Goodbye Amazon
A year without Amazon.
On January 1st, 2022, I cancelled my Amazon account. God asked me to focus on integrity this year, and my values lie in protecting the environment. I could no longer justify the fossil fuels, plastic packaging, or imported goods. Please know that I do not fault anyone for using Amazon, and for people living in rural areas, it is a huge convenience. The environment is my mission and for anyone else out there considering a change, I hope this encourages you. Today, I don’t miss it at all… but the first several months were rough.
We are creatures of comfort, convenience, and ease. I am the worst offender. Letting go of the Amazon account itself was easy, but being intentional about what to replace it with was not. It would be easy to pull up the Target app and click ‘ship to home.’ But that kinda defeats the purpose of choosing to shop with integrity, right?
Our community is home to the very best creatives, so running next door for deodorant or down the road for a new ceramic bowl is a no brainer. But, finding other household goods and clothing in our small Kansas town wasn’t so easy.
As the year progressed, I had the amazing pleasure to seek out some really beautiful companies doing it right. These companies are picky when it comes to the environment and the quality of their products. It gives me hope, and I hope it inspires some of you.
As an added bonus, we inadvertently cut our spending on household items by over 40% in 2022. It takes patience and commitment to search antique stores for just the right cabinet. But it turns out that all of the tiny things purchased with the click of a button are things I didn’t actually need in the first place. Crazy, right?
If anyone is interested in reducing Amazon usage, below you will find a list of companies that I highly recommend to get you started.
Lots of love - Luciana
Better World Books – www.about.betterworldbooks.com/impact/
Used books have character. I have always preferred used books and often wonder about their previous owners. For every book purchased, this company donates a book to someone in need. Since 2018, they have donated 26.5 Million books, raised $28.4 Million for libraries and literacy, recycled 320 Million books, reclaimed 900,000 lbs of metal shelving from libraries, and offset 87,000 tons of carbon to reduce the environmental impact of shipping.
Mercari – www.mercari.com
It’s like a big ‘ol garage sale… but on a national level. Mercari connects people that want to sell their used stuff with people that want to buy used stuff. We bought backpacks, hand mixers, flip flops… you name it.
Wornwear by Patagonia – www.wornwear.patagonia.com
I’m a big fan of Patagonia because of their heart for the environment and landfill space. One study suggests that 85% of clothing ends up in the landfill. If it isn’t made of 100% cotton, it does not fully biodegrade into organic compounds. The wornwear program allows people to buy gently used Patagonia gear, and to also trade in Patagonia gear that you no longer want to keep. The company inspects and re-lists it for sale on this site.
Toy Store - www.beehivequiltship.com/toy-shop.html
I wish I would have known about this sooner. A friend shared that this toy store is located in Wellington, KS, just 40 miles East of us. They have a great selection and are locally owned.
Etsy – www.etsy.com
When I need specialty items, Etsy is my go to. I prefer to filter by handmade items shipping from the US. And I tend to stay away from items that have been sold thousands of times only because I like to support the little guy. Etsy is a great place to find handmade items such as aprons, scarfs, artwork, forged iron hooks, curtain rod holders, etc.
Others:
Facebook Marketplace - local pickup
Paramount Antique Store – Wichita, KS