what items do you own to make your life easier, more enjoyable and livable? where do all those products come from that we buy and use everyday? who and how many people where part of the production? where do the materials come from?
its not always easy to give answers to those questions. when we go outside everything we need is available. and how often do we buy new stuff where we don´t have any idea how it is produced. most of the items we use have a high complex manufacturing process.
the online survey slavery footprint rises attention on this topic. have a look.
how many slaves are working for you? check it out here!
we can not survive by making everything on our own. we are codependent. our needs are bigger than our skills, wich are limited. but every time we buy new things, we should keep in mind that someone else did work for it. unfortunately each of us has his slaves to work for his consumption.
i am not proud of having 27 slaves working for me… i try to do my best to reduce this number! but how?
how we can make a difference
- think before you buy: do you really need the latest cloth and shoes?
- use things until they fall apart
- buy second hand: so many things are already there, its not necessary to get always new things
- don´t throw away things that are still usable, share, swop or sell it, even give away and make someone happy who really needs it
- reuse & up-cycle old stuff: be creative and pimp old furniture and clothes
- consider a repair before you think about a replacement
- borrow or lend things you only need once in a while