Friday, March 25, 2022

Friday links: 25 March, 2022

 Good morning and happy Friday! We made it! It’s the end of the week! Phew!

We have no plans this weekend, other than to watch the movie version of Matilda (my daughter finished reading the book!), and that is perfectly fine with me. It’s supposed to be cold and rainy, and I’m looking forward to settling in with my books and my knitting, and maybe squeezing a few naps in there as well. It’s possible we’ll end up doing something else at some point, but I’m completely happy if we do a whole lot of nothing. This week has worn me out!

Here's what I found interesting online this week!

 

Fast fashion – the shady world of cheap clothing

This is a full-length documentary, one I highly recommend, on how harmful and damaging the fast fashion industry is (and let’s face it, most of what’s new in stores can be considered fast fashion these days). It’s bad for the earth in multiple ways, and exploitative towards the people who sew these clothes (though it does provide them an income. It’s a major Catch-22). I watched this while knitting last week and knew I had to share it. I rarely buy new clothing; the exception is when my mom gives me her Kohl’s cash, or occasionally when I need pants (pants are *so* hard to buy used). This documentary strengthened my commitment to continue buying used when I need something, whenever possible.

 

Superbug-Infected Chicken Is Being Sold All Over the US

Heads up, my chicken-eating friends. Be careful of what you’re buying and consuming; this doesn’t look good, and it seems like the problem is fairly widespread.


50 Insightful and Funny Takes on Anti-Consumption, As Shared On This Online Community

Lots of good, funny, insightful screenshots about the how, why, and why not of consumer culture in this post. I’ve been reading a lot about garbage lately, and I very much appreciate anything that makes me reexamine my spending habits (small as they already are!).

And in happy news…

 

The first ever TerraCycle town!

If you haven’t heard of TerraCycle, they’re a really awesome company that recycles all those hard-to-recycle items: juice pouches, potato chip bags, dirty diapers, cigarette butts (no, really!), and turns them into useful items. (I just finished reading Outsmart Waste by Tom Szaky, the founder of the company. Highly recommended!) This article talks about a town in Iowa that’s made the commitment to go zero-waste. There are collection sites all over the town where people can drop off the various items that aren’t allowed in their traditional recycling stream, and more are expected in the future. I recently learned that TerraCycle has a drop-off spot for toothpaste tubes not too far from here, so I’ve started a bag to collect them, and when the bag gets full, we’ll take them over. Check on TerraCycle’s website for drop-off spots near you and see what you can keep from mummifying in a landfill! 

 

That’s all I’ve got this week. Wishing you all a happy, healthy, safe, and relaxing weekend that recharges your batteries in the way you need for next week. Shalom, friends. : )

4 comments:

  1. I'm with you on the fast fashion, but I know I am still a gluttonous person when I decide I need something and don't want to be patient looking for the right second hand garment-like my two tee's bought last week. Definitely a catch-22. I forget-how old is your daughter? Matilda the movie came to when my older daughter was 6 and son 8, so great ages to watch with them for the first time.

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    1. I'm fortunate in that I *mostly* have what I need and rarely need new things right now; I'm not working, so I don't need to ever refresh a work wardrobe, and I'm not too hard on my clothes (and I almost always eat and cook with an apron on to save wear and tear, because otherwise, I dump food on myself like I'm getting paid to do it...), so I have the luxury of being able to wait long periods of time for anything I want to add to my wardrobe (been looking for the perfect white blouse for YEARS!). It's a lot easier for me to *not* shop! I don't often wear jeans, so much so that I really only have one pair that fits me decently. I'd like a better-fitting pair, but not so much that I need to chase one down immediately.

      My daughter turns 8 next month, so she's at a super fun age for Matilda. She LOVED the book, which makes me happy. I was a huge reader at her age, and while she enjoys reading, she's not driven by it like I was, so it makes me happy when she does find something that has her sneaking her book in her bedroom at night. :D

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  2. I try and stay away from fast fashion as much as is possible, but sometimes I slip up.

    Hope you enjoyed Matilda.

    God bless.

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    1. Our DVD from the library didn't work! We're going to have to wait for another one to come in. No worries, though, we're patient. :)

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