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| … is good for the environment. |
I would rather give things away than sell them. It is so much easier and stress free. Therefore our local thrift shops are the recipients of a lot of our stuff.
In doing research on various agencies accepting donations, Linda came across the following information about how giving to thrift shops diverts things from the waste stream and lowers your carbon footprint.
"When you donate to us you help the environment by responsibly processing your clean, gently used possessions for reuse through our thrift stores.
Each year, our program diverts more than 48 million kilograms of clothing, household items and electronics from Canadian landfills.
This translates into a savings of 876 million kWh of energy while reducing our donors’ carbon footprint by 120 million kilograms of CO2 emissions.
This is equivalent to driving a car 43,000 times around the globe or saving 8.6 million trees."
I love living on the lower tiers of the material food chain. Almost all our belongings are 2nd hand and each time we move (fairly often), they get reentered back into the loop for someone else to use. I try hard to practice non attachment to material things (it's a work in progress). And I love that a charity also benefits from the cycle - it's all good. :)
ReplyDeleteGam Kau,
DeleteThe last time we moved we brought some stuff with us, and bought the rest of our things at a local thrift store. It makes ecological sense to keep useful things in circulation, and there are so many other benefits of going this route.
Learning non-attatchment is one of those benefits, and perhaps is one of the most beneficial. Giving is good.
I love this! When I lost a significant amount of weight several years ago, I went through my closet and donated my larger-size clothes to our local Salvation Army family thrift store. Several days later, I went into the store to look for some new-to-me clothes, and there were my donated dresses, prominently displayed on a wall behind the cash register! While I was still shopping, several women tried them on, and by the time I left, all my donated dresses had gone to new homes. It was such a great feeling, knowing that these clothes were going on to a new life rather than hanging, unworn, in my closet. Donating gently-worn clothes and goods is truly one of the best ways to keep the good karma going, help out the environment, and help out other people. (It doesn't hurt that I found a Burberry trench coat at that same SA thrift store, either!) Donating is truly a win-win situation for everyone (and everything) involved.
ReplyDeleteAnon,
DeleteWow - that is a great story that highlights the closing of the loop… right in front of your very eyes.
I like the idea of things finding a new home in which to live out their useful purpose, and going this route helps out so many… including us.
Thanks for sharing.