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Category: Reducing Consumption

What Can We Do?

What Can We Do?

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At the University of Minnesota Dr. Nate Hagens teaches an honours course called “Reality 101: A Survey of the Human Predicament.” Hagens operated his own hedge fund on Wall Street until he glimpsed, “a serious disconnect between capitalism, growth, and the natural world. Money did not appear to bring wealthy clients more well being. ”Reality 101 addresses humanity’s toughest challenges: economic decline, inequality, pollution, biodiversity loss, and war. Students learn about systems ecology, neuroscience, and economics. “We ask hard questions,” says Hagens….

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Degrowth in the suburbs

Degrowth in the suburbs

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[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeNaMlibiak&w=560&h=315] So what would become of the suburbs if we gave up fossil fuels and moved toward a low-energy, post-carbon society beyond growth? Suburban catastrophists like James Kunstler in the US argue that fossil fuel depletion will imminently render the suburban landscape an inhospitable wasteland. Such curdled imaginations fail to recognise suburbia’s latent capacity to become something new. Inspired by research and advocacy from the likes of Ivan Illich, David Holmgren, and Ted Trainer, we see the suburbs as an ideal place to begin retrofitting our cities according…

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Developing a Circular Narrative: The Case of Relooping Fashion

Developing a Circular Narrative: The Case of Relooping Fashion

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[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xa-E2Re3bDE&w=560&h=315] It is often said that transitioning towards a circular economy requires a number of changes in the way businesses operate. For example, the linear supply chain will need to be re-organised into a circular ecosystem, which decouples growth from the use of virgin raw materials and resources. What do these changes mean in terms of communications and marketing? The Relooping Fashion initiative created and piloted a closed-loop model for textiles with seven business partners. As part of the…

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12 Ways to Stop Wasting Money and Take Control of Your Stuff

12 Ways to Stop Wasting Money and Take Control of Your Stuff

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In my work as a consumer psychologist and author, I’ve read countless studies about consumer behavior, and I’ve conducted plenty of research on my own, interviewing hundreds of shoppers about how, when, and why they shop. Here’s what I’ve learned about how to avoid piling up too much stuff and how to stop making unnecessary, excessive, and ultimately unsatisfying purchases. Read12 Ways to Stop Wasting Money and Take Control of Your Stuff by Kit Yarrow at Money.

The High Cost of an Easy-Care, Low-Maintenance World

The High Cost of an Easy-Care, Low-Maintenance World

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As it turns out, maintenance has gotten a bad wrap. Maintenance is really a form of caring. Modern philosophers bemoan our love of material things. But I believe that we modern, industrialized people do not actually love material things. We wouldn’t treat material things the way we do if we truly loved and cared for them. By abandoning the duty of maintenance we owe to the objects in our lives, we are distancing ourselves from the physical world and essentially…

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Our Top 10 Most Read Posts of 2017

Our Top 10 Most Read Posts of 2017

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These are among the pieces that appealed the most to Transition Cornwall+ readers in 2017. Maybe you missed a few, or worth another read as we head into a new year? #10: The Monster Footprint of Digital Technology The power consumption of our high-tech machines and devices is hugely underestimated. #9: Truly Sustainable Economic Development For those of us thinking about ways to foster local, sustainable, green businesses, here are some wise words. #8: What Kind of Housing Do Aging Boomers Need?…the…

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Waste Reduction Group Launch

Waste Reduction Group Launch

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[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dim-wOigdRA&w=560&h=315] Filmed by YourTV Cornwall. Attendees had the opportunity to learn more about the 7 R’s of waste reduction at the launch of Transition Cornwall +’s newest action group.

The monster footprint of digital technology

The monster footprint of digital technology

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The power consumption of our high-tech machines and devices is hugely underestimated. When we talk about energy consumption, all attention goes to the electricity use of a device or a machine while in operation. A 30 watt laptop is considered more energy efficient than a 300 watt refrigerator. This may sound logical, but this kind of comparisons does not make much sense if you don’t also consider the energy that was required to manufacture the devices you compare. This is…

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Squeezing Oil Out of Your Travel (Make Your Life Less Oily in 2017, Part 2)

Squeezing Oil Out of Your Travel (Make Your Life Less Oily in 2017, Part 2)

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As long as you and I consume oil, we make oil nastiness possible in the most basic way. Our money, and how we spend it, is an extension of our values, our intent, our convictions. If we don’t consume the oil, then, yes, someone else might. But when we participate in the ugly world of oil by consuming its products, we not only make it profitable, we give the whole craziness our implicit consent. Our efforts to change this are…

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Swap Before You Shop

Swap Before You Shop

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Much of the advice out there for reducing your fashion footprint involves buying more sustainably made (and often expensive) clothes. But there are a number of ways – many of which we explore in our new Fashion issue – you can lower your impact that save money, both in the short- and long-term. One way is to hold a clothing swap, which is exactly what it sounds like: a group of people get together and trade clothes with one another. Swapping is an…

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