Consumer Issues

Entries Tagged as 'Consumer Issues'

Why we don’t want to be inhaling or swallowing Styrofoam

June 10th, 2013 · No Comments · brain theory, Consumer Issues, Disposability, Trash Disposal

It’s not rocket surgery. All you have to do is watch the surface of any hot liquid in one of those Styrofoam cups to see it forming a slick on your drink. When every cell in my body goes “Ew!” I pay attention. I may not be a scientist, but my body knows a few [...]

We’re all eating Styrofoam

June 6th, 2013 · No Comments · Consumer Issues, Decluttering, Disposability, Packaging, Polystyrene

See the big blocks of Styrofoam cluttering up your garage or basement. Does the thought of taking a big bite out of one of them repulse you? Surprise! — we’re already essentially doing that. Styrofoam, a brand name for polystyrene, takes 500 years to decompose. When we throw it away, it doesn’t break down in [...]

What about the problem of too many clothes?

May 10th, 2013 · No Comments · brain theory, Consumer Issues

Uh oh. I may have just come up against the limitations of my decluttering blog. I actually don’t have this problem, so I don’t know if I can be of any help in this area. I could tell you that I keep my wardrobe under control by being frugal and organized, and claim to be all zen [...]

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Collectivitis combined with the ecological mindset

March 18th, 2013 · 1 Comment · Collecting, Consumer Issues, Disposability, Philosophy, The Packrat Mind, Trash Disposal

You might think it’s dumb that I write about things like pen caps and sock hangers — but that would mean you were missing my larger purpose. My assignment (call it a compulsion if you must) is to scrutinize each and every little item and ask the big questions — go all the way back [...]

Just Say NO to STUFF

December 10th, 2012 · No Comments · Consumer Issues, Decluttering, Trash Disposal

I used to blame myself for being a packrat, but I’ve noticed that every living person I know has this same clutter problem. A lot of dead people I’ve known have this problem too, and the living people around them aren’t at all happy about it. Wait. Maybe I shouldn’t blame myself. At least not [...]

Life’s Important Questions about Junk

December 6th, 2012 · No Comments · Consumer Issues, Decluttering, Excess of Possessions

Nowadays, every item I choose to purge brings up a whole list of complicated questions, such as: How did this item get into my house, why did I keep it, and what shall I do with it now? After a while, getting rid of stuff becomes a tiresome chore, and you begin to ask even more [...]

Back to the Caves?

December 5th, 2012 · No Comments · Consumer Issues, The Packrat Mind, Trash Disposal

The global garbage problem disturbs me horribly. The whole world is filling up with stuff just like our homes are. I don’t think going back to being cave people is the answer. My hope is that if we start from the microcosm of our own dwellings, word of our efforts, of our refusals to participate, [...]

More on Cave Dweller Life

December 4th, 2012 · No Comments · Consumer Issues, Excess of Possessions, Trash Disposal

In Paleolithic times, the nagging household question was “Honey, where’s my club?” That wasn’t a hard one, when you only had three or four possessions. Today the question is “Where’s my this, where’s my that!?” and on and on. A different question every time. Drives Honey crazy. Why can’t we find our stuff? Because, unlike [...]

ROOM FOR A PONY

Exploring what life could be like if we weren't buried in clutter, burdened with too many possessions, and surrounded by chaos.