A young couple in Oregon just went an entire year nearly trash-free: At the end of 12 extremely green months, their household’s only waste that couldn’t be composted or recycled amounted to a mere 3 pounds of garbage—which is less than what the average American generates in a single day. Meanwhile, self-proclaimed fashion junkies are swearing off clothes shopping for a year or limiting themselves to wearing six items of clothing for an entire month. Why all the self-imposed restriction? Think of these experiments as backlash after years of shopping overload and over-consumption.