Kept

A few weeks ago, I finally departed company with my family's Decca portable record player. It had been hauled down from the attic and, taking one look at the perished rubber ring inside and the decidedly dodgy plug wiring it was sentenced to the tip. I consoled myself with the fact that it was at least forty years the senior of any other item discarded in the "electricals" skip.

The old Decca had done me well - I used it doggedly throughout my college years and early twenties - I saw the hi-tech hi-fis of others as a waste of money. It was only when CDs really took hold that I eventually took the plunge to buy a new system.

I have a similar attitude to my trusty mobile phone, an 8-year-old Nokia 6310. I had been meaning to update this year but after my experience of being stranded, I've come to the conclusion that I'm not going to bother. I'm proud of my phone. It's robust, simple and still lasts ages before it needs charging up.

I can also give myself a pat on the back to say that keeping my historic handset is one little way of acting sustainably. The innovation consultancy More Associates have even developed a brand, Kept, to celebrate this way of thinking with the tagline "things don't have to be rubbish".

And, although the Decca may be gone, I still have three other record players in my possession. And one of them uses no electricity at all, just good old hand power.