THE CHALLENGE:
BUY LESS OR BUY WELL IN 21 DAYS
Buy less:
The average person throws out 2 kg of trash a day. For every 1 kg of trash we throw away, 7 kg is thrown away on average in the waste upstream. That's almost 14 kg. of trash a day.
THAT'S INSANE.
Buying less is the number one thing you can do to produce less trash.
Before buying anything make sure you really truly need it. Always ask self a series of questions.
- Do you really need it?
- Is it really necessary?
- Can something else make do?
- Do you need to own it?
Buy well:
However, there are still purchases we need to make. If you don't live completely off grid/are self-sustaining, you'll need to make some purchases.
So when you do purchase something, really think about its full life-cycle. Think about where it came from and where it's going after you're through with it.
Here are a series of questions you can ask yourself when making a new purchase.
- Ask a friend.
- Can you find it second hand?
- Can you find it local?
- Who made it?
- Is it made to last/ can it be repaired?
- What happens when you’re done with it?
Always check the secondhand market first and if you're going to buy something new make sure you're taking everything into consideration.
