I feel like I haven't done anything from this series in a long time, so I decided it was about time for a good Eco post! This series is all about simple things we can do to make a big difference and have a positive impact on our planet. This one is really ridiculously easy!

I love thrift stores!!!

Going to a thrift store is like going on a treasure hunt! I have found some really amazing things! I think my greatest prize was a full length wool coat from probably the 60s with a fur trimmed hood. I would never buy anything new with fur, but I'm alright if it comes from the thrift store. I paid $3 for that coat. It was in the bins where you pay by the pound. There are incredible deals to be found, and you never know what you'll get! Not just clothes either! Furniture, kitchen stuff, etc. I have filled many a house with thrift store treasure for cheap. All things in perfectly good shape!

If you are on a budget, a thrift store is absolutely the best option. It is likely you will find good quality clothes at super cheap prices. That's so much better than buying cheaply made crap at one of the discount box stores. Same for kitchen stuff. Why buy a cheap, new, knock off when you can buy a quality made, used one for the same or less! Quality does make a difference, particularly in longevity, but I don't believe you always get what you pay for.

Baby clothes, in particular, I have often found brand new. People lose their minds when someone is pregnant. They buy so much stuff, and babies grow so fast. I know my kids had stuff they never wore. That's by no means all, though. There are loads of reasons for things to end up in a thrift store. People gain and lose weight. People have different tastes. People move and declutter. People die. People marry and get rid of extra dishes and small appliances. In many of these instances, there is nothing wrong with the item. People just want to get rid of things the easiest and fastest way. One quick drop at the thrift store, and it's done. So that's an even easier Eco tip! When you declutter or downsize, consider there are people who may be able to use what you no longer need. Instead of going to the dump, drop things at the thrift store! The average person throws away 70 lbs of perfectly good clothing each year!

Look at all that treasure!

On the other end, make regular trips to the thrift store to find what you need! Do you know what the most heavily pesticided plant on the planet is? Cotton. Though cotton accounts for less than 3% of cultivated land, it accounts for 6% of global pesticide use and 11% of insecticide use. These numbers may be slightly outdated, but a new study indicates GM cotton has not improved the situation much, if at all. Quite simply, different pests have become a problem, and some of the GM cotton is developed to be tolerant of larger amounts of pesticides. I'll let you follow that money trail. Synthetics? Well, that's petroleum based. And waste in the textile industry? 12.8 million tons of fabric scraps are trashed each year. There are a few wonderful organizations that use these fabric scraps to make unique clothes and other items. Check out Hive account@thegreens for more info on the wonderful work they are doing with fabric scraps from the textile industry. However, a large percentage of those scraps are straight to the dump.

The chain is long for a simple t shirt: manufacture of pesticides, shipped to farm supply company and then to farm, farm machinery to grow and harvest cotton (and spray it of course!), cotton shipped to factory to be spun and knitted or woven, shipped again to a different factory for sewing, possibly to yet another for design, and again to the distributor and store. It's absurd. If we are going to go through all that trouble, we should definitely ensure the item gets used well. I am sure I have had some of my clothes for twenty years, so it is definitely possible for a piece of clothing to have a long life.

Pro tip: go often and without much agenda. I have found that searching for something specific can be frustrating. If you go regularly, you will rarely find yourself in need of a specific thing.

Pro tip 2: Just because something is inexpensive, that doesn't mean you should buy it! You don't want to end up with clutter, no matter how charming, clever, or inexpensive!