Well, I've completed the year of buying nothing new. And despite what some might think, I didn't rush to the nearest store and buy something new. Rather, I realized all over again how satisfied I've been with the material goods I've got and have had for the past year (or longer). Of course it was a challenging experiment at times, negotiating gifts, body care products, and my "sustainable" mode of transportation which required the most bending of the commitment.
In summary, here are the things that I did end up purchasing new (not without grave contemplation):
-new bicycle helmet
-new bike tires
-new chain and cassette, twice
-new bike lube
-new pocket knife (mine sadly being forgotten on a beautiful NZ beach)
-new toothpaste (though I made plenty of my own homemade stuff too)
-new soap (made one batch from scratch!)
It seemed ironic how my sustainable mode of transport required many 'new' things that either didn't feel comfortable buying second hand, or just wasn't available second hand.
That being said, I am excited to buy new bike shorts. My current pair have been very well worn (ahem, since 2009 well worn).
It's been an exciting project and it really made me think a bit harder about every consumer purchase that I made, and I felt encouraged and determined to experiment with making my own body products and finding whatever gear I might need second hand. I often wondered if it would have been harder to buy nothing new for the year if I was living in one place.
That led me to consider the sustainability of a nomadic lifestyle, such as I've been living for the past year and half. Food choices that are made when I'm traveling immediately come to mind. Smaller quantities are more often bought, and they usually have more packaging. Purchasing smaller quantities also means that fruits and vegetables from farmers markets cannot be stockpiled and preserved in the way you can if you live in one spot. So food habits become a bit less sustainable on the road. Though, I always make a point of travelling with empty plastic bags to refill at bulk stores, and I seek out farmers markets in each new place that I visit. Not only is it a way to get delicious more sustainable food, but it is an experience of some of that places' culture.
And modes of transportation are also less sustainable when you're traveling. Though I did chose to ride my bicycle most of the places I was exploring over the past year and half, I also took two massive flights across the pacific. Carbon debt for sure. But, whenever possible I chose trains, buses and of course my bike Poppy as a fulfilling alternative to flying over precious and interesting landscapes. Camping over the past year with all my gear packed aboard poppy meant that I became much more pleased with the simple needs of life. Food water, shelter, warmth. I didn't use nearly as much energy and water as I would have living in a house; less showers, more swimming!
So all this reflection and talk about sustainable living brings me to my next thought! What will I challenge myself with this year! Thoughts and brainstorms with my friends here on the west coast have revolved around food and around waste. After discussing with some friends recently in Victoria, we decided to watch the film The Clean Bin Project, a film we'd all heard of but never sat down to watch.
The couple in this documentary go a year without buying nothing new, and creating as little waste as possible, and they keep all their non-recyclable waste for the whole year! They end up with just a little bin of garbage each. Amazing! So, since completing my experimental year of buying nothing new, I now am going to start a year of collecting every bit of non-recyclable waste that I create, and avoiding that waste to begin with. Fun right? Anyone interested in having a bit of friendly competition with me? Whoever has the least amount of waste at the end of the year wins...?
