Posts Tagged ‘Local Economy’

This post is a growing resource for how and where to more sustainably repurpose stuff in your life that no longer serves you and can serve someone else in your community.

Common items that are no longer useful to you include:
Clothes
Sporting equipment
Kitchen appliances

Please comment below on ideas and resources you have found to be helpful.

Thank you.

What are the most important things in life? What are the keys to happiness? What are the things that really matter, when you are facing death? Who are the people you have impacted and helped? What is the legacy that you will leave? What really matters? What are you thankful for? What is your purpose?

Think about the important questions we ask ourselves, as we exist in the society we live in today. As I dwell on these important questions, there is an unsettling disconnect. There is a dichotomy. There is the life I aim to live, and the life that I have been stuck in and I am trying to break out of.

The story of stuff captures some aspects of this very well. Spending the a few valuable minutes to watch this video is a reminder of the big picture, the unhealthy “system” that has been created, which continues to operate, much of it largely invisible to the average “consumer.” In this system, that is what I am. I am a consumer. It is my job to buy things and that is what will give me temporary happiness, before I am supposed to throw it away and buy a replacement for it. No, I am not supposed to get it fixed, I am supposed to throw it away.

How do I shift from a consumer to something else? I am not a consumer. I refuse to be part of this system. But, if not a consumer, what am I?

I am a person. I am a community member. I am a citizen. I am a friend. I am a brother. I am a father. I am a learner. I am a teacher.

I am not a consumer.

When I focus on moving beyond consumerism and living a life more simply, I have found that the important questions, the one’s listed in the first paragraph, become more clear. I have turned off my cable, so the unhealthy messages in ads and TV shows cannot come in and tell me that I need some new product or am out of style. I read more. I focus my mind and my energy on the things that I want to change in my life. I experience life. I give my time and energy to people and causes that I care about.

But, I still have a lot of stuff.

On January 24th, Sustainable Saratoga is putting together a program on gifting and ways to get rid of stuff other people can use.

Come meet some like minded people focusing on the same questions you are. Come meet some people who are looking at simplifying their lives. Come meet some people who are trying to focus on the important things in life.

Come get rid of some stuff.

See you on the 24th.

Alex Chaucer
Local Economy Committee Chair, Sustainable Saratoga

Watch this video called “The Story of Stuff”

Our local food supply: the people, the natural resources and the economics are under intense pressure to survive.

This short video by Saratoga Springs resident, Sarah Pedinotti and her band, tells the story quite well.

Farmony (Harvest Fest trailer) from DreamBig Media Group on Vimeo.

What is a local resilient economy? We’ll be meeting tonight with these panelists to discuss this topic at Skidmore’s Gannett Auditorium 7-9 pm. Click here for full information on the event.

James Howard Kunstler on the tragedy of suburbia

Todd Fabozzi sharing one of his poems on Urban experiences

Previous President of Capital District Local First

On June 22nd, we’ll be hosting a community dialogue on creating a resilient local economy in Saratoga Springs.

Sustainable Saratoga wants to hear from you before the event so we can ask the best and most important questions.

Please submit your question below by commenting on this blog post.

If you are not familiar with the commenting process you can also send an email to economy@sustainablesaratoga.com

Here are some question ideas to get the ball rolling.

What is a local economy?

What is a resilient economy?

How big is our economy?

Thank you and we look forward to hearing from you!