Recently, my partner and I were walking in our neighbourhood. We were talking about the knowledge we create in our academic works, and whether it is as relevant for our fellow humans as it could be. Sustainability is facilitated by eco-social policies, civil society organisations, businesses, but it is also lived, or can be lived, in people's everyday life. The questions below reminded me of this.
A fellow human asks (some of the questions refer to the photo here):
1. Earlier you shared that you try to avoid black because it changes color and the rest of the things are light and easier when you wash everything together, now you decided to add black?
I try to avoid black clothes generally because the colour seems to wash out easier. I live with 10 items of clothing, so I wash my clothes often. Earlier on in my journey, I experimented with wearing black clothes (e.g., I had black t-shirts and vest tops), but they looked older much faster than, say, grey or off-white ones. Black clothes also collect, or rather show, lint (years ago, I used to live with grey cats and a white dog!), and I didn't want to invite anything into my life that is designed to remove it. I notice that grey, beige, and off-white clothes are very easy to care for, the colour looks nice and fresh much longer. I have two items of clothing that are dark. One is a brown jacket and one is a pair of black sweatpants that I've had for some years. Occasionally, I would put them away when I wore my two pairs of beige sweatpants. But when one pair wore out, I decided to invite the black ones back in (rather than buy something new). When they wear out, I will probably not replace them with black ones. They are also the only item that I cannot wash with the other items that I wear. Having said that, the black sweatpants are practical. It's not possible to see it in the photo I linked above, but the beige sweatpants have many small stains from walking in the rain in the streets of Copenhagen and Helsinki, and other places. I imagine that some dirt from the roads settled into the fabric. My shoes are also black and dark brown. Lighter colours would be rather impractical in the area where it rains a lot.
I also want to add that if a fellow human feels most comfortable wearing black (or any other colour!), if it feels empowering or safe, they should wear it. I think I'd wear it more often if black clothes were easier to care for.
2. How often do you wash your things (this question is related to the minimum number of things that you own and this is the number I strive for, I dream of)?
I wash our things (my clothes, my partner's clothes, and towels) twice a week: once I wash our black items (my partner wears black clothes often) and once I wash our light coloured items. Whenever there is a stain, I wash the item by hand. When I lived without a washing machine, I would wash my items whenever they needed to be washed. Now when we have a washing machine (it came with our rented apartment), I make sure I use only cold water and slower spinning. I use laundry sheets to wash all our textiles. And I hang dry all our textiles. Here in the Nordics, homes are very warm, and I notice that everything dries fast. I rely on this, as I live with so few items. In England, it was always cold and damp in my home, and it took much longer for clothes to dry.
3. Do you currently have a comb, a razor?
I don't have a comb. I used to have a plastic one that I got for free from a hotel a long time ago, but it got damaged. I used it at times to detangle my hair when it was longer. Now my hair is shorter, I simply use my fingers to gently detangle my hair when I'm in the shower. It works well for me, but I have wavy/curly hair, so this might not work for everyone.
I used to have a safety razor. It wasn't a good one because the dye came off rather quickly. The main reason I recycled it was self-harm. For me, it was triggering to live with razor blades. My partner has a razor where one replaces the heads but not the handle. I occasionally use it too. But I don't use it all the time because I celebrate hair on my body.
4. Do you own two pair of socks? woollen?
I live with 3 pairs of cotton socks (in the picture, they are in one of the cotton pouches). One of those pairs is almost worn out as it's 3 years old. I also live with two pairs of woollen socks. It can get cold here in Denmark in winter. When it's not raining, I often wear sandals in autumn and winter. In this case, I wear woollen socks.
5. Do you have pajamas?
No. I wear my partner's old white shirt instead. Or nothing at all.
6. When you are at home, what clothes do you like to wear?
Because all my clothes are casual, cosy and comfortable, I wear exactly the same clothes at home as I wear when I lecture, for my meetings, walks and so on. Very often, I wear my partner's old white t-shirts. I don't have any special clothes to wear at home, or to sleep in.
7. What is the cute yellow jar?
Vaseline. I probably should not have included it as "my possession" because it's simply something that is in our household. I used to use natural butters instead but I notice that Vaseline lasts much longer. I use it very rarely though.