Give the Gift of Less 'Stuff'

I just received a wonderful gift and thought I'd share it with you. For those of you who haven’t seen it, I invite you to view The Story of Stuff. This time of year is a great time to take inventory of all the ‘stuff’ in our lives. I admit I like nice stuff, but all “stuff’ comes at a price and I'm aware now more than ever that every consumer purchase is linked to consumption of land, trees, oil, and other natural resources. Of course we all need to buy things, but instead of thinking ‘what’s on sale?’ maybe we need to begin thinking “what choices can I make to reduce the stuff that’s contributing to the degradation of my health, my community, the environment and ultimately our society? Studies show that in the U.S. we have more ‘stuff’ than other country, yet we're less healthy than many living in third-world countries. Maybe it's all that stuff we're consuming that's stressing us out!

The comparison of consumption and health isn't mutually exclusive. Many people don’t realize that going organic is more than a health choice, it’s a sustainable lifestyle choice. Products cultivated from organic farming lessen the burden on our bodies, the environment, waterways, not to mention the pesticides used in traditional agricultural farming carry toxins that deposit into our bodies. Not convinced? Check out BodyBurden.org. And, when you’re out this week buying last minute 'stuff' for the holidays, I hope you’ll pass on this gift to others.