Making up just 5% of the world’s population, the US consumes 30% of the world’s resources and creates 30% of the world’s waste.  We have so much stuff that finding a place to put it is big business; the self-storage industry is booming. Today, it is physically possible for every American to stand at the same time under the canopy of self-storage roofing in the US.  这并不奇怪, then, 近藤麻理惠, author of best-selling book “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up,” has 掀起了一股整理杂物的热潮.

在她的Netflix节目上, Kondo teaches clients to make their homes more livable through her special organizing process. The result is large piles of garbage bags filled with clothing, 家居用品, and other items that no longer “spark joy” for their owners.  Read on for tips to break free of clutter, sustainably! 

真正解决太多东西的方法, of course, 就是减少消费, buy better, and care for what we already have—this makes it easier to maintain a comfortable home, 对地球也有帮助!  下次你把东西扔路边的时候, consider that for every garbage can placed out for collection, the equivalent of 71 garbage cans' worth of waste is created in mining, agriculture and other industrial processes to convert raw materials into finished products and packaging. 

负责任地整理生活的小贴士:

1:清理干净.  To achieve the highest use for unwanted items, choose to swap or donate what’s usable.  For items such as electronics, household chemicals, and personal documents, check out 本地资源 and 特别活动 回收:回收或安全处理.   需要一点额外的帮助才能开始? Check out How to Declutter Your Home Fast: A Checklist for the Messy.

2 .做事有条理.When you’ve successfully pared down, reorder your home for daily life.Good organization keeps you from buying things you don’t need or already own, 并能创造更快乐的生活, 生活环境压力小.Check out 整理生活的10种方法.  

3 .改变习惯.To remain clutter free, slow the flow of new things into your home.  明智地购买，避免未来的浪费—choose high quality items you truly need and intend to use.  Try out zero waste practices like repairing what you already own and love,  (see 调停者的集体, 星期一修补, Fix It Fridays) and 购买散装和无包装杂货.  Spend less time shopping and managing stuff, and more time on non-commercial activities like enjoying culture, 花时间在大自然中, 和志愿服务.

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