I bought a royal blue Patagonia jacket with a red lining in 1983. I wore it for several years. Three of my children claimed ownership and fought over it. After 25-years it still looked new. The only reason we don’t have it anymore is because it was lost or, even more likely, stolen.
I have a black Patagonia jacket that had a little tear on the sleeve. I took it into the Halifax store and sent it for repairs. It came back good as new and without a repair charge. I continue to buy various items of Patagonia clothing. I will never need another raincoat, polar fleece sweater, or jacket again. If I do want to change up items in my Patagonia collection, there will be takers in my family or I can donate them to charities.
All of this is by way of introduction to a couple of themes that will be recurring.
The “Buy better, buy less” mantra can apply to anything we consume. It is difficult to apply “repair, reuse”when shopping for food but we can buy and waste less, and recycle. Coffee grounds are great for your garden or sprinkled in your house plants. We have organic composting in Montéal so there isn’t much garbage bound for the land fill from our home.
I have had “environmentalist religion” for may years now but it was a bit like my Catholicism – largely unpracticed. Over the past few years world events, personal circumstances, documentaries, food channels, and casual observation have increased my attendance at the environmental church.
We can all do something for our environment by being better consumers.
Buy better, buy less, reduce, repair, reuse and recycle. Shop local, support local businesses, buy from local farms, and support local artisans and manufacturers. As always, wear face masks as required, wash your hands, practice social distancing, hydrate, and exercise.
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