Is an old fashioned life the secret to sustainability?

It’s such a fascinating question. Could a return to an old fashioned life be the answer to the issues of sustainability facing us today? Certainly, the modern way of living is not doing us or our world any favours. Every year we create about 67 million tonnes of rubbish each year in Australia alone. This amount of waste puts huge pressure on the world, but also on the poor and disadvantaged in the countries were we conveniently ship our rubbish.

Attempts to improve the ethics and sustainability of the goods we purchase are often little more than green washing by corporations. On the flip side, advocates for greener products often insist on a perfection that is outside the scope of most people. Ethical and sustainable goods are usually much more expensive and harder to find.

But perhaps we’re looking at it from the wrong way. Maybe we need to return to an older way of living in order to be good stewards of the earth and truly good neighbours to communities all the world over.

What do I mean by old fashioned life?

Let me begin by saying that I am not advocating a return to a mythological era of no waste. Nor am I saying we all need to live in small mud huts while homesteading in our Bikenstocks. By old fashioned life, I mean a return to a mindset of valuing things, rather than valuing convenience, novelty or prestige.

There was a time when people bought things to last. They made and mended. They passed down heirlooms of furniture, china, clothing and books. This was often out of necessity rather than a lifestyle choice. Prior to and during the Great Depression, things were expensive. People didn’t expect to have huge wardrobes of clothes, or to swap out their furniture every few years. Ikea was undreamed of. People took time to maintain what they owned so that they could provide for future generations, as well as looking after themselves.

That’s what I mean by old fashioned living. It’s about stepping out of the consumerist hamster wheel and doing with less. Buy better things, care for them and enjoy the simplicity of that. We can have lovely clothes and beautiful homes, but we have to learn to achieve that with less.

What old fashioned living isn’t

Old fashioned living doesn’t mean you have to be home in an apron baking sourdough bread. I mean, I’d love to, but that isn’t the point. It isn’t an aesthetic of linen clothes and vintage furniture, although I’m 100% there for all of that. You shouldn’t feel that your life has to look a certain way for you to adopt this mindset.

I think people dismiss this idea out of hand because it conjours up ideas of inconvenience, shabby old things and getting left behind. I really don’t think it has to be that. We will have to learn new skills to care for our things. We will have to try harder to find high quality things. Yep, we also have to learn to resist the allure of the shops. But that doesn’t mean you have to look ugly. It doesn’t mean spending huge amounts on ethical items, or losing enjoyment and free time.

I believe in owning and using beautiful things. I just think we need to own less of them, and keep them for longer.

Why valuing our things will be more sustainable

I think a lot of the time we think that we can sustain our current lifestyle if we just buy more from an ‘ethical’ company or buy our power ‘green’. Honestly, a lot of that is just creative accounting. If we keep buying so many things and replacing them so quickly, no amount of offset tree planting is going to solve the problem. Sustainability can’t about sustaining our consumerist habits.

If we can start to buy less, we can really make a difference. When we do purchase something, we should definitely search out an ethical business, which cares for workers and the environment. But we really don’t need to buy even half as much as we do. I know so many of my own purchase are born out of pure boredom or wanting to keep up with the Jones. I honestly don’t need so many things.

I want to start valuing what I have. I really want to find alternatives to buying when I’m bored, or even when I do need something. If all of us cut our spending, we would be doing so much good. Not just to the planet, either. Our lives will be more peaceful. We’d help the poor and gift the next generation a cleaner world. Not to mention some awesome vintage furniture.

Easy ways to start learning the old fashioned mindset

I’ll be honest, I’m a total newbie at this. But how about we learn this together? I really want to embrace this old fashioned mindset of buying fewer, higher quality items and making them last. That said, I’m going to start slowly, making each step a habit. There’s nothing sustainable about rushing into something only to get overwhelmed.

For starters, I’m swapping out single use items around the house. Bathrooms and kitchens are easy places to start, as there are plenty of alternatives out there to throw-away products. I’m also in the process of teaching myself how to sew, sharpen knives and shop to reduce plastic and food waste.

I’m going to challenge myself to buy less this Christmas, and into the new year. Home made, second hand and DIY are some of the tools I’ll be sharpening. I hope you’ll come along for the ride, as I’m hoping to share my progress. It’ll help keep me accountable and maybe inspire a few people as well.

What do you think about old fashioned living? Do you have any tips for reducing waste? Let me know in the comments below.