Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Frugalista has a sister. Environista!

For months I’ve been brainstorming a sister for frugalista. I’m a proud frugalista. But, it’s not just frugality that drives my thrift store pulse. As mentioned before, Shopping Golightly is also Shopping Go Green.

I’ve been hard pressed to find a word that describes a person who “shops with the intention of reducing their personal carbon footprint.” I’ve thought and thought and thought. I’ve banged my head against my desk. I went on a week-long vision quest in Death Valley without water, food, clothes and sunscreen. (Well, okay, I did that my dreams.) I even got punchy and fell into Rob Schneider’s SNL Copy Guy persona, “The Greenster, the Eco-ater, the Green Meister savin’ the planet, protectin’ dolphins. Greenorama, Green!”

I tried eco-thrifter on Wikipedia and the wiki police eventually gave that humble attempt the boot. Admittedly, I didn’t think it all that great but had to try something.

Then it hit me, environista! It rolls off the tongue just like frugalista! I quickly searched the Internet and found an environista on the web. But, you know what? We need more environistas! We need a whole lot of environistas!

I kindly ask you to comment to this post and pledge that you too are not only a frugalista but a smart and beautiful, handsome environista too! Okay?

10 comments:

Lori said...

I am an environista. A neurotic one. The kind that pulls over and snags the bouncy seat from the curb, takes it home, de-spots it, sterilizes it, and drops it off at the thrift store.

Karla said...

I am an environista too! (And a frugalista who waits for sales at thrift stores...)

Shopping Golightly said...

Lori,

The alley troller! That’s how I snagged my red Schwin cruiser. It’s a littler hard on the wear so me love it more! I also picked up my fainting couch in an alley. Of course I had to completely overhaul it. I think rodents had been living in it. But it’s fun to have a fainting couch in the living because I cat act melodramatic. “Oh! The mail is late! Whatever shall I do?” Then I pretend to faint. Nice, huh?

Shopping

Tiffany said...

I'm definitely an environista. I don't wash baggies because I can't afford new ones (we're not THAT poor!) I do it because they are still useful and I DO NOT throw away anything that still has use. I got my beautiful coffee table by the curb (after it had been rained on) saving it from the dump and getting years of life out of it. When I'm tired of it being white, I will paint it, or find an entirely new use for it. Things don't go in the trash until they are completely used up, worn out, with zero use left.

I counted 8 times that I said "I". Actually, it's 11 now.

That's how I roll. (12)

Anonymous said...

OH yes. I write a whole blog about it too. :)

Amber said...

I am definitely an environista! My little composting worms tell me so. And I'll second Karla - I wait for sales at the thrift stores, too! Hooray for 50% off day!

Lori said...

Golightly - those sound fabulous! I have a friend who is a seriously hard-core thrifter, and found a green velvet fainting couch. I've often envied it. But I'm glad she has it to catch her anytime she finally gets a letter from me.

And Schwinn bikes are the prettiest.

AMCSviatko said...

Wee hee! The Environista Sistas!

Count me in: my friend and I were giggling yesterday about my day: baking in the morning for next week's lunches, then time at Officeworks debating with my friend what sort of biro she should buy (a discussion which started because it suddenly hit us that it's just plain stupid to by disposable biros in this day and age and we should buy one pen then refil it: although we drew the line at reverting to fountain pens and bottles of ink. So far...) followed by a trip to the op shops where I bought a new shirt for $3.50 and tea towels for $1 each and my friend bought teaspoons for her work lunchroom ($2 for 20). We bought groceries at the local IGA rather than going to the supermarket and ended by sharing a bottle of alcoholic ginger beer at a locally owned, non-chain cafe.

Anonymous said...

I am becoming more and more of an environista every day! And of course, a frugalista at heart.

www.repurposeful.wordpress.com

thriftfully modern mommie said...

Well, of course I am an original environista, I have tree bark marks in my cheek from the last good hug. I too wait for sale day at the thrift store and wash baggies. I do not believe that I own an item of furniture that was not found in an alley, thrifted or inherited. The other day I spent an hour washing and ripping a king-sized bed sheet that could be a bed sheet no more into about a million dust cloths. Won't need dust cloths for a while and I can guarantee that high count egyptian cotton dusts better than a disposable synthetic thing advertising tells us we have to have to conquer dust bunnies.