Are you ready to minimize your environmental impact by adopting a secondhand lifestyle?
CLICK TO REGISTER NOW!Learn about our online course:
Secondhand Living
This class is for you if…
You wish to minimize your environmental impact and support a circular economy.
You want to go beyond thrifting to learn how to fully thrive from the waste stream
You are eager to learn about creative reuse, repair, sharing, and trading
You want to be aware of mistakes to avoid, like acquiring bed bug infested mattresses, unsafe helmets, or antique furniture containing lead
Why we created this class…
Hi, there! We’re Christelle and Cristina, a.k.a. the Permacrafters! Christelle is an environmentalist who only acquires secondhand items unless absolutely necessary, and Cristina is a master of arts & crafts who loves thrifting every chance she gets and turning trash into treasure.
We are passionate about valuing existing items mainly because 1) the Earth is facing the 6th mass extinction due to our overconsumption of resources, 2) practically everything we could possibly need has already been made and, with a little digging, can be found, and 3) choosing used saves a ton of money which can be used on valuable eco-friendly experiences instead!
When we started choosing secondhand, we didn’t know how far we’d actually take it. Not only are our wardrobes thrifted (as well as our kid’s/pet’s!), but our homes are entirely furnished and decorated secondhand, and all our belongings are used, repurposed, or salvaged, from our e-bikes, to our cars, musical instruments, shoes, electronics, furniture, and plants.
How do you avoid the problem of microfibers in thrifted fast fashion clothing? How do you safely buy a used car from an individual? (And how do you get it to run on leftover vegetable oil?!) How do you seamlessly organize an ongoing item-sharing project with your neighbors or throw a clothing swap party? How do you get your food secondhand (without necessarily resorting to dumpster diving)? How do you make sure not to bring in allergens, bed bugs or lead in used furniture? If you’re ready to delve deep into the world of secondhand living to answer these questions and many, many more, this is the place to be.
We’ve gathered the most valuable information about becoming a secondhand pro in this online class: Secondhand Living.
Secondhand Living
Course Outline
Module 1: Introduction
We want you to be successful on your journey to Secondhand Living! What are your goals, concerns, or questions?
Module 2: Reasons to Choose Secondhand
Learn about the many socio-economic and environmental benefits of choosing existing items over new ones.
Module 3: Is Buying Used Always Better?
There are a few instances in which buying used is not the most ecologically advantageous choice.
Module 4: Disadvantages of Choosing Used
The current linear economy we live in makes it extremely convenient to buy new. Learning to prioritize used items takes some adapting.
Module 5: Where to Find Used
There are endless places to find used items, from your friends, to thrift stores, consignment stores, flea markets, to renting, swapping, borrowing, and more.
Module 6: What Not to Get Secondhand
Buying secondhand has its limitations. Learn how to avoid acquiring stolen, defective, or infested items.
Module 7: Where to Get Rid of Your Stuff
Instead of sending your items to the dump, can they be diverted through creative reuse or repair shops?
Module 8: Repairing
Learn about planned obsolescence and the many roadblocks to repair, as well as where to have your items fixed or where to learn to repair skills yourself.
Module 9: Clothing
There are many places to get clothing secondhand, from swap parties to thrift stores. Uncover the problem of microfibers in used clothing.
Module 10: Shoes
We consulted with a podiatrist to figure out how to choose secondhand shoes that wouldn’t damage our feet or our kid’s growing feet.
Module 11: Books
There’s a variety of options for choosing used books, from book swaps, to book sharing, book lending, purchasing used books, or even choosing audiobooks or ebooks.
Module 12: Electronics
Learn about refurbishing stores which fix computers, phones, and tablets and even give you a warranty on the fixed product.
Module 13: Furniture
Street mattresses can carry bed bugs and other pests. Learn how to choose your furniture wisely.
Module 14: Plants
Why shop when you can adopt? Discover how to buy secondhand plants, and even how to propagate existing plants.
Module 15: Interior Design
Go thrifting for secondhand decorations or creatively reuse items to decorate your home.
Module 16: Children
Learn how Christelle has acquired 90% of her daughter’s items used since birth, and find out what children items to be wary of purchasing used.
Module 17: Pets
Cristina shares how she has gotten her dog’s items used and made her own dog toys from old shirts.
Module 18: Bikes
This section goes into how to test bikes and e-bikes for proper functioning, and where to find professional bikes used.
Module 19: Cars
Is this used car safe? Was it stolen? How do I sell my car to a stranger without getting scammed? Feel confident about buying or selling a used car.
Module 20: Food
Learn about gleaning, food recovery, food sharing, and secondhand produce delivery services like Imperfect Produce or Misfits Market.
Module 21: Events
Discover how to minimize waste at your event by renting or borrowing decorations, cutlery, and clothing.
Module 22: Home
Apply the principles of secondhand living through greywater harvesting, natural building and retrofitting your home.
Lifetime access to the video tutorials
for all 22 modules (over 4 hours)
A 228-page PDF workbook
that contains all the information from modules 1-22
Review questions
to help you assimilate the class information
Watch the videos on any device.
Access to an exclusive student forum
You will have access to a supportive online community hosted on Facebook to submit your questions and share your successes or difficulties. It’s a wonderful opportunity to get feedback and motivate one another.
Access to workshop updates
As we add content to our workshop over time, you will have access to all updated information.
Christelle is a bubbly environmental educator and permaculture instructor who infuses optimism in her classes and laughs at her own jokes. Originally from Geneva, Switzerland, her studies and career have focused on environmental protection. While expecting her first child in 2016, she made a deal (which often feels more like a game) with her husband to only ever prioritize existing items and buy new only when absolutely necessary. She’s multilingual, a mama (or “Permamacita”), a former beekeeper, and a foraging enthusiast with an insatiable curiosity for life.
Still have questions? Send us a message!
Still have questions? Send us a message!
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do I have access to the course for?
How does FOREVER sound? You keep the courses as long as the internet exists.
Do you offer refunds or exchanges?
Permacrafters does not offer refunds, as stated in our Terms of Use. All sales are final (unless you accidentally purchased the course multiple times). We are a mission-based business that offers accessible pricing, therefore our profit margins are low. In the digital content world, where courses are immediately downloadable, there’s unfortunately a high prominence of content theft through illegitimate refund requests. Our two-person team can’t allocate the time required to keep up with this regrettable trend.
However, we want to assure you that if there are any updates you wish to see to the course or any additional modules or plant profiles, we will immediately seek to make these improvements. Do not hesitate to ask, because we create new content every week and are constantly updating our courses and adding new video lessons.
To give you further peace of mind, in some cases we can offer exchanges. We are so confident that you will love this course, that if by day 7 you aren’t delighted, you can exchange the course for any of our other courses of equal value.
Sign up today for $64.00 for lifetime access to the Secondhand Living online course.
