I heart garbage
Home » Blog » Holly Jean Brooker » I heart garbageThis week our eco-living blogger Holly and her husband move into their very first home in Australia. After decluttering their New Zealand lives using green principles they now have a similar challenge – to accumulate less things and source household items as sustainably as possible
Image by aubergene via Flickr
Last year my husband Rico and I sold up and moved to Australia with just one suitcase each. At the time, the challenge was decluttering our entire lives sustainably and ensuring our houseload of stuff didn't end up in a landfill.
This week we (gulp) signed away our freedom and moved into our very first home in Australia. Our new mission is to keep our environmental impact low by accumulating less this time around and keeping it simple. We are mindful of making green choices, opting to buy as few new items as possible and as many used items as possible, while still furnishing a house in a modern and comfortable style that reflects who we are.
Garage sales have been a surprisingly enjoyable adventure on a few Saturday mornings, with some absolutely amazing discoveries along the way. Scoring gorgeous Queen Anne sidetables and bedsets, once-read novels of our favourite authors, fashionable clothing and shoes, fishing rods and the like have made these early morning starts well worth the sacrifice.
The Salvation Army ('Salvos' in Ozzie-speak), the Red Cross and Vinnies have blessed us with numerous pre-used household items such as quality dinnerware and kitchen appliances for only a few bucks each.
A second-hand Queen Anne set Holly found
A chance encounter with inorganic rubbish in south Perth on the weekend presented us with countless retro treats. Unfortunately we couldn’t quite fit all the goodness we discovered into our car due to the new suede chaise couch we had bought hours prior. But we did manage to squeeze in a couple of sweet pieces that have added a stylish eco touch to our new pad.
Friends in western Australia, knowing we are recent immigrants, have also offered us their cast-offs, which have helped make our new house a home and reduced the burden for them of making a trip to the dump.
We've set up our home with a modern retro look. It's not all pre-used, but it's pretty close and I’m thrilled. Furnishing it has been fun and our house looks fantastic – the sea views out front and swimming pool out the back help somewhat too!
Next up, a dining room table. Hmmm ... a recycled door could be a perfect option!
Holly Jean Brooker is owner
of www.urbanmac.co.nz,
which provides New Zealanders with untreated raised garden beds,
nutritious soil and outdoor furniture.
Thu May 12, 2011 @ 12:50 AM
businesschic.com.au