Word: kesel
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Sometimes self-deprivers adopt rules that turn out to be not only impractical but counterproductive. Rachel Kesel, a conservationist in San Francisco, has blogged since 2006 about living according to the Compact, a group with more than 10,000 members on Yahoo! who promise to buy nothing new other than food and medicine. But Kesel's work involves long days in the woods battling invasive species, and trying to get by in secondhand clothes meant that she was often pulling weeds in pants that had more holes than thread. Now Kesel begrudgingly buys new, highly durable gear, though only when...
...first year in the Compact, however, when she and her cohort neared a jubilee day, on which they'd celebrate by buying something new, Kesel went into a store, eager to purchase a windbreaker she'd had her eye on. But she was unable to close the deal. "I couldn't get jubilant," she says. "I think my credit-card arm has been broken...
...month. The one-year project has turned into a long-term phenomenon, with chapters across the country from Oregon to Maine. Compacters are posting from Brazil to Britain, while television stations from China and Poland have broadcast reports on the movement. "My impulse buying urges have subsided," says Rachel Kesel, 26, one of the founders. "I've tried to lighten my impact on the planet...
...hasn't been easy. "The dog ate one of my cycling gloves," says Kesel, who gets around the city on a bike. "If I'm patient, a used pair will turn up in someone's garage." Compacters surf through websites such as Freecycle and PaperBackSwap. They troll thrift shops and swap meets. One of the founders, a Silicon Valley marketer, found a sewing machine and a 10-ft. artificial Christmas tree on Craigslist - both free. Another couple got free mis-mixed paint from hardware stores and made do with a second-hand shower curtain. New underwear is allowed...
...please. Last week, compacters were attacked in their chat room as "hypocritical and smug," for boasting that they repair rather than replace their vacuum cleaners. "If you were really concerned about curtailing runaway consumerism, you'd ditch your broken vacuum cleaners for a broom," wrote one purist. But Kesel counters that she can't get cat hair off her rug with a broom. "People say we don't take it far enough," she muses. "But I'm like, whoa, in American consumer culture, any step is positive." And in the self-denial department, those are soothing words...