The First R
Working on Rinexii has been a very exciting project for me. Lately, I have spent many hours reading books, watching documentaries, and reviewing these and some of the products I’ve incorporated into my own use. I’ve enjoyed doing these things immensely, but it also comes with a dilemma—should I encourage people to buy stuff when that stuff has a carbon footprint?
After all, I can recommend you buy a book, but that book took paper to print and gas to ship. Should I just recommend you not buy any books at all? Digital books only?
I thought about this a lot before I decided to go ahead and post reviews. The reviews do have affiliate links, and I do ask that if you decide to buy a book, DVD, or item you see here that you support Rinexii by using the link. That being said, it’s more important to me that you refuse what you don’t need. Before you buy something you see here, ask yourself the following questions:
Can I get it at the library?
All of the books I have found so far have been at my local library. Even if you don’t see it on the shelves, you can often order it from other nearby libraries. Best of all, it is entirely free, and that book will continue to be read daily instead of languishing on a shelf.
Can I get a digital copy?
All of the documentaries I have watched are available on either Netflix or Amazon. Digital copies have a much smaller footprint than a physical copy. Some libraries also carry physical copies of documentaries to loan out, so it could be there too.
Do I really need it?
For products it gets a little trickier. If your recycling bin is filled to the brim with single use plastic water bottles because you can’t stand the taste of tap water, a filtered reusable water bottle could make a big difference.
On the other hand, if you’re just buying a cool gadget because it’s cool–well if you don’t use it, is that really helping?
Can I get it second hand?
Okay there isn’t actually a glut of Earth Friendly items hanging around begging to continue it’s cycle of use a little longer. Before you buy a new product it’s actually worth seeing if you can get it second hand. As an example, when I switched to cloth diapers I got all of them second hand from consignment stores. This is a rare example, but it’s definitely worth a try.
As I make changes in my own lifestyle I will review the products I found helpful, and offer links to them so you can buy them too–but don’t make buying your first choice.