Dossier

Nothing new | Kristin Skarie | TEDxSemesterAtSea

The speaker underwent a major life realignment after the 2009 economic downturn, shifting from an over-committed state to an intentional "year of nothing new." She concluded that true change comes not from finding definitive answers, but by asking difficult questions about one's needs, wants, and current privileges to minimize personal environmental impact. This journey, starting with setting boundaries like avoiding new purchases, ultimately led to a focus on sustainable, local, and mindful consumption across multiple life areas.

## Speakers & Context
- Unnamed speaker; experienced significant personal shifts and challenges following the 2009 economic downturn.
- The journey was characterized by a need for a "Revelation" to guide life changes.
- The speaker addressed the concept of personal accountability for the environment, stating, "I'm responsible for this corner of the planet that I live on not only for myself but for my nephews and the next seven generations after me."
- The initial intent was for the year to provide "all of the answers," but the outcome was a process of questioning.

## Theses & Positions
- Economic difficulty forced a radical restructuring of personal habits, leading to a need for a fundamental life shift.
- The goal of the initial "year of nothing new" was to test boundaries and practices rather than to achieve a sudden revelation.
- True change stems from self-inquiry: asking if one *wants*, *needs*, or *has* something, rather than simply receiving answers.
- Basic needs are limited to food, clothing, shelter, and love, while intangibles like privilege are gifts.
- The primary motivator for change must be the sense of responsibility for one's carbon footprint and the planet's future.

## Concepts & Definitions
- **Year of Questions:** The speaker's realization that the year was not about receiving answers, but about asking better questions about consumption and priorities.
- **"Little Kit":** A personal survival/sustainability ensemble used for travel, comprising bamboo utensils and cloth napkins.
- **"Beautiful, memorable or useful":** The criteria used when decluttering possessions, requiring an item to meet at least two of these three descriptors.
- **"Nothing New":** The core principle adopted for the year, guiding the avoidance of purchasing or introducing novel items into life routines.

## Mechanisms & Processes
- **Streamlining/Decluttering:** A process applied not only to physical space (closets, homes) but also to mental and emotional life ("cleaning out my head and cleaning out my heart").
- **Consumption Boundary Setting:** Methodically stopping habits like browsing retail sites before entering or opening a website to curb impulse spending.
- **Habit Stacking/Substitution:** Replacing an unsustainable habit (e.g., using single-use plastic) with a challenging, tangible alternative (e.g., carrying bamboo utensils).
- **Progressive Detoxification:** Gradual phasing out of non-natural products across different domains: cleaning supplies, personal care items, and finally, food sources.

## Timeline & Sequence
- **Pre-2010:** A period of being "overcommitted to the point of exhaustion," giving resources like "10% to everything and 100% to nothing."
- **January 1 (Year of Experiment):** The year began with anticipation for a clear "Revelation."
- **Months Following Start:** The speaker began implementing boundaries, starting with the initial stop of shopping.
- **Garden Implementation:** Started the first challenge/joy by starting a garden, emphasizing the cycle from "tiny pin head siiz seed turning into lettuce."
- **June:** Implemented a "one light rule" for hotels and cabins, limiting electrical consumption.
- **July:** Began the challenge of avoiding all new plastic purchases while traveling.
- **August:** Limited eating to foods grown within a **100 mile radius of New York state**.
- **September:** Initiated the "detox" of the home, focusing on natural cleaning products like baking soda and vinegar.
- **October & November:** Detoxified personal care products, prioritizing those "not tested on animals" and having recyclable packaging.
- **December:** Practiced gift-free holiday giving with family, receiving only loaves of bread.
- **January (Next Year):** Commenced a "fashion fast," wearing only **six items of clothing** for one month.
- **February:** Conducted a physical "trash audit" within the house.
- **March:** Instituted "no-drive days" at least two days per week to reduce vehicle emissions.

## Named Entities
- **Henry Hudson School number 28:** Location where the speaker interacts with fourth-grade students.
- **Fima and Larry:** People providing eggs from a farmers market during the gardening phase.

## Numbers & Data
- Overcommitted to giving resources like **10% to everything and 100% to nothing**.
- **Six items of clothing** worn during the fashion fast.
- **100 mile radius** for eating in August.
- **Six different work commitments** released.
- **Two longtime friendships** released.
- **Three** basic necessities identified: food, clothing, and shelter.
- **Four** core needs identified: food, clothing, shelter, and love.

## Examples & Cases
- **The initial sign:** A card from a cousin with a quote: *"there are years that ask questions and years that answer."*
- **The early setback:** The hope that the year would bring binders of "all the answers" proving that was not the case.
- **The cleaning process:** Replacing chemicals with natural solutions like "baking soda and vinegar and hot water lemon juice sunshine."
- **The small gift:** Receiving gifts of "small loaves of bread" which were noted to be more like "tiny little bricks."
- **The travel limitation:** Restricting food consumption to what was available locally and freshly grown.

## Tools, Tech & Products
- Bamboo utensils
- Cloth napkins
- Headlamp (used as a substitute for electric lights)

## Trade-offs & Alternatives
- **Over-commitment vs. Boundaries:** Trading broad, dispersed effort for highly focused, limited actions.
- **Consumer Goods vs. Local Goods:** Trading the convenience/variety of mass-market stores for hyper-local abundance like farmers market eggs.
- **Gift Economy vs. Presence:** Trading material goods (holiday gifts) for shared, dedicated time with family.
- **Material Possessions vs. Experiences/Time:** Trade-off visualized by choosing to spend time with nephews over consuming material goods.

## Counterarguments & Caveats
- A former friend suggesting that the effort was insignificant: *"so what you grew a few green beans saved a little money A lot of people do that plus what you're doing is on such a small scale that it's not going to matter."*
- The speaker acknowledged the difficulty of the lifestyle changes, noting that changing habits is inherently "almost impossible" when faced with convenience (e.g., plastic packaging).

## Methodology
- **Constraint-Based Living:** Imposing self-defined limitations (e.g., no new purchases, one light rule, 100-mile food radius) to create actionable behavioral changes.
- **Habit Replacement:** Systematically swapping one undesirable habit (plastic use, overspending) for a sustainable one (bamboo utensils, cleaning with vinegar).
- **Self-Auditing:** Auditing resources and life commitments by applying a triage system: is it beautiful, useful, or memorable?

## Conclusions & Recommendations
- The goal of the process was a "values realignment" rather than solving external problems.
- The core message for the audience is to commit to introspection: "what can you do for one month for three months for a year that would change how you live on this planet."
- The final answer to the question "Does it matter?" is that the speaker chooses, "I care and I'm responsible."
- The ultimate directive is a return to conscious questioning: "do I want this do I need this or do I have it."

## Verbatim Moments
- *"there are years that ask questions and years that answer."*
- *"I was giving 10% to everything and 100% to nothing."*
- *"I thought it was a sign I thought this is it this is going to be the year 2010 will be the year that I get all of the answers."*
- *"I would start my year of nothing new."*
- *"there is no such thing as used food so new food is good."*
- *"I stopped completely going to the places that were tempting for me right now you're thinking of that place I know."*
- *"The miracle of a tiny pin head siiz seed turning into lettuce."*
- *"one light rule so anytime I'm in a hotel room or in a ship cabin I only have one light on at any given time."*
- *"I decided I wouldn't buy anything plastic."*
- *"I decided to only eat within a 100 mile radius of that area."*
- *"I asked myself these questions over and over again during my year do I want this do I need this or do I have it."*
- *"What what you really need is nothing new."*