Sorry everyone that it has been such a long time since I posted. I continue to learn new ways to be green and reduce waste, but my more recent endeavor is to reduce what I purchase. In order to reduce waste we must begin with reducing consumption. There is a HUGE problem with overconsumption in the United States that I had to share it with you.
A few statistics that I learned from a very cool video you must watch! Actually there are several videos on that site, but in particular watch the one called “The Story of Stuff.” It’s life changing, I promise!
- Every minute, 1,000 trees are destroyed in the Amazon Rainforests.
- In 30 decades (just over my lifetime) we have used 1/3 of our natural resources.
- If the entire world uses/consumes as much as the United States does we will need 3-5 planets just to dispose of the waste.
Garbage doesn’t just go away when you put your trash out on the boulevard. It goes to a landfill and sits there for years, decades, centuries.
Of all of the stuff that we buy, did you know that only 1% of that stuff is still in use 6 months later. 99% of the stuff we buy – spend money on ends up in the garbage in 6 months. I’m shocked.
Annie Leonard, the activist in the video has spend the last 10 years learning all about the life cycle of the stuff we buy; consume. There is so many problems we ignore, or pretend doesn’t exist because it makes us uncomfortable. We need to understand these issues, and change the way we live so we can share a better planet for your children, grandchildren.
Will you do me a favor and spend 20 minutes watching that video. If you enjoy the video, please share it with someone you love. We need to all band together, and make a difference.
