Buy Second-Hand Goods
From eBay to the trading post, garage sales to the local op shop, there are a host of ways to grab a second-hand bargain. The common adage that a new car loses 20 per cent of its value when you drive it off the lot applies even more so to most other goods. By getting into second-hand gear you'll save thousands of dollars every year; discounts on second-hand items would put most sales to shame. Need a T-shirt? You can spend up to $100 on a new one or browse your local op shop and pick one up for $2, with the proceeds going to charity. From an environmental perspective, purchasing second-hand goods extends the life of the thing you are buying and defers or avoids the need for more resources to be used in making a new product.
How to do it now!
Visit your local op shop. Op shops exist to provide cheap goods and support charities focused at helping the poor and ailing members of our community. They are generally staffed by volunteers and always have a bargain or two; or three.
Check out local street markets and garage sales. These are another source of great deals and can also be an opportunity to meet your neighbours. Look for signs on a light pole, in the community paper or on café notice boards to find out where and when.
Buy second hand goods online. Try reading The Choice Buying Guide: Second-Hand Goods', which describes the rights and responsibilities of buyers and sellers of second-hand goods.
Sites for buying (and selling) second-hand goods:
Sites for finding (and giving away) free goods:
Additional resources
- Etsy - An online community for buying and selling hand-made things (though not necessarily second-hand).
Why this action is important?
Reusing existing products has a two-fold effect on the environment. It reduces the need to extract more materials from nature and it circumvents large amount of concentrated (and often toxic) man-made materials entering the environment and having to be processed by nature.
Environment
In 2002-03, Australia generated approximately 32.4 million tonnes of solid waste, or about 1.7 tonnes per capita. Approximately 60 per cent of this waste is buried in landfill. This represents a huge, ongoing loss of invested energy, extracted resources and natural services that could otherwise be recycled back into other man-made products and materials, or left in nature.
Wellbeing
Reusing existing products will leave us with more money for worthier purposes. At a deeper level it makes us examine and question the nature of our attachment to things. Why do we define ourselves (and others) by our most superficial aspects, our possessions, while too often ignoring those profound characteristics such as our wisdom, compassion and happiness?
© 2009 Natural Strategies Group Pty Ltd. All rights reserved.
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