, selfish person. They're just a human being with good days and bad days. Just like me. Just like everyone else.

Oh My God, You Guys

I just looked at the calendar and realized I have FIVE DAYS LEFT!!

FIVE DAYS!! FIVE DAYS UNTIL I CAN SHOP UNTIL I DROP!!!

Eeeeeeeee!!

Okay, okay, so I'm trying to get rid of stuff so I probably won't want MORE stuff to pack. And okay, I'm going into debt for school, so I won't want to you know, spend a ton of money. And fine, the exchange rate is so bad, that I won't end up buying anything new in London if I can help it. And yeah, most likely the only stuff I'll end up buying will be kind of boring necessary items like good walking shoes or one of those adaptor humdingies for my laptop. And FINE, you are right, my attitude about consumerism has drastically changed over the year, so I don't even WANT to buy that much anymore.

WHAT IS YOUR POINT PEOPLE?!?!

That the end of my year is kind of pointless and arbitrary because nothing will really change? That aside from buying a couple new things now and again, I'll mostly continue to buy less and buy used?

God. You people are such buzz kills.

Five days!

The APLS Carnival

On Friday, I wrote about the importance of reaching out and reading blogs in other fields. Now many of you may be wondering, Okay, but what's in it for me? What's the practical application in reading music blogs or science blogs or food blogs?!! I'm really busy, Arduous!!!

And, I get that. But let me give you a good example of why reading various blogs can have a positive effect. As I've mentioned, I read a lot of women in science blogs. And one of the things I've always enjoyed has been their very elegant and well put-together Scientiae Carnival. I would read all their carnival posts, and I'd wish that we eco-folk had as good a carnival as they have.

I know, Treehugger has a Carnival of The Green. And, don't get me wrong. I completely appreciate the work that goes into that carnival, and I'm glad it's there. But what makes Scientiae a truly great carnival is:

• It's only once a month so it feels like a real "event"
• There's a specified topic
• The carnival isn't just a list of links. The hosts make a huge effort to provide a little commentary about the various blog posts. See this truly excellent example at Thus Spake Zuska.

So, for months, I've been sitting here thinking, "I wish there was a carnival like that for eco-nuts!"

But I didn't do anything about it.

Until one day, I went to read my daily bean, and that Green Bean, she's a doer. (Seriously, does the girl EVER sleep?) Anyway, she was knee deep in her latest project: this one, connecting APLS to APLS.

And I got inspired. So I emailed Green Bean about an APLS carnival, and she was on board, and we got Melissa involved, and thus, The APLS Blog was born.

The APLS carnival is a carnival devoted to living sustainably in an affluent society. And anyone can play. We welcome money bloggers, knitters, music bloggers, scientists, vegans, you name it! Even you hold outs without blogs; we have a way for you to play along as well. Melissa will be hosting the first go around, but after that we will definitely be be looking for hosts. We hope that the carnival will be a good opportunity to learn about other APLS, and hear varied points of view.

Eventually, we also hope that the APLS blog will have a region-specific component that will serve as a warehouse of information for APLS. For example, the California section of the blog would include the names of all APLS living in California, as well as sustainable living resources: CSAs, information on famers' markets, good restaurants, etc. If you would like to help us build this "eco-database" PLEASE get in touch. We can't do it by ourselves!

So take a look at the new blog, and tell us what you think. And then get writing! We hope to have our first carnival up by August 15th!

*A big shout out to all the women behind the Scientiae Carnival, especially Skookumchick. And a huge thank you to my partners in crime, Green Bean and Melissa. 

Can't We All Agree To Go Naked?

Or maybe, cuz that would get cold, we could all agree that we will all wear some sort of uniform every day? And that this uniform can be worn to any number of occasions: weddings, work, school, clubs, because that's all anyone ever wears? Because seriously, that would make my life a LOT easier right now.

In a state of hysteria today, I packed one bag of my "warm clothes" for London. Somehow the bag filled up ... way too quickly. "That's okay," I thought. I won't need as much summer stuff, and anyway, tee-shirts are less bulky. 

But then I started thinking of all the other things I'm going to need to take with me... my Wusthof knives (I paid a small fortune for them, I love them, they're coming with me), maybe some pictures (How much do I care about my friends and family?), couple of towels, a set of sheets, toiletries, shoes, and I realized there was no way in hell all of that was going to fit in the second suitcase.

Blah. How do I own this many clothes!!! May I remind you all that I haven't bought any clothes in a YEAR!! 

Okay. Obviously more of these clothes are going to Goodwill. Hey, anyone, can you help me out here? I heard that it's okay to send torn clothes to Goodwill because they also do textile recycling. Can anyone confirm? And if not, is there a better place to send your bad clothes for recycling? Yes, I know Patagonia recycles but these aren't Patagonia clothes....

If you need me, I'll be over here having a little mental breakdown.

P.S.

Last night I covered a music show for Mouse who's off gallavanting around Portland with Airborne Toxic Event. My guest post is up at Classical Geek Theatre. Go check it out.