According to John Fiske, Editor-in-Chief of the New England Antiques Journal, people really do want to live in this world without damaging it. But Americans are generally doing very little, if anything, to reduce the damage they do.
“Behaving green usually involves some self-sacrifice – and how un-American is that! We’re just not good at self-sacrifice – we want convenience, comfort and to feel good about our contributions to saving the planet.”
His answer (no surprise, but it does make perfect sense): Antiques are green!
Antiques keep our of landfills smaller due to reuse. Most are handed down through the generations or sold locally. They’re made from quality materials so they last (and it’s why they have lasted) and antiques don’t use new resources. There’s no carbon foot print to manufacture new, although they may require a little for upkeep.
Best of all, antiques call for no self-sacrifice – the opposite in fact. They’re green self indulgent! What could be a more attractive form of consumerism than that! So environmentally aware people should be easily persuaded to buy antiques, right?
John thinks everyone needs to rethink associating recycling with garbage. The thought smacked him in the nostrils when he recently passed an odiferous garbage truck proudly labeled “Waste Management and Recycling.”
He says, “Disassociating recycling from empty soda cans and re-associating it with objects of beauty and value would be a tough job. Antiques, of course, are recycled, every last one of them, and we can well claim that our business is the largest recycling business in the country.”
I knew I was hanging onto Grandma’s dining room set for a good reason!
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I couldn’t agree with John more. Antiques are built to last, are usually handed down through generations or sold locally, and preserve heritage. I often have this discussion with Chris Palmer, who produces some of the biggest and best antique shows in the US. http://www.palmerwirfs.com In fact she exhibits in the Energy Trust Better Living Show to bring that message to the public. Advocates like Chris are helping spread the word that quality antiques are green.