Cardboard Footprints!

Carbon Footprint?  How about our Cardboard Footprints!

I am almost embarrassed to admit that I have been renting part of a warehouse since last year.  So much stuff that I am actually paying for warehouse space.  I’m not talking about a 10’ x 10’ public storage locker – I used to have two of those.  Now I have enough stuff to be putting out part of my pension for 1500 square feet of commercial space.  Silly, right?  No one should have that many excess possessions.

We retired to Ann Arbor in September 2009.  My wife and I now live in a comfortable, good-size one-bedroom apartment.  But lurking in our past has been a series of three and four bedroom homes as we moved from assignment to assignment.  And every time we moved, we took some of our possessions and left others in storage.  I will admit that I have always loved to hold onto older items even when we upgraded to newer models.  Who knew when we would need a second item to share, a spare, or parts?  
The result: a warehouse now stacked high with boxes from our last overseas assignment, from storage during multiple moves while we were overseas, and from those two storage lockers I mentioned.  Now much of my time is spent deciding: do I really need all those books?  Old magazines?  1980’s clothing?  How many suitcases does a retired couple need?  I have actually uncovered three “rabbit ear” antennas from the pre-cable TV era.

Some people rightly worry about their carbon footprint; I can measure my “cardboard footprint” – and it isn’t pretty to be leaving warehouse-sized tracks.  So what do I do now?  A garage sale to recover some residual value if any?  Donations to Goodwill or the Salvation Army or other worthy organization?  Or items straight to the dumpster???

WAIT A MINUTE!  Free Geek reminds us that throwing away many items can be dangerous.   Old computers contain a range of dangerous metals and elements; and putting all of that plastic and metal into a landfill adds to the tragic piles of non-degradable waste surrounding our cities or being sent abroad to Nigeria or China.  Do we want our cardboard footprints to wind up lasting forever?

So RECYCLING should be on our minds, and Motor City Free Geek is the obvious answer for old computers, monitors, and other electronic items including cell phones.  Many still-usable electronic devices we no longer want because they are last year’s models can have great value to people who cannot afford the newest versions – and MCFG will help make that happen.  And, if these items can’t be recycled, MCFG will coordinate their safe disposal.  For details, look at MCFG’s website: www.motorcityfreegeek.net.

When is the last time you really looked at your basement, your attic, your garage?  Wouldn’t your home just feel better if it had less clutter?  Or should I give you the location of my warehouse which may still have some space for rent?

Harvey Somers, Retired Foreign Service Officer,  Ann Arbor