Creativity, Eco-Chic and the New Frugality

As a retailer and business person, it's not really in my best interests to discuss hard economic times. One would think I'd be more likely to try to persuade you that employment is going to go up and taxes are going to go down and prosperity is just around the corner so you'll spend money on what I'm selling. I wish I really believed that, it would make the future seem a lot brighter and the daily tasks I need to perform in order to try to grow my business and that of my employer would weigh on me a lot more lightly. The human capacity for creativity has a way of working around obstacles put in our way. I don't know if there has ever been a more important time to nurture creativity in our society and apply it to issues that we have to deal with.

DIY culture has always been popular in certain segments of society - hippies in the 1960s, punkers in the late 70s and early 80s, zinesters in the grunge era. DIY culture might have to become more mainstream for survival reasons. I hope I'm wrong but all indications point to survival rising by necessity to the top of more and more peoples' priorty lists.

So I find myself as a purveyor of goods and services in 2013 in the paradoxical position of urging people to be more careful with their resources and to consume less! In my opinion the key is not to stop consuming entirely because you can't do that and remain alive, but to consume more intelligently - and to consume in ways that make you stronger and better able to face the challenges we will have in the future. My personal experience has taught me doing something proactive to alleviate whatever events or conditions that you fear makes you feel stronger and more capable. There are some things in life we can't control but in some cases I believe people have been brainwashed into believing they are more helpless than they are.

According to Thomas Jefferson, "Cultivators of the earth are the most valuable citizens. They are the most vigorous, the most independent, the most virtuous and they are tied to their country and wedded to its liberty and interests by the most lasting bonds."

If you find yourself unhappily in the position of having no choice but to be frugal, creativity can make your situation a lot more palatable. Loss of income is associated with a loss of status in our culture, but frugal practices are often beneficial for the environment so you can disguise your frugality by being eco-chic, an attitude made fashionable by entertainment elites. In a culture where the appearance of something is as good as the real thing, the celebrities only have to appear to be eco-chic but in your own life being more environmentally aware has real benefits for you. Take control and use eco-friendly practices to gain more autonomy in your life.

Here are a few examples and suggestions:

Organic gardening

Frugal and Survival benefits:

• High quality nutritious food and herbs filled with vitamins and free of poisons is added to your diet and improves your health.
• Improving and caring for your soil helps make up for the choice farmland we're losing to urban sprawl developments.
• Knowledge of how to grow food is preserved to pass on to future generations.
• If you open pollinate and seed save, the genetic diversity of seeds may save our lives if something affects monoculture crops.
• Good soil and reduced use of chemicals contributes to a healthy life-sustaining water supply.
• Physical activity - a stronger body is less prone to injuries in riots, natural disasters, etc.
• At least there is a chance of some kind of food supply being available if roads are impassable, there are fuel shortages or there is civil unrest.
• Plants reduce erosion and preserve soil.
• Plants reduce urban heat sink effect and reduce air conditioning bills.
• Contact with nature beneficial for mental health.
• Less chance of food contamination and tampering.
• Healthful foods more available in areas where there are no grocery stores such as depressed urban areas.
• More diverse stock of plants adapted to your specific climate or microclimate conditions will be developed.
• Plant stock and seeds can be used as barter if there is currency trouble and food shortages.

Eco-chic benefits:

• Helps sustain wildlife (if you garden organically you will be sharing at least a little of your harvest!).
• Lowers cost of trendy food choices (vegan, raw, smoothies, detox water, etc.).
• Not going to the store as much reduces packaging materials and transport fuel consumption.
• Less dependent on food produced from genetically modified seeds.
• Children who observe you gardening learn about where food comes from and the importance of healthy soil, air and water.
• Plants absorb CO2 in photosynthesis if global warming is something you worry about.
• Composting reduces waste going to landfills.

Raising a serious amount of food, especially organically, is not an easy task. I myself am in no position to have a self-sustaining garden for all my food needs - I'm not even allowed to grow vegetables in the ground where I live (I can grow them in containers on the deck but don't have enough sun). But I've always believed it's better to do somthing than nothing, so I have an herb and wildflower garden. I save a lot of money on herbal tea and fresh herbs for cooking, I'm as certain as I can be that my herbs are not contaminated with anything and I'm providing a home for lots of beneficial insects which have reduced the amount of pests in my immediate vicinity - that makes life better for humans and wildlife around me due to the reduced need for chemicals. If you have a yard or even space for a few containers on a porch or windowsill, you can make a difference. Aquaponics and hydroponics are also possible indoors if you can manage the lighting requirements.

Making crafts from repurposed items

Frugal and Survival benefits:

• Creative outlet improves mental health.
• Gives resources that would otherwise be wasted an economic value.
• Better lifestyle for less money.
• Cottage industries help provide income for people who have lost their jobs.
• Improves hand skills.

Eco-chic benefits:

• Keeps resources out of landfills.
• Reduces the need for new goods which these days are often poorly made in countries with environmental laws a lot less stringent than ours (if they have any).
• Shows off your committment to recycling and being "green".