4 | The (Never-Ending) Story of (All of Your) Stuff

This week I'm calling in from an island of a buncha stuff. I rewatched a classic (The Story of Stuff) and listened to a podcast (Make Me Smart: Selling America), and I emerged infuriated with myself and ... all this stuff!

Storytime: In 2019, was on a quick domestic flight from Bali to East Nusa Tenggara. Big flex, I know. This wasn't a lifestyle I could maintain — I was only cosplaying as a jetsetter. But I had some money, I had the desire, and in one swipe of a credit card, I had the experience I wanted. I want, I get.

Looking out the window, I remember seeing lil baby islands of trash, speckled throughout bigger globules of oil — possibly fuel from aircraft like the one I was on. Imagine, it took several years of international travel before I looked down and saw that maybe the problem was me, and maybe I could think about this differently.

No, I didn't think I single-handedly caused pollution in Indonesian waters, but around that same time, Greta was literally sailing as a way to try be less of a jerk to the earth. I knew that I played a role, my actions had impact, and I knew I had choices. (Example: fly less, stay longer when I do, move around with mindful intention, blah blah.)

Idea: Do something about all my stuff

Like... all of it tho?

Mhmm. 🙂

It's a long game. A really, really long game. The rest of my life kinda thing. I can't always tell my family that I want to sail home for Thanksgiving (although, maybe one day I will).

But I CAN make different choices about what literal stuff is around me, especially in my own home. It's time to rethink all of it.

💳 The stuff I buy
Groceries, clam-shell packaging, online orders, boxes, foam packing peanuts, paper, plastic, unidentifiable materials. Shipping, overnight, next-day, delivery.

Anything that comes into my home, I want to consider if I even need it at all, and if I do, how does it get to me. What options do I have, and do I have the patience and imagination to choose something different?

In Intermezzo, there's a character who decided to only wear thrifted clothes and not travel by plane as a personal choice for the planet. Maybe I can inch toward that (fly less frequently? Learn to sail?).

Avoiding fast fashion (or cheap products of any kind) is a first step. Next, anything I acquire, I want to care for (hang-dry instead of the dryer), repair (simple stitching? duct tape?), and use until the absolute end of its life cycle. Whatever it is.

🗑️ The stuff I throw out
Last winter, I learned that my friend's old farmhouse had an old-timey furnace. They needed fire starters and mentioned that old paper was helpful.

I started shredding my junk mail and shoving it into toilet paper rolls, then wrapping it up like a Tootsie Roll. My friends burned my homemade fire starters and stayed warm all winter, and I found a use for something I was going to recycle or throw out anyway.

I've also started composting my food waste in my local community. Farmers' markets often have something set up, too.

For clothing or other household items, I'm looking for other local marketplace options since I'm not on Facebook. Craigslist is still around, and there are local Buy Nothing groups like Freecycle. And I've been part of in-person clothing swaps before (they're rad).

While paper/metal/glass recycling is solid, plastic recycling is a scam. That's why I saw so much of it in the water in Bali!

🌎 The stuff I do about it
It all comes back to voting, doesn't it? While we're still able to, we gotta make our voices heard and help push policy in a direction that actually helps humanity.

Another thing is divesting from fossil fuels (because plastic is a byproduct of oil).

My spicy take is that things should probably be more expensive, considering the time/distance/effort involved in getting to us. Our cheap products come at the expense of lives in other (poorer) countries, and that all ends up negatively impacting our lives too.

It all kinda hit me when I was in that plane leaving Bali. I know my personal consumption didn't end up there in the water, but it all ends up somewhere, doesn't it?

It's time we all adjust our relationship to inexpensive, low-quality stuff and our overall over-consumption and need for instant gratification.

ABCD: Danielle Ailinger

(Anyone But Cis Dudes. And if you hate this section, examine why!)

atlas & ivy design

atlas & ivy design0

Danielle is a Florida-based illustrator and designer who's open to new clients and commissioned work. When you reach out, tell her I sent you!

K, thx bye!

Lulu