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Wednesday 28 May 2014

Start A "Don't Buy It" Club!

I was reading the latest issue of Urban Farm magazine and there was an article titled It Takes An Eco-Village.  "From co housing to cooperative houses, intentional communities provide green-living options that fit many lifestyles and budgets", said the article.  Heck, we've done that in our little village without ever knowing it was a trend.  Yay, us!



Something too heavy to move by yourself?  Call on a neighbour and know they will call on you when they need their house watched or their dogs let out.  Can't move that snow by shovel?  Hang in there until a neighbour comes by with a snowblower.  We help wherever and whenever we can and life gets a little easier for all of us through sharing some of the chores.  We borrow craft supplies, kitchen gadgets, pet food and ladders.  We share dinner leftovers, a party tent and many a bottle of wine.

In the interest of decluttering our homes, some of us started letting the others know what we had too much of.  I said, "Don't buy paper napkins for a back yard event.  I'm overloaded in them".  Then someone said they had too many painter face masks and someone else had dozens of plastic cutlery sets left over from a baby shower.  Pretty soon, we started mentioning anything we had too much of and someone else always needed it.


This year I didn't have to buy a single tomato plant.  A neighbour started organic plants indoors and gifted me with tomato, cauliflower and okra plants.  Starting plants indoors is simply impossible in a house with four cats.  That would just be seedling murder!



In turn, I called around and asked who needed seed packets.  I seem to get carried away with buying certain seeds and wind up with enough to plant 40 acres!

Of course, those of us who garden share our produce with those who don't garden. ~


Someone has to eat all that zucchini!

Try setting up your own Don't Buy It Club on your street or with your friends and family.  We are whittling away at the stuff that was filling up the cupboards.  Garages and sheds are emptying of excess furniture and accessories.  It feels great!

It's just a little thing but it connects us as a caring community and I think it goes a long way toward helping this village embrace a green lifestyle. ~


Plus, it makes you feel good when a neighbour wants to bake with her daughters and realizes she doesn't have any eggs.  

Who ya gonna call? ~


I guess I have to give the girls the credit for that one!

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