Poornima Manco

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sustainabiliy

Failing forward

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We all know what kind of year it’s been. And I will not use it as an excuse, but I will admit that I have failed rather spectacularly at what I had so ambitiously vowed to do at the start of 2020. For those who’ve come to my blog a little later, here’s the link to my very public proclamation – New Year, New you & all that jazz.

Now, I had said that shopping has always been for fun and for fashion (for me), but this year it became my bit of frivolity too. When, with each passing day, all one read or heard was doom and gloom, I cheered myself up by buying a dress (or two), several lipsticks, some gorgeous shoes, and well… you get the idea!

In my defence, none of this is throwaway fashion. I made all these purchases intending to keep and wear these items for several years. Also, when I dispose of them in the future, it will be to a charity shop and not a landfill. However, even while I write this, I feel a twinge of guilt, because I had absolutely no need for any of these things I purchased over the year. I have a full to bursting wardrobe, outfits that range three sizes (for my fit to fat phases) and enough makeup to do over the entire cast of ‘Phantom of the opera’. Still, a girl with a credit card, an Instagram account and a desire to make herself feel better through any means possible, can end up doing a fair bit of damage to said card. I won’t even go into the psychology of what shopping came to embody in the year that never was. This was the chicken soup for my soul. Shallow, I know, but true.

So, as we near the end of this particularly horrendous year, I stand before you, a bit shame-faced, and quite rueful in not having followed through on my promise. However, with just a few days to go, I don’t see any reason to not want to try again. At some level I recognise that shopping is only papering over the cracks of anxiety, uncertainty and fear. It’s momentary joy in an unpredictable time. It’s comfort consumption, a crutch to handle that which there is no handle on. And each of us is ‘dealing with’ in our own unique ways. But equally, my original intent of doing something for the planet hasn’t disappeared entirely. I am still very cognisant of the fact that pandemics aside, our planet is groaning under the weight of our consumerism. And while I may have stumbled and fallen at the very first hurdle, I can still pick myself up and finish this race. With three days to go to 2021, now may be as good a time as any.

After all, in the immortal words of Scarlett O’Hara, “Tomorrow is another day.”

 

New year, New you & all that jazz

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Every year without fail I make my New Year resolutions. Lose weight, sleep more, write more, practice patience, be kinder, be nicer etc. Some of these I manage to implement, while others fall by the wayside. Isn’t that what it’s like for most of us?

The start of a year seems to be a good time to set oneself goals. Things that need accomplishing and things that never seem to get accomplished. But there is a desire and a willingness to set oneself these aims for the future. Somehow, a new year is like a blank slate just waiting to be written upon.

2020 has a nice ring to it. It is not just the start of a new year, it’s also the beginning of a new decade. A decade which I hope is less turbulent and traumatic than the last one was, for me personally. A decade which will see the fruition of certain ambitions, the cementing of certain relationships and the sloughing off of others. And maybe, just maybe, 2020 will be the start of that.

Yet, what are New Year resolutions without a list? I am the queen of lists. I make daily ones, monthly ones and annual ones too. I derive so much satisfaction from ticking things off my list(s). There is a sense of execution, attainment and fulfilment each time something gets crossed off. So, this year, in addition to the usual suspects, I have added another challenge for myself.

This is my year of the no-spend.

Why? Well, I have been reading and hearing so much about sustainable living, and there is something about this idea that appeals to me. Mass consumption has wrecked our beautiful planet. From greenhouse gases to plastic waste, from deforestation to ridiculous amounts of energy consumption, the human race has done everything in its capacity to destroy the only real home it has. What kind of a planet are we going to leave our children? What kind of a future will they have? What can we do right now to help?

Well, we can begin by living sustainably. By consuming only what we require and no more, by practising minimalism and reducing our carbon footprint as much as we can.

To that end, I am starting with this no-spend year. The plan is that I will not buy any new clothes this year. The garment industry, particularly ‘fast fashion’ that sees garments produced, consumed and discarded at alarming rates, is a large contributor to global pollution and waste. My not buying any new clothes may only be a drop in the ocean, but it’s a start. To that list, I am also adding cosmetics and costume jewellery.

Now, on a personal front, I am very fortunate to have enough to keep me going, not just this year but perhaps for the next few years too. But, let’s face it. We, particularly women, don’t just shop to replace. We shop for fun, for fashion, for variety and sometimes, to relieve boredom. I know I do. So, I intend to avoid all such triggers and replace them with things like reading, meeting up with friends, writing my next book… you get the idea.

There is a caveat to my no-spend year. I will still buy gifts for friends and I will still go out for meals (preferably not blow-out ones) and have my ‘experiences’. Otherwise, I’m likely to become a very unhappy character indeed.

Baby steps.

At the end of this year, I will report back on how it went. Whether I managed to do it, whether there were any blips along the way, how I felt, whether I’d like to continue and alongside answer any questions you may have as well.

Wish me luck!

And oh, by the way, dry January is going well too. 😉🙏🏽