Speaking of Stuff...

In this blog, we strive to highlight products and services that do a double-duty, both serving your need (or want) and giving back in some way. But the bigger question is how to exist in the world all day, every day, and do the most good possible, and the answer comes back to lowering your net impact.

Making responsible shopping choices is important, but it's not everything. Many of these sustainable, eco- and people-friendly products are unfortunately a drop in the bucket, far outpaced by our careening into global warming and resource exhaustion. What we need is a revolution.

From a recent Fast Co.Exist article on Radical Sustainability:

First, we need a revolution in innovation, focused on designing products, services, and experiences that cost less, deliver more, and drive net-positive impact. Second, we need to re-define the relationship between people and the things they buy so it’s less about stuff and more about relationships, participation, community, and fulfillment.


The Story of Stuff is another great synopsis of why we need a movement, and not just a few lifestyle adjustments: 


And finally, from an interview with Susan Osgood by Womenetics:

...our economies’ growth is dependent upon producing, selling and consuming ever more “stuff.” Our current business models are reliant on the ever increase of sales of “stuff’ to generate revenues. This “stuff” requires natural resources, and we are running out of many of them.  

We are often living beyond our means, not just financially but in our consumption of non-essential goods, services, and resources. Just because we can have it all does not mean we should: and it's going to take more than responsible lifestyles to turn this ship around. Bottom-up changes must meet top-down system and policy shifts. One cannot succeed without the other.

Speaking of turning things around, watch for shifts in this blog coming soon...