Faux Deprivation
I gotta say, I’m really floored by the level of sacrifice exhibited here. No new clothes for a year! Wow. But as far as such eco-gimmicks go, it doesn’t begin to approach this one.
Seriously, I would have been more impressed if the Guardian writer had become a Freegan for a month, or swore off jet travel for 2010. Instead, he takes the no retail therapy pledge for metrosexuals and thinks he’s helping save the world. Gimme a break. Talk to me after you donate half your wardrobe to someone in need or volunteer at a soup kitchen once a week for a year.
On a less cheeky note, the new California governor seems to have his head in the right place, though anyone who knows anything about New Urbanist dwellings knows they are mostly trendy, expensive digs for the well-to-do set. That said, when I see Thomas Friedman give up his kings castle for something a little more scaled back that is at least consistent with his green gospel, we’ll know a real trend of self-sacrifice is in the making.
Well i’ve pledged for 2011 to actually take the dogs for a real walk, instead of putting them on my powered treadmill whilst I watch Hockey and consume beer.
Is that sacrifice enough?
Keith, just went to the Guardian blog, noticed that there was nowhere to express my opinion!
TFF!
I recently heard an interesting segment on NPR’s Planet Money podcast about donated clothing. Apparently, there is a huge overabundance of donated clothing in this country (the USA), much much more than can be sold in thrift stores. Most of it is sorted, sold by the pound and shipped to the third-world where it is resold. So if you ever see a picture of some guy out in BFE with a Lakers shirt on, that’s probably how he got it.
No new clothes for a year? That’s hilarious.
The second guy you linked to atleast gets into the spirit of things a bit more…although not exactly a pioneer of this kind of experiment as he seems to assume (he calls himself a leader). It’s also not hard to feel a little cynical when he has a film crew around documenting his ‘adventure’ and the irony of putting out a hardcover book/cd’s etc at the end of trying to cut down on stuff. Why not just force an ebook or digital download option (get rid of the ‘thing’), straight from his blog??
The second fellow could have cut his garbage and waste by two thirds if he’d given up the takeaway coffee and meals.
20 disposable coffee cups in 4 days? There is this amazing new thing, (only been around since the invention of the potters wheel in 3,800 BC) called a “Cup”. You can use it, rinse it and use it again.
Metal, reusable cutlery is probably too “new fangled” for him to have heard of yet. 🙂