海角大神

Andrea Tringo is running errands on a crisp Colorado day, employing her favorite form of transportation 鈥� her own feet. 鈥淚t feels good to be walking,鈥� she says, ambling past turn-of-the-century storefronts.

鈥�Lafayette is great for this. I can walk anywhere.鈥� Lafayette, a quaint community of 26,000 just east of Boulder, boasts striking views of the Continental Divide and an easy bus commute to Denver 鈥� which is how Ms. Tringo鈥檚 husband, Steven Posusta, gets to work these days.

Last summer, they sold his gas-guzzling pickup truck. When their remaining car, a 1999 Subaru, needed a new engine, they got a rebuilt one. They also frequent the public library to get books and DVDs instead of buying new ones, and they grow some of their own food in the backyard.

The middle-class couple is trying to follow an unorthodox lifestyle even for these frugal times: They are attempting to go a full year without buying anything new. That鈥檚 right, a full year. Whatever they need, they try to borrow, buy secondhand, or do without.

Eleven months into their social experiment, they are largely adhering to their commitment to the simple life: Sure, they鈥檝e purchased a few new things 鈥� who wants to use recycled underwear? 鈥� but for the most part they鈥檝e adjusted painlessly to a life of secondhand furniture and used clothing.

What started out as largely a green initiative 鈥� to live more in harmony with the environment 鈥� has since transformed into something more fundamental: a journey into what the couple considers a 鈥渟ocially responsible鈥� lifestyle. Tringo says they want to set a good example for their newborn son. Along the way, the couple has learned a lot about their own values, as well as the nation鈥檚.

鈥淚t was deciding to create another person who will be consuming resources for a lifetime that made me think seriously about this,鈥� says Tringo. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want my son to grow up to be materialistic, or to not think about the impact of what he does.鈥�

鈥⑩赌⑩赌�

Tringo and Posusta were never spendthrifts. And they were always environmentally conscious. But with both comfortably employed in the high tech industry, they had disposable income. The question was, what were they going to do with it? As a newlywed couple, they set out to define a lifestyle for their family.

They knew it wouldn鈥檛 include being a target for advertisers. 鈥淚t鈥檚 crazy, it鈥檚 frivolous stuff 鈥� the Kate Spade diaper bags and very expensive shoes,鈥� says Tringo. 鈥淚 just didn鈥檛 feel comfortable with that.鈥�

Then, a little over a year ago, the family heard about an anticonsumption experiment called The Compact, which began serendipitously in 2006 when 10 San Francisco friends pledged to flee the must-have-everything ethos and buy nothing new for a calendar year. [Editor's note: The original version had the wrong inception date for The Compact.]

Espousing a rebellion against bourgeois consumerism and eager to reduce their environmental 鈥渇ootprint,鈥� they vowed to only borrow, barter, or buy secondhand. The only exceptions would be food, consumable products like soap and toilet paper, and items related to health and safety.

By Jan. 1, 2008, Tringo and Posusta were enthusiastic converts. And they were in good company: Today some 10,000 Compact followers exist worldwide 鈥� in places as far away as Iceland and Taiwan. Ironically, The Compact originators never intended to start a movement.

鈥淭here are about 10,000 people on our Yahoo forum, and people are joining every day,鈥� marvels Rachel Kesel, one of the founders. 鈥淎t the outset, we thought, 鈥楾here are 10 of us willing to do this! Isn鈥檛 that great!鈥� 鈥�

Of course, some Americans have been living a version of The Compact since, well, the Mayflower Compact, after which the experiment was named. In certain circles, there鈥檚 nothing new here except the sudden cachet of frugalness. While the terms thrifty and penny pincher verge on pejorative, being a Compacter sounds novel, adventurous 鈥� trendy, even.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not so much the practice that鈥檚 new, but the mobilization of people making it into a community effort,鈥� says Tringo, dressed in secondhand blue jeans and gray pullover. 鈥淧eople have been practicing this recycle-reuse lifestyle for generations in some families. Then there are people like me who decided, 鈥業鈥檝e got to stop the madness!鈥� 鈥�

In this season of frenzied gift-shopping, when it鈥檚 practically an American tradition to spend beyond one鈥檚 means, Tringo maintains a Mona Lisa calm. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 feel obligated to give big gifts,鈥� she says with a shrug. She, in fact, will be giving homemade baked goods and gift certificates for services like a massage.

But the challenge of gift-giving also drives home an essential point: 鈥淭he reason it鈥檚 so hard to think of what to buy for most adults is because none of us really needs anything,鈥� she says.

鈥⑩赌⑩赌�

Strolling along historic Public Avenue 鈥� Lafayette鈥檚 version of Main Street 鈥� Tringo is toting her 3-week-old son, Victor, in a baby carrier, and reflecting on the experience of eschewing consumerism as a new mother.

鈥淔rom Day One, I never wanted a lot of baby stuff,鈥� she says. When visiting family members with children, she noticed how their homes were stuffed cheek by Barbie doll. 鈥淚 wondered how much of it was really necessary,鈥� she says.

These days, Tringo relies on Craigslist, thrift stores, and Freecycle (an online recycling network) for essentials. Thanks to hand-me-downs, getting most of the baby鈥檚 gear (including crib, stroller, and high chair) was easy. For now, the family鈥檚 modest 2,000 square-foot home is free of piles of brightly colored molded plastic. They used recycled materials when remodeling their kitchen. Their furniture is secondhand. Even their dog Pixie, a 3-year-old Dalmatian mix, came from a rescue group.

鈥淚f we have another baby, we鈥檒l probably get the next one used,鈥� Tringo jokes.

When unable to find an item she truly needs secondhand, Tringo will buy it new 鈥� such as the Onesies bodysuits she recently got Victor. Other new-purchase exceptions she makes 鈥� like most Compact followers 鈥� are socks and underwear, and safety items such as bike helmets.

As for food and consumable products, the family buys in bulk, and locally when they can. They also grow their own vegetables. This year they had plenty of tomatoes, cucumbers, spinach, and carrots.

Outside Oasis Books, Tringo pauses to peruse the free book bins. Lifting a text on data analysis software, she grins, exclaiming. 鈥淥h, I need this one!鈥� Earlier this year, Tringo was laid off from her job as a data analyst. Now home with Victor, she鈥檚 job-hunting, preferably for home-based work. As family members stretch their one income taut, the savings from their new lifestyle is a welcome boon.

鈥淭he cost-savings is the biggest thing for us now, with a new baby and Andrea not working,鈥� says Mr. Posusta, a technical editor. 鈥淏ut we also want to have less of an impact on the environment. And we find that when we鈥檙e trying to save money, we鈥檙e also being green.鈥�

As with any life change, there have been humbling moments. Over herbal tea at the Mojo Coffeehouse, Tringo says she has learned to smile when relatives bring new items for the baby. It鈥檚 more important to keep family peace than to foist her principles on others, she鈥檚 decided. 鈥淪ome people don鈥檛 agree with this lifestyle,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 have to respect that.鈥�

Victor, who has been sleeping blissfully, opens his blue eyes, blinks, and then returns to slumber, snuggled against his mother.

For Tringo and Posusta, what began as a one-year experiment is now a lifestyle they embrace 鈥� and plan to continue. 鈥淭his hasn鈥檛 been a chore for us,鈥� says Tringo. 鈥淚 think life is pretty simple. That was part of the motivation behind it.鈥�