Thursday, August 5, 2010

100 things I proudly don't own

As I move towards a minimalistic lifestyle, here is a list of 100 things that I either never owned or recently got rid of. This list has been created in one sitting. I got the inspiration to do this exercise from Francine Jay.
1. Weighing machine
2. Coffee maker
3. Special set of glasses for wine, etc.
4. Dining table set
5. Handicam
6. iPhone
7. Dresser
8. Sentimental items
9. Desktop
10. Wrist watch
11. Wall clock
12. CDs and DVDs of any sort
13. Wii
14. Printer
15. Scanner
16. makeup kit
17. old magazines
18 . unfit old clothes
19. car vacuum
20. soft toys
21. hair products
22. souvenirs
23. irrelevant research papers
24. old irrelevant textbooks
25. PDA
26. Amazon Kindle
27. Blackberry
28. iPod
29. linen closet
30. garage and storage
31. stapler
32. Plastic disposable utensils
33. hair accessories
34. windchime
35. photocopies of vital docs
36. unopened unused gift items
37. blush
38. foundation
39. crockery for special guests
40. expired medicines
41. high heels
42. jewelry box
43. formal clothes
44. rice cooker
45. pen stand
46. Reading lamp
47. Gym equipments
48. Speakers
49. Newspapers
50. polythene (plastic bags)
51. Clothes shelf (other than built-in closets)
52. Receipts of petty purchases
53. Unused hangers
54. Manicure pedicure spa kits
55. Paper calender
56. Show piece stand
57. Antique items
58. Junk food items
59. Alcoholic drinks
60. Cigarattes
61. ash trays
62. Paper weight
63. Clutch
64. Easy chair
65. Curtains
66. Food processor
67. Plate holder utensil holder etc
68. Freebies from conferences
69. Samples from stores
70. Whiteboard
71. Store credit cards
72. grocery stroller
73. Complete bedding set with all sorts of pillows and sheets
74. DVD player
75. Apron
76. Pencil sharpener
77. Scale
78. Color pens
79. Highlighter
80. Phone directory
81. calculator
82. Landline Phone
83. Ikea furniture manuals
84. Electric Massager
85. Pooja stuff I don't use.
86. Unused old keys
87. old expired credit cards n debit cards
88. Spects holder thread
89. Picture cut outs from magazines
90. Articles I promise to read in future
91. Throw pillows
92. unfinished craft projects
93. Raincoat
94. Bluetooth phone device
95. Book shelf
96. Store booklets
97. big box to store off season clothing
98. Boxes accumulated due to ordering food or leftovers while dining out
99. Coffee hot mug
100. Expired medicines

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

My Tryst with Sustainability

Sustainable development has been defined by the Brundtland Commission of the United Nations as the development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Sustainability appears to be a super-ambitious goal considering the large scale of current problems like global warming and shortage of resources. Yet, I believe that small religious changes in lifestyle can lead to big revolutionary steps towards a more sustainable life. With this hope, I strive to incorporate sustainability in my every-day life and my surroundings. In this post, I describe my efforts on three fronts: home, office, and personal.

I start with my apartment that has been set up to make wise use of certain resources. I have eliminated unwanted letters from credit card companies, subscribed for paperless billing, and maintained online (as opposed to paper) copies of vital documents. The remaining paper waste, if any, is collected in a separate bin, and is regularly sent for recycling. I have collected a few cloth bags for shopping and never bring home the non-recyclable plastic bags. I try to make the most use of water by saving used water to feed into press iron, to water plants, or to wash utensils. Moreover, my apartment, a miniature earth, is lit by all energy efficient bulbs and has two beautiful plants that give the hope to have a greener world.
Another place of consideration is my office located in a non-Drexel building. After moving in to this office, I initiated a paper recycling program in the building. A challenge of being a doctoral student is the amount of research papers and notes one gets drowned in. This keeps me motivated to try and devise simple yet powerful ideas to avoid wastage and facilitate re-use of paper. For instance, there is no duplex printer at the office, so I recycle the blank sides of used pages for printing new documents. Also, I found that the sticky side of post-it notes makes a decent computer keyboard cleaner.
On personal front, I am a minimalist, inspired by Leo Babauta, and strongly preach and practice owning minimal items, and sharing of resources. Such a lifestyle has several personal benefits too; it helps improve health, gain time, and save money. My immediate plan is to get involved in voluntary programs for tree plantation and trash collection. Finally, I look forward to a more conscious society, cleaner technologies, and a more vibrant earth.

I, like you all,
was born to a self-less mother.
I grew up to take her for granted,
and made her age faster than normal .
I am now given a second chance
to undo my mistakes and revive her.
Thus, I pledge to nurture her,
and her offerings with care.
To make it clear,
I call her not just a mother,
but Mother Earth,
the ultimate giver and sustainer of life!