Less-cost lifestyles

We at the 42collective are examining our current lifestyles - they can have huge and often hidden environmental and social costs, but are these costs always necessary? Are there other ways to live that have less impact but make us equally happy? We think that there are, and we are actively learning and identifying personal actions that can contribute to 'less-cost' living. Here are some ideas we have come up with.

We'll be running campaigns over the next year - watch this space. We welcome feedback too, so get in touch with us if you have any ideas, comments or constructive criticism (42collective@gmail.com).

Plant a vegetable garden and grow my own food; Walk to the dairy/school/work; Share clothes; Match pot sizes to hob sizes on my stove; Recycle packaging; Buy energy star rated appliances; Buy locally grown food; Catch the bus/train; Repair rather than replace; Buy organic food; Carpool with workmates; Swap clothes; Use multi-functional devices, e.g. use my computer as a DVD player; Buy GE free food; Make my own clothes; Go for a run or bike ride instead of driving my car to the gym; Keep my fridge & freezer maintained and free of ice – replace bad seals; Buy fair trade coffee/chocolate/spices; Buy durable clothes; Ask where my produce comes from; Walk my children to school; Buy recycled clothing; Use smaller devices; Work out where my lunch came from; Teach my kids to ride a bike and bike to school with them; Donate old clothes to charity I no longer use; Consult consumer guides for most energy efficient products; Avoid processed food; Set up or use a walking school bus; Buy NZ-made clothing; Choose from companies that have take-back schemes; Avoid artificial sweeteners and preservatives; Work from home one day a week; Buy organic cotton; Purchase a service rather than a good (i.e. hire rather than ownership); Take my own bags to the supermarket; Cut down on unnecessary air travel by using video conferencing; Encourage my office to install a recycling system; Take my cell-phone back to the supplier at the end of its life; Buy fair trade clothes and shoes; Use just one fridge; Request fair trade coffee at my local café; Switch off my appliances off at the wall; Eat less meat; Do one big weekly food shop per week to cut down on unnecessary vehicle trips; Return packaging to retailer/producer; Take back my computers at the yearly computer recycling day; Ask retailers under what conditions clothing is made; Unplug my cell-phone charger when not in use; Eat less dairy; Buy a hybrid car; Question purchases for ‘fashion’ rather than practicality; Purchase devices which auto turn off at wall e.g. computer monitor; Buy free range eggs; Plant some native trees in my garden to offset my car's emissions; Buy organic or natural beauty products; Use rechargeable batteries; Eat fish only from sustainably harvested fisheries; Go on weekend trips by bike or train rather than car; Be happy with my body; Boil only as much water as I need at one time; Buy fair trade bananas; Hang out my clothes to dry instead of using a dryer; Cook for friends once a month; Re-tune my car so it will run off bio-diesel; Ask myself if I really need it; Cold-wash my clothes; Buy food with less packaging; Get my car serviced/tuned regularly so it uses gas more efficiently; Ask if retail is always therapy; Put a lid on the pot when boiling water; Take my own cup to the café instead of a disposable; Wash only full loads of laundry; Buy fewer takeaways; Say no to plastic bags; Catch grey-water from my washing machine to water my garden; Compost my organic waste