I've decided that I was being way too strict in my self-imposed guidelines on the purchase of consumables. The Pact, on which this endeavor to buy nothing new is based, allows for the purchase of consumables like toothpaste and toothbrushes. I think my goal where toiletries and the like are concerned will be to buy as ethically as possible. So either my recycled and recyclable razors or a reusable electric one will be fine. Shampoo and lotion can be bought in bulk at the co-op (and the homemade variety, as it turns out, SUCKS). But today I ran into my first non-consumable issue. A bike helmet. Do I really NEED one?
Of course I need one. I have one, and I never ride without it. It drives me crazy when I see all the hipster fixie riders in the Critical Mass protests complaining about the dangers of street riding, but not wearing helmets. I will never bike without one. But I recently found out that apparently, helmets are not good forever. My helmet is 12 years old. The most current safety standards were set in 1999, meaning that my helmet does not meet those standards.
I've gotten this far with it, I'm sure I can make it another year, can't I? The major helmet manufacturers recommend replacing a helmet every three to four years. But of course they do! They want to sell more helmets! According to the editors of Consumer Reports, the magazine that does extensive testing of consumer goods, the materials in a bike helmet do not degrade easily. It should be fine for at least ten years. Mine is older than that.
I've considered buying a used helmet, but none of the experts recommend that. One never knows if the helmet has ever been dropped from a high height or if it has been in an accident. Even an invisible hairline crack in the foam could render it unsafe.
So now I'm unsure what to do. If I had never been told that helmets should be replaced, I would have felt perfectly secure in my trusty old brain cradle. Now that I have this information, I feel like I NEED a new one. Do I break my pact on day 5 in the interest of saving my noggin? Is it really necessary? Anyone have any more information on this?
Hm. I'd probably replace if it were 12 years old, especially if you ride alot. You may never be in an accident (which would be ideal), but on the off chance you ever are in an accident, you really, really don't want that helmet to crap out on you. This link (assuming we're talking about a bicycle helmet heh) has some discussion of what you might want to take into consideration before buying a new one. I've spent the last 20 minutes googling for environmentally friendly helmets, but I'm coming up with nothing;.. naughty foam. Given that... finding a new use for the old helmet if you do opt to buy a new one would be a good thing. If you have a safe kids coalition, check with them... they may do bicycle helmet recycling or know of an organization in the area that does or you can always make them into weird hanging plant holders.
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Free books need new home.
~Fallon~
"If I fall asleep with a pen in my hand, don't remove it - I might be writing in my dreams."- Pace
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A weird hanging plant holder it is!
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman
I LOL'd at that, then wondered if the kids need new helmets again yet. Now I'll have something to look forward to.
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Just as a used toothbrush is not really acceptable, neither is a used helmet.
It turns out that things wear out or have a service life that should not be exceeded.. Some things are more durable than others. Sometimes these more durable goods are discarded or sold used with plenty of life left in them.
But some things are just one owner items.
I think I mentioned in the first thread that you were going to be surprised at how many of the things you buy are consumables.
Ok, so a used bike helmet might be hard to find, but how do you feel about a used motorcycle helmet? A slightly used motorcycle helmet would probably be easier to find and it would most likely be in better shape than a used bike helmet. And there are lots of different shapes and styles. You could go all out and get one that covers your entire head with the visor and everything (think how safe you'd be then!) or you could one of the ones that looks more like an upside down bowl. Either way, the motorcycle helmet would probably protect your noggin a bit better than a bike helmet too (which could be really good if you ride on congested roadways with lots of car or truck traffic).
"Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent." - Victor Hugo
Yup, I'm a music nerd.
That's true. You could get really crazy and make a helmet out of a bowl and some foam, but that might not go over well.
I would try looking at local thrift stores. I have seen helmets still in the box there before, but they are usually childrens' helmets.
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That's a good tip. I think I just found one on craigslist that is new in box. We'll see! This is harder than I thought it would be!
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman
Score! Did I mention Freecycle before? Just watch out for the crazy moderators! We have one in my local group that will add people to email lists on spamming sites. Since there's not a privacy policy, it's just tough luck. :(
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I <3 freecycle. I get rid of some much stuff that way. It's kind of funny though, we got rid of all the baby things that the boys had outgrown on freecycle; gave them all to a woman that was going to have a baby placed with her via foster care that same day... and then sis found out she was pregnant again. Kind of defeated the purpose of giving it all away since we had to go buy the same things all over again, but at least the foster baby had all the stuff he needed!
I didn't know that about the moderators though... they really need to get a privacy policy together. It's not that difficult a thing to write!
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Free books need new home.
~Fallon~
"If I fall asleep with a pen in my hand, don't remove it - I might be writing in my dreams."- Pace
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I agree. I think there might be something on the site that mentions it, but just a few days ago I got another email from some site that someone signed up for. I know that in the past they were unable to tell who had submitted it because it was from an email address that wasn't affiliated a group. They decided it had to be a moderator because they were the only ones that had access to all of the addresses in the group.
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I told the story to Carrot a few days ago. It was a funny (read: frustrating) story. It's on the thread here somewhere, if you want to read it. The upshot of it is, no used helmets for me. Not worth the risk.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman
Protect your brain!! It's the most important part of you! Once again, I wish there was someone who made those out of recycled plastic or foam. I wonder if they'd still be as safe if they were...
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Honest disagreement is often a good sign of progress. --Mahatma Gandhi
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Buy a new helmet. You're smart. Protect that head :-)
But I'm not entirely convinced that my helmet is no longer good. I just can't find definitive proof that the foam breaks down. And as someone else posted here, there are no "green" helmets.
Someone suggested a used motorcycle helmet, which would be a greener alternative, but those are heavy and hot, and i think I'd be less likely to ride if I had to put one of those on every time, which defeats the purpose of the endeavor. Also, one never knows if it has been in an accident.
Oh, shoot. Maybe you're right. It just feels so wasteful!
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman
Test it out. Have you tried scraping at the foam or thumping it with your finger? If I were in your situation, I would thump the helmet, then go to the store and thump their helmets. If the noises are very similar, the foam density is close to the same.
From a scientific point of view, the foam does break down but not before the expiration date of the helmet. It could technically last for longer, but it's hard to tell. If there are any signs of flaking, etc. you should find some potting soil immediately and get to planting! I wonder if ebay would have a good used helmet that hasn't been wrecked. that could be an option.
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I am not sure....if you bought a helmet from a garage sale or second hand store that is much less "used" than yours, would that be going against your pact? Sometimes you can even find new items like this at second hand stores that people may have bought but then decided not to use. Shop around for a while first and then maybe you won't have to purchase a new one at all.
I buy almost everything used...jeans at Goodwill, my bike came used from a bike co-op, books used at Powell's, my computer purchased second-hand from a friend, but I refuse to buy used when it comes to helmets!
I just bought a new bike helmet and felt terrible about the impact to the environment; the store I bought the helmet from had used bike helmets for sale as well, but I felt the same as Ediblewoman about this; I had no idea what these used helmets had been through, and if they had an invisible crack someplace, they might not hold up as good in an accident, so I didn't trust them. I've been in a bike-car accident and was very lucky...but luck doesn't always hold, so you need to be as safe as possible. 3-5 people typically die a year in Portland while riding bikes, so I'm gonna wear a helmet, and a new one at that!
Love ya,
Carrot
I didn't realize that the quality of the helmet was so important. I guess I just figured that any sort of padding on the head would be enough to protect it. If it is a matter of safety, perhaps a new one IS necessary. Personally, I have never worn a bike helmet in my entire life. But then again, I haven't been on a bike since I was a kid and back then it was unheard of to wear a helmet while out riding a bike - or at least I had never heard of it.
Carrot, you will not believe the bullsh*t I just went through trying to buy a "new" used helmet! I found a helmet on craigslist that was advertised as "worn once" because it turned out to be too small and dude lost the receipt to return it. I picked it up, checked it out in the dude's apartment (my partner was with me--ALWAYS HAVE SOMEONE WITH YOU WHEN MEETING STRANGE PEOPLE TO BUY THEIR USED STUFF!). The apartment didn't have the best light, but from what I could see, it looked really good. It was still in the box, the replacement pads were still stuck together in a sheet, it had all the paperwork, etc. I believed the guy, because he really did have an enormous melon.
So I bought it. I went home and changed the pads to a bigger set, and the velcro came completely off, because the glue had disintegrated. I went looking, and found a sticker under one of the pads that read "NOV 94." It was older than the helmet I'm trying to replace!
I sent an angry email, and went back the next day for my money back. Big Head looked annoyed, but tough! He lied.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman
That sucks! At least you can look back and laugh a little. I think "melon" is the funniest word anyone could ever use to describe a head. I LOL'd quite obnoxiously. Luckily, nobody woke up.
ALWAYS HAVE SOMEONE WITH YOU WHEN MEETING STRANGE PEOPLE TO BUY THEIR USED STUFF!).
My addition to this advice: Assume that anyone on Craigslist or freecycle is strange. I think the "normals" just go to the store when they need something.
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I always go to craigslist first! Does that mean I'm strange? And dangerous? I resemble that remark!
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman
Not necessarily dangerous, just strange, at least in relation to the majority of the world's views. My friends still think Freecycle is strange. Of course, I don't care. Someone could make fun of me all day and I wouldn't care. :)
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I'm glad you got your money back though! I just save myself the hassle when it comes to bike stuff and only buy at my local bike-cop..bike stuff is the only stuff I buy new! (Oh yeah, and some midwifery equipment, 'cuze you don't want that stuff to be used either.)
Love ya,
Carrot
Craigslist and Freecycle are some of the coolest sites around where I'm from! I got the most awesome nanny job on Craigslist and I also found the most wonderful housemates and place to live that way...I don't know where you live, Leslie Q, but Craigslist is right up there with MySpace and Facebook as far as popularity where I'm from...
Love ya,
Carrot
Craigslist isn't as big here, but Freecycle is. I didn't mean to compromise their awesomeness. I just meant in relation to the rest of the "normal", ie. "I wouldn't have something used lying around" attitudes that most people seem to have. It was more of a joke than anything. :)
Click here to read about new ways to save money and the environment that you have never heard!
I agree. As we all know, the purchase of durable goods is greatly increasing. Durable goods respond to normal laws of supply and demand. A payday loan would not, therefore be an example of a durable good – but it is a good service when needed. Stock markets have been starting to hike back up after the Federal Reserve announced it would purchase an enormous raft in Treasury Securities. Since the financial system isn't trustworthy, it's no wonder more people are buying durable goods.
A payday loan is one of the worst things you could possibly do with your money. Don't get into that cycle, ever.
And explain to me why you rated her 2/5 on everything if you agree with her?
~C
Check out the latest entry in the Between The Lines column!
Want the highest rated list to change? RATE those blogs, then!
I edited out the payday loan link, but I was in a hurry, so I didn't read the comment to decide if it was topical or deletable.
"Never go with a hippy to a second location."
~Jack Donaghy
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman
You could grow your own helmets like these folks in Africa are doing.
They would probably only be good for one crash.
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