In a world where human-made stuff outweighs nature and absorbs our attention how can we lighten up?

For thousands of years, we humans have been a busy bunch. We’ve built, designed, invented, cultivated, and created. For these efforts we now have shoes and saucers, houses and highways, skyscrapers and satellites. I type this on a portable computer filled with technology unimaginable one hundred years ago. That’s the blink of an eye in world time.

And we’re still going at it—building, designing, innovating, recreating, and consuming. In fact, according to a 2020 article from BBC News, “For every person in the world, more than their body weight in stuff is now being produced each week.” Helen Briggs, BBC Environment correspondent, tells us that in that same year, “the combined weight of all the plastic, bricks, concrete and other things we've made in the world will outweigh all animals and plants on the planet for the first time.”

Add to this the psychological weight of stuff, from the gadgets that demand our attention to the time and focus required to maintain it all.

That’s really heavy. 

"It is a reason for all of us to ponder our role, how much consumption we do and how can we try to get a better balance between the living world and humanity." — Dr Ron Milo, Weizmann Institute of Sciences

Weighing the costs

Why does it matter if human-made objects outweigh natural ones? What does it cost us?

According to the BBC article, one reason that human-made is outweighing nature, is that there’s simply less nature these days. Much of what we produce requires natural products we get from trees, plants, and animals. And with fewer trees, ecosystems have fewer places to grow and thrive.

There’s also a deeply human heaviness at play. We all likely have precious and well-loved material possessions. And yet we find ourselves drowning in stuff that just doesn’t mean that much. We have been so collectively overwhelmed with stuff that a small 2004 book about tidying up became an international best seller and 2019 Netflix special. 

Not only does stuff diminish the natural world and tax our attention, it also pulls our focus away from each other. We’ve all experienced moments in the midst of other humans who might be talking but are consumed instead by worlds packed into a gadget—the great irony of the promise of a connected world. We’ve all probably also noted the extra time we must spend working in order to maintain all of this.

What would it look like to stop? To need less and use less and spend the time and attention on our communities instead?

Can we really lighten up?

We’ve started with the idea that we might lighten the burden of stuff on the planet, at least. Since 1960, the U.S. has increased the percentage of trash we recycle—from 6.4 percent in 1960 to over 30 percent today. That’s a start for sure, though with more people on the planet each year, we’re still producing more trash.And it doesn’t decrease the production of consumer goods, but opens up the market for more in the form of recyclable goods.

So we’ve started to reuse more—perhaps a larger step in the right direction. As everything from reusable bags and containers to cloth diapers and dinner napkins have reentered our homes, we theoretically buy fewer disposable, nondurable things. And this, too, is an important step to slow the depletion of natural resources.

Our next big challenge then is to reduce. As we move from buying short-lived, recyclable goods, to longer-lived reusable stuff, perhaps we can also rethink buying altogether.

In a world where human-made stuff outweighs nature, neighborhood Buy Nothing lists have sprung up to encourage sharing resources we already have (you can start one if you don’t have one). And much of what we need and want may be waiting like unearthed treasure at a local thrift store or vintage mall. 

Or maybe it’s nothing. Maybe what we really need to buy is nothing. That won’t always be true, but in those moments when we realize it is, when we’ve saved ourselves the time and money and effort sunk into stuff, maybe we can then reinvest that attention into ourselves and our communities.

Get ready for a cozy and healthy winter at home by giving your goods a sustainable stock up score. We’ll help you prep.

And just like that, it’s late October. The end of this long, long year is almost here. In a typical year, Halloween kicks off weeks of festivals, parties and gatherings. We decorate, we travel, we shop and we celebrate.

In winter 2020, we prep.  

There may still be pandemic pod parties and small, socially distanced celebrations. But to pull it all off while staying safe and healthy this winter, you’ll need to be prepared. 

If the great toilet paper shortage of March was the warm up, this year’s flu and holiday season is the stock up Olympics. Note: We did not say the hoarding Olympics. Stocking up is more of science. Which means you need a method. 

We’ve got you covered with a simple three-step process.

Step 1: Define your successful stock up

You know you. You know what will make the next few months feel as right as they can. You know how close you are to local stores, how much space you have for supplies, how much money you’re willing to spend on the front end and how often you’re willing to get out of the house for higher-risk excursions like shopping. 

Use that as your basis for defining what a successful stock up looks like. Your successful stock up might look something like this:

• I have one all the basics on hand to prep a meal, cook the meal, clean my home, and practice personal hygiene and self care for one full month.

• I have what I need to engage in at-home activities that bring me joy and comfort.

• My shopping/stocking aligns with my value of sustainability. 

Try it! Answer these questions for yourself. 

• How much back stock do you want? A couple of weeks? A month? All winter?

• What do you want your stock to accomplish? For example, do you want to be able to easily whip up a family meal? Have ingredients available for kids to serve themselves? Feed your pets? Clean your space? (Don’t forget teeth brushing, showering and other self care needs).

• What activities do you want to maintain and what events do you want to prep for? Maybe you enjoy movie nights with the family, crafting or drawing? Maybe a birthday is on the horizon? List the supplies you need for these moments, so they remain joyful when the time comes. 

• What values do you want to maintain and how can your stock up plan align? If you’re working to reduce waste, trash and plastic, then consider your sustainable options throughout the process. 

Step 2: Make your master list

Now that you’ve defined what stocking up means to you, make a list of everything you might need. You can do this systematically by starting with your usual grocery and supply list, and then thinking through a whole day from start to finish. Missing anything you need for the day? Add it!

Then repeat the process with your week and your month. Don’t skip over movie nights or birthdays. No need to be caught off guard without popcorn or cake supplies. 

Step 3: Give your items a stock up score

This is where the magic happens. You probably don’t have the space to have a three-month supply of everything or the extra budget to buy it all now. So how do you know where to begin? 

Introducing the stock up score. Use this method to identify the items on your list that will most benefit you to stock up on. 

It works like this. You’ll assign points to everything on your master list. Then identify your highest scoring items and stock up. 

• Is this item essential to me or my family? Must have = 2 points Nice to have = 1 point

• How often do I buy it? Weekly = 2 points. Monthly or less = 1 point

• Does it go in the landfill when I’m done with it? (Think nonrecyclable packaging). Bound for landfill = 2 points. Recyclable = 1 point. Renewable, reusable or compostable = 0

• Is there a bulk, reusable or lower waste option. Bulk/reusable version = 2 points Lower waste version = 1 point

• Can I store the alternate option? Yes = 2 points Yes, but I’d have to buy something new to do it = 1 point

Now add up the points! What are your top scoring items? Have any 10s?

Bulk, dried beans are a 10 for our family. So is nut milk and coffee. So we stock up on dried beans from the bulk bin, almonds to make our own milk, and bulk or reusable coffee supplies.

Work your way down the list, from your highest scoring items to your lowest until you’re as stocked as you want to be. 

Stock Up Troubleshooting

As you go through the process, you might find yourself in a pickle. Literally in some cases, since the only way to stock up on fresh cucumbers would be to pickle them. In those cases, revisit your stock up goals. If you’re not interested in growing your own broccoli or milking your own almonds, then don’t! The goal is sustainability, and that includes your time, effort and enjoyment.

Happy stocking!