Out of Chaos an organizing newsletter
Change
Since the beginning of my career as an organizer, I’ve been aware of the synergy between organizing and the environment. One of the major reasons that my industry has flourished in recent decades is that it’s been cheaper to buy all kind of stuff, so consumers have been consuming at a breakneck pace. More stuff: more clutter. Sometimes, I say a little prayer as I drag the 10th Hefty bag of the day to the garbage. Yes, it’s the right thing for my clients to get rid of this stuff, and there are only so many trips a person is willing to take to the Goodwill. But, oh Lord, the landfill: I have definitely added a lot to the landfill in my professional capacity, and sometimes I feel bad about that.
After the climate march on Friday, I had a conversation with my kids about what we could do as a family to help the environment. We already do a lot: We compost, and use reusable shopping bags, water bottles, coffee cups and straws, we recycle and so on, but obviously, we all need to do more.
Forget Disposable:
One thing I love about non-disposable things is that they take up a fixed amount of space. Five water bottles always take up the same amount of space, which is easier when you are organizing. A case of Poland Spring takes up a ton of room, until it dwindles and you put other stuff that space, which becomes a problem when you bring home the next case of water. I always encourage my clients to stay away from disposable stuff as much as possible because it makes space-management easier.
Buy Less:
Of course, where organizing and environmentalism really overlap is in resisting consumption. I think I’m a pretty conscious consumer, but when I saw so many beautiful posters on the backs of used cardboard boxes at the climate march, I was ashamed of my brand-new poster board sign. We should all challenge ourselves to stop adding to the landfill. What can you reuse? Do you really need a new couch or can you just reupholster the one you have? Is it really important that all the bins in your closet match? I know everyone wants to feel in control of their spaces, I get it! But while we may be controlling our homes, it’s at the sacrifice of controlling the environment, and right now, it seems that we really need to focus on that.
Limit Your Options:
My daughter’s idea for how we can improve is to stop eating meat. My son didn’t look so thrilled about it, but I told him we could just try it, and he doesn’t have to be a vegetarian, we could just not have meat at home. My mind immediately went to dinner. While it would be challenging for me to completely eliminate meat from my menus, it would probably make me a better and more creative cook, because limitations tend to force us to be creative. They also keep things simpler, because one of the blessings and curses of modern times is that we have so many choices that it is overwhelming, so taking meat away is simply a way of streamlining my choices and giving my executive function a break.
So resist that next purchase, see what you can reuse, and I’ll let you know how the Veggie Curry goes over at my house.