Conscious consumerism comes with an “ook” factor. When I say that, I’m referring to adopting something you’ve obtained further down in the use cycle. The higher your “ook” score, the easier time you’ll have scoring cool items that don’t make a dent in your carbon footprint–often for free or much less than you’d pay for something new. (I write this with full recognition that really, those who are truly responsible for climate change are policymakers and big industry. We are given very few choices as consumers to purchase sustainable goods, but I’ll save that rant for another time.)
I’m just making this up as I type so please note there’s room for contemplation, but let’s say you’re the kind of person who can only have brand new things sealed from the factory in the box–nothing that’s been touched by other hands. That would give you an ook factor of 1. The next level would measure tolerance by being able to use something from someone you know, but never from a thrift store–let’s call that ook factor 2. Ook factor 3 would be shopping on Craigslist, through social media connections or at a yard sale where you can see the environment where the thing was before and perhaps meet its previous owner. Ook factor 4 would be the thrift store, where you don’t know the origin and you don’t mind that smell created by 20,000 kinds of sweat. Finally, the gold standard in acceptance is ook factor 5–picking something off the sidewalk or from the trash bin for use inside your home.
Where do you fall on the scale? I’m mostly an ook factor 5 gal when it comes to furniture or most home goods (but for the love of the goddess, please check for bedbugs, nicotine, fleas and other things that might soak your soul in regret). I’ve picked up entire dining sets from the sidewalk and sold them for fast cash. My toaster oven was new in the box, found around the corner, coincidentally, just a day or so after I’d wondered if I should buy a toaster oven. Obviously if something looks disgusting or broken, I’ll pass. Of course, I do buy some things new, no matter what (new underwear, for example, is non-negotiable). And there are some inherent hurdles to buying used as well–thrift stores don’t have all things in all sizes, and more time is required to find what you need and to examine it for wear and quality. Being able to hunt for exactly what you needs comes with the privilege of time. And a lot of treasure hunting depends on the relative wealth of your neighborhood.
Yesterday I picked up some items thoughtfully left out by neighbors across the street–lovely vintage wooden bowels and plates, and a nearly new Oster blender. They’ve been scrubbed and disinfected, of course and will go on to have new lives in our household. And this is where I challenge you to re-think your ook factor. Why can’t you do as good a job as a factory to disinfect something? It’s just a good scrubbing with cleaner and/or alcohol. In fact, how do you know the place of manufacture is actually clean, and not filled with germy gremlins? The truth is, unless we’re talking about scientifically sterile lab equipment, you don’t. And let’s talk about a pricey antique store or auction house–what’s the difference between getting something from there or off the sidewalk? ZERO, except maybe the antiques dealer has freshened up the piece a bit first.
Here’s my challenge to you this season: See if you can improve your ook factor. So if you’re a 1, nudge yourself to a 2, and so on. Not only will you save money by buying used, but you’ll make that much less of a footprint and keep waste from the landfill (shockingly, we throw out 9 million tons of furniture a year), and maybe you’ll even get that quickening feeling from the thrill of the hunt.