Since 1970, when the Earth Day movement started, the concept of “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” has slowly gone from a fringe movement and slogan to being shoved down our throats at every possible turn. And while being told to “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” the Western World began to lose their ability to do those very things that were commonplace throughout history.

As western countries focused on applying pressure to corporations and making a splash in the media, slogans, protests, parades, and etc. became the focus, not the actual skills that allowed things to be reused, turned into other useful items, and reduced consumption. In centuries past, clothing, for example, was designed and made to last. As fashions changed, clothes were repurposed rather than simply running out and purchasing another (and this was true for all classes of society).

Today, we toss clothing out without a second thought as it is cheap to purchase, poorly made, and is designed and manufactured with the intent to be replaced on a whim. How is this “green”? How is this an example of “reduce, reuse, recycle”? How is this sustainable?

The answer is, it is not. The loss of life skills is intentional. It makes the populace dependent on treadmill of poorly made goods at ever increasing prices, while ignoring the human cost in third world countries that make the goods. Why attempt to mend an eight-dollar t-shirt or a twenty-dollar set of sheets when you can just replace them? We do it almost without thinking, it is more time efficient to just buy a new one then take time away from doom scrolling on the phone while streaming the latest hit show.

We claim to be environmentally conscious, yet we don’t think twice about throwing away outdated fashion and patting ourselves on the back for separating the trash from the recyclables. But if we are honest with ourselves, we do the bare minimum and would rather spend time doom scrolling or streaming than mending a torn garment.

But what happens when we set down the phone and make an intentional choice to not simply “reduce, reuse, recycle” but to repair, repurpose, or refresh? As the prices continue to rise, the financial benefit to beginning to repair, repurpose or refresh items becomes common sense.

What lost skills are missing from your proverbial toolkit? Can you sew on a button, mend a hole, hem a garment? Can you darn socks? How are your skills in the kitchen? Can you plant a seed and nurture it to produce a healthy, thriving plant to feed yourself and your family?

The list of lost skills is endless and not everyone is good everything. I’m certainly not, when it comes to fixing the car or home repair maintenance. So, if you are looking for woodworking tips or how to change the brake pads on your car, this is not going to be super helpful. But if you are tired of throwing money away and want to at least attempt to learn, or rediscover, lost life skills, then this is the place to be.

Upcoming posts on mending, freezer meals and meal planning, tailoring. It is easy to fall into the trap of replacing the shirt with a pin hole, or to just order a new sheet set. I’ve done it, and I admit it leaves more time for other things. At the same time, five minutes to mend a hole the easy way in the long run, saves money each time which over time adds up. “A penny saved is a penny earned” and while pennies are, sadly, being phased out of the economy, the phrase’s intent is accurate. For every dollar saved by one of those lost life skills, is a dollar earned for something else.