Dr. Dan Knapp, 71, is one man who’s reaping the...

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Consumption is a word used to describe acts of acquisition – generally, the acquisition of things, in exchange for money.

Unconsumption is a word used to describe everything that happens after an act of acquisition.

Unconsumption is an invisible badge.

Unconsumption means the accomplishment of properly recycling your old cellphone, rather than the guilt of letting it sit in a drawer.

Unconsumption means the thrill of finding a new use for something that you were about to throw away.

Unconsumption means the pleasure of using a service like Freecycle (or Craigslist, Goodwill, or Salvation Army) to find a new home for the functioning DVD player you just replaced, rather than throwing it in the garbage.

Unconsumption means enjoying the things you own to the fullest – not just at the moment of acquisition.

Unconsumption means the pleasure of using a pair of sneakers until they are truly worn out – as opposed to the nagging feeling of defeat when they simply go out of style.

Unconsumption means feeling good about the simple act of turning off the lights when you leave the room.

Unconsumption is not about the rejection of things, or the demonization of things. It’s not a bunch of rules.

Unconsumption is an idea, a set of behaviors, a way of thinking about consumption itself from a new perspective.

Unconsumption is free.

CONTRIBUTORS:

Founder & Editor: Rob Walker, journalist, Savannah, GA

Editorial & Community Manager: Molly Block, marketing and business development geek, Houston, TX

Brian W. Jones, designer & writer, Göteborg, Sweden

Kashvi Kumar, Environmental Studies and Economics major at New York University

Deirdre Nelson, ever threading artist, Glasgow, Scotland

Lee Sachs, writer, user experience consultant, filmmaker, New York, NY

Shanna Trenholm, writer. catalyst. force of nature. San Diego, CA

* * *

Alumnus & Unconsumption logo creator: Clifton Burt, graphic designer, Portland, OR

You are so invited to join in the Unconsumption wiki. Do it!

Further information about Unconsumption can be found here.

10:05 am - Sun, Nov 13, 2011: 58 notes

Dr. Dan Knapp, 71, is one man who’s reaping the riches of the Zero Waste philosophy. He founded Urban Ore, a waste recovery business in Berkeley, California in 1980 with his wife Mary Lou Van Deventer. Last year the company did $2.7 million in sales.
Turning trash into cash was a natural evolution for Knapp. On a whim, as a college instructor in Springfield, Illinois in the early 1970’s, he purchased an old six-wheeled farm truck and helped students collect salvageable material lying about town.
“We were picking up anything,” says Knapp. “We went to a dump and I was appalled by what I saw.”
Then, Knapp recalls, he realized “There’s a business opportunity here.”

More: From Trash to Cash: Small Business Turns Profit with Waste Recovery – ecomagination

High-Res

Dr. Dan Knapp, 71, is one man who’s reaping the riches of the Zero Waste philosophy. He founded Urban Ore, a waste recovery business in Berkeley, California in 1980 with his wife Mary Lou Van Deventer. Last year the company did $2.7 million in sales.

Turning trash into cash was a natural evolution for Knapp. On a whim, as a college instructor in Springfield, Illinois in the early 1970’s, he purchased an old six-wheeled farm truck and helped students collect salvageable material lying about town.

“We were picking up anything,” says Knapp. “We went to a dump and I was appalled by what I saw.”

Then, Knapp recalls, he realized “There’s a business opportunity here.”

More: From Trash to Cash: Small Business Turns Profit with Waste Recovery – ecomagination