Why don’t we do it? You’ve heard this question: We know how to fix climate change, so why don’t we do it? I’ve written a lot here about the role of advertising, how it would love to control not only consumer purchases, but consumer lives, while treating the Earth’s marvels like war-plundered women. And yet,Continue reading “Post 61: Why Don’t We Do It?“
Author Archives: Kay Sather
Post 60: People Bought These 10 Items! You Won’t Believe What Happened Next!
Not buying stuff adds up to real money. It doesn’t always seem like it, when the refused purchase is something small, but it does add up. I was able to retire at age 49—even without Social Security and Medicare. It wasn’t like I was making the big bucks; I think the most I ever madeContinue reading “Post 60: People Bought These 10 Items! You Won’t Believe What Happened Next!”
Post 59: An Open Letter to President Biden on the IRA
Note from Kay: Thanks, friends, for visiting again today. This is the last of my weekly posts; you’ll be hearing from me every other week for a while. I’ll let you know when the book is done. Maybe there will be a deal for New Stuff Sucks readers. So: ¡No te vayas! Forget about theContinue reading “Post 59: An Open Letter to President Biden on the IRA”
Post 58: Zero-Carbon Dating
Notes from Kay: Last week I mentioned a post I had just written might have been somehow erased. I can now say it has been lost forever. Argh. It’s a frustrating loss, but not tragic, as human losses go. (I’ll rewrite it when I can handle the thought.) At some point in the near future,Continue reading “Post 58: Zero-Carbon Dating”
Post 57: Fast Lane, or Purslane?
I’d originally planned for this post to be an essay about the irrigation ditch I dug from the street through my front yard. It was all written, ready for photos, when the contents of the Word file went blank. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but computers are inhabited with little devils, whose favorite pastime—whenContinue reading “Post 57: Fast Lane, or Purslane?“
Post 56. Tandemonium
Guest post by Anna Mirocha From Kay: When I first went carless, my daughter was 10. I bought us an old tandem bicycle to get around town. She was too young to fully appreciate my planetary concerns, or the fact that we’d save money, or the exercise benefits. It was a case of the parentContinue reading “Post 56. Tandemonium”
Post 55: My Top 10 Best Alley Finds Ever (Outdoor Edition)
Looking at the examples below, you might think I spend my days prowling the alleys. Not true. It’s great exercise, but I also go for walks via the neighborhood streets. I hit the alleys maybe once every couple of months, adding an extra trip if I’m looking for something in particular. On those occasions IContinue reading “Post 55: My Top 10 Best Alley Finds Ever (Outdoor Edition)”
Post 54: The Forced Abdication of a Monarch
Last week I got a very short email from my friend Marion. It said, “Monarchs on endangered species list … sad day.” A sad day, yes. To me, that email was a knife in the heart. Actually, I had heard something to that effect on the radio a couple days earlier. But I didn’t want to hearContinue reading “Post 54: The Forced Abdication of a Monarch”
Post 53: Punished for Our Purchases
A couple weeks ago, Terry and I had to buy some new stuff. Once in a while, as I’ve said, it’s unavoidable. At least we could still protest the shopping trip by biking to the store instead of driving there. The temperature was in the three digits, but it was only two miles away andContinue reading “Post 53: Punished for Our Purchases”
Post 52: A Monsoon Story
Nature is the opposite of new stuff. If you’re out in your back yard, you’re not at Walmart. If you’re hiking in the wilderness, you’re not ordering stuff on the Internet. If you’re camping in the reality of the desert, you’re not moving through the artificial world of video games. Human beings tend to thinkContinue reading “Post 52: A Monsoon Story”
New Stuff Sucks 