7 Things We No Longer Buy! - Low Waste/Minimalism

[@marieldavidson4040]

I used to work at Home Depot in the plant section and the amount of waste from indoor plants is astounding. Everything is shipped to the stores in plastic, individually wrapped and none of the stores have a recycling plan. And almost a third of the plants that are shipped to the stores are tossed out because of tiny blemishes. Its better to just buy clippings of plants or get them from your friends.

[@LeahandLevi]

Yes! Thank you for this! It's not the most well documented issue at the moment but anecdotes like this are important for people to know!

[@noobmaster-dm7tu]

Yikes!

[@adelehare8495]

just the whole scene of Levi talking about “taking the old AK-47 out to the range and poppin’ off a couple of rounds” while casually folding his underwear in the living room

[@AthynVixen]

That's the underwear that Levi doesn't buy according to the intro ;)

[@danielsykes7558]

And Leah's face!

[@HaSiHappy]

@@danielsykes7558 Especially Leahs face. :')

[@emilyhughes8832]

I'm so glad to hear you talking about ethical banking! It's such a large part of how we can make an impact. If you're in Australia, a great ethical bank is Bank Australia which is consumer-owned and committed to making a "positive economic, social, environmental and cultural impact".

[@LeahandLevi]

Hey! Thanks so much for sharing this! It's awesome to hear that there's some options down under!

[@victoriazwergmaus9813]

I need some in the land of bank. Have to check if Switzerland even know what it is 🤔

[@MarielaMerino]

Some things i don’t buy are bras, fast fashion clothing, and bottled water. There’s over 50 things I don’t buy anymore and love that for me 😁🙏🏻

[@LeahandLevi]

Well frickin done! There's so many when you start looking and you've done some work to improve. 👍🏻

[@MarielaMerino]

@@LeahandLevi exactly!

[@noobmaster-dm7tu]

Ethical banking is something so obvious I never thought about!

[@tylertownsend5349]

I can't part with contacts. I work with animals and not having something that can fly off my face is nice. My eye doctor works with terracycle to recycle contact lenses and their cases and I use monthly so I'm only using 12 pairs a year. For now that's all I got.

[@bronteassadzadeh8413]

You scared me with the gun thing for a second hahahha

[@sarahwollesen1990]

I enjoyed the obvious effect that Leah putting on the old glasses had on Levi lol, they're honestly goals

[@danielsykes7558]

He was blushing so hard.

[@kyleeburgess2420]

We would absolutely love to use a car share service but sadly there aren't any good options available where we live. We keep talking about getting rid of our car because it is a pain to take care of when we don't use it that often but since we already have it it is hard justifying getting rid of it. My bf really likes my glasses too. :)

[@pumpkinomom4446]

"Levi Hildebrand TJIFM" cracked me up, but ngl I got a bit set aback when you said you two were into guns😅 Anyways, Leah's dress and glasses are 10/10 :)

[@LeahandLevi]

Hahaha glad you enjoyed it!

[@hannahbell7519]

Leah has the best taste in glasses! 😍all the frames are super fun!

[@vviolet934]

I can confirm that food delivery is not great for businesses.. I work at a restaurant and we make close to no money from DoorDash and GrubHub

[@sarasorrell8476]

Glad to know I'm not the only one that sweats when I talk to cool academics 😂

[@hS-nt6pr]

The car share thing is really cool. Unfortunately that’s only going to be a option in larger cities. If you live in a rural area a person vehicle is necessary.

[@LeahandLevi]

Absolutely! We talk about this in our car free year video. Coming from a rural community I know that these are limitations that a lot of people face. 👍🏻

[@AmmaSoelberg]

I lived in a rural area for most of my life up until now (17f), I worked as a clerk at the general store in my area and a large part of working in a small community is getting to know people. And something I found was this kinda coop situation where a bunch of people shared cars as well as their land. There was also an older manual labour working gentleman who could use this elderly couples car to do groceries when he brought them to their triweekly doctors appointment. He had a car but it just saved on gas and he could help them in and out of the vehicule. If you want to set up something like car share in your area it would be best to actually start it from the ground up with written rules that all parties must sign, that can seem daunting and foreign but if it's something you really want to do you could try bringing it up in passing at gatherings, you never know who else could be interested.

[@hS-nt6pr]

@@AmmaSoelberg that’s an interesting idea. I think it would be well received in my town. We have a couple small services here in town but they mark up prices so much it’s not affordable to shop there often. Most people drive into the city to buy bulk. It saves a lot of money but it takes a lot more planning. A car share would definitely cut down costs if everyone could do a car share and then only have to pay for the vehicle for the time they use it rather than a car sitting in the driveway not being used most days.

[@cakemnstr42]

And now Levi, imagine you can't see without glasses and try to get new ones. The one in store are of course all without prescription so you can try them on fine but depending on how bad your eyes are it can be really hard to tell how they actually look on you.

[@rh7968]

Clutched my pearls when you said you take AK47 .. 😣 you got me for a sec

[@LeahandLevi]

Hahaha well I'm glad it was fun for you... even if it was a bit scary lol

[@DownieLive]

Man, pretty impressed to hear about the cost of car share. And Levi… maybe consider glasses? 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@LeahandLevi]

Haha thanks Mike, I’ll definitely be open to the idea when I need them 🤓

[@starbrite526]

I've stopped buying plants recently, getting them either from my buy nothing group (hello basil and malabar spinach) and the local neighborhood plant stand (hello jalapeno)

[@alishareadsbooks]

I had the same reaction as Leah to the gun thing. 😂

[@musicalkid14852]

I'm a huge houseplant person. Have a whole instagram dedicated to it, as well as host a podcast all on houseplants. All of the plants I now purchase are all either swaps with friends, cuttings from friends, or small businesses that are incredibly transparent as to where they get their plants. It's so incredibly important to understand where your plants come from and how they impact the environment.

[@LeahandLevi]

Thanks for sharing this! I think we haven't quite exposed this reality yet but it's yet another thing that looks simple in the store but is way more complex in real life.

[@pumpkinomom4446]

Could you tell me the name of your Instagram please?

[@hS-nt6pr]

I’ve started propagating my plants and giving them to friends. I had no idea how easy it is to propagate ! And it’s cool knowing that my friends have a plant in their home that came from my plant.

[@musicalkid14852]

@@pumpkinomom4446 mine is theplantnookpodcast!

[@musicalkid14852]

@@LeahandLevi Oh yeah. To try and be as sustainable as you can be in the houseplant world is so difficult. Just like the brands you research into, I have to do the same with plant shops!

[@alishareadsbooks]

I love the vloggy style of this video!

[@myxochi]

I just looked into car sharing in my city as we just sold our car. I look forward to this future.

[@LeahandLevi]

Good luck! You can also do a quick cost breakdown with rentals and we were surprised at how much we could do without coming close to the cost of a car.

[@TheSimpleEnvironmentalist]

I've seen the food apps actually hurting local businesses so badly. So much that my city started their own food app to help local businesses more. This was a great video :)

[@LeahandLevi]

Thanks for the comment and your support. 🙏🏼❤️

[@eileahfrye-edmonds413]

Glad you’re talking about aspiration! I recently switched to them after realizing chase is not aligned with my values.

[@Swimdeep]

The car thing surprised me. The parking space offset is just a great perk.🌿

[@LeahandLevi]

Right?! I think people really underestimate the savings!

[@grannysquareswagonwheels2604]

I wandered onto this video via your video on resoling your Birkenstocks. Since I don't really "know" you I didn't think twice when you started talking guns. LOL We are kind of your country cousins in that I am going more and more minimalist and along those lines, we let the wilds do our sustainability and we hunt for our food in the fall so we actually are gun enthusiasts. Having a vehicle is a pain in the butt, time consuming, and an expense but again, being in the country it is a necessary evil but I love how you came up with creative ways to cover your needs and for such a low cost after the rental of your parking space is awesome! We visited Montreal once and the kids and I loved taking the metro everywhere.

[@danielsykes7558]

I love Aspiration! I find it so comforting that my money is only being used for things that align with my values, and they have a pay what is fair policy that has helped me a lot in the past.

[@SunyoungTeller]

I have to say I'm one of those who got into baking sour dough last year too, and still enjoy baking them. It just feel so special when you make your own bread from scratch and I just love feeling soft dough in my hand. Not sure how you guys store your bread but I store mine in bread bag from Think 4 earth. It doesn't do so good when you are storing soft bread like Japanese style soft white sandwich bread, but it store sour dough bread excellent! Not trying to promote and advertise for purchase 😉, but as sour dough bread baker I loved it to store my home baked bread and I thought I would share if you didn't already know about this.

[@LeahandLevi]

Woah that sounds awesome actually! We reuse ziplock bags until they're shredded and put it in the freezer but I'll keep an eye out for that!

[@edielovalle6235]

FOR THE PLANET!! 🍃 I REALLY enjoyed this part 2 video! Thank you for always sharing your perspective on items Levi! Also LOLZ to the face you made during the glasses segment! *raises eyebrows and losses it*

[@LeahandLevi]

You are so welcome! Thanks for being here!

[@marycharlebois6627]

OH YEASS!!! I am looking forward to watching this one… I got an uber-awesome salad dressing recipe from you in Part 1 of this series. Can’t wait to see what lies ahead in Part 2. Thanks Levi… stay cool, and keep ‘em coming please 😎

[@LeahandLevi]

Glad you enjoy these!

[@kc4648]

You’ve been on the roll with videos lately! First the super interesting book one and now this! Subscribed ✅

[@LeahandLevi]

Welcome aboard! Thanks so much for being here!

[@travis_approved]

Great video! I was curious if you guys have a good way of getting around toothpaste tubes?

[@Whatatinyplanet]

My mom and I spent many many months curating a selection of stasher bags and we left for ONE WEEK and my dad melted ALL OF THEM in the dishwasher…..not one survived

[@LeahandLevi]

😳 Omg that sounds traumatic lol

[@HowToMakeDinner]

I just used Modo to move houses and it was SO nice to have access to cargo vans and SUVs. The only time it sucked was when I meant to book the one by Paul’s Motor Inn and actually booked the one near the Y 😞. I had to call them to complain that the fob wasn’t working and they informed me I was trying to get into the wrong vehicle! 100% user error!

[@Lisasplace]

Also! If you have old glasses you can no longer use and don't want to reuse them for a new perscription, optisians often take them to give away!

[@jahanas22]

I’ve been thinking of baking bread. I’ll probably start after I move.

[@reeflarkin1919]

I recently got laser eye surgery- it cost $3000 AUD and it's so nice to not have to worry about contacts or glasses. I do rock climbing so classes can be quite annoying- getting chalk on, caught on the rope, scratched on the rock etc.- and for all the other things I do outside or even just swimming I really appreciate not having to put contacts in and just live my life. I do like the glasses look (and Levi definitely needs glasses!) but I just can't stand having to wear them.

[@theresabu3000]

To be active active with glasses can be a bit more daunting. I wear glasses since I was 12 years old and you really get used to them. Contacts are pricey, much more hassle and glasses really can look cool - love you're pink ones Leah. A tip for swimming - when it's sunny I sometimes use my sunglasses - they would be easier to find if they did fall off. I also have swimming goggles I can see with - a huge difference. Otherwise I don't do that much high risk activities where glasses would bug me

[@athenadia4743]

if anyone is looking for aspiration alternatives, definitely check out the b corp directory! you can do a search based on location and it's super easy. great vid as per usual levi!

[@pommebour5354]

We changed to Triodos Bank in the UK. I had thought about it for ages but kept on putting it off because the last time I had to change bank was such a headache - but this one was very very easy, and i did not have to go to my old bank and make a scene so they would let me close my account (I did not even have to contact them - Triodos did it all for me)

[@Emily-hd9sm]

Hello! I was thinking that an interesting video might be to compare what a zero waste lifestyle might look like in a seemingly progressive urban/suburban area vs. other places in the country. For instance, I live in Texas, and not having a car is not the most feasible option. We also don't have a space in my apartment to grow food, and we don't have curbside composting, which I know are things you and Leah utilize. Thus, I was wondering if you could maybe collab with zero waste individuals from other areas of the country or even the world, or put together "case studies" of what a realistic lifestyle would look like for intermediate to advanced zero waste individuals in different geographic locations. I think it would be great inspiration!

[@LeahandLevi]

Yes I completely agree! My parents for example live in a very rural community and they don't have any of the resources that we do but they make it work. Hopefully one day we can show what they do!

[@Emily-hd9sm]

That would be such a great video!

[@andydutton455]

The less stuff you own the easier it is to keep your house clean.

[@jamescoleman6510]

I don’t know why I’m watching this but I can’t stop watching these videos.

[@cathyfavorite9083]

Leah I love love love the middle part. You look incredible

[@cakemnstr42]

My parents are basically drowning in monstera plants, so I also have a few.

[@natalieb.mortensen9361]

Fruit and veg I primarily get from a local food share, that distributes food, that are past date. Still good but needs a little more care and work to become meals. I don´t use freezer bags, plastic wrap or tinfoil and rarely baking paper. I DO however wear lenses. I have a subscription for lenses 4x weekly. In poor weather and when exercising i.e. swimming or biking in rainy or cold weather glasses are just way inconvenient (and not always safe bc you can´t see properly in poor weather conditions.)

[@xz9376]

You guys are so inspiring, I’m going to make my own sourdough bread too! Thx!

[@eugeniarocha25]

I would love to see a video about Bunz! My one of my favorite thing about living in Vancouver was the huge Bunz community. I was a student and I couldn't always buy what I wanted. So I just bunzed for it!! Super sustainable and... Well, free! And the community over there is HUGE. I wish it was like that here in Mexico :')

[@courtneygranger3624]

Yes the point about investment into some bad companies without your knowledge is true. In Australia I changed my superfund because a teacher in university explains this to us and when I checked I was horrified to find out so much of my super was being invested into the fossil fuel industry. Thankful I was only 19 at the time and had only had my super for 3 years by that point. it was an absolute no brainer to swap

[@sarahhalliwell954]

I’m happy you have so many great sponsors from the US! But i’ve been here for years and I started watching your channel because you gave great options for the Canadian population. There are other people who offer this for the US. I miss the Canadian focus.

[@DaniOutEast]

So many great tips in this video...but Leah revealing her sourdough recipe was probably the most epic and long awaited for me haha.

[@corrinakudla8591]

I just extra-committed to my carless lifestyle by getting a dog trailer to attach to my bike, so I can take my pup to the vet or the park emissions-free! Modo is awesome and I love them.

[@LeahandLevi]

A dog trailer is actually the cutest idea ever... Thanks for sharing!

[@mscrabson]

I got a lot of plants that were fully grown from twigs and leaves that I stole in public places

[@cherry3412]

Love watching your videos and the values you guys stand for! X

[@LeahandLevi]

Thanks so much!!

[@aarononeal9830]

For those who dont know DW the German Public Broadcaster has made a documentary about Ecosia called Rethinking Capitilism . I know this not related to the subject of the video .

[@marycharlebois6627]

14:40 Levi… you forgot to mention salad dressing🥗 I learned from a pro… I learned from you!! Ⓜ️ary

[@sarshar9614]

We’re in Australia, our choices ended up being Bank Australia and Cruelty Free Super as the most ethical we could find here.

[@yunichairani2117]

I dont think house plant produced by using monoculture farming.. 🤔 most of them comes from seed or cuttings and grows in the green houses. I do agree if you use argument that over demand of houseplant will ruin ecosystem in some of the natural forest (because rare plant comes from tropical forest)

[@twobluestripes]

Agreed, I think the better point is more like the food point, it’s one less product wrapped in plastic for shipping and selling if you try to find it second hand more often. Many houseplant lovers will give friends cuttings or propagate for gifts/fun, so if you are into houseplants (or want to be) and have a friend who is too, trade cuttings or ask if they would gift you some when their plants grow large!

[@bettyslowwastelife9731]

I also did the glasses thing! I wear glasses all the time I have pretty bad eyesight 😂. I do have a contacts that I brought a one off month subscription for weddings/special events. I also wear contacts on holiday to make it easier sunglasses etc.

[@Rachh__]

I absolutely love your relationship omg 🥺❤

[@ellafw2944]

I feel so called out by 'unlike everyone else, Leah continued (with her sourdough)' . I just rediscovered my starter in the fridge after about 6 months

[@ashleyballard9561]

You had me going with the gun thing. I wasn’t going to judge you for it, I was just surprised 🤣 Also, this is exactly why I don’t use contacts! They are so wasteful. Glasses 100%.

[@teetertotter5787]

$175 a month for a parking space is crazy. i guess that's the norm for Victoria? I only pay $50 in Vancouver in my building.

[@LeahandLevi]

Yeah we're actually charging less than others in our building...

[@veronikaekstrand2291]

Great video. I wonder how you store your bread without plastic and without it getting hard and dry fast?

[@LeahandLevi]

Hate to shatter your world Veronika... we use plastic. we have been using a handful of ziplock bags repeatedly for the last year or so because sadly nothing else does the trick. Maybe a super huge stasher bag? but they don't work so well for big items.

[@MagicalMandi]

Save a bag from your grocery store bread and reuse it as many times as possible. Rinse and repeat!

[@erinniedermayer5627]

😃👍 sourdough bread I'm still making it too.

[@sweetdew]

I wanted to ask if anyone knows about the 'non stick' baking mats, and if they contain the harmful stuff that 'non stick' pans tend to have. If they are made from the same non-stick chemicals? I love the idea of those and the grill mats, but I am concerned about the 'no stick'

[@grunkles]

Love the vid! Informative, and I enjoyed the more fun style of this one. Keep it up!

[@SilverSamurai12]

Love the ethical banking and thought having a US based BMO account would help, but got stopped by the SSN requirement. No dice for this Canadian sadly. :( Darn!

[@AngelLiu1]

Leah's bread looks soooooo amazing! I just made simple no knead bread but sourdough is def an aspiration of mine!

[@99leadpencils]

This was great. I would be really interested in a video about comparing the effectiveness of zero waste kitchen alternatives to their single use counterparts. For instance, will my food still brown on the bottom if i use a silcon liner??

[@LesEssentielsdAna]

Sorry if it has been mentioned before but I can't find it... I love your "beehive" hexagonal shape shelf behind the yellow couch. Where did you find it or what's the brand please? 😊

[@LeahandLevi]

They're a company called Chopvalue! We talk about them in our office tour!

[@LesEssentielsdAna]

@@LeahandLevi Thank you so much. I remembered you mentioned it somewhere but couldn't find it. That's perfect!

[@marisajaye1036]

yet another amazing video! this resonates with my minimalist side!

[@gabriellap1996]

I wear the same pair of contacts for months because I forget to change them, probably not the best idea but it is kind of more eco friendly lol

[@Lisasplace]

Bakeries will most likley be A-okay with giving you a unpackaged loaf! Hell a good chunk of Aldi's and Lidl's have a section of unpackaged bread

[@frankm.2850]

Hey Levi, I was wondering what your take was on buying cut flowers? Is it environmentally friendly to buy them from a place like TJ's, or am I better off spending the extra money to buy from a vendor at a farmers' market?

[@LeahandLevi]

Hey good question! Sadly the cut flower market is super wasteful as well. Especially during the summer months always try to get the flowers from local spots. 🙋🏻‍♂️👍🏻

[@nabeelkasim]

Love the authenticity! Creative with the gun topic

[@KatrinaEames]

I think my houseplant collection mostly comes from taking living floral centerpieces at the end of parties.

[@LeahandLevi]

Hahaha when Leah and I used to work at the hotel (leah was in banquets) we would have a massive bouquet once every week or so.

[@timbushell8640]

Pro Leah, pro sourdough... ... Levi, hm, maybe, someday. : )))) More - actually on what you do for growing your urban fruit and veg. More - reading recommendations More - next issues, old forest -v- clear cut, organising more beach clean ups... etc.

[@lauracoughlin2336]

Definitely hitting up that sourdough recipe!

[@sabrinacrook8532]

Totally awesome!!!

[@santinaduarte7591]

Is Leah able to make a video about her PhD? I really want to get one if I don’t get into med school but the whole process is really confusing too me.

[@MDobri-sy1ce]

I read Tim Horton's changed their "Roll Up the Rim to Win!" campaign just to "Roll Up to Win!" I read it was to reduce the amount of waste in cups but I call BS on that! Cups will still go in garbage. Those cups can't be recycled because of the thin layer of plastic they use on the bottoms to keep the cups from melting. If they really want to make a difference, make the cup out of reinforced cardboard or something!

[@LeahandLevi]

Yeah they have been trying to change it for years but sadly the cups remain. 😭

[@veganrecipebowl2782]

That bread looks amazing! I will have to try this soon.

[@LeahandLevi]

It's so good!

[@persephone213]

Yes, team glasses and no car here, too!! 🤓👓

[@acmulhern]

There were some solid tips in this video. I'm particularly interested in the car sharing. It's something I've been thinking about for a while now. I was also a contacts wearer like Leah and always felt bad about the trash that resulted from it, but I really hated wearing them because I was terrified of losing them or breaking them. When 2020 rolled by and masks became a thing (foggy glasses) I decided enough was enough and I got lasik eye surgery. One of the best decisions of my life. Highly recommend to anyone considering it 👍I'm looking forward to travelling again and not needing to think of anything eye related during my trip 😀

[@LeahandLevi]

The car free life is a game changer honestly! We save so much money!

[@xxflipchick22xx]

Pro glasses! And the pink ones look the best on you.

[@fruiz879]

Uber eats and door dash is key out here in Chicago. I prefer to pay a little extra instead of possibly getting shot. It has happened many times where waiting in a McDonalds drive through there is a large shooting. Guns are key for protection in Chicago , but of course it’s important to follow state laws.

[@richardjohnson2446]

Man, it’s another life altogether in the States I feel. Full on wild west. I can’t imagine trying to live somewhere where going out for food could get my killed!

[@fruiz879]

@@richardjohnson2446 it’s been like this for a long time. The new problem is they used to not shoot kids and women but now it has gotten out of control. Trying to move ASAP.

[@iFlip4Element2x]

Levi looks mighty cute with glasses!!!

[@srey971]

I would like to know how you feel after using Aspiration after a couple of months or a year due to the number of complaints I have been reading.

[@anaisabelpamanesmartinez8369]

Proglasses🤓 i sort of get leah' attencion with glasses, my boyfriend does like better how i look with glasses than with contacts 🤣

[@c2rr9on]

Same with my wife. She like how I look with glasses more. Don’t listen to anyone, we’re beautiful without glasses lol!

[@alysaquintana9921]

I love Leah’s glasses. What brand are they? I always struggle with finding a shape I like!

[@AthynVixen]

Woah No 3 WTF? LOL Leah should wear dresses more often - such a cute look. I'm with Leah on the glasses but she looks great in them.. I sadly do not hahah

[@MDobri-sy1ce]

I don't think I could quit eating out completely but have definitely cut back compared to my twenties. Me and my brother order from restaurants maybe 1 or twice a month. Although, we get Tim Hortons twice a week but it is still a lot better than it was before!

[@LeahandLevi]

Sadly Tim Hortons is the worst (I made a whole video about it) but cutting back is always important!

[@comingofkym]

Love the middle part, Leah!

[@paige9714]

the ubereats video you mentioned was one of my all time favs from this channel! :)

[@LeahandLevi]

Yay! Thank you!

[@careTWOdance]

I kept making sourdough too 😄♥️

[@frappuccino68]

Love Levi with glasses!

[@ashtongiles]

We need a bank like that in Canada.

[@teekaymonster]

For people who are vision impaired and don't want to wear glasses again. I swear, just get lasik. No waste from contact lens solution + contacts and no need to wear glasses.

[@rochellejohnson5534]

If you get any kind of pets later in the year make sure the type of plants don't make your pets sick pets can be around some plants but not all of them so some research on what type of pets you're looking for and what type of plants goes with that type of pet

[@BikeHelmetMk2]

5:30 No no no... they can use up to 2000% of what you put in for anything. They only have to retain 5% of your money to loan out the other 95%. But "loan out" is a bit of a misnomer, because your money is still in your account and on their balance sheet. When they loan, they create new money, which is why there are strict regulations imposed by the government and central banks. But if they then retain 100% of your money, as they obviously do since you have it sitting there, they can "loan" (create) 2000% as loans to other borrowers. Right now there's so much money in banks, they could loan out tens of trillions of dollars without approaching their covenants. People could pull hundreds of billions of dollars out and they would not cause a bank run, because the banks would still have adequate capital. Banks are very well capitalized right now... But why? If all that money is sitting there, they could be loaning it out to make more, right? Instead they are parking it and earning nearly nothing. Well, banks consider rates to be very low, so there's not too much appeal. If they wait a year or two, rates should be significantly higher. Most would rather originate more loans when rates get back up into the 2.5-3% range. There is likely to be significantly more profit from those higher rate loans. Also more safety - if a 3% loan has trouble, you can play with the duration and rates to bring it back into compliance and continue to earn off it. If a 1% loan has trouble, where do you go from there? Low rate long term loans in effect have too much leverage/risk to appeal significantly to banks, so they only provide them as needed to sustain their current operations/size and to stimulate the economy as mandated.