You Have too Much Stuff. Un-Stuff Yourself!
We Have a Problem of Over-Consumption
I am blown away by one simple statistic: Americans represent only 5% of the planet's population, but we consume 17% of the planet’s energy resources. This—as nothing else—speaks to American hubris. We bestride the world, and it is ours—the idea that if we can, we should! We are a disproportionate drain on a finite resource: the planet. We must engage in a sustainable strategy for the future and our present.
I want to discuss runaway consumerism, but I also want to discuss downsizing and how each of us is responsible for it. I want to examine the environmental benefits of downsizing possessions. Yes, the benefit of owning less for the planet.
We are the Posterchild of Success
Post-World War II, we were the cock-of-the-walk: We had saved the world from totalitarianism and became the dominant world power. We had our fingers in the diplomatic pie of many countries; we were the world's money lender and one of the few major countries that exited the war richer than when they entered it. We were modernized, mechanized, and industrialized. When America talked, the world listened. And if we needed to emphasize our dominance, we had BIG GUNS. Very big guns.
Coming home victorious, that power translated into building and expanding the base of physical and cultural infrastructure: roads, bridges, skyscrapers, airlines, super-industry, and…babies. This was the birth of the baby boomer, and he grew up in a world of plenty and wanted it all!
I don’t think it's a stretch to conceive that the baby boomers took Genesis 1:26-28 to heart: “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and every living creature that moves on the ground.” And it's not a far cry from the truth to say that the baby boomer is responsible for supercharging what is arguably the bain of modern society: advertising.
Advertising is the wolf in the fold. It is an aggressive predatory manifestation of…success. Advertising is a bugaboo; it thrives on and enflames our insecurities. It uses them to form a ready army of consumers instantly willing to spend, consume, and buy more stuff in a futile gesture to salve our unhappiness. Advertising wants nothing more than for each of us to make one emotional purchase after another, cluttering our lives with stuff.
We are a Toll Upon the Environment
The environmental benefit of downsizing our possessions is undeniable. The simple realization is that overconsumption will reduce and, in some cases, eventually eliminate resources like water, forests, and minerals. We cannot continue to harvest, manufacture, and consume without irreparable consequences to our only ecosystem. We cannot and must not continue to bury our world in endless landfills, oceans of plastic waste, and perhaps most critically in the long term, e-waste. All our discarded electronics poison our environment with cadmium, mercury, and lead. This poses severe health risks over time.
The bitter result of all of this is the much-talked-about carbon footprint. I’m not going to harangue you with endless statistics. However, our success and plenty have translated into unhealthy charges upon the environment. Fossil fuel burning, factory production, and even transportation are contributing to dangerous levels of greenhouse gases.
Something I feel is just as vital as the simple knowledge of pollution is how affluence attacks poorer countries. Yes, we export trash and carbon permits, and we exploit foreign labor. Increasingly, it feels desperately distasteful to be a consumer. The impact of consumerism on ecological health should be a burden on every thinking person.
The Benefits of Owning Less for the Planet
We have been sold a bill of goods and bought it with abandon. Success has been defined by “more.” More money, more stuff, more success. It's an endless unsavory feeding upon oneself. This, coupled with the empowered sense of the individual, has squelched the cry of the humble, the modest, the thinking feeling person in touch with the finite universe.
No, I’m not peddling any “woowoo” philosophy!
We live in a world where bounty is not necessarily shared, and there is much less than there was. This is a contemporary definition of finite if ever there was one. Do you know what else is finite? Your finances, your peace of mind, and your emotional clarity. The endless cycle of buying, consuming, and disposing will forever take a toll on those three things. Why? Because they do not offer answers, they do not give back plenty in any form, and the cycle has no meaning.
If we minimize what we buy and concentrate on keeping only durable, meaningful possessions, this activity will return clarity, financial freedom, and a focus on quality life. It isn't just the human condition that will derive benefits; the environment will harbor less waste, resources will be sustainable, and, yes, the carbon footprint will be reduced.
How do we Un-Stuff Ourselves?
We are not going to change a reigning mentality overnight. However, we must thoughtfully and intentionally change our mindset. We must decide to see our possessions as tools and not some kind of trophy to lord over others. Life is not a race, and the finish line does not grant any rewards to those who have the most toys. If we can ask ourselves if we are addressing a need or a want when we consume, we will have overcome a big challenge.
When we can see ourselves in a space where we can cut back and even de-clutter, we’ll harness the power that consumerism has stolen from us. I’m reminded of a phrase coined by Marie Kondo: keep only those things that “spark joy.” We can do this! We can gradually move from room to room over time, decluttering in stages. We just need to be thinking about what we are doing and then do it with purpose. Donate, recycle, and repurpose. The last option should always be “throw away.”
To be successful, we have to sustain the energy and drive to buy less and, when we do buy, focus on high-quality, ethically sourced, and produced items. And curb the impulse purchases for the love of all that's holy. Additionally, something that I have been remiss in using but nevertheless believe in is the circular economy practice. Simply stated, we should rent, borrow, or buy secondhand. This eases the burden on resources and slows the production of waste.
In short, this is how reducing clutter can help the environment.
Nothing is Easy. Neither is This.
We like our stuff, and we get attached to it, which leads to a cycle of collecting and burying ourselves in, well, stuff. I get it. I’m there, too. Nevertheless, we are committed to being good shepherds of our planet. We understand the impact of consumerism on ecological health, and we know that we can make a difference. There is an important truth that many people confuse: that downsizing means depriving yourself. Nothing is further from the truth. All you are doing is measuring true need and intentionally choosing to buy or abstain from buying. This is sustainable living through minimalism.
The environmental benefits of downsizing possessions are undeniable. They are also simple to achieve with just a small amount of persistence and application of intentionality in what you want. This, in conjunction with clearing out your immediate space and visualizing it permanently uncluttered, will make it all happen.
Where do we go From Here?
We are not in a rush, and we should not be in a rush. Rushing vexes thoughtful intentionality. We want to manifest the benefits of owning less for the planet and ourselves. Changing your habits should not be an Ironman competition. Freedom and fulfillment will follow in the wake of a thoughtful, well-paced strategy of minimalism.
I recommend you start by reading about minimalism and then by setting dates in your calendar where you identify individual rooms for examination and separate stuff into keep or go collections. Also, make another pile of “sort later.” This represents items with emotional attachment that have weight and need to be subjected to another sorting session.
But before you do all this, keep it in mind but do some reading first. I recommend Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism by Fumio Sasaki; The Joy of Less: A Minimalist Guide to Declutter, Organize, and Simplify by Francine Jay.
In closing, let me ask you one question: What is one thing in your possession you could let go of today and begin sustainable living through minimalism?
