Sustainability and Organizing

Happy Earth Month! Every year our family adopts a new sustainable habit to add to our routine. You’re thinking “Emily, this isn’t a personal blog. What does that have to do with organizing?” Honestly, everything.

I have posted in the past about buying second hand products as organizers in my home, and have a series on social media taking viewers along to the thrift store to find sustainable alternatives to buying new. Aside from the environmental aspects of buying second-hand items, thrifting these items forces the buyer to be more intentional and mindful about their purchasing. It is easy to walk into a conventional retail store to see 20 different plastic bins and purchasing more than you actually need.

Overconsumption, which is villainized but can truly be unintentional, is a habit and takes work to break! I find that often times in my work, we need to not only break down the underlying cause of the shopping habit, but also to strategize ways in which folks can break from the mentality that buying something will solve most problems.

Sustainability ties into overconsumption on both a physical and an emotional level. I have never walked into a home where someone finds there is way too much in the house just to have them say “I love the amount of stuff I have”. The truth is, we feel beholden to the “stuff"! I don’t mean your great grandmother’s antique mirror or the side table you absolutely loved. I mean the things that aren’t treasured but attained by targeted ads, the “must buy items”, and the items that hold the promise of solving all your problems.

So are you ready to get tidy in an earth conscious way? Follow along on social media this month to see more of my favorite ways to organize sustainably!