About four months ago, in a thrift-obsessed mania, I launched a Facebook petition calling for a commemorative month of American Thrift. It didn’t take long to realize this was a monumental project, naively approached with the build-it-and-they-will-come mentality. Like most super-sized deals it’s easy to order, hard to swallow and sticks to the gut for a long, long time.

Overwhelmed by its scale, I put it on the side bar. Some encouraged me to try at the state level first and then work up. No! This needs to be national! Now! So, I’m back at it, spittin’ and a swingin’.

Retailers have done a bang-up job leading Americans away from thrift and making us think “If it’s not new its EWWW!” All kinds of bizarre myths are in play. The strangest I’ve heard is that one needs a voucher, like food stamps, to thrift. Consumers are lost and it’s time to call them home.

American Thrift deserves at least one month in the annual spotlight to educate and recruit people to the cause. Remember folks this is poetic shopping. Buy a repurposed item and the profits go to repurposing a life!

Retailers have been receiving commemorative months for years by self-promotion. Who would sign a petition for Return the Shopping Carts to the Supermarket Month, Noodle Month, Frozen Foods Month, Hamburger Month, or Umbrella Month?* How these months became a reality is a real head-scratcher. I provided links to these promotions because I’m betting you don’t believe me. The link to Return the Shopping Carts to the Supermarket Month provides instruction on how to observe that month. Phew! I was a bit uncertain as to how to honor that month, its title is so vague. For a list of our national commemorative months click here.

If you’re a Facebook member, click here and join and then invite your friends to join too. If you’re not on Facebook, we’ll be developing an alternate option. As I wrote, this project was kicked off in a thrift-loving manic state. But, I believe it can be successfully orchestrated.

Oh, and this is no shameless promotion of Facebook. I just happened to be on it during my psychotic thrifting break of genius and naivete. This “I can change the world attitude” makes me feel like I’m in college again! Why, I’m as light as a feather!

We can do this! Please join and then comment as to what month you think it should be. And, if you have experience in this field and want to help, email me right away at Shopping [dot] Golightly [at] gmail [dot] com.

Visit the Thrifty Chicks at: http://thethriftychicks.blogspot.com/

*Sources: epromos.com & Wikipedia

It’s been a little while since I complained about lighting outside buildings (and inside for that matter) so I thought it was about time I had another moan.

The government has given their response to a petition on floodlighting I signed a while ago. The petition requested a ban on uneccessary floodlighting and asked the government to lead by example and reduce the lighting on their own buildings.

You can read the whole response at the 10 Downing Street e-petition site but the straight answer is that they do not intend to bring in a policy which bans floodlighting.

They say that “good practice” is to use various types of lower energy lighting but importantly they do not suggest making even this the law. Why not???

My favourite statement throughout their whole response is “Effects of reducing lighting levels or turning lights off vary from case to case”. Surely reducing lighting levels or turning lights off will reduce energy in every case!

They then state that safety should be a consideration (and balanced against financial and environmental cost) and I wouldn’t argue with that. So, let’s not necessarily have a blanket policy to ban floodlighting altogether but consider the use of it more carefully – I’m sure that alone would cause great reduction in energy waste and light pollution.

I strongly feel that this is an issue which shouldn’t be brushed off in the way it was in this government response. So, if you feel that light pollution needs to be tackled join me in signing a couple more petitions:

Make it illegal to leave lighting and electrical devices on in any establishment whilst the building is vacant or outside of working hours

Save energy consumption by reducing streetlight usage

Switching off a light is one of the easiest things to do so why is it so difficult to make it happen?

Following on nicely from Andy’s article below about getting a career in the environment sector here’s a thought about environment in the classroom.

Lead by our good friend Tracey Smith from National Downshifting Week is a petition to the Prime Minister asking for lessons on how to lead a green and sustainable lifestyle to be incorporated into the national curriculum.

Here’s what she says about it:

“A nationally supported educational structure that raises environmental and sustainable awareness, would get all of our children on the right, green track before they step into adult life.

Elements should include:- how to compost, seasonal cooking from fresh (which should never have left the curriculum), basic fruit and vegetable cultivation, what’s in our hedgerows, better interaction via a revival of non-electric games, natural cleaning without chemicals, balancing your cheque book/living within your means, simple renewable energy and promotion of volunteering in our communities, amongst others.

Children are the leaders of the future and would benefit from proper ‘life-lessons’ offering real guidance – let’s take the ‘freaky out of eco’ by normalising and encouraging sustainable behaviour and lifestyles.”

So brilliant I can’t believe it hasn’t been done already!

If you agree petition our PM today!