Sustainability can be a hobby or an after thought. “Can I continue living the harmful lifestyle and make tiny tweaks?” Or do we rise to to become artists imagining a different way of living and executing our vision ? What is sustainability becomes a core value ? How would life be reimagined ? This journal is an exploration of a pathway to live more sustainably while practicing joy.
1.Make a righteous living.
‘I can only be productive if I consume at the expense of the planet’. ‘I am a lobbyist for excess consumption and will continue to push for extract-exploit to fund my lifestyle’. ‘I benefit from fast fashion/decor and will feature it on my blog’. ‘I own stock in BigTech and need the public to buy gadgets that they don’t need’. ‘I will build recommendation systems that will polarize citizens and erode democracy’. ‘I will need you to be addicted to your phone so that I can sell stuff.’ ….
I will keep trying to make a living outside these scenarios.
2. Find sustainable happiness.
I don’t want to say : “I can only be happy if I do these certain activities that are taxing on the natural resources and high on carbon emissions.” “I need to shop to be happy.” “I need to air travel to vacation.”
3. The one with least toys wins.
The more you know, the less you need.
The quieter you become, the more you listen.
Create, not consume. Build something. Learn something. Make something.
4. Sans le bein le beau n’est rein.
With out the good, there is no beautiful. Pursue beauty.
5. On the last day of the world, plant a tree.
Not because I expect a return, but for the joy of it.
6. A plant based diet.
A climate friendly diet. So that I may practice compassion at our table.
7. The cloth is an art form.
I treasure my clothes and will continue enjoy fashion.
8. Mottani
Zero waste feels like a sacrifice at first. With time, it feels like the only way to live.
9. Kaizen
Make gradual improvements. What can’t be achieved today, can be done tomorrow with preparation and hard work.
10. Journal
(1) the documentation of the closet; (2) the exploration of alternative approaches to fast fashion/consumerism; and (3) a dialogue on needs, everyday aesthetics, cultural value, and social change.
– A citizen.