At craft store you can buy a big sealed mystery box o’crap for $10. Why?

This seems obvious now, but posting it in case others didn't think of it. I have been using cloths cut to 8x8 inside of this napkin holder as "reusable paper towels" for a few months now. I couldn't get behind the gimmicky tubes that you need to roll the towels around after each wash... I had some baby washcloths from my kid that happened to be the exact right size for this napkin holder. The bonus is that there is no folding needed - just launder and stack them back up. I leave these out on the kitchen table and ppl grab one whenever a paper towel would have been used. I have since cut and hemmed a few old towels into 8x8 size to increase my stash.

We spent an hour picking up litter in our village in Switzerland just to see what people throw away when they think nobody's looking. Even in a place with free glass/PET/metal drop-off points on every corner, we collected over 7 kg (15.4 lbs) of trash.

The irony is that among all the single use energy drink cans and plastic bottles we found a kids' scooter that someone just dumped instead of taking it to the recycling center 500 meters away.

Here's the full 11-minute video of what we found and the final weigh-in: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkQicGISyAc

Been doing this for over 2 years, so I thought I would share with those who are still at the beginning of the journey and hope it might help someone else.

I started with a budget (Income vs. Costs), and from there I opened another account (in this case a savings account). I move all the money I don't need based on budget fixed costs into it as soon as my salary hits my normal account. From that point onwards I'm "broke"; the money in my savings doesn't really exist until I actually have a need (e.g. dentist, food, medication).

If I really want something that I don't need, I would have to transfer the money back into my current account. This extra step helped me pause and re-think any purchase; also in terms on what it is I buy (where was it produced, environmental impact, who am I giving my money to). This helped me not only build a very good savings foundation, it also changed my mindset even more along the way to consume less.

Of course, it also helps to be content with yourself and know that another set of designer whatever product won't make you happier.

First-time poster here. I remembered this sub because I just ordered something from Amazon, then got curious since I rarely visit the site, and realised my last order was in 2020.

Not judging as I know people who use it weekly and are just as happy as I am, but it got me thinking if maybe I´m the one who's in the wrong, the weird (or sad) one? But I just don't feel the need to have lots of stuff.

As I browsed through the site, it occurred to me that I don't see it as a shopping site: all I see is advertising, an as such I automatically ignore it. (Can't explain it any better.)

Sorry for a post about... nothing, really.

Hello,

So as a late teenager/young adult I had this thing where I just collected eyeshadow pallets for the fun of it. I obviously didn’t realise how bad overconsumption is for the planet and it’s not something i’m proud of. However, as an adult I no longer really wear eyeshadow so I have a bunch of pallets in a drawer. Can’t sell or donate them as they have been used, but throwing them away just adds to landfill. Does anyone have any advice on what I could do with the eyeshadows? I want to break the pallets down so all the cardboard can be recycled but not sure what to do with the makeup itself. Any advice is so appreciated! I’m just trying to do my part in helping the planet, even with my past mistakes!

I see so many people saying they would never buy a mined diamond because of blood diamonds, and that lab-grown is the only ethical option.

Fair enough. The diamond industry has real ethical issues.

But how many of those same people check whether their chocolate is Fairtrade, where the cocoa was sourced, or whether child labour was involved in producing it?

What about the cobalt in their phones, which can be linked to dangerous working conditions and child labour? Or the fast fashion they buy every other week?

I’m not saying people shouldn’t care about ethical diamonds. I’m questioning why we apply such strong ethical standards to one luxury purchase while overlooking the supply chains behind everyday products we buy without a second thought.

If the principle is that we shouldn’t support exploitation, shouldn’t we apply it consistently?

I’m genuinely curious: do people who exclusively buy lab-grown diamonds also actively avoid other products linked to exploitative labour, or do diamonds get singled out because the issue is more visible and easier to make a statement about?