68 JULY 2019
HOW TO SHOP MORE SUSTAINABLY TRIXIE REYNA-BENEDICTO
AND DECLUTTER SMARTER
ALL ABOUT THE UXlonger turn a blind eye when it comes
to environmental degradation and its
consequences. A UN study recently made
headlines for uncovering that over a million
species are at risk of extinction in the
next few years thanks to humans’ abuse
of the environment.
Even the Netflix documentary series Our
Planet, tell us as much: Humans are the
primary cause of the planet’s destruction. We
consume too much, waste too much,
and pollute everything.
Speaking of consumption and waste, another
Netflix series comes to mind: Tidying up
with Marie Kondo. The series (and Kondo’s
bestselling book The Life-Changing Magic of
Tidying Up) inspired people to declutter their
homes, keeping only the things that “spark joy”
and discarding the rest.
The problem with that is, people often
have no idea how to get rid of their things.
A lot donated to charity or thrift stores, but
most tossed them in the trash—without
realizing that most of these end up in landfills
or the ocean.
While there are a lot of lifestyle changes
we need to make to preserve what’s left
of our planet and its resources for future
generations, how about we start with limiting
our consumption and being wiser about where
we buy and discard our stuff?
Below are some ideas for consuming less and
decluttering smarter:
Stop buying altogether. I’ve always practiced
a version of the #NoBuy philosophy (look it
up on Instagram, Reddit, and Buzzfeed). I only
buy when I absolutely need something and not
because it’s the trend or everyone has it. I still
wear clothes I’ve had since high school. As
of last year, I’ve stopped buying new clothes
(except to replace, say, torn gym clothes or
when I need something weather-specific).Buy and sell online. Thanks to the internet,
we don’t need to have or go to a garage sale
(or ukay-ukay for that matter) to buy and sell
second-hand clothes, gadgets, and furniture.
Even if there’s a physical component to some
of these options (i.e. meet-ups), websites and
social media pages have helped bridge the gap
between seller and buyer and removed the
need for a physical space to showcase goods.I started selling my belongings online when
I had to move out of Manila. I was surprised by
how much I earned and how many people are
willing to buy second hand at a good price.Donating to charity is another way to
declutter while doing a whole lot of good.
My mom and I support Caritas Manila’s
Segunda Mana (they’re on Facebook). We
gather clothes, accessories, and knick-knacks
we no longer use or need or have too much
of, and once they’re a significant bulk, we
contact Segunda Mana to have them picked
up from our home or sometimes drop them off
at donation boxes in different locations. These
are then sold in stalls in different shopping
areas (i.e. Greenhills), and the proceeds go to
scholarships and aid for underprivileged youth
and their families. Whether you give to or buy
from Segunda Mana, you help the poor.Other charities where you may donate
unused or old but usable clothes and home
items include Citizens’ Disaster Response
Center (cdrc-phil.com), Christian Mission
Service Philippines (cms.org.ph), and
Precious Heritage Ministries Foundation, Inc.
(phfoundation.org).Recycle. You can drop off your old clothes—or
any textiles including sheets, curtains, and
mats—from any brand in any condition at all
H&M stores. Instead of being thrown away
and ending up in landfills, these will be reused
or recycled to create new products through
H&M’s innovation in recycling technology. In
return, they give a 15 percent discount coupon
for every bag of clothes/textiles you give.Exchange. There’s a promising Tacloban-based
initiative called Yellow Doors Xchange (YDX): It’s
a barter program that encourages its members
(who can sign up via YDX.ph on Facebook) to
donate used items—everything from clothes
and luggage to furniture and art—in exchange
for points they can use to purchase preloved
items in the YDX store, currently housed in
Tacloban’s Yellow Doors Hostel.According to proprietor Jake Palami, items
not traded after a month will be creatively
upcycled by local artists and partners in
rural communities then sold at YDX. Some
donations will also go to charities, NGOs, and
church organizations.I hope the ideas presented here inspired you
to come up with your own ways of shopping
and living more sustainably. Write in if you
want more!We can no