Tough times? More like Stuff times lol

Here's your fruit salad of actions to take on our monthly topic consumerism. Bon appetit

View this email in your browser ACT: Stuff it up your... Estimated reading time: 3 minutes October topic: consumerism This week's module:  1. ✔️ READ | 2. ✔️ LISTEN | 3. 🎯 ACT | 4. 🔜 REFLECT Welcome back to Changeletter by Soapbox Project. I'm the author, Nivi Achanta, and I make it easy for you to fight climate change in 3 minutes every week.   What's up this week I got REALLY thoughtful criticism of the video I shared in last week's LISTEN module on consumerism. We protect our discussions within our membership community and they're not shared publicly — you can join the conversation here.   The gist of the feedback was that the video was incomplete "because it mentions jobs and economic prosperity and fails to even mention the devastating ecological consequences of consumerism" and that if we DO redefine consumerism to include important services, that could privatize critical social needs, further widening inequality. Totally valid and I appreciate everyone so much for sharing their candid input.   Let's re-anchor on the urgency of our climate crisis and remember that WE hold the power in fixing this mess. This podcast playlist, curated by our Soapbox community, is an excellent behind-the-scenes look at various aspects of our climate crisis. I especially love the recent addition recommended by Franklin — Season 5 of Scene on Radio. (Also thanks Dean for recommending BBC's The Century of the Self.)   Today we're going to focus on action. We literally cannot afford to keep consuming at our current rate. The good news is, changing your consumption habits can be FUN and save you tons of money and time!   From the Soapbox   Oct 26, 1pm PST | Fireside chat with Grant Symons on how we actually transition to a cleaner world. Members only.   Oct 27, 5pm PST | Letter-writing to incarcerated people, holiday cheer edition | Sign up by the end of TODAY as long as you bring your own 5 stamps + 5 envelopes.  All you have to do is show up; we'll have half an hour of Q&A with Adelaida, a formerly incarcerated Soapbox member, followed by half an hour of letter-writing. We've written almost 800 letters this year because of people like you. Save your spot here - last chance.   Your bite-sized actions At this point, I hope you're ready to pause learning about consumerism and take action. Here's a mix of individual actions, advocacy, and random fun tips to question consumerism. If you have more to add, I hope you join our community discussion here.   Join your local Buy Nothing group. If you've been a long-time subscriber you know I'll never shut up about this, but neighborhood gifting economies are truly one of my best sustainability "discoveries" of all time. Remember how I mentioned I set up my apartment for <$300? Other than the Buy Nothing Project, there's also FreeCycle, Churn, and more privately-funded platforms like Olio, Mercari, and OfferUp. Buy Nothing is by far my favorite, but it really depends on your neighborhood.   Orient your activities around public spaces. Who says you have to eat a restaurant or drink at a coffee shop to meet up with friends? Make the most of your parks, libraries, and other public spaces. If you don't have any, advocate for them.   Get a library card and a tool lending library membership. A lot of the stuff we buy — books, movies, tools — might actually be up for borrowing depending on where you live. I get free audiobooks + Kindle books with the Libby app (bye, Audible). My library also has tons of free movies. And I recently learned that tool lending libraries exist in cities around the world whether you need to use a 3d printer or a hose! Find yours here.   Support your local textile recycler. Find yours here. Organizations like FabScrap and Queen of Raw (we had the CEO Stephanie on a Soapbox panel in Feb!) are giving fabrics destined for landfills a second chance. Textile recycling helps you waste less, buy less new things, and get creative with your fabrics. 🎉   Advocate for right-to-repair policies. The Restart Project based in UK "was born in 2013 out of our frustration with the throwaway, consumerist model of electronics that we've been sold, and the growing mountain of e-waste that it's leaving behind". In addition to advocacy, they even throw community-based parties to teach people how to repair devices! Also Microsoft will make its devices easier to fix, which is a huge right-to-repair win.   Gift experiences, not thingy-things. Maybe don't gift a luxury spaceship ride. But some ideas: a National Parks Pass for the country you live in, a sewing machine, dinner at a fancy locally-sourced restaurant, an e-reader. We'll actually curate a gift guide for you in a few weeks. Also here's an easy list of sustainable gift wrapping solutions.   Journal about an item that you own. What's its story? For this exercise, you can use any object in sight. For me, it's my new glasses I got yesterday (literally in sight — they're on my face currently). Where did they get shipped from? Where were they made? Who likely made them? I've noticed that thinking about my "stuff" changes the way I feel about them, for better or for worse. Let me know if I missed any of your favorite tips! If you're not ready to join our community discussion yet, simply shoot me a reply to this email. I always respond even if it takes a while. Upcoming  Next week, for the first time, I'll be sharing a poem in our REFLECT module, plus asking you about the changes you've made over the past two years. Copyright © 2021 Soapbox Project, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you signed up for our free action plans via social media, Tech Ethics Coalition, a meeting with Nivi, or our website! Our mailing address is: Soapbox Project 415 Mission St. San Francisco, California 94105 Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.