well that was easy!

I've given up microwave popcorn. Since I'm the one who does the shopping in this house, we've both given up microwave popcorn. It hasn't been a very popular decision around here, and it means I've spent more time than I'd like shaking a heavy pot with oil and popcorn seeds over a hot burner.

So today, I tried a little experiment. I reused a small brown paper bag (we get lots of these in our CSA share holding tomatoes, squash, and such) and placed about a quarter cup of plain old yellow popcorn kernels into it, and folded the top shut. I read online that one staple would be ok in the microwave, which I believe, since my tea bags have small staples that don't do any damage, but we actually have a cool staple-less stapler that I used just to be on the safe side.

I put it in for a little over 2 minutes, and voila! freshly popped popcorn, ready to be seasoned however I wish.

It's definitely a good way to save some money, and it absolutely cuts down on waste. Plus I've heard some concerns lately about commercially produced microwave popcorn, and this way I can be sure there are no nasty chemicals in there.

I'm glad I figured this out...it's way too hot to be shaking that pot over a hot stove today!

From zero to hero

A lot of what I've learned lately has focused on failing. Failing at things is fine; it teaches us what not to do, so that when we try again, our results are even better than we may have initially expected. Or at least what we wanted the first time around. The only big problem with failing is that it often creates waste - and food waste at that, which is my personal least favorite type of waste.

I, like everyone out there, have experienced my share of failures. I've made tortillas so brittle they'd crack if you dropped them. Loaves of bread that can prop a door open. Last weekend I bought strawberries at the farmer's market, and got sidetracked when I got home - and didn't remember the berries until two days later, when I found that a huge bunch of them had already started to mold (despite my best efforts, yes, my house is often so messy that I can overlook a flat of strawberries for two days. Sad, but true).

Two weekends ago, my picky eater brought home a big bag full of plums - somebody on his cricket team had a tree in their yard and decided to share. Only problem was, there were too many plums for us to eat before they became worm food. No problem though; I knew what to do with these - make jam! We green bloggers are jam making experts.

I, however, am also supremely lazy. So I found a recipe for no chopping, no peeling, plum jam.

I followed the directions. Well, mostly, anyway. I didn't have a thermometer, but I cook enough, so I was sure I could tell when everything was ready.

Problem was, even after adding all the sugar I had in the house (literally) and boiling for a really long time, it never turned into jam. It was just a sort of sour, plum sauce.

Sour like rhubarb.

Wait a second...

Rhubard. I love rhubarb!

This stuff was runny though, so I needed to get creative.

I found this recipe for rhubarb cake. Instead of the rhubarb, I substituted half a pint (or so...I'm not exact when it comes to cooking, as you may have noticed....) of the plum sauce for the fruit, and baked this puppy up (minus the orange zest). Picky eater gave it the veto, but in my own mind, I went from zero to hero in sixty seconds flat...this was a winner for me!

The point is, we all fail sometimes. The challenge is not to beat ourselves up over how we fail, but to ask ourselves how we can turn these failures into something succesful. We all try to reuse other things in our lives, why not reuse our food flops to make something useful? Like that delicious cake. I'm going to go have another piece right now...

It's the thought that counts...

...and handmade gifts require a lot of thought.

My room mate from college came for a visit this weekend, and she brought me a wonderful gift. It is a tres chic handbag. It's a lovely deep pink, almost red color, knitted, with a super cool chunky cable down the middle. The inside lining is a very funky geometric pattern with several colors that match the outside beautifully. It is probably the best looking purse I own at the moment.

But the best part? She made it herself - from completely reused materials! The yarn was salvaged from a sweater that was taken apart for the purpose, the liner was a shirt that was no longer wanted, a piece of cardboard was saved from the recycling bin and sewn into the bottom to help it keep its shape, and the handles got their structure from a piece of old wine making tubing. It makes the gift that much more special to know that there was a lot of thought put into it, from the sourcing of the materials to the actual construction.

How cool is that? I'm not quite sure I have the level of talent required for this particular project myself, but it has re-inspired me to try to give more handmade gifts. Since the primary rule in gift giving is that it's the thought that counts, I'd say handmade gifts count for a lot.

Secret Tip

Here's one of my favorite food shopping secrets - if you want to buy more things in bulk, but don't have a bulk food store in your area, check out ethnic grocery stores in your area. In the past, I've had good luck with Indian grocery stores here in CA as well as in NH with a sort of hybrid North African / Lebanese / Indian store.

These stores can be a great source for things like dried beans, lentils, nuts, and spices. Although they will probably not be from a bulk bin, they will likely be in a much larger package than what you are used to finding in the grocery store. Larger packages mean a reduction in total waste. For example, I spent about $8 for a bottle of ground cumin in the grocery store a few years back. I found it at the Indian grocery store, in a bag with probably five to ten times the quantity of cumin, for about $3. You'll have to supply your own pretty bottles for storage, but just reuse one next time you run out of something.

Other things I buy at my local Indian grocery store, Kumud, include turmeric, cumin seeds, whole coriander, ground coriander, cinnamon sticks, cloves, whole black pepper, red chili powder, sesame seeds, peanuts, cashews, and fennel seeds.

Make sure to do your homework first, though. I find that prices on dried beans actually tend to be cheaper at my local Whole Foods, and the organic option doesn't exist at Kumud. The other thing that is helpful to know is if the item you are looking for, especially if it is something like lentils, has more than one name as things are often labelled as something you might not be expecting - urad dal, black gram, and minapa pappu, for example, are all the same thing, so if you're using a recipe that calls for something that's new to you, do a quick search to see if it's known by any other name.

It's also fun to poke around and see what they have for sale that might be new to you. For example, I found a packet of pre-mixed spices for tea (tea masala). Before, when I had wanted an authentic masala tea, I'd roast cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon, then grind them all together (meaning I almost never actually made it!). Now I can buy it all ready to go - this is one of my favorite finds, but there have been lots of others.

Finally, don't be afraid to ask for help! Whenever I go into Kumud, the same five or six people are working there. After I had shopped there a few times, they remembered me and are always more than happy to help me with any questions I have, as is very often the case with small business owners and employees.

All around, it's a great option! I save money, save on packaging, find foods I've never tried before, and I get to support a store that's not a huge national chain.

I highly recommend...

these organic cotton produce bags from Organic Needle - I'd been trying to reuse my plastic bags as much as possible in order to reduce overall waste, but when stuff would go mushy and moldy sometimes (even if just a little bit of lettuce slime) it became really hard to get them clean, they didn't dry properly, etc. I'll use up the ones I still have kicking around before saying goodbye for good, but these cotton bags are just lovely! I used them for fresh produce as well as dried beans from the bulk bins, and I couldn't be happier, plus I got to support a small business owner. The large ones were also great to put my empty milk bottles in when I biked to the store. It kept them from banging together in my backpack. Check them out!

Keep your conventional hands off my organics!

Fruit & vegetable market 2
Originally uploaded by SqueakyMarmot

While shopping the other day, I noticed the following sign in Whole Foods’ produce department regarding organic foods:
“Customer Responsibility
Although we at Whole Foods Market do all we can to protect the organic integrity of our products, once the decision is made to purchase an organic pear, loaf of bread, or pound of coffee, the product — and the protection of its organic integrity — passes into the hands of the customer. At this time, it becomes each individual customer's decision as to what steps they wish to take regarding their organic purchases. You may choose to:
• Bag and separate your organic produce selection from conventional produce prior to placing it on the produce scales, in the shopping basket or onto the register belt.
• Grind whole organic coffee beans at home since our grinders are used for both conventional and organic coffees.
• Please be patient when our team members need to clean their equipment before giving you a special cut of organic cheese or meat.”
I had never thought about this before, but it’s an excellent point. OK, the phrase “organic integrity” makes it sound a little too serious, but just as a vegetarian wouldn’t want their eggplant slapped on a grill right after a steak and flipped with the same tongs, I don’t want the organic produce I purchase rubbing up against produce swimming in nasty chemicals.

In addition to the above, I’d add:
- If you use re-usable produce bags, make sure to wash them between uses if they’ve held conventional produce – preferably with an eco-friendly washing soap.
- If you’re deciding between conventional and organic (maybe the conventional is the only local form of peaches available that week?) pay attention to where you’ve picked up any fruit you’re testing for firmness, and be sure to replace it in the appropriate bin.
- If you’re buying bulk, use the right scoop (this is important because of allergies too).
- When storing organic produce in the fridge, keep it in the bag or in an “organics only” drawer if you buy both organic and conventional stuff.

Are these measures over the top? Maybe for some, but not to me. Organic stuff costs a lot more, in general, at least where I live. If I’m paying for it, I want to keep it that way. Of course, then we get into the question of why not buy only organic, which gets into problems of whether organic trumps local. What’s funny is that I could actually get by on just the organic AND local CSA shares of produce almost all the time, I think, if they only had a bit more fruit. I love fruit…so until that day, I’ll be over here, trying to maintain the organic integrity of my veggies.

Adventures in Hooking

So my resolve to spend les time online is going...okay. Problem is, I'm not really working all that much these days, and what work I do is from home for the most part. I'm sort of like a stay at home mom - with no kids. The idea of going into an office every day and wearing business casual clothes makes me feel like vomitting, to be frank. I could do it, if I had to, but I have absolutely no desire, and am lucky enough to have a significant other who doesn't think this is the end of the world.

In fairness, though, I thought I should at least make a token effort to bring my income above the official poverty level and contribute something to the household income. Hence my return to rug hooking. So far I've actually just spent money. I bought two hand drawn patterns ($32 each) from a fiber artist named Martina Lesar - I love the patterns I selected and can't wait to get to work on them. Plus I like that I got to support another artist in the process of my own creating.

I found a very heavy wool shirt/jacket at a high school rummage sale for $1 and purchased three pairs of pants for $3 each at Goodwill the other day. The wool content of the fabric has to be at least 80%, and a lot of clothes out there these days are all sorts of weird blends of synthetic things, so it takes some hunting to find the right stuff.

This past week, I've been dis-assembling the clothes with a seam ripper I purchased for $2.99. I can say with complete confidence, LL Bean makes some tough clothes. No wonder they guarantee them for life. I'd guess it took me close to five hours to take their shirt apart. I tend to have an overactive imagination, so the five hours went by pretty quickly when I found a Peace Corps button in the pocket - I spent the whole time imagining the fantastic adventures the shirt and its wearer had been on all over the world. Then I felt sad it had ended up in a heap at a high school rummage sale. Then I decided I was glad that at least I could give it a chance at a new adventure as part of a treasured piece of art in somebody's home (I told you I have an overactive imagination).

I have one and a half pair of pants to finish taking apart, then I need to go back to Goodwill and find some crappy old pots to do the dyeing in. And research how to do the dyeing. I want to use all natural materials rather than synthetic chemical dyes, but I've heard some concerns about how color fast they are.

What I've already come to appreciate, without actually starting the project in earnest yet, is that it's no wonder hand made stuff is expensive compared to what they have at Target and such places. It takes a lot of time to carefully source materials. It takes a lot of time to do quality work. And it's not cheap to do things well. I already have a new appreciation for the value added when a person makes an item versus when a factory makes an item. The funny thing is, I'm not new to this craft. The difference is, it's always been a hobby for me, so I've never dwelled on things like the value of the time that I put into it too much.

With that in mind, I'm off to buy those handmade produce bags I've been thinking about for the last two months. I'm sure they're well worth the cost.

Hooking again

It was great this past week to spend some time reconnecting with things that have been pushed aside for various reasons.

I'd been meaning to learn to knit for a while now, and my sister gave me an early birthday present which included a knitting lesson and some supplies to get me started. I can't believe I'm making things out of wool, because it was over 100 degrees here yesterday, and today looks to be more of the same. But I'm hoping I can start making some of those things that I previously would have purchased...my first project is going to be some cloths for washing the dishes with. All those little mistakes that I'm making won't really matter when I'm just using the final product to clean gunk off my pans.

My sister also gave me a sewing machine that had belonged to my grandmother. I'm very excited about this, especially since I need one to finish up a project that I've been working on for some time now...a hooked rug. It's a traditional wool hooked rug (when I first heard about this art, I was thinking of those little latch hook kits that you make a fuzzy Garfield wall hanging out of, but that's not it at all...see here for some examples).

About three years ago, I learned how to make the rugs from a woman who is very talented, and willing to share her knowledge - a rare combination. She shops at thrift stores for much of her wool...old pants, skirts, etc. are cut up and dyed, then further cut into wool strips which are then hooked into a burlap or linen backing. The hooked rug is the ultimate thrifty re-users art form in many ways. The rugs were originally made in the north east using old burlap sacks for the backing, and wool strips that were salvaged from all sorts of places. What is cool is that you can still stay true to much of the original frugal nature of how these rugs were made. Plus, it's fun to tell people you're a hooker and watch their reactions.

Life had gotten busy, and I hadn't worked on any of my projects for close to a year, but I'm going to be starting some new projects soon. I haven't done a lot of the background work before, such as sourcing my own materials or dying the wool, but I'm looking forward to learning and experimenting.

I can't lie, I was motivated to get back to work when I was told how much I could sell the finished rugs for. I've been working on my current project for some time now, and never really thought of it as an item of value to anybody but me - apparently this is not the case!

Hand hooked rugs also make wonderful gifts, so I'm thinking I'll be able to make some progress on the making all my own gifts front this way as well.

That's the update from here...I'm off to GoodWill to see if I can find some wool clothes to cut up!

Please hold...

1000 mobiles
Originally uploaded by Gaetan Lee

Hold off on buying a new cell phone, that is. A clever marketing ploy that my cell phone company uses is to “allow” customers to upgrade their phones every two years, at a discount over the full retail price. Since I’m a loyal customer, they let me purchase a new phone even sooner. In exchange for me paying them some cash, I get a new phone and the right to continue making monthly payments to them for another twenty-four months.

What I realized though, is that just because my company lets me purchase a new phone, doesn’t mean that I actually need one. I’m going to keep the one that I have until it stops working. The features on the phone that I currently own are more than what I need. I don’t need video or email on my phone, so as long as it keeps making calls, it’s doing what I need it to.

When it does finally die, I’ll recycle it. Aside from keeping waste out of the landfills, recycling a cell phone is an environmentally important decision to make because the materials used to make a cell phone include metals which can be destructive to the environment to mine. According to the EPA, less than 20% of cell phones are actually recycled. There are many ways to recycle a cell phone – Recycle My Cell Phone is a site I’ll consider. They only recycle phones from within the US (due to restrictions on import/export of hazardous waste), but they reuse as many phones and parts as possible, and only dispose of what is really “dead”. They dispose of what hazardous waste remains responsibly, and do not export it to developing countries. The other thing that is great about this site is that they accept any make or model of phone, pda, beeper, or charger. They even make it easy for you to save money by taking a tax deduction for the value of the phone you donate, including the postage you use to send it to them!

Until I’m ready to recycle my phone, however, there are things I can do to make it last as long as possible. The National Geographic Green Guide offers some great tips on how to save energy and extend your phone’s life, including:

1. Only charge as long as necessary – if you leave the charger plugged in after the battery is fully charged, the charger will continue drawing energy and will heat the battery, which shortens its life span.
2. Turn down the brightness – the more light your phone puts out, the more battery it uses, meaning it’ll have to be charged more often.
3. Unless you plan on answering the phone if it rings in the middle of the night, turn it off until you wake up.

Another thing that I'll investigate when my plan is up is switching to a company such as Credo Mobile, whose prices seem a tiny bit higher than my current provider, but allows you to donate a portion of your monthly bill to charity.

As a follow-up to things that should be recycled responsibly, I found out last week that Ace Hardware, at least in my neighborhood, also accepts used CFL bulbs for recycling. For many of us, we probably have an Ace closer than an Ikea…and I for one am a lot less likely to make an impulse purchase at Ace than Ikea!

Bits and pieces

I don’t know enough about any of this to justify a full posting, but this is all stuff I’ve found while poking around and wanted to share, because I think it’s useful information.

Plastic Loose Fill Council: If somebody sends you a package filled with those nasty Styrofoam peanuts, this website can help you to find a place that will take them and reuse them.

Eat Well Guide: Have you been thinking you’d like to eat more local, sustainable, organic food, but don’t think there’s anything available? This website lists farmer’s markets, stores, restaurants, and more, based on your zipcode. You might be surprised what’s right around the corner!

US Department of Energy: Is renewable power available for purchase in my area? Sadly, no, but maybe it is in yours. Check out this website to find out.

Environmental Protection Agency: If you don’t have a well to obtain your drinking water, this website can help you determine what the quality of your municipal water is like.

A few updates…

I am still on the bottled water wagon. The stuff from the tap hasn’t killed me yet. Even though it often smells funny.

Still in the process of decluttering, but I’d just like to throw something out there for any freecyclers in the crowd: if you say you’re going to go pick something up, make sure it’s because you really want the item, not just because it’s free and you can’t beat the price. I’ve been stood up a few times by people who claimed to want my items. Most were apologetic and contacted me to let me know they couldn’t collect, but a few just never showed up. It made me start thinking that maybe it was too much work to give stuff away. Which seems ridiculous, but I’m taking a break for a while.

I’ve continued making my yogurt. Sometimes it’s more watery than others, but it’s always been edible.

For trash day after two weeks, we still didn’t have a full bag of garbage! I put it out anyway though because it was really starting to smell bad.

Buy Nothing Challenge is going pretty well…all of my “slip ups” I actually think are justifiable: batteries for the smoke detector, and stay tuned for more on my biking adventures and the worms in my garage!

I posted a while ago about the Riot 4 Austerity. I think this is such a cool concept. I also think it’s really overwhelming. But inspired by the small scale of Buy Nothing Month modeled after the Compact, I’m going to give the Riot a trial run. I’m going to pick only one of their seven categories to start with and see if, instead of reducing my consumption TO 10% of the average, I am going to see if I can reduce my current consumption BY 10%.

Anybody care to join me?

For those not familiar, the seven categories are:
Gasoline
Electricity
Heating & Cooking Energy
Garbage
Water
Consumer Goods
Food

I am going to start with water. Based on my last water bill, I am actually at 31% of average US consumption. Therefore, I will attempt to reduce my consumption to 21% by the time I receive my next bill.

Let me know if you pick a category to tackle. I like structure, so I appreciate the idea of having actual numbers to measure my progress, rather than the vague idea of just trying to do better. I’ll let you know how it goes!

Updates

Crayons
Originally uploaded by PPDIGITAL

So it’s Friday, and as promised, I will share my ways to reuse some items I would have thrown away a few weeks ago. Let me first make a disclaimer, however. This is not about finding ways to feel less guilty about the amount of trash that I make. This is about ways that I can hopefully reduce the overall amount of stuff that I consume, and when I fail in this, to minimize my environmental impact. Obviously, it would be better to find ways to never produce a single ounce of waste ever again. That’s not super realistic for me. Realizing what we are capable of, and willing, to do, and working within those limits, is what will allow us to make changes that are long lasting, and therefore meaningful.

That said, I’ve scoured the net for ways to reuse some of my trash – so let it be known that I’m not taking credit for these as original ideas. I’m not all that creative, or I probably would have come up with more on my own. I actually thought I would find more cool, practical ideas than I did, but I guess that just reinforces the idea that reducing is really the best solution. Here are my results:

1. Toothbrushes: I plan to investigate purchasing a toothbrush with a removable head once I finish off the current stock. I probably have a dozen in my bathroom right now. So as I finish these (and the credit for this one goes to my dad) I will be using the waste-bin destined brushes for cleaning around the house. They are great for getting into all sorts of hard to reach places, like the fan cover in the bathroom, the tracks on a sliding shower door, and other nooks and crannies.
2. Mesh onion bags: I found one of these last week. It makes a great little pot scrubber if you cut the paper label out of the bag. Just fold the sides in all scrunched up so that it looks like a scrubby, and put a stitch through the middle.
3. Toilet tubes: In response to the questions (you know who you are!) I’m not giving up toilet paper any time real soon. But this idea will help me to use the leftover tubes in place of another item that I would like to cut out of my life: gift wrapping. It actually can make a cute little gift box that looks like one of those pop open party favors. Simple instructions are here. Ideally, I’d find something besides new ribbon to make it with.
4. Crayons: I don’t have any kids, but I was one once, and my mom came up with this cool idea way back when and we all loved it. We took all our old broken crayons, and rather than throwing them away, we melted them down, poured them into candy molds that we had lying around, and had new pretty crayons to color with.
5. Metal boxes from ground pepper: I’m going to fill it with sugar and throw it in my purse to carry for when I get coffee. I’ll be sure I always have unrefined sugar when I get coffee, and I’ll save the trash made from the paper packets. I’m also going to fill a few with baking soda to keep in the bathrooms for cleaning (the cardboard boxes don’t hold up well when they get wet).
6. Paper wrappings from reams of copy paper: Another gift wrapping solution. Remove wrapper carefully so you don’t tear it except along the seams. Decorate the blank side and use as gift wrap.

Other updates (keeping myself accountable!):

VTA – I mapped out my trip (Google maps now has a feature that lets you map your trip using public transportation). Turns out a 6.3 mile trip was going to take more than an hour. I figured I could walk that far in about an hour and a half and get some exercise while I was at it. It started pouring about 5 miles into my trip. I sort of forgot about having to walk back too…so I got a ride home. But I still got some exercise.

CSA – I found one that had some space available and got signed up. I should start getting my produce in a week. Hooray!

Purchases – I cheated a bit on my shopping list, but did pretty well. I did find some plastic bins for organizing my kitchen drawers on sale at Goodwill for forty cents apiece, so I grabbed those (at least they weren't new). I bought a cheese grater, but that is something that’d been on my list since December, so no problem there. I also resisted the urge to buy the one that had a plastic bottom and a cool plastic grip handle and got the one entirely made of metal. The problem is that I bought it at Ikea. That’s a hard place to get out of with only one item. I did cave in and get a wire under-desk organizer. We have no drawers on our desk and the clutter has been driving me nuts for months. But enough excuses, because today I signed up for the “Buy Nothing Challenge” on Crunchy Chicken’s blog – guess that means that shower timer will have to wait a little more than two weeks. The good news is that we’re still allowed to buy food.

Shower waste water bucket – I found a five gallon bucket in the garage. I have put it in the shower for the last three days now, and my plants thank me for that. What really amazed me was the volume of additional water in the bucket on the day that I washed my hair. It was more than twice the amount on the non-hair wash days. Can I get away with washing on every third day rather than every second? I’ll look at the calendar and make sure I don’t have to be anywhere before I test it out.

Buying in Bulk – Kidney beans grow a whole lot when they’re cooked. I now have nine cups of them. Recipe suggestions anyone?

Buying in Bulk

The Wall
Originally uploaded by bcmom

This is one of those double edged swords for me. Buying in bulk can be a great thing as it can substantially cut down on packaging and often offers substantial discounts over buying smaller quantities. On the other hand, a lot of these bulk items are cleverly over-packaged in order to get us to buy more than what we really need.

I am giving up my warehouse club membership. That’s not the kind of bulk buying I want to do anymore. Everything seems over-packaged. For example, why do two bottles of margarita mix need a piece of plastic holding them together? Why not just post a sign saying, “margarita mix: $7 – buy one get one free”? Nobody would forget the second bottle just because they weren’t attached to each other.

And the potatoes…do they really need to be in a corrugated cardboard box? Actually, all the produce…why can’t they sell it by the pound? It seems like every vegetable and piece of fruit in there is in a bag or a box (or worse yet, a bag in a box!). I realized that this is “necessary” - otherwise, I might only buy how much I need!

Each time I make a purchase of this nature, I’m probably spending money on something that I don’t really need. Even if I need some of the product, I most likely don't need so much fo the product. By not doing this type of bulk shopping, I’m definitely reducing my impact by cutting down on the amount of packaging that I am responsible for, and eliminating the need to store more stuff in my home.

The bulk buying that I do want to continue doing is the kind where you bring a bag and use a scoop to take your kidney beans, dried cranberries, sugar, and sunflower seeds out of a bin. The only packaging involved here is the package that the items are in when they arrive at the store, and the package that you put the product in to transport it home. I am reusing my produce bags for this purpose now. I rinse them out and let them dry, and they’re good as new! Co-ops will often let you bring your own containers of other sorts as well. Reduced packaging is awesome, but the other benefit I don’t want to ignore is that I save money by only buying the amount that I need. I’m not paying for extra product that will sit in my cabinet for years before I finally chuck it, realizing I never had a chance of using so much before the expiration date.

Buying in bulk is exactly what a lot of stores out there are trying to get me to do every time they ask me to sign up for their rewards, loyalty, or points cards. I have them from electronics stores, office supply stores, card shops, book stores, coffee shops, restaurants, grocery stores, and drug stores. I’m throwing them all away.

The first reason is that they’re a pain in the neck – my key chain is for my keys and my wallet is for my money. I don’t need the clutter from all these key tags and cards.

Secondly, why do they need to give you a plastic key tag AND a card? Not necessary, and wasteful.

Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, is that the whole point of these things, from the perspective of the store, is to get me to buy more. They have store information about who I am, including my age and where I live, and what I buy. So they can come up with even more clever ways to sell me more stuff that I don’t need. I don’t need a store to make product recommendations – I need to make recommendations to myself concerning what I should and shouldn’t buy. I need to do more of my own thinking about my purchases.

I have to be honest though, and admit that I don’t want to pay the higher price either. Granted, not all places actually charge more if you don’t have a card. Some offer you a free greeting card after you buy fifteen. I’m not actually ever going to buy fifteen greeting cards anyway. I’ll never get the benefit, but the store will have a record of my spending habits. Some stores, however, actually make you pay more for an item if you don’t have a card than the guy behind you in line who does have a card. I don’t want to play this game. I am consciously deciding, therefore, not to shop at these places anymore. I am lucky to have at least three grocery stores nearby that don’t require you to pay more or get the card.

Oh the irony…I'll end up buying more from those stores who let me buy as little as I like, and those businesses without the loyalty programs have gained my loyalty.

bathroom reading

bathroom
Originally uploaded by axeldeviaje

Lots of the thoughts I've been having lately focus on the smallest room in the house. This is because there is a lot of water consumption that takes place here, and there are a lot of consumables here.

The consumables that I can find alternatives to will be dealt with separately. For now, I'm going to think about the water consumption, and the one consumable I don't plan to stop using - toilet paper. Basically, I've just been thinking about it when I use it. By that, I mean I think, do I need to take a foot of this stuff, or could I get by with a little less? That's it. We have quite a stock from a warehouse place at the moment, but when that runs out I'll be putting some thought into what brand I buy. I'll let you know what my research turns up.

On to the water usage. If it's yellow, let it mellow. Pretty self explanatory. Not recommended when using public restrooms.

So I hadn't yet put a brick in the back of the tanks, because I hadn't gotten around to going to a store to buy a brick. Wow, I am so trained to buy, buy, buy! It finally hit me today that outside, there are a lot of rocks...hey, how about I put a free rock or two in the back of the tank? Problem solved! For free! Less water used in every flush. Reduces my water consumption, and saves me money on the water bill. Hooray!

In India, the showers all have a large bucket with a smaller "mug" inside. You don't stand under a stream of hot water. You fill the bucket with water from the tap, then use the mug to dump the water on yourself when you need it. It's a pretty cool idea, and I'm sure it uses a small fraction of water when compared with the typical North American shower. That said, while I was in India, a nice hot shower was one of the things I missed most. As a compromise, I'm thinking of investing in a shower timer (after writing it on my shopping list and waiting two weeks, of course).

I've also started using that silly looking shower cap I've had lying around. I wear it every other day and wash my hair on the alternate days. I'm lucky my hair doesn't need every day washing. I save time, therefore saving water. My better half has always turned the water off while soaping up. I will steal this idea next time I'm in there. I have a feeling it will cut down on my tendency to get lost in thought while standing in there.

My other resolution for tomorrow's shower is to find a bucket to put in there to collect the water to use for my plants. This will allow me to reduce my water consumption by not having to turn the tap on to fill the bucket later, and allow me to reuse some water that would otherwise go down the drain. Also, I'm hoping that I might trip over the bucket while I'm in there and be more likely to actually remember to water the plants in the first place.

Yes, I turn the tap off when I brush my teeth.

And a final word on the weekly challenge to myself (find as many ways to reuse things that are already in the house) I am making some progress on this front. A partial list of things I will find a way to reuse includes:

toothbrushes
plastic bottle caps
plastic mesh onion bags
toilet paper tubes

I'll reveal the fabulous second lives of these items on Friday. Until then, don't throw any of these items away!

Garbage day

Calgary NW Landfill - 5
Originally uploaded by D'Arcy Norman

This is something I've been thinking a lot about lately. Mainly because I've acknowledged that everything I throw "away" (where is "away" anyhow?) is something that needs to be dealt with somehow - probably hauled off to a landfill, but honestly, who knows? Additionally, everything I throw away is something that I can no longer use for something else.

We went to see some friends on Friday night. They live one town over. When we pulled into their neighborhood, it initially appeared as if every single house was undergoing a complete gutting. There were huge piles of stuff lining the sidewalks. I realized what was going on when I saw a few trucks cruising slowly by, one with a passenger shining a flashlight out the window onto the piles: this must be the local annual "large item" pickup day.

It only took a second, however, before I realized that these things are annual. Did these people accumulate this much stuff in one year? I literally shuddered to think about it. I never want to have that much stuff that I am willing to throw in the garbage.

I was slightly encouraged to see that there were some treasure seekers out there who might give some of this stuff a good home - but a lot of it will end up in the landfill. That is exactly what I am trying to avoid right now. I never want to have so many belongings that I need an annual day to deal with all my extra trash. I never want to have wasted so much money on stuff I don't need (or want).

There are a lot of things that I don't love about where I live, but trash is one of the best things about this area. Here's why:

1. We get free, super easy recycling. We put everything in one big bin. And I do mean everything: paper, cardboard, "anything that tears", plastics numbered 1-7, all plastic bags, aluminum, tin, styrofoam, textiles, scrap metal. If your bin is full, that's okay. You just leave the extras in a paper bag next to it, and they'll take that too.

2. You pay for a trash bin - and the price increases as the bin gets larger. If you are able to make a small amount of trash, you only pay for a small bin. If you make a lot, well, pay up. It saves me money to make less trash!! Unlike with the recycling, if you can't fit all your trash in the bin, you can't just leave it on the sidewalk in a bag - you have to buy a special extra bag from the city. I think it's great that somebody in my same situation who makes more bags of garbage in a week has to pay more than I do for their trash pick up. The more you use a product or service, the more you pay. The awesome, easy recycling makes it super easy to cut down on your waste. We are a household of two, who entertain often, and we've never exceeded two bags of trash in a week. Most weeks we don't exceed one. I'm shooting for a week when I don't have a full trash bag to put into the bin come trash day.

3. We don't have a "free large item pick up" day. As the city explains in their guide to garbage and recycling, this would cost money. Instead of making everyone pay for a service that only some would use, they charge a fee when you need a large item disposed of. I can only imagine that this gives people a much larger incentive to find somebody to give their unwanted items a second home rather than sending them to the landfill.

4. We have free, safe disposal for hazardous materials, including motor oil, batteries, paints, fluorescent lightbulbs, etc. I think this is a wise idea. Since these items are so small, I unfortunately have a feeling a lot of people would just throw them in the trash if they knew they had to pay to dispose of them properly. (Read why fluorescent bulbs need special handling in disposal. Does your community not offer recycling of these bulbs? Ikea can help).

This week I'm going to try to think of as many ways as I can to reuse, rather than recycle (or of course, throw in the garbage), things that are in my home. If they're here in the house already, it's too late to reduce, so I'll have to settle for next best.

I'll post what I come up with later in the week, but put your thinking caps on and let me know if you have any creative ideas on ways to keep things out of the garbage can.

On Books

Books
Originally uploaded by Faeryan

Suffice it to say that there are way too many books in my house. "But there's no such thing!" some might say - including me. The reality, however, is that I am not going to read most of these again. There are even a few that I wish I hadn't read the first time around. There are so many of them that they won't all fit on the bookcase, or in the overflow trunk that I had set aside for this purpose. It was a hard choice, but I had to decide whether I preferred to remain the owner of all these titles, or have a more organized space to live in. I opted for the latter.

I remembered a few of my book club members talking about a site called paperback swap so I decided to check it out. It really is very cool. You post books you are willing to part with and others do the same. They don't have to be paperbacks; they even have audiobooks. When somebody wants a book of mine, they request it, and I mail it to them. The website even creates a wrapper with the other person's address already on it to be used in mailing the book. I get a credit for each book I mail that I can then use to request a new (to me) book.

There are a lot of things I like about this idea. You're reusing a book that somebody else will probably never read again, and can then pass it on again when you're done with it, and in exchange get another brand new (to you) one. If you don't want to part with it, that's okay too, there is nothing that says you have to re-post the book when you are done. The only thing you pay is postage to send your used books (usually between $2 and $3 US Media Mail).

I'm not thrilled about the wrapper that needs to get printed and the ink that gets used as well, but I guess this is where I remind myself to recycle my toner cartridges. Either way, I can't imagine that the toner, two sheets of paper, and tape that I use is more resources than what it takes to get a book from Amazon to me. Especially since I live less than a mile from the post office, so I usually walk there. Not to mention that by not buying a new book, I don't need somebody to cut down more trees to make more paper to print the thing on. Making paper, incidentally, also requires the use of enormous amounts of water. There is a lot of good information about the environmental and social impact of the publishing industry at the Green Press Intiative site.

Also, it's way cheaper than buying new titles. One of the features of the website is that it tracks your savings (based on average cost of a used book, postage you've spent mailing items to other members, gas prices, distance from post office, etc.) It estimates that I've saved over $80 in the month that I've joined.

There is one drawback to paperback swap, which is that for some newer titles, there is a very long wait. The have a waiting list, and it's first come first serve, but right now I am 795 of 853 in line for Khaled Hosseini's latest book, A Thousand Splendid Suns. Assuming I want to read the book in the next decade, I probably will find another source for this particular title. In fairness though, there are over 2,000,000 very good titles posted at the moment. Another very cool site for used books online is Biblio. They are a marketplace for used books, but they also do a lot of cool things, including building libraries in places that probably wouldn't have them otherwise, and investing in wind power to offset their carbon footprint.

Of course, there is always the library too. I'm not really a library person myself; they never have the title I want. You can do the recall thing, but it feels rude to tell somebody else to hurry up and finish the book just because I want it. Then I feel like I'm on a deadline too to hurry up and finish.

A final thought: since I am not actually buying anything, I can swap as many books as I want without breaking my rule number one! Hooray!