What is Minimalism, and How Does It Contribute to Environmentalism and Sustainability?
- InspiringGreenLiving
- Jun 17, 2022
- 4 min read
First and foremost, hello and welcome to my blog post. I am so grateful that you are here! I am Inspiring Green, and this Friday's blog post is dedicated to speaking a bit on minimalism.
What is minimalism?
Minimalism is defined as, "an avant-garde movement in music characterized by the repetition of very short phrases which change gradually, producing a hypnotic effect" (Source: 1). But I'm not talking about that minimalism. I'm talking about the reduction of stuff.
Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus define minimalism, in their eyes, as the following: "Minimalism is a tool that can assist you in finding freedom," (Source: 3). What that freedom means to you, my dear reader, is entirely up to you. Their show, The Minimalists: Less is Now, is currently on Netflix (as of 6/16/2022) (Source: 4) is a great introduction to minimalism, and what it can mean to the individual. For me, minimalism is cutting out the stuff that hurts. Minimalism is getting rid of the distractions, the extra, the clutter. I'm very good with minimizing my clothes and have likely halved my wardrobe in the last few years. However, I struggle with the clutter. I like odd trinkets. Little ceramic pumpkins or a beautiful piece of art. Little pieces of scribbled paper linger on my walls. My walls are covered with art and trinkets and notes and poems and receipts and ticket stubs and stuff. And, while most of these items - in the words of Marie Kondo - spark joy, sometimes I feel suffocated by the stuff.
Minimalism is not asking you to throw everything away, sell your television, or give up your favorite clothing. It just wants you to get rid of the extra, items that bury what you love.
Do you love that one pair of jeans you've had forever? Great! Keep them. The other pair that don't fit quite right and make you feel insecure? Toss them. Better yet, donate them. Hate that frame on the wall? Donate it and find a better one. Get rid of the things that weigh you down, and keep what lifts your spirits. Minimalism is not asking you to get rid of your passion for shoes or Star Wars collectibles. It instead encourages you to be rid of the things that don't mean much. Maybe you have a pile of newspapers you've been holding onto. If you don't want them, then get rid of them.
I love books. I adore them. To the point that moving from place to place with them is almost a burden as I have approximately 150 of them (yes, I counted). But they make me happy. I love the smell of the pages, the feel of the paper in my fingertips. I love the weight it carries as it leads me through the storyline. I will never get rid of my books. And minimalism isn't asking me to. It's only asking that I perhaps get rid of those pair of jeans I haven't worn in years, or to perhaps get rid of the shoes I don't like to wear and have nothing to wear them to. It asks me to get rid of the things I do not use so it no longer clutters my life. And maybe, luck willing, someone else can find use for what I did not.
So, how does minimalism play into environmentalism and sustainability?
Simply put, you will likely tend to buy less. Every item you purchase comes from somewhere. A simple reduction in consumerism is how minimalism plays a role. That's all the fewer items created to be shipped overseas to be put into trailers to be hauled by trucks across the country to be unloaded into stores to be put on the sales floor to be purchased by you to be put in your vehicle to be driven to your home to take up room in your closet because it turns out you didn't really like the shirt after all and now it just sits there collecting dust and cluttering your life. Whew, that was a long sentence. But see how much effort goes into one piece of clothing? One object that, sometimes, doesn't really matter in the end. Maybe not like you thought it would.
By finding what you love, you spend less on what you don't. Less precious time, less effort, less money. Leaving more for the things you love. Books. Little ceramic pumpkins. Family. Friends. Star Wars collectables. Shoes. Video games. Anything and everything that you love, and that brings you happiness.
The Minimalists, Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, have a free ebook available for anyone to read. I haven't read it yet, but I am planning to shortly. Here is the link:
If you don't want to read, I recommend watching their documentary on Netflix titled "The Minimalists: Less is Now."
I hope this blog inspired you to think more about the stuff in your life, and what truly makes you happy. Hold on to what causes you joy and release what causes you discomfort.
We have short lives. Enjoy it.
Thanks again for reading this blog post. I am eternally honored you are here.
Inspiring Green
1. Google Definition of Minimalism
2. The Minimalists - Rulebook (ebook)
3. The Minimalists - Website
4. The Minimalists: Less is Now - Netflix
Formal Works Cited (In corresponding order to the above source links)
“Definitions from Oxford Languages.” Google Search, Google - Oxford Languages, https://www.google.com/search?q=define%2Bminimalism&rlz=1C1RXQR_enUS930US930&oq=define%2Bminimalism&aqs=chrome..69i57j0i512l4j0i22i30l3j0i15i22i30l2.2776j1j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8.
Joshua Fields Millburn & Ryan Nicodemus. “Minimalist Rulebook.” The Minimalists, The Minimalists, 29 Aug. 2020, https://www.theminimalists.com/rulebook/.
Millburn, Joshua Fields, and Ryan Nicodemus. “What Is Minimalism?” The Minimalists, The Minimalists, 3 Jan. 2021, https://www.theminimalists.com/minimalism/.
“The Minimalists: Less Is Now - Netflix.” The Minimalists: Less Is Now, Netflix, 2021, https://www.netflix.com/search?q=the+minimalists.
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