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reducing consumption
From Anarchopedia
Why reduce consumption?[edit]
In developed countries we consume at a phenomenal rate. This leads to many problems, both environmental and social. The environmental consequences of that this excess amount of consumption are:
- depleted natural resources
- mass amounts of waste
- polluted water, air and soil
The social consequences of this mass consumption are:
- slave/sweat shop labour
- inequality
Tips to reduce consumption[edit]
- Stop buying *stuff*. Before you purchase anything ask yourself these two questions:
- Do I need it?
- Could I make it myself?
- Become a Mr/Ms Fix-it. Most things that break can be fixed, so instead of buying something new, try fixing the old first.
- Turn off the TV! Television is a great perpetrator of consumerism. Advertisements promote consumption, and while watching television you are more suggestible and therefore more likely to buy the product which is being advertised. By turning it off, you not only get your time back, but have less urges to buy things.
- Grow your own food.
- Make all your own food. Instead of buying pre-packaged foods, make your own. This is healthier and saves you money. It also reduces the amount of waste you produce.
- Learn to sew, knit or crochet and make you own clothes.
- Revamp your old clothes. You can add patches, embroidery, screen printing etc to your old clothes to make them into something new. You can also change the type of clothes. Eg: Take a long sleeve shirt and cut off the sleeves to make a tank top.
- Have a clothing swap with friends. This will let you have new clothes without having to buy new!
- Use your library. Libraries are amazing resources. They are free, and often have inter-library loans where you can get the books that aren't available locally.
- Drive your car less. Walk, bike, rollerblade, jog, or bus.
- Buy second hand. You can get clothing, books, furniture... almost anything second hand. Look at local thrift shops and garage sales.
- Share with your friends. You can lend/trade/share music, movies, clothes, books etc with friends.
- Make your own gifts. Instead of buying a new gift, make something for your friends/family for birthdays, holidays etc.
| This article is based on a GNU FDL Activism Wikia article: Ideas_to_reduce_consumption | Act |
