Living Light

Let me first suggest that you go here, and play the song Try on Life while you read this post.  My favorite line in this song is building a community.   We have come a long way since I wrote this post and while we still have more work to do I'd like to share our current journey with you.

We are in the beginning of making the transition towards living light.  What that looks like for us may be different from what it looks like for you, but we feel like it is a necessary change.  The Compact was one of the original groups to actually challenge lasting change.  Here is a quote from their site.

1) TO GO BEYOND RECYCLING IN TRYING TO COUNTERACT THE NEGATIVE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIOECONOMIC IMPACTS OF U.S. CONSUMER CULTURE, TO RESIST GLOBAL CORPORATISM, AND TO SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESSES, FARMS, ETC; 2) TO REDUCE CLUTTER AND WASTE IN OUR HOMES (AS IN TRASH COMPACT-ER); 3) TO SIMPLIFY OUR LIVES (AS IN CALM-PACT)

What started as thriftiness has evolved into stewardship.  

STUFF

After reading this book I began to question where my stuff came from, who made it, why I bought it and if I really needed it to begin with.

The first step for me has been to bypass Target and head over to local or handmade vendors like you may find at SKY Farmers Market, ETSY, and the Kentucky Guild.

The library is a great way to borrow things and then give them back.  

FOOD

Re-thinking our food is another way to live lighter (possibly literally).  Not only is a large amount of the food we purchase wasted and even thrown in the trash but it is often covered in tons of paper and plastic.  Then we wrap it in more paper and plastic to take it home.

Buy Local-when you purchase food directly from local farmers and producers you most often take home just food without the trash.  Or they will most likely be packaged in recycled materials. 

Buy Fresh-The more processed a food item is the more waste goes into producing and packaging that item.

Upcycle-You can do this yourself by creating something new from your trash (the kids and I are working on a large play house made from recycled items) or visit Terracycle for ways others can re-use your trash.

Re-usable Bags-you can get these everywhere now and they make a huge difference.

THRIFTING

Clothing-Repets Thrift and  Lil' Angels Attic are a few of my favorites because their mission is bigger than just offering STUFF. 

Gifts-See if you can find others to trade with you (it may be easier than you think), learn a craft and make something rather than buying something new.

Cloth Diapers-There are so many reasons to use cloth diapers.  Besides the multitude of envionmental reasons you can also trade or sell your diapers for other things.

GIVE

There is so much stuff out there that we are hoping to trade or give away.

As you begin to evaluate your stuff you realize how much you have and how much others need.  You begin to realize what is really important in life:  family, friends, our world.  Here are some great organizations to give your stuff to.

Bowling Green Refugee Center

Repets Thrift

Newborns in Need

Please leave a comment with your links and tips to living lighter.