PENCINTA ALAM NOVEMBER 2020
GREEN LIVING COLUMN
BREAKING FREE FROM ONLINE SHOPPING
By Wong Ee Lynn wongeelynn@yahoo.com / gl.mnselangor@yahoo.com
(Original artwork by Ju Lienne Seet, reproduced with
permission. Visit: https://www.facebook.com/cupofju1)
When the Movement Control Order was declared as a
measure to contain the COVID-19 outbreak, many people found themselves
resorting to online shopping on platforms such as Lazada and Shopee in order to
purchase items that they were not able to obtain due to the closure of shops. 6
months later, the environmental impact of our online shopping habit is all too
apparent as news portals around the world report of an increase in packaging
and unwanted consumer goods being disposed of in landfills or dumped in
donation bins and charity shops. We know that having an online shopping habit
is not good for our wallets or for the environment. What can we do to reduce
our reliance on online shopping, and to reduce shopping in general? Here are
some tried-and-tested tips that may work:
1.
CONSIDER THE
ENVIRONMENT FIRST.
Before you
click on the checkout button, think first – what is the impact of this item on
the environment? How many times do you think it will be used? What happens to
it at the end of its useful life? Can it be easily composted? Is it generally
accepted for recycling? Can it be repaired? Is it absolutely essential?
2.
REPURPOSE AND
REPAIR BEFORE YOU SHOP.
Online
shopping is attractive because the items are often so very cheap. This is
because someone else is paying the price of these goods. Mother Earth pays the
price when items are manufactured without pollution control and environmental
quality safeguards. Low-income workers -- often migrants, convicts, and
refugees – pay the price with their health and safety by accepting work for
very low wages and without health insurance or protective equipment in order to
produce cheap toys, clothing, ornaments, and household items. Before buying
something new, consider first if the item it is meant to replace could be
repaired, and if another item could be repurposed and reused. Electrical and
electronic appliances and devices can often be repaired. Glass jars, storage
boxes, linens, and clothes can all be cleaned up and given an upgrade and
reused around the home.
3.
CONSIDER IF YOU
ARE ENGAGING IN EMOTIONAL SHOPPING.
People
usually shop when they are bored, stressed out, or feeling anxious or
depressed, not because they actually need something new. If you find yourself
gravitating towards online shopping apps and websites when bored or feeling
down, you may need to uninstall the apps, unsubscribe from newsletters and
catalogues, and remove websites from your bookmarks and browser. Recognise your
emotions for what they are – you are feeling frustrated with work, and a new
pair of shoes or set of curtains will not solve your work problems with you.
Learn another way to cope with difficult emotions. Find another activity that
is pleasurable, and each time you find yourself mindlessly browsing shopping
apps or sites, stop yourself and gravitate towards the other more wholesome and
productive activity instead. Read a chapter of a book, take a walk, have a cup
of tea outdoors, walk your dog, do a puzzle or brain teaser on your phone, do
10 minutes of language practice on a language learning app, or tidy a box or
drawer instead.
4.
CONSIDER THE
NUMBER OF YEARS YOU HAVE EXISTED WITHOUT NEEDING THAT PARTICULAR ITEM.
Advertising
is designed to appeal to our insecurities. After viewing an online ad, we often
feel as though owning a said item will improve the quality of our lives
tremendously. This is often not true, and we know it based on our past
experiences. The people around us rarely notice or admire our new clothes,
hairstyle, or shoes. Our homes become cluttered once more. Exercise machines
end up becoming expensive towel holders and toe-stubbers. Chances are, if we
have existed for 30+ number of years without a particular item, we can survive
the rest of our lives without it.
5.
RESEARCH AND READ
ONLINE REVIEWS BEFORE ORDERING SOMETHING.
Do your
research and look up reviews of items (down to the brand and model) online before clicking on the Add To Cart button.
Many products fail to deliver on their promises. Many non-medical devices
promise to correct your posture, bunions, overbite, poor eyesight, or dry skin,
and almost none of them work. You can avoid falling for false advertising with
a little diligent research.
6.
MAKE YOURSELF A
30-DAY PROMISE
For
example, make a deal with yourself that if you run 5 km a day, 5 days a week,
for one month, you may finally buy yourself those new running shoes or a
treadmill. If you make yourself a healthy breakfast at home every day for 30
days, you may buy the juicer or bullet blender you have been eyeing. By the end
of 30 days, you may find that you have succeeded in establishing a new habit
without the help of the item you wanted to buy, and decide to forgo buying it
altogether.
7.
GIVE YOURSELF A
ONE-MONTH ONLINE SHOPPING MORATORIUM
Tell yourself: November is No Shopping Month. Inform a
partner or close friend as an accountability partner if necessary. This may
help you break out of the habit of browsing shopping sites when bored and
adding things to your cart simply because they are cheap and may come in useful
at a later stage.
8.
STOP HOARDING
PURCHASES AS GIFTS OR JUST-IN-CASE ITEMS
Many of the things we hoard or pre-buy often end up
becoming clutter. Gifts bought months ahead of birthdays and special occasions
become obsolete or irrelevant as the date draws closer. Canned food expire
before being consumed. Quilt covers and sofa protectors bought in advance turn
out not to fit the new quilt or sofa. Buy things as and when they become
needed, not in advance just because it is cheap. If something is useful and
popular, it will probably still be available when you need it and search for it
again.
9.
IDENTIFY WHAT YOU
ASPIRE TO ACHIEVE WITH A NEW PURCHASE.
Most
purchases are aspirational. We buy things for the person we hope to be – we
want to be fitter, slimmer, or more well-read, or we want to cook at home more,
entertain guests more often, or hike more, so we buy things that we think will
help us achieve those goals. But often we can achieve those goals without
buying something new. We can go hiking and jogging in the shoes we already
have, cook with the utensils we already have, entertain in the home we already
have, and read the books we already have. Focus on your goal and the journey,
not on the things you do not have that you believe will bring you closer to your
goals.
10. BRING YOUR OWN ENTERTAINMENT.
We often browse shopping sites when bored. To break
out of this habit, bring your own book or magazine with you when going to
places where you may have to wait. Download brain training games, audiobooks,
podcasts, and e-books onto your devices. Browse websites related to nature and
the environment instead of shopping sites.
11. SAVE THE PICTURES OF THE THINGS YOU WANT TO BUY.
It is
natural to like and want new things and beautiful things. But we don’t have to
buy and own everything we see. Sometimes, having the pictures to look at and
admire is enough to satisfy your need for the particular item. Maybe as time
goes by and your tastes change, you will delete the photo from your device
without feeling the urge to want to buy it any longer.
12. DIY YOUR OWN.
Many things
can be easily DIY-ed with a little creativity. Old furniture and plant pots can
be painted and decorated, clothes and tote bags can be jazzed up, and posters
can be found online, printed out and framed. DIY-ing your own items will also
give you a sense of pride that shopping can’t.
If all the tips above fail and you still end up
purchasing certain things online because you need them and cannot find them
anywhere else, remember to at least recycle the packaging. Black out names and
addresses on the package labels. Remove plastic wrapping and bubble wrap
carefully so that they can be reused by others. Flatten cardboard boxes for
recycling. Offer plastic bags, cardboard boxes, and bubble wrap to local shops,
especially zero waste stores and small home-based businesses, that can reuse
them. Donate bubble wrap and courier bags to organisations such as Hara Makers
and Reimagine Plastic so they can reuse the plastic wrap and bags in their
upcycling projects. Donate bubble wrap to craftsmen and artisans, for example,
woodcarvers in the Orang Asli community and local potters and sculptors, so
they can wrap up fragile purchases for their customers.
If you found these tips useful and have feedback to
share, or if you have ideas of your own on how to limit online shopping, email
us at wongeelynn@yahoo.com and gl.mnselangor@yahoo.com!
