Mastodawn

My biggest issue is clothes which are past donateable, but have parts that are still good.

Find someone who make costumes, and the like. Or leatherwork; I found a local leatherworker; I gave her a leather jacket, from which I wanted a wraparound watch strap and some extensions to sleeves on a jacket. It was a large jacket; she didn't charge me for the bits.

#reducereuserecycle

@canusfeminacanis wow, you are way ahead on this one. I have thrown out stuff that is in too poor condition to donate. I have stuffed door draft stoppers with really old clothes but now all the doors in my place have draft stoppers.

Find someone who can sew to make some more up and sell 'em? Not now, maybe, but next autumn?

@canusfeminacanis Good idea. I can sew, but can't quite imagine myself making stuff to sell. But maybe on Neighbourly?

Quite possibly! FB is another option.

Well, I had a hell of a time finding someone to a) take a leather jacket in for me (new jacket, bigger than estimated) , so once I found her, I asked. She agreed. Worked out.

I can't sew my way into a paper bag.

Dr. Curiosity 💻🔬Dec 4, 2022

@photosbyann
Cooking for one on a budget often means eating the same thing several times over, and favouring foods that will keep well for a couple of days. Too many individual serves of things can waste a lot of plastic.

@DrCuriosity Yep, with two it's similar. I don't mind eating leftovers and some stuff tastes better on subsequent days. Harder for me is cutting back on dairy. I love cheese, but I have cut back. And now cheese has gone up so much in price that it is probably out of the question for many people's budgets!

Dr. Curiosity 💻🔬Dec 4, 2022

@photosbyann
I certainly eat far less of it than I used to. (Of course, it "helps" that the price of a four-cheese supermarket-brand pizza has risen by 75% in the last year, too...)

@DrCuriosity Have you made other changes to live more sustainably? Have some shifts been easier than others to make?

Dr. Curiosity 💻🔬Dec 4, 2022

@photosbyann
There's honestly not a lot else I can do individually right now. I already try to get the most I can out of what I've got. Other things would take more money than I currently have available to invest.

Ann Wheatley Dec 5, 2022

@DrCuriosity So many must be in the same boat, doing all they can within their means. There’s a lot individuals and communities can do, and since we are consumers, our habits make a difference and have influence. Of course wealthier people consume much more, and leave a much bigger footprint. And the role of governments and businesses in transitioning to a more sustainable system is huge.

Mark Darbyshire Dec 4, 2022

Attempting veganism would be so much easier if I lived in a social vacuum, but it's complicated when I have to work out the dynamics with friends, colleagues, family, and businesses I support.

Similar for sustainable transport. I can make my own life neat and tidy and optimised for my transport choices, but throwing other people into the mix complicates things.

Society isn't homogeneous, so we have to navigate different social expectations and even our own anxieties.

@mark yeah, I hear you. Transport and veganism are both really tough ones. I tell myself it’s okay to make the changes I can make. And it’s quite a dynamic thing.

Ali Clarke

Dec 4, 2022

@photosbyann For me the changes have been gradual over many years, but have built up to quite a lot. I guess the hardest thing is living in a different way and with different priorities from most of my family and old friends. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Ann Wheatley Dec 5, 2022

@simplicitarian How do you navigate that situation? Do you explain, negotiate, or just do your thing silently, and lead by example?