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unplug
unplug magazine asks you to unplug from your current modes of thought and look at life in a new way, whether this means unplugging from our toxic consumer culture, mainstream society, the tv, or a limiting mindset. author megan prusynski explores life's alternatives and discusses activism, progressive thinking, and moving towards a "green" & sustainable life.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
'Tis the Season
As the holiday season approaches, it's obvious the corporate consumerist machine is hard at work distilling desire in young and old alike. Christmas decorations and ads begin popping up before Halloween has passed, and each year they seem to come earlier and earlier. Their message: buy, buy, buy. As a result, many Americans end up deeper and deeper in debt, especially this time of year.
This is why time of year gives me a headache. Christmas means a lot to my family, and my mom always asks for a wish list, which I reluctantly put together although each year I feel more and more like the last thing I need is more stuff. Gift giving is part of our family tradition, and I do think gifts during the holidays are a great way to show friends and family how much you love and appreciate them. So it's always a dilemma at holiday time: to buy (supporting a system I don't agree with) or not to buy (possibly making myself look like scrooge).
Luckily, there are alternatives to buying into the corporate consumer holiday game. Instead of buying gifts from big box stores or corporations that get rich at the expense of people and the environment, the discerning holiday shopper can buy gifts from locally owned stores, local artisans, shops that focus on sustainability, or co-ops carrying fair trade and organic products. There are more and more choices for conscious consumers every day.
Other options include homemade gifts (although these take some time and preparation), home baked organic goodies, or "coupons" for services you can give to loved ones (such as a massage or yard work). I have given my homemade hemp soap, massage oil, or gemstone jewelry as gifts on several occasions, and food is always a good choice for someone that seems to have everything. I have also donated money to non-profit organizations in my gift recipient's name, a gift that can be very meaningful especially if the cause is something they are passionate about.
As "Black Friday" approaches and millions of people flock to the malls and the big box stores, I hope to stay at home and think up alternative gift ideas for everyone on my list. Black Friday has come to mean "Buy Nothing Day" (one of my favorite Adbusters campaigns) to me. It's certainly a perfect day to boycott consumerism. I hope you can resist the sales this Friday and start creating a more meaningful and less wasteful holiday season for you and yours.
On a related note, I must recommend a very delicious and completely cruelty-free centerpiece to your Thansgiving meal: TOFURKY! It has been my holiday staple for several years, and is entirely vegan despite its very convincing turkey taste. Give the turkeys something to be thankful for this year and try leaving them off your plate. (A hint from my kitchen: Tofurky is very easy to make if you follow the directions, but I recommend basting liberally and often with olive oil, soy sauce, and herbs for a juicy, delicious Tofurky even your meat-eating relatives will enjoy).
Labels: corpo-consumerism, environment/sustainability, lifestyle
FUN WATER FACTS:
Only 1 % of the earths water is available for drinking:2%
is currently frozen.
Water is the only substance on earth found naturally in three forms-solid,liquid and gas.
Heating water is typically the second largest energy use in the US home.
Two hours of lawn sprinkling equals 500-600 gallons.
Flushing a toilet 5 times a day, at 6 gallons per flush, will use approximately 30 gallons of water a day or 11,000 gallons per year.
Washing the car with the hose uses approximantly 5 gallons per minute.
A single morning shower for five minutes uses 25 gallons of water.
A low flow shower head can reduce water consumption by 50%.
Ultra-low-flush toilets,using 1.6 gallons per flushing, will save an estimated 18,000 to 30,000 gallons of water per year depending on the size of the household.
you can survive about a month without food, but only 5 to 7 days without water.
On average a person uses about 100 gallons of water a day.
70% of the earth is water.
70% of our skin is water
The Koala bear and the desert rat do not drink water.
Using a double barrel rain harvesting system at every downspout on your house stores as much as 440 gallons within a few hours if it rains an inch that day.
This information is from The Rainbarrelman Company, www.rainbarrelman.com in Portland Oregon.
Thanks for the info. It reminds me that I need to get a rainwater collection system set up. Guess I should ask my landlord to put rain gutters on my house first though... :-/