Am I the only one who doesn't like the inferred assumption made by economic experts that shopping and CONSUMING is the answer to rebuilding prosperity? Again today on the news:
"Americans rebounded from a weak holiday season and stepped up spending on retail goods in January, an encouraging sign for the strengthening economy...
"The positive data suggest that hiring gains have encouraged more people to spend, which should lead to stronger growth...
"The good news is that the strong January gain establishes that the consumer trend is not folding"
(from
WHY WHY WHY are we told that buying more STUFF will solve unemployment, raise people out of poverty, etc.
I HATE IT.
So we should speed up digging up mountains to mine metals and raw materials, we should suck up the very limited fresh water resources for stoopid manufacturing of any number of things such as fabric, plastics, or foods, and how about we cut down more trees to make paper for advertising which gets THROWN AWAY???!!
I have a better idea. Instead of producing and CONSUMING new things, can companies and people focus on producing and consuming re-used, recycled and things contain NO or LITTLE NEW RAW MATERIALS.
OK, here are some free ideas to start your own small business:
-- Born Again Books: Not just for Sunday!
-- Rags to Riches: Glamorous Clothes remade from People for Pets
-- TimeShare Sports: Monthly Rental on Fitness Equipment without Commitment
These may be small scale, but big scale enterprises are certainly possible!
Yes, there are already resale sports stores, clothes stores, vintage malls and any number of other eco-companies. I'd just like this philosophy to be FIRST in our shopping consciousness, not secondary.
Oh, and the tissue paper? After the weekend's birthday celebrations, I have a nice supply of tissue paper saved from gifts. Is it a futile step in my 1-person rebellion against the 'SHOPPING to save the economy' mass hysteria?
Thanks for your read and comments, tweets and FB likes welcome.
GARDEN BOUQUET WELCOME CARD
Composed of pressed plants from my own yard, a thoughtful way to say hello to a new neighbor, co-worker, or baby. Handmade, no power consumed in the production.
Order HERE
February 14th, 2012 at 08:01 pm 1329249668
February 14th, 2012 at 08:17 pm 1329250622
Also the color of flowers will darken when pressed. I've tried roses and red becomes almost black like.
Above are simply geraniums (pink and red both darkened when dried and pressed), and yarrow blooms. Are you familiar with Queen Anne's Lace (a spring weed)? The yarrow head is a bit stiffer but seems to press ok.
There probably are tips if you google how to press flowers. They might suggest treatments, however, I do not wish to add chemicals or preservatives.
Just try out some in your yard! Especially try leaves! Many will turn out unexpectedly well! For tulips or roses just press the petals.
There isn't much of a cost investment, all you need is place the items between wax paper and then under a load of heavy books for a few weeks. You can also use sheets of newspaper instead of the wax paper with good results (just be careful of transferring ink to the plants).