Abundance & Perspective
Recently, I found myself looking at the issue of waste through a very different lens.
Over King's Birthday weekend, Wāhi Tukurua took part in the local Community Garage Sale. I rolled up my sleeves and volunteered to run the clothing stall for a couple of hours.
A Morning on the Clothing Stall
It was enormous fun.
Over three hours I sold around 50 items. I chatted with a wonderful mix of people, heard stories about why they loved a particular jacket or dress, and watched beautiful clothing head off to new homes.
Many of the garments were in remarkable condition. Some looked barely worn. A few still had their original tags attached.
At fifty cents an item, we raised around $25 for the charity. Every dollar matters, and we're grateful for the support.
But as I headed off home at the end of the day, I couldn't stop thinking about something else.
Seventy Boxes Waiting in the Rafters
For every item that found a new owner, there were dozens more waiting.
Back at the Resource Recovery Centre, there are more than 70 boxes of clothing stored in the rafters, all clean, wearable and looking for a second chance. Talk to the volunteers at almost any op shop in town and you'll hear a similar story.
The challenge isn't finding clothing.
The challenge is finding enough people to wear it.
Standing there amongst boxes and racks of perfectly good garments, I found myself reflecting on a question that sits at the heart of Matariki.
What is enough?
What is enough?
Not enough in the sense of scarcity.
Enough in the sense of satisfaction.
How many clothes do we really need? How many items sit unworn in wardrobes? How many purchases are made because something is on sale, because fashion has shifted, or simply because buying something new feels good in the moment?
The environmental conversation often starts when something becomes waste.
But perhaps the more important conversation starts much earlier.
It starts at the point of purchase.
Every item we buy has already consumed resources. Materials have been extracted. Energy has been used. Water has been consumed. People have manufactured, transported and distributed it. By the time a garment reaches our wardrobe, a significant environmental footprint already exists.
The most effective waste minimisation strategy isn't recycling.
It isn't even reuse.
It's thoughtful purchasing in the first place.
Matariki invites us to reflect on our choices and the future those choices create.
Perhaps one of the most powerful questions we can ask ourselves this year is not "What should I throw away?"
Perhaps it's "Do I need to buy it at all?"
And if I do, could I find it second-hand?
Because every time we choose a quality second-hand item, we extend the life of something that already exists. We honour the resources that went into making it. We reduce demand for new production. And often, we save money at the same time.
That's not about sacrifice.
That's about value.
And maybe that's one of the lessons hidden amongst those 70 boxes of clothing waiting patiently in the rafters.
The issue isn't that we don't have enough.
The issue may be that we've forgotten how much we already have.
Seeing Abundance Differently
As the stars of Matariki rise this year, I'm reminded that renewal doesn't always come from acquiring something new. Sometimes it comes from seeing familiar things differently.
A jacket finding its next home.
Seventy boxes of clothing quietly asking us what "enough" really means.
Matariki encourages us to look forward to the future. Perhaps one of the most valuable things we can take into that future is a renewed appreciation for what we already have.
Because when we learn to see abundance where we once saw scarcity, value where we once saw waste, and possibility where we once saw problems, we don't just change our behaviour.
We change our perspective.
And sometimes, that's where the most important journeys begin.
Tracey Bell - Chair, Mercury Bay Resource Recovery Centre Trust
