The Compact

As I mentioned in my last post, we started The Compact on Thursday. You can read more about the original compact group and their rules in this post at the official compact blog. The basic principle is no buying new for a year.

I can hear you thinking "are you insane?!". Yes, probably a little. But we have agreed to do this for a number of reasons. They said it better at the original blog than I can myself, so:
1) to go beyond recycling in trying to counteract the negative global environmental and socioeconomic impacts of U.S. (Australian) consumer culture, to resist global corporatism, and to support local businesses, farms, etc. -- a step, we hope, inherits the revolutionary impulse of the Mayflower Compact
2) to reduce clutter and waste in our homes (as in trash Compact-er)
3) to simplify our lives (as in Calm-pact)

So, here is our personal compact, adapted to fit our goals and priorities.

The Rules
1) We will not buy any NEW items for one year.
2) We will only buy items that we NEED.

The Exceptions
1) Food, health and safety items
2) Items needed for work (Papa Bear)
3) Car seat for our new baby
4) Photo printing
5) Art and craft supplies (but only if it's for a gift or a necessary item)
6) Wedding gifts for our two brothers, who are both getting married within the next 12 months.

Yes, I feel like the exceptions list is ridiculously long. But we have our reasons for all of them, and I will talk a little more about them as they come up. We also have some goals for the next 12 months.

The Goals
1) To eat out less, remove processed food from our diet, eat locally, organic and in-season as much as possible.
2) To hone my sewing skills and provide clothes and other necessities for my family.
3) To plant a vegetable garden for food, and a native garden for pleasure.
4) To gradually replace disposable products with reusable versions.
5) To cut down on "screen time" (TV and internet/computer)
6) To cut down on petrol useage, combining trips and walking or riding whenever possible.
7) To learn to be content, be mindful consumers and tread lightly on the earth, and teach our children these same values.

I am excited, nervous, and a little overwhelmed at the thought of this. I'm sure there are things we haven't thought about that we will "need" in the next year. But I really look forward to this adventure, and can't wait to see what the next twelve months will bring to our little family.

Much of this post was adapted from Sara's post. Hers is such an inspirational blog, check it out.