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Pretty, affordable: The true cost of green and minimalist living
Japanese organizing consultant Marie Kondo's rise in popularity has drawn attention to tidier, greener and more minimalist living.
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Sustainable: Dewi says sustainable living is easy, provided there is a clear goal. (Courtesy of Dewi Indriyani) (Personal collection/Courtesy of Dewi Indriyani)
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em>Japanese organizing consultant Marie Kondo's rise in popularity has drawn attention to tidier, greener and more minimalist living. Although organizer boxes can be expensive, this pared-down mode of living in general doesn't cost much.
Some call it green living. Some call it zero-waste living. But no matter what it is called, the lifestyle encourages limiting purchases and reusing more goods to help reduce the amount of waste on the planet.
If it sounds simple, it largely is. Some may not even realize they are already living such a lifestyle. "Since 2016, my husband and I have been applying sustainable living to our lifestyle unconsciously," said Dewi Indriyani, a 34-year-old homemaker and the woman behind the Instagram account @weddewi, which promotes zero-waste and sustainable living.
After watching the documentary Blue Planet 2 with her husband, Dewi began consciously trying to live sustainably. Seeing plastic waste floating in 10,000-meter-deep water made her realize that she needed to start living more sustainably and responsibly for the sake of the planet.
Living sustainably is not necessarily difficult, according to Dewi. "The cost of starting this lifestyle is essentially zero, since the main point is to use what we already have," she said. She uses things she can find in her house to avoid unnecessary purchases, such as using a cloth bag she got from an event as a grocery bag.
Sustainable living
Many are likely familiar with the name Marie Kondo. Her books on organizing things have sold millions of copies around the globe. The Japanese organizing consultant, author and TV show host emphasizes the importance of "choosing items that spark joy" and getting rid of clutter, as she often says in her Netflix series Tidying Up with Marie Kondo.
