Simple Living with Wanda Urbanska

Wanda's Diary Entries

Monday, January 12, 2009

“Use it up; wear it out; make it do or do without.” That’s a famous frugality ditty of which I am reminded every time I reach for one of my favorite coffee mugs on which it appears. The slogan can be traced to the World War II era, when the government encouraged conservation practices at home so our valuable resources could be directed for what was then called “the war effort.”

It’s also a philsophy I try to live by; in fact, I consider it a leading component of thoughtful consumption. However great the slogan sounds, though, using it up and wearing it out are not always that simple. What if the product you’re committed to using up has questionable components? Should you hold your nose and use it up? Should you donate it so someone else has to deal with the problem?

This dilemma arises for me when I consider what to do with my old incandescent lightbulbs. We all know that compact flourescents save energy, last much longer, lower our carbon footprint. But as I phased out the incandescents to make way for the energy-saving compact flourescents, I had to ask myself: what to do with the old bulbs? I have a problem about throwing anything out that has any life to it. I hate to think of all that embodied energy going to waste. Surely someone somewhere would want them; someone who perhaps might not buy a compact flourescent bulb. I can see my old bulbs going for a nickel a piece at a thrift shop.

My solution has been to pack up the old bulbs and cart them off to Goodwill or the Habitat for Humanity Restore. But this question rears its thorny head in other arenas: beauty products, food items, furniture, clothing, gardening supplies, you name it. What about beauty products that contain parabens? Strong links have been made connecting parabens — which are kind of preservative commonly used in lotions, moisturizers, conditioners and deodorants — with cancer. Though I will no longer purchase a product containing parabens, what do I do with remaining products containing them? Do I throw them in the trash? Give them away? If I give them away, isn’t that passing the problem onto others? I’d love to hear the opinions of others, but I’ve decided that if a product is still on the market — if someone, somewhere is buying it new — I might as well donate it, rather than having it end up in the landfill. The same problem can apply to commonly held household cleaners; as we go green, we may decide to phase out these items. What to do with what’s left over?

Heck, I’ve even had the problem with honey. My son heard a radio report touting the health benefits of raw, unprocessed honey, so when I was given a jar (actually harvested from the sensitively kept hives of the daughter of a dear friend), naturally I wanted to use this honey in my tea immediately, rather than less beneficial honeys sitting in my cupboard.

So what to do? I’m sure I’m not the first person to be concerned with this dilemma. I’d love to hear directly from readers who have ideas here. Email your ideas to me directly at wandaurbanska@simplelivingtv.net. Depending on the response, we’ll revisit this dilemma in another posting.