Guest Column: Stuff, the Exchange and Climate Change

— by Chom Greacen —

Here is a confession: I love stuff, particularly used stuff!

I’ve tried to be discreet with this little love affair of mine. But now I want to come clean because I finally have some data to retroactively justify my behavior.

It all started with my fascination with stuff!

We all need and want stuff.

Electronics, clothes, refrigerators, furniture, cars and building supplies, consumer goods and products as well as their associated packaging are an essential part of our daily life. Along with food, shelter, and transportation, products (stuff!) are the spoils of an industrial economy that fulfills the needs and wants of so many of us.

What do you think is the largest contributing source of US greenhouse gas emissions?  It is not heating and cooling of buildings. Nor transportation or food production. It’s production of all the stuff we consume.

U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Consumption-based view including emissions embodied in international trade (Source: https://www.productpolicy.org/content/climate-change-and-producer-responsibility)

From mining of raw materials and minerals, to turning them into finished products, wrapping them in protective, attractive packaging, and shipping them from factories (mostly overseas) to our local stores or homes, the entire process of buying and using products account for 44 percent of our country’s total carbon footprint.

But what does climate change have to do with reuse and reuse facilities such as The Exchange on Orcas or Take-It-Or-Leave-It on Lopez?

Because most of the carbon footprint from consumer goods is from extraction and production of new products, Take-It-Or-Leave-It and the Exchange, before it was burned down, have helped me and many others to reuse and re-purpose items, extend their lives, reduce the need for new stuff and hence reduce our collective carbon footprint.

I am immensely grateful to all of the visionaries and volunteers who have helped found and run the community reuse facilities. I do hope re-building of the Exchange will finish soon as it provides a huge service to the community.

I am very proud of Take-It-Or-Leave-It and the Exchange as iconic institutions, shining examples of gift economy, and a great support system that enables us islanders to become less attached to owning and consuming things. Ability to freely reuse and exchange used items has enabled me to address my weakness for stuff without depleting my pocketbook or the world’s resources.

I am even more proud of the Orcas and Lopez communities for working hard to take local control of our waste disposal management so we can move towards the zero waste goal. Deep gratitude to such a committed, visionary community. Thank you.