Over the last year or so I have been trying to slim down ... not just myself but all the stuff that I have gathered along the way.
When I first came back to the States in 1991 all I had was three kids and two large suitcases. That was an easy move if you set aside clearing customs and immigration in three countries, a nine hour flight with a baby, a toddler and a 6-year-old and trying to quit smoking at the same time.
Then when I moved to South Oakland a couple of years back I was shocked to see how much stuff I had accumulated since; four truck loads of things. Shocked and pretty freaked. Now I've started trading, selling and giving away anything I haven't used in the last year and in some cases, the last month.
That brings us to the "Black and Gold City Goes Green" email I received the other day. Every month the campaign sends out an email which highlights an action that city residents can do to help make the city a greener and better place to live.This month the email offers a few suggestions on how to go about clearing the clutter without adding to the area's landfills.
Freecycling is one way of passing it forward. You can find a new home for that dresser or chair that's been sitting in the basement for years gathering dust. Or maybe you want try a consignment shop. Needless to say I am a fan of the classified ad ... go figure.
The BAGG emails cover the basics like reusable shopping bags, go paperless and such along with your main goal for the month. I like having a goal, nothing too complicated or hard to do and you get the feeling of accomplishment. If you want you can report your actions to the campaign and win a basket of Pittsburgh. Not bad.These may be baby steps but they get us to walking.
Learn more about the campaign at "Black and Gold City Goes Green."

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