More Handshakes, Less Pats On The Back, and Less Division

Are you tired of people not taking the planet seriously?

Are you tired of profit being valued more than a healthy planet?

Are you tired of the planet being a political issue?

Are you tired of all the talk, the plans, the arguing, but not enough action?

Are you tired of Us vs Them?

Are you just tired of DIVISION in general?

I really am tired of all those things.

And it really doesn't have to be that way.

And if we want to survive, it really CAN'T be that way.

Over my 20+ years working in the reuse field, I can't tell you how many times that I've heard things like, "You're doing such great work" or "That's awesome that you don't use disposable cups." While the affirmations are nice to hear, that's not what I've been hoping to hear. And it's not what WE need to hear.

A few years ago, I started thinking that "I really need more handshakes and less pats on the back." Instead of people just congratulating me on my work, I need people to join in the reuse movement. Because like I always say, the more we work together, the more positive change we can create.

Unfortunately, we live in selfish times. There are a lot of people focused on showing off, when they really need to be showing up. Because seriously, ask yourself these questions:

Do I care more about making more money than I do about other people's survival?

Would I not like it if everyone had a place to live a healthy life?

Do I want the planet to be an unhealthier place to live for future generations? If the answer was no to even one of those questions, you understand the undeniable fact that we're all in this together. We are truly connected citizens of a shared planet.

The planet has to be a part of every conversation. Because... take a moment and think about your favorite thing to do.

Got it?

Now imagine doing that without a planet. Seriously. We can't just think this is being over dramatic. No matter what you like, it relies on the health of our planet. And it's sadly getting unhealthier by the day for us, for our children, and our grandchildren. Do we want that for them?

For years, we've been led to believe that we could recycle our way out of the planet's problems. But it simply hasn't even come close to working. On the other hand, reuse was THE solution before the waste explosion and it continues to prove that it is a much more viable solution than recycling.

For those who question this, we just can't be selfish. No matter how much people try to divide us, we can't deny that we share resources, we share public spaces, we share communities, we share the one planet we can live on.

And for those understand it, we can't do the work alone. There are a lot of individuals and organizations doing a lot of great work when it comes to reuse and sustainability. But more than ever, we need to come together.

I was a math nerd growing up, but my favorite math equation as an adult is 1+1=3. The more we communicate, the more we work together, the more change we can ACTUALLY create.

This is why I've been doing STAY VOCAL shirt collaborations for over 20 years.

This is why I filmed other reusers in all 48 contiguous states for The REUSE! Documentary.

This is why my collaborator Deek and I worked with many local people to build The REUSE! Box Truck Tiny House.

This is why I do consulting work.

This is why I interview people who reuse in different ways for this blog.

Over recent years, I've been using the handshake emoji for a lot of things like commenting on people's posts online, texting with collaborators, etc. And during that time, I came up with (and have seen) so many slogans that are a perfect fit for the handshake. I've been wanting to create patches with these sentiments so people can show their support of working together, but I wanted to make the handshake more custom. So, I had my in-house artist collaborator Deek create his version of the handshake.

I added the arrows on the sleeves to represent reuse. I added the lines above it to emphasize shaking. And the different colored hands represent equality. Because again, as long as we're ALL sharing this same planet, we're ALL in this together.

Handshake patch sheets printed on a variety of pre-owned garments and linens

Last week, I started offering these patches at events and I plan on sharing them with people who are working together for the same common good: reuse organizations, reuse-related shops, passionate reusers, etc. I also made them available in the STAY VOCAL shop for anyone around the world that I don't see in person.

And lastly, if this post has you thinking that you'd like to work together with me to fight for this planet, please reach out to me. We can talk about simply connecting you with other reusers or how WE can work together to bring more reuse solutions, sustainability, and positive change into your business or life.

If we truly want this planet to survive, we have to put our ego aside. We have to recognize that WE. ARE. ALL. IN. THIS. TOGETHER. Without a planet, there can be no me and there can be no you.

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