How Svpply, Pinterest, and Digital Bookmarking Reduce Wasteful Consumerism

Svpply.com/ChrisTackett/Screen capture

Recently, two new digital bookmarking services - Pinterest and Svpply - have become popular tools for people to save, share and find photos of products, recipes, DIY ideas and all sorts of other stuff. When you see all the product photos and marketing material people are saving on these sites, at first glance, they seem to be just another way to feed the consumerist machine, but I've found they are actually helping me reduce my consumption.

In an essay over at The Atlantic Tech, I lay out my theory about how these tools are a new form of hunting and gathering behavior that we inherited from our evolutionary ancestors. But the part I think will appeal most to TreeHugger readers is how these new methods of digital consumerism can actually help reduce or improve our real-world consumption.

What started my line of thinking on this was a comment by Megan Garber that explained how I was using Instapaper, a bookmarking tool for keeping track of things you want to read:

Last month, Megan Garber, now of The Atlantic but then writing for Nieman Lab, posted some interesting thoughts about how the use of bookmarking tools like Instapaper and Read It Later can arguably be considered a form of anti-engagement, since they help users put off reading the material they are bookmarking. As she explained, "a click on a Read Later button... provides just enough of a rush of endorphins to give me a little jolt of accomplishment, sans the need for the accomplishment itself."

That hit of endorphins from saving something with a digital bookmark was something I was feeling when I added something to my Svpply or Pinterest page, which is a similar rush one might get from actually buying something, but without the need for money or any actual consumption. Here's how I explained that at The Atlantic:

The more interesting angle to the shopping via bookmark idea is that in some instances bookmarking is even replacing real-world consumption. Just as Megan Garber explained the endorphin hit we can get from adding a great story to our Instapaper queue, I have found that adding items to my Svpply page gives me a similarly pleasant rush of some pleasure-inducing chemicals. When I spot something online that I think has nice design, might be worth-buying later or would make a good gift, I'll happily click the Buy Later button in my browser to add it to my Svpply page. Once it is there, I am able to revisit the product later and decide if it is really something I want to buy. I have often removed something later that, in an earlier time, I may have actually bought, not realizing I didn't actually like the design as much as I had thought or simply that I didn't need it.

Another area where I see both Svpply and Pinterest filling a void is similar to Garber's idea of "Aspirational Read" stories. My Svpply page has a bunch of aspirational products that I don't plan to ever actually buy, either because or price, practicality, or environmental impact, but that I find visually interesting enough to have added to my Svpply page simply so I can see them from time to time.

I conclude with some thoughts on how because of our poor economy and the increasing concern for the environment, for some people, simply participating in this digital consumerism of "hunting and gathering" neat photos and ideas online is enough to satiate the desire to engage in conspicuous consumption of actually buying stuff they don't really need or want.

I think we've entered a new era of hyper-conspicuous digital consumption. While the poor economy may be reducing our urge to buy an expensive car just to show we can, the new additions to our ever-growing arsenal of social-media tools are giving us new ways to show the world what kind of things we like, what clothing or jewelry we would wear (if we could), what kind of cars we would drive (if we could), what kind of homes we'd live in (if we could) and on and on. If there wasn't a social element to Svpply or Pinterest (or Twitter or Facebook or blogs, for that matter) I think far fewer people would take the time to use these tools for personal organization. It is the overtly conspicuous nature of sharing the pretty things we find that makes these tools fun to use in the first place.

Contributor: Chris Tackett

A NYC School Teams Up with Columbia to Build a Rooftop Garden and Classroom

© Alex Davies

Although PS 84, a New York City elementary school on the Upper West Side, is just a few blocks from Central Park, its teachers and parents have long been frustrated by the students' lack of connection with the natural world. But over the last two years, the school has undergone something of a transformation. It now has three gardens, and is working towards its most ambitious project yet: a rooftop garden, which it is building with the help of graduate students at nearby Columbia University.

Parents, teachers and Principal Robin Sundick of PS 84 (also called the Lillian Weber School for the Arts) all wanted natural spaces where the children could really engage with the earth- dig their hands into soil, watch their own plants grow with time, and see how composting works.

© Sherri Sandfort-Semon. The larger garden being built.

Starting Steps

Around 2009, the school’s Garden Committee, made up of parents and teachers, renovated three ground level areas around the school building. The largest is now an outdoor classroom and play area for the youngest students. All the plants they grow are native species, including several types of blueberries.

The two other gardens are narrow and run the along the school’s walls. They provide a space for students to plant different species and see how they grow, and make the school grounds a considerably more pleasant place to spend time.

The food the children grow in their gardens is served in the cafeteria, as authorized by a program called “Garden to School Café" that encourages schools to connect the act of eating to the process of food production. (There are various regulations, such as bans on the use of pesticides.) PS 84 even has a salad bar that Sundick called “extremely popular;” it serves homemade salad dressing made with olive oil donated by the local Whole Foods store.

On the roof, they installed some planter beds and a compost bin, but the technical aspects of developing a more involved rooftop space called for expertise they didn’t have, and which is usually quite expensive.

© Alex Davies. The completed garden.

Columbia Gets Involved

The connection with Columbia came through Marni Baker Stein, a Senior Associate Dean at the university’s School for Continuing Education and a PS 84 parent. Matching the rooftop garden project with the Columbia Landscape Design program was a natural fit. Columbia’s graduate programs focus on serving the public good and having their students work with real clients: here was a chance to solve a real problem and help a public school in the process.

A year ago, Principal Sundick says, she never imagined that the school would be well on the way to having a real rooftop space, saying they were “very luck they Columbia came to our rescue.” The landscape design students visited the rooftop terrace (it's above the second floor; the building's wings on either side have three stories) and each created a design for a garden and event space.

The designs were presented for the teachers and parents to view and judge; even the elementary school students were given the chance to voice their opinions. The best two were selected and combined, forming a final plan.

© Sherri Sandfort-Semon. The school's entrance, before and after the installation of a small garden.

The Design

The completed garden will feature a windmill, a bird dwelling, a water catchment, eight planter beds, a sizable greenhouse and shaded and performance areas. Even more than Central Park, Principal Sundick says, it will provide a connection with nature “in a way that would be very natural and organic, right in our school building.”

The next step is getting approval and funding for the project- not a simple task in a city as large and bureaucratic as New York. The school is applying mostly for private grants, which are generally less onerous and allow for more control of the funds by the applicant than public funds. They are hoping to receive a grant from the City Council next summer to carry out a feasibility study, a mandatory step for such projects.

© Columbia University School of Continuing Education

Making It Happen

But PS 84 and Columbia aren’t going their separate ways just yet. The School for Continuing Education also has construction and fundraising programs whose students need real world clients to work with. The construction students will determine how much the project will cost; the fundraising students will work to reach that goal.

Overall, PS 84 has undergone a remarkable transformation. I worked at an elementary school in a French city last year, and was always disappointed by the total lack of green space; the students spent recess playing on blacktop. But PS 84 proves that urban schools don’t have to be constrained by their surroundings. To bring nature into the classroom (and vice versa), all it takes it drive and vision- and maybe some help from a nearby university.

Contributor: Alex Davies

5 Online Sources for Local, Organic Food Delivery

Dinner Series/CC BY 2.0

While ordering a box of fresh produce through a local farm in your Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) network is a fantastic way to have organic delivered, it's not the only option.

Whether you don't have the space to grow your own fruits and vegetables, can't make it to your farmer's market's Saturday-morning-only hours, or are looking for more variety, these large-scale online organic grocery delivery services can fill the gap by sending organic, all-natural produce and products right to your door.

You can't beat the convenience, but you should keep a few points in mind when you're ordering: Double check that the offerings are seasonal and local -- if you see bananas in your box in January in New York, you may be eating organic but you're not eating local; look for a service close to you to cut the shipping footprint; and be prepared to compare the prices and quality to what you could get on your weekly store trip.

In short: ordering organic food can be good for your carbon footprint if you pay attention to exactly where it comes from -- but if the Whole Foods one block from your house is offering local apples in the fall, berries in the summer, and asparagus in the spring, then go there first.

1. Door to Door Organics

aMichiganMom/CC BY 2.0

Door to Door Organics offers its delivery services in several locations across the country, including Colorado, Kansas City, Chicago, and Michigan, and partners with Suburban Organics to deliver to New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware.

In the winter, the group turns to warmer climates and international organic farms to stock the boxes with produce -- so while you know it's always pesticide free, it's not always local. (You can see a week-by-week breakdown of what's in your box of produce and where it was harvested from on the company's site.)

2. Urban Organic

Urban Organic/Screen capture
Urban Organic focuses its delivery efforts on the New York Tri-State area with weekly stops in the boroughs, New Jersey, Long Island, and Connecticut. You can sign up for one of four box sizes, from The Little Box to the Extra-Value Box, with contents that change every week -- think carrots, greens, broccoli, apples, tomatoes, grapefruit, tangerines, and more.

The company also offers a Juicing Box designed for DIY juice and smoothies, which comes with carrots, beets, parsely, celery, ginger, apples, pears, dark greens, and a cucumber.

3. Spud

Spud/Screen capture

SPUD -- which stands for Sustainable Produce Urban Delivery -- targets much of the northern West Coast: Seattle, the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles and Orange County, Vancouver, Van Island, and Calgary.

You can design your own Harvest Box by choosing your delivery frequency, how much you want to spend, and opting for local goods only, local goods over a variety of items, or variety over source.

The company also sells canned goods, baby food, sustainbly-raised meat and household supplies (from organic cat food to Biokleen cleaning spray).

4. Boxed Greens

Boxed Greens/Screen capture

Boxed Greens was designed to provide fresh fruits and vegetables from farms local to Phoenix, Ariz., so they offer weekly delivery to Phoenix, Tempe, Scottsdale, Mesa, and other areas in that state -- but they also offer an overnight state- and nationwide delivery.

The boxes are kept cold with reusable freezer packs. But if you go this route, be prepared for extra packaging (about four pounds worth on the statewide deliveries). Box options include the Essential Family, with basic produce for four people; the Family Gourmand, which comes with a few more unusual fruits or vegetables; a box designed for juicemakers; and the Breakfast Box, comprising seasonal fruits and fresh granola.

5. The Green Polka Dot Box

Green Polka Dot/Screen capture

Of course, there's more to cooking than just fruits and vegetables -- and if you want to stock your pantry with organic, natural snacks, condiments, baking supplies, and more then The Green Polka Dot Box can help.

This online grocery store lets you order from brands including Newman's Own, Annie's, Sprout, Tom's of Maine, and more, with either a $50-annual Club Membership or a $125-annual Rewards Membership. The group's goal is to bring organic products to "food deserts" across the country via a buying collective that keeps prices down.

Contributor: Blythe Copeland