Easy Peasy Tip: Buy Used!
By tinychoices | March 8, 2008
When shopping for a [thing you really need], see if you can find that [thing you really need] used, instead of new. You know how you have shirts hanging in your closet with tags still on them, perfectly good, but just not your style? Well, someone else has the lamp you want, the ottoman you need, and/or the bicycle you’ll love, and they just don’t need it anymore. There’s already been so much stuff made in this world–and avoiding the manufacture of new stuff is the most environmentally positive thing you can do.
For example: buying a “used” filing cabinet from someone who doesn’t need theirs anymore saves the earth the expense of: mining the metal; production of the toxic paint; shipping the metal; shipping the paint; manufacture of the metal into the filing cabinet; logging of wood for the shipping box; production of cardboard from the wood; manufacture and shipping of printing ink for the box; shipping the box to the filing cabinet factory; shipping the filing cabinet to the retail store; transporting the cabinet to your home; transportation of the cardboard box to the recycling plant or landfill.
Good places to buy used: eBay, Craigslist, FreeCycle, thrift shops, local newspapers.
[Image by rick via Creative Commons]
Topics: EasyPeasyTips, Waste |
Right on! And another great thing to buy used is BOOKS. Amazon has a great network of used book sellers and it’s very easy to buy this way. Many churches, schools, libraries and other organizations have used book sales that are another good source of books.
I’d also like to point out that when you are buying used stuff from online resources, try to buy from places closer to home to cut down on shipping. Besides, you’ll often pay lower shipping costs and get things a lot faster! Ebay, for example is great for searching locally–you can choose to buy within **whatever #** miles of your zip code.
Great, great point, Brandy! I love using Craigslist for this, because, even if it means I’m schlepping a stereo home on the subway (as I did last week), I caused no extra emissions that way. Except, I guess, for my heavy breathing. :)
Shopping via internet, sure decreases gas use, auto wear and tear and pollution! I really only buy used. I’d been married 30 yrs. before we bought a real new livingroom set. Thank goodness for Salvation Army, and the various thrift shops nearby. It is insane pay the designers prices. Why would one?