January 14 was my mother’s birthday. If she hadn’t died too young, at age 74, she would have been 105. (Somewhere there’s a scumbag who made it that far, I’m sure. That guy with the hood and scythe can be so unfair.) So I’m thinking of her. I’m thinking of the family vacations we tookContinue reading “Post 27: Flat Is Beautiful”
Tag Archives: sustainability
Post 26: An Unqualified Reviewer Takes On “Don’t Look Up”
During the holidays, with New Stuff Sucks on hiatus, I watched a documentary on Netflix. (Terry put me on his account. The free library service, Kanopy, would have been enough for me—but I’m not complaining.) The documentary was short, and I don’t remember what it was about. But when it was over, before I couldContinue reading “Post 26: An Unqualified Reviewer Takes On “Don’t Look Up””
25. Biking into 2022
Thanks for finding your way back to this site after the break. Please send me your stories of personal victories over consumerism during the holidays, under the heavy pressure to buy new stuff. Here’s a short one from me: My daughter has finally gotten the bug to fix up her weedy, unkempt yard—but she hadContinue reading “25. Biking into 2022”
Post 24: Oprah Was Wrong
I might not remember this exactly, because I haven’t tuned in to hear Oprah talk about anything in many years. It was one of her “etiquette” shows, I think, all about what’s polite and what’s rude, the things you should never do. Re-gifting—passing along a gift you didn’t want to someone else—was on the listContinue reading “Post 24: Oprah Was Wrong”
23. Shirts from Shower Curtains
Guest Contributor: Barbara Rose I met Barbara Rose when she started teaching permaculture classes here in Tucson, and a friend signed up. My friend loved it, so the following year I made sure to get in. I didn’t know it then, but Barbara was more than our teacher—she essentially helped bring permaculture forward into Tucson’s consciousness, after readingContinue reading “23. Shirts from Shower Curtains”
22. Ribbons Are Forever
This is what one of the curling ribbons I tossed in a compost bin looked like after more than a year of composting. Not much happened. Parts of it lost their color and attracted some dirt, but otherwise there’s no sign at all of decomposition. The ribbon had defied the bacteria and other natural forces,Continue reading “22. Ribbons Are Forever”
20. It All Comes Out in the Wash Water
There’s a scene from the movie El Norte that’s still with me 35 years after I first saw it. Actually, there are two other scenes I remember as well: the one where the father’s severed head is swaying in the breeze, and the one where Rosa and Enrique are crawling through a tunnel and areContinue reading “20. It All Comes Out in the Wash Water”
18. Henpecked
Someone recently suggested that I write about our chickens. I thanked them for the idea. After all, I wrote three posts about building the coop, and nothing on the occupants. But what did they have to do with new stuff sucking? Obviously, if we’re getting eggs from them, we can avoid buying egg cartons. ThatContinue reading “18. Henpecked”
15. It’s Only Natural
I couldn’t click the mouse anymore. My arm hurt too much. There was nothing I could do but try switching to my left hand. It was awkward at first. But it wasn’t like I was trying to write with the left hand—just click. Soon I was clicking along. And my right arm was having aContinue reading “15. It’s Only Natural”
New Stuff Sucks 