Froogle Living and Conservation
How to Save Money and the Planet
A look at the "froogle" living trend, which aims to reduce consumerism (and, in turn, needless waste).
Froogle isn't just an online bargain-hunting tool powered by Google anymore; it's becoming a way of life for a growing number of people who are disturbed by our wasteful lifestyles and addiction to consumerism.
While the "froogle" lifestyle is about fighting back against the 24/7 commercial urgings to go out and spend, spend, spend, it also succeeds as a guide to green living: less buying means less waste, fewer shopping trips, luxury cars and fancy vacations translates into less energy consumed and less pollution generated.
So where can you turn if you're interested in learning more about "froogle" living? Start with some of these resources:
No Impact Man: Written by Colin Beavan, this blog details the New Yorker's attempts to live a environmentally zero-impact lifestyle for one year with his wife, toddler and dog. As he puts it, "A guilty liberal finally snaps, swears off plastic, goes organice, becomes a bicycle nut, turns off his power, composts his poop and, while living in New York City, generally turns into a tree-hugging lunatic who tries to save the polar bears and the rest of the planet from environmental catastrophe while dragging his baby daughter and Prada-wearing, Four Seasons-loving wife along for the ride."
Pioneer Thinking: Whether you're seeking tips for homemade weddings, natural bath and beauty recipes, tips about herbs or more, Pioneer Thinking provides a wide range of information for the would-be self-sufficient.
reduce.org: Maintained by the Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance, this Website offers a wealth of tips and information for doing more with less: how to reduce household waste, how to grow a no-waste lawn and garden, how to get the most out of what you buy, and lots more.
Zerofootprint: Zerofootprint's aim is to "change the world by helping people reduce their environmental footprint." The Website features news, a blog, an online marketplace and other resources to help individuals and businesses reduce their impact on the world around them.
The ULS Report: The ULS (for "use less stuff") Report was published bi-monthly between 1994 and 2000, and is now in the process of being revived. Its full archive of newsletters with tips on how to reduce waste and use fewer resources is still available online, and a companion book, "Use Less Stuff: Environmental Solutions for Who We Really Are" (1998, Ballantine Books), is still in print and can be purchased through booksellers such as Amazon.com.
For more recent books on the subject of using less, check out Judith Levine's "Not Buying It: My Year without Shopping" (Free Press, 2007). Jarred by the $1,000 shopping bill she ran up before the holidays in 2004, Levine pledges to buy nothing but the barest of necessities over the next 12 months. Her book explores the ups and downs of that experiment, including the bonus of $8,000 by the end of the year.
