Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. The three "R"s are pretty easy to remember. But there's something else that often gets left out of the conversation that is at least equally important: Durability.
I've been thinking about it a lot lately because of a brush I bought to groom our cats. It was inexpensive, made of plastic, and purchased without much thought, because we needed something to combat the fur (Charlie is a hair shedding machine). Anyway -- the brush is a piece of trash. It just doesn't work very well.
In my frustration, I've also been thinking about my mom's curry comb. It's a brush my mother used to groom her horses with when she was a child, and it's been an enduring fixture in my life. Every dog and cat my parents have ever owned have been brushed with that curry comb. It's metal with a red wooden handle. The paint on the handle is a bit worn but it works so well and it has lasted so long.
My mom also has a large cast iron pot -- she uses it for stews and roasts -- that was given to her mother from a neighbor over 50 years ago. When she's not using it, it sits on the fireplace. It makes me ashamed of my scratched, non-stick pots ... their handles are loose and I bought them on sale only a few years ago. I hope to replace them soon.
Durability is such a key factor in reducing waste. If only every pet owner had a curry comb like my mother's (they probably don't sell them anymore), there would be no market for cheap, plastic, inferior versions of the same thing. Although plastic isn't always the culprit -- my mom also has really ancient Tupperware!
Sometimes we pick the less durable option because it is also less expensive, not realizing that in the long run, it will cost us (and the earth) so much more.
So this is my little promise to myself: No more cheap, non-durable anything.
Do your parents (or you) have things that have lasted generations? What are they?
cast iron kettle photo via jurek d.; flickr.com
i completely agree about the whole durability argument: it reminds me of a post i read last week about cost-per-use.
as for a durable (slightly expensive) and GREAT de-shedding tool...check out the Furminator (furminator.com). we were going through brush after brush, until a coworker told us about this. it lacks the nostalgic charm that your mother's curry comb likely has...but it works wonders!
view ambsATX's profile
My father has been using the same razor since I was a child. The old fashioned crank open the top, drop in the naked razor blade style.
I've had a slew of the disposable cartridge style as razor technology "evolved".
I have been lucky with my pots and pans. Between the Paderno pots and the Le Creuset enameled cast iron pans, they are innately durable.
view ChzPlz's profile
Hah! AmbsATX, I was just about to recommend the same. My cat, Chibi, sheds like crazy, especially now as it's warming up and this thing works wonders. Assuming she sits still long enough to let me furminate her, but that's a whole different problem.
I am usually willing to pay more for something I'm pretty sure will last, especially for things like shoes and clothes that I have to blow a lot of money on anyway. My pots and pans are mostly the ones my parents' had when they were in college and they still serve me very well. The new stuff is all cast iron. It's more expensive, but I get a lot more use out of it than the cheap-o non-stick pans I bought when I moved out. I also like getting to keep the memories of using those pots and pans. This charred bit is from when I was having such a good time talking to X that I forgot about the rice. Years of scrubbing haven't managed to get it all out, but the pan's still good. That kind of thing. You don't get to have that with stuff you have to replace all the time.
view Tiamat_the_Red's profile
All of my mom's pans are cast iron, and after I moved out of the house, the cutting board she gave me was a plank of wood she got camping 25 years ago.
view mikaya's profile
My mom has cast iron pans that her mother-in-law gave her after having for god knows how long. All of my cookware is heavy-duty stainless (All-Clad) or vintage enameled cast iron. The All-Clad cost a pretty penny, but it will last my lifetime at the very least. Same goes for my Henkels knives.
I also have a Kitchen-Aid mixer circa 1960 that works like a horse. It was made back when the company was still owned by Hobart and everything was made in Ohio. Now it's owned by Whirlpool and the mixers are made in China and do not have nearly the power or durability.
view m!'s profile
I'm an interior design student. My favorite teacher who happens to teach the history courses always says "Buy well once". I've always perfered to live this way, sometimes my college budget wouldn't allow it but it's still my mantra.
Another things to ponder, is we had to read Cradle to Cradle (everyone in the industry - architecture, interior design) has read it. And it mentions that today manufacturers have figured out through studies, how long customers use their products, so they only product/build things to last that long. Example, most people want to buy a new car at least every 10 yrs, so cars are not built anymore to last 30 yrs or even 20 yrs. That's how the world is working right now, but we hold the vote, we can demand better quality. Helping our planet and our wallets. :)
BUY WELL ONCE guys.
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