We’ve all got stuff in our closet that we don’t wear, don’t like, maybe don’t even remember how it came to be ours. It might be tempting to just toss it into a dumpster and be done with it, or stick it in a bunch of trash bags and haul it to the local thrift store, but 57% of all donated items still end up in the landfill. Today I’m sharing how you can minimize the environmental impact of your unwanted stuff. It IS possible. 

Amazing article on what to do with old underwear and bras

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Sure it’s fun to get a bargain when you’re clothes shopping, but the fashion industry–particularly fast fashion–is really tough on the environment. Today I’m sharing an environmentally friendly way to get great clothes for cheap (that DOESN’T involve supporting cheap clothing brands that exploit human and natural resources). AND, how spending more money for the rest of your clothes saves you–and the planet–in the long run. 

Today I’m talking about ways to responsibly spend less on the majority of the clothes you buy (in a planet-friendly way–no disposable clothes!), so that you can also spend more on certain pieces that are designed to last. It’s all geared to help you reduce the environmental impact of your clothing choices. 

UN Environment Programme stats on the environmental impact of fast fashion

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Once hailed as the material of the future, plastic has become a real problem for the planet--it uses fossil fuels to make, burning it or letting it decompose releases a lot of chemicals into the environment, and recycling it doesn't seem to be making much of a dent. Is it possible to reduce your plastic in a meaningful--and still doable--way? That's what I’m asking Stephanie Seferian, author of Sustainable Minimalism: The Aspiring Minimalist’s Guide to Living Consciously and Contributing to a “Greener” Tomorrow, and the host of the Sustainable Minimalists podcast, which I love and think you will too. 

Sustainable Minimalists podcast

Follow Stephanie on Instagram

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What do you do when you’re sick of what you’ve been wearing. OR, you’ve got something coming up where you want to look sharp. You go shopping, right!? Whee!! Well, yes, but you don’t need to leave the house to shop at the most environmentally sustainable place on the planet–AKA, your own closet. 

ClosetMaid survey

An article about the Movinga survey on percentage of clothes worn

Average items of clothing purchased each year

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Ever get home from a shopping trip and feel like you got swept up in the moment and you’re not really going to wear what you bought? Or opened a drawer or your closet and saw stuff in there still with tags on it, and felt guilty about wasting money? I’ve got a question to ask yourself that can help change that. 

It’s part of a week of episodes on planet-friendly shopping. After all, it’s back-to-school season, and even if you aren’t headed back to the halls of learning (or are responsible for a child who is), the urge to buy new dungarees, notebooks, and backpacks is STRONG. Let’s consume consciously. Whaddyasay? 

The EPA’s stats on textile use

Marge Piercy poem: “To Be of Use” 

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Is there someone in particular, or maybe even a group of people you’ve lost touch with in the last couple years? If yes, it makes sense–a global pandemic can really put a damper on your social activities!

This week I’m talking about taking stock of where you’re at in general at this point in the pandemic and in the year. And a cool way to do that is to reach out to someone that you’ve lost touch with since the world shut down in early 2020. When the two of you catch up, it’s a great chance to verbally process what you experienced and what you learned from it. 

Send me your better person questions! Email: [email protected]

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How often do you think about how your life has been going up to this point? Not very often, right? I’ve got an exercise for you today that can help you get a little objectivity and clarity on who you are and what you’ve done that’s also just a fun thought experiment, and that is to think about what the title of your memoir would be. 

Those prompts again are:

A specific incident or place that has shaped you

Finish the phrase This is the Story of ____ or A Year of _____

A phrase you heard a lot or say a lot

The most provocative thing you believe

The Art of Memoir by Mary Karr

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So maybe there’s something on your goal list for 2022 that you haven’t been doing–something like exercise, or saving more, or marketing your business or even posting on social media. You’re just not doing it. 

Today I’m sharing something that helps me tremendously, and it’s really kinda silly. But hey, so be it. It’s turning the thing you don’t want to do into a game. Specifically, into a game of bingo. 

Couple of examples:

Home yoga practice summertime bingo

Summer reading bingo from The Novel Neighbor in Missouri

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As we ponder what we want to do differently in the months to come, I’ve got a suggestion that will help us all take our stress levels down. Can we all just be cool with our electronic communications taking a little longer? This is my prayer (and it should help us dial back that screen use that spiraled out of control out of lockdown and, let’s be honest, hasn’t really come back down.)

Is there a way to create a little more space around our digital communications that I forgot? Let me know! [email protected]. 

BBC article on increase in texting during pandemic

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Now that we’re three years into the pandemic–and in the last stages of summer when you can feel fall getting ready to come swinging in like Miley Cyrus on her wrecking ball–we’re in a collective contemplative moment. In today’s episode I’ll talk you through how to check in on your yearly goals, as well as a bigger picture check-in on how you’re doing in general at this particular juncture in time. 

Goals review: 

What goals have I achieved? 

What haven’t I completed but have made progress on? 

What haven’t I done because I’m no longer interested? 

Is there anything new I want to add,

Taking stock in general:

What’s going well? 

What isn’t going as well as I’d like? 

Where is my energy being drawn? 

What things am I feeling repelled by? 

What do I need more of? 

What could I stand less of? 

Relevant blog post:

27 Ways to Take Stock for Evaluate Your Life Day

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