Word: kesel
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...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...