Been working at @iFixit > 2 years. Ever since, I dread Earth Day.

Companies, celebrities, media going out of their way to say literally anything except "consume less." Causing less material from the earth to be manufactured is actual help. But most people can't or won't say it.

PC peripherals tout the renewable energy they use in their factories, or promise to plant trees for every gaming mouse you buy. "We'll do some good stuff if you keep buying the oil we turn into brand-new plastic goods." While offering little to no repair or refurbishment.

I love that @Wirecutter dug into the terror that is microplastics in clothing leeching into our waters. But the solutions available to us are "buy this thing that filters your washer" or "buy this (plastic!) bag to catch the plastic." The mind reels. https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/reduce-laundry-microfiber-pollution/

It is convenient and quick to buy something, because we've set it up that way. But keeping the earth inhabitable means stripping less out of it—materials, oil, energy—to make new things at the modern, bonkers volume. The work is in avoiding new manufacture of non-essentials.

It's hard! Says the man writing on his 4K monitor, with a Bluetooth keyboard, at his motorized standing desk. The work is in making your stuff useful and durable, buying used/refurbished, sharing, donating, doing anything except clicking "Buy" on instinct.

Happy Earth Day!