31 Days of Green Little Things: Use It Up or Wear It Out

Welcome back to my 31 Days of Green Little Things!  This is where I discuss the little things I do to help the environment.

I've already hinted that I like to use things as long as I possibly can. This is an easy enough concept to understand.  The less frequently I replace something, the smaller my footprint.  The Non-ConsumerAdvocate says it best: Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.

With that being said, I'm afraid I may have "worn out" my 3 1/2 year old phone.  Look at the poor thing: 

It's losing parts on an almost weekly basis. The charge lasts less than a day if I actually talk on it.  (Let me remind you that this is not a smartphone so the only other thing I use it for is texting.)  I had to charge it twice yesterday. And, the worst part is that a few of the buttons (like the one to lock it and the ones to change the volume) don’t always work.  Functionality isn’t too much to ask; is it?

I’d love to have a refurbished phone for the obvious reasons: it wouldn’t have been created specifically for me, I’d be using someone's “trash" and, of course, it would cost (slightly) less. The problem is that I'm overwhelmed with the options!  I'm not an AT&T customer so I can't get the Samsung Galaxy Exhilarate, which seems to be the "greenest" choice out there. 

I've held on to this phone out of principle for almost 2 years because there was nothing "wrong" with it.  Unfortunately, I think I've used up, worn out, and made do with it for almost as long as I can... and I'm not ready to do without a cellphone.  What's a girl to do?

If you have an environmentally-friendly phone, do you recommend it?  At this point, I would like a good camera (because my 7 1/2 year old camera's having issues, too), GPS navigation (because, well, it's hard to find new resale stores) and, of course, the ability to talk and text.

But back to the real topic here: have you followed The Non-Consumer Advocate's advice on anything lately?  I'd love to hear about that too.

Peace,

Stacey

To follow other "31 Days" journeys, check out The Nester.  She's hosting this party. 

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