DIY Sunday

Why I DIY

Well, mostly I DIY because it's fun.

But there's another side to it too. I think this quote from environmental/community activist Van Jones, sets it up nicely:

"We could see underneath all of it [politics, American culture, etc.] was the idea of disposability. The idea that you've got disposable people, a disposable planet."

The DIY movement is a reaction against that disposability. If you made your own sweater, you're less likely to toss it when it gets threadbare. If your kid made your coffee mug, you might still drink out of it when the handle breaks off.

When I DIY I feel connected to the community of others who make stuff - the internet being an amazing boon to those of us who might need to know in the middle of the night how to do the kitchener stitch and want to find someone who can tell us (I also feel connected to the history of women, in particular, but you know ... discussing that could turn into a lengthy diatribe, so I'll just leave it at that).

Hence, the existence of DIY Sunday on an environmental blog. When sisters and brothers do it for themselves, the world gets a little bit better.