Friday 22 April 2022 | Earth Day: minimalism, sustainability and keeping it simple

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I feel like I'm on a journey, sometimes, one of those journeys where you get lost and then pass the same place again and you're not sure whether you recognise it because you were lost there before or because it's the right way to get to where you want to be.

The main thing for me is working towards a simple life. One where most things are sorted so I don't have to think about them any more. At the same time, I like the occasional reset - a new year is an obvious one - to reflect and change things up a little.

Earth Day is one of those helpful reset days for me, a chance to think about how well are my day to day activities aligned with a simple life. This year, I took a look at Take the Jump as my refresh on the journey to a simple life.

The Jump is based on research which shows what people in wealthy countries (like England where I am) need to do within the next ten years to help minimise climate change. It acknowledges that governments and large businesses can have the biggest impact, but individuals need to change, too.

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Clear, Constructive, impactful, doable

The six shifts we need to make are:

• end clutter - keep products and gadgets for at least seven years.
• travel fresh - if you can, no personal vehicles.
• eat green - a plant-based diet, healthy amount, no waste.
• dress retro - three new items of clothing a year.
• holiday local - one flight every three years (eight years for long-haul)
• at least one life shift to change the system.

Each section has a bit about the science, what we need to do and some suggestions for the changes we can make.

End Clutter

This is mainly focused on electronic gadgets like phones, and proposes keeping your phone for a minimum of seven years. I guess it also applies to other electronic equipment like computers and tablets and I would extend it to other household items and equipment. I have two items waiting for repair: a laptop (three years old) and my fridge freezer (six years old).

Travel Fresh

My lovely old car is about 21 years old now and starts first time, every time. I intend to keep it for as long as it continues to work and the garage is able to replace the parts. I could organise my chores better, so that generally I'm only using it once a week and get everything done then.

Eat Green

I do eat mainly a plant-based diet, especially as I am interested in the health science behind it. I have started buying meat from an organic farm and tried the game hamper this year ... I'm not sure that contributed to a simple life as finding recipes and persuading family members to try something new was quite stressful! I grow my own through the summer and the big change I would like to make here over the next two years is growing and preserving more of my own food.

Dress Retro

I wrote in a previous post about using Oxfam online, especially for coats and jackets. My wardrobe is fairly sustainable: I tend to save for things and I buy in the sales (ie when there are limited items which is good for my decision-making; and because these are things that may end in landfill). I'm not sure how limiting new purchases to three a year is going to account for underwear ...

Holiday Local

Well, we've been forced into this a little, haven't we? 😁. I have a sister in Europe who I like to visit regularly, and I'm planning a trip to the Caribbean. Perhaps I could moderate these by making less frequent journeys but staying for longer when I go, and maybe combining the trip with some local travel by boat or train when I am there. Especially now that working remotely is much more accepted.

Change the System

There's a raft of things to do here, many about consumer choice: choosing green energy suppliers, green pension funds etc and about activism. I try to spend my money where it will make a difference: for household shopping, the majority goes to small, local, independent suppliers. I try to include environmental items when I'm invited to respond to customer satisfaction surveys.

Keeping It Simple

I grew up in a different time: all the adults around me had been through the 1939-1945 World War and rationing and had a different mindset about consumption. Nothing, especially not food, was wasted and as much as possible was conserved. For my aunt, living next door, nothing pleased her more than rummaging in one of her cupboards and finding the very thing that you needed.

The downside of that can be hoarding, keeping everything "just in case". I find this a dead weight, having to think about all those things, having them cluttering my space and my mind. I like having enough, and having nice things, but I don't want to be weighed down with caring for and protecting them.

In this world, unlike when I grew up, it is easy to acquire things, even without trying: flyers and catalogues come through the door, festivals and events give you badges and totes and lanyards. If you have any kind of interest, you tend to accumulate associated items or people give them to you.

It is hard to keep it simple and, sometimes, to live a minimalist life.

Thoughts in response to option three in The MINIMALIST ideas post for this week.

^{Three things newbies should do in their first week and, for most things, forever afterwards!}