After our soymilk maker met an early demise (a very early demise) I stopped making it. I guess I figured you can't make soymilk without a machine. Much in the same way I figured out how to cook rice on the stove after our rice cooker broke. Oh, and it turns out you can also make bread without a bread machine. Isn't that crazy? And they all turn out great. A saucepan can't break, but rice-cookers and appliances of their ilk are so cheaply made, they break all the time. What a waste.
Anyway, today I made some and it turned out great. Here is how you do it:
Soak 1 cup dried soybeans in 3 cups water overnight in a large bowl.
put 1/3 of them (after soaking) in a blender with 3 cups BOILING hot water. Don't let it sit, take it right from the whistling kettle or rolling boil in a pan and dump it in the blender.
Blend 1-2 minutes.
strain out (you need a fine-mesh strain or muslin bag) into a small sauce pan.
Repeat this process 3 times until all of the soybeans are used. You can strain-as-you-go with the stuff from the blender. Put this saucepan inside another larger saucepan with water in it and boil it (so you don't burn the milk). Cook like this for about 30 minutes unlidded. stir occasionally.
Add malted barley or brown rice syrup. Add a pinch of salt. You can fortify with calcium carbonate or B12 if desired. Put in fridge. Makes about 10 cups soymilk.
Yummy! And cheap as heck. One cup dried soybeans costs like 30 cents or something.
Also, you can take the strained-out soybean chunks and make a thing called okara. It has a million uses. For example, mixing it with nutritional yeast and spices you can form it into patties and fry it and it makes a really yummy burger. You can also use it to fortify breads, soups, etc.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Monday, May 28, 2007
Sunday, May 27, 2007
To be, or not to be...vegan
This post is being currently edited by my friend "C" who is a big lameo and professes not to care what other people think, but actually does (ha ha, its ok, you know i love you anyway). i guess she doesn't want people to know that she says the "f-word" in real life. even though we all know she likes to rip the arms off of minotaurs and beat them to death with their own severed appendages.
i will re-publish this conversation about veganism after she's done censoring it in a manner akin to Stalin.
i will re-publish this conversation about veganism after she's done censoring it in a manner akin to Stalin.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.
Our goals after a week or so...what's working? what isn't? what's hard? what's easy?
Reduce waste: we have made very, very little waste since we started this. About 1/2, or not even half, a 13 gallon can. Most of our trash has come from packaging from things we bought before we started this. And disposable diapers. But I have already purchased 2 cloth pull-ups for elsie to wear at night, so there won't be any more of that. Easy to do: buy in bulk, only buying recyclable or reusable packaging, using cloth bags to shop, composting, not buying single-serving items (well, we did buy some ice cream bars last night. i realized after the fact about the packaging. some habits die hard!), stopping junk mail, using cloth toilet paper. no, really! its ok! i swear, its not gross. it has reduced our TP consumption a lot. We only went though one small roll last week. It has made me more aware of our TP consumption overall.
Using less electricity: this is pretty easy, too. turning stuff off when not in use, unplugging stuff when not in use, switching to wind or other renewable power, line drying clothes (6 months of this saves 700 lbs of carbon from going into the air!), compact flourescent bulbs. we haven't tried the no-fridge thing (since its summer now).
Driving car less. Yes, but its hard. I shopped one day. Another day we planned to bus to meet friends at a city garden. Well, a wheel fell off our stroller (so we have to fix it! can't buy another one.) then we missed the bus. And i didn't know how to do it with a stroller with 3 wheels. So we drove. Other than that, we have been walking. Jay has been driving to work this week because of working long hours, but that wont be the case next week. It is hard not to drive. I need to work on the bus habit. I enjoy walking (especially when the weather is nice). When you aren't in the habit, the bus is daunting.
Food: Ok, so the 1000 mile limit isn't all that realistic. We can get some staples like olive oil and rice from California, I think. We were at the co-op and there were these bulk organic cracker things. They were made in PA. What to do? I bought them. I bought apples instead of mangos (dried) though. So we will try to buy local, whenever possible. And organic. Mostly everything we ate this week was organic.
Not buying stuff, especially not new stuff. Ok, so I bought those cloth diapers, but of course if I didn't buy those, i would have been buying more disposable ones to use and throw away, and these wont get thrown away. So, yeah. Also, Jay bought a router for our cable internet. We talked about it, and he had been planning on buying this for a long time, so our laptop (that a friend just long-term loaned us) can be on the internet at our house. That's it. I bought a pair of shoes and a shirt at a garage sale (total: $3.50). Our cousin bought Elsie a train table at a school fundraiser garage sale because it was $40. We need to get rid of stuff to make room for it.
Here is an article about "the compact": the pact to not buy anything new for a year
Water: yes we have been taking short showers. We dont shower every day (no, we aren't stink hippies). The yellow leave it mellow is working out ok. It starts getting stinky at some point and gets flushed. One thing I am going to start trying is reclaiming greywater. Taking old bathwater, water after washing dishes, and water after washing laundry, and using this to water flowers and in the garden. Someone gave me this idea, and i thought it was great. why not use the kid's bathwater to quench the irises?
That's about it. Thinking about choices more. Thinking about habits, trying to do things more consciously. Asking "do i need that?" and usually answering "no".
Reduce waste: we have made very, very little waste since we started this. About 1/2, or not even half, a 13 gallon can. Most of our trash has come from packaging from things we bought before we started this. And disposable diapers. But I have already purchased 2 cloth pull-ups for elsie to wear at night, so there won't be any more of that. Easy to do: buy in bulk, only buying recyclable or reusable packaging, using cloth bags to shop, composting, not buying single-serving items (well, we did buy some ice cream bars last night. i realized after the fact about the packaging. some habits die hard!), stopping junk mail, using cloth toilet paper. no, really! its ok! i swear, its not gross. it has reduced our TP consumption a lot. We only went though one small roll last week. It has made me more aware of our TP consumption overall.
Using less electricity: this is pretty easy, too. turning stuff off when not in use, unplugging stuff when not in use, switching to wind or other renewable power, line drying clothes (6 months of this saves 700 lbs of carbon from going into the air!), compact flourescent bulbs. we haven't tried the no-fridge thing (since its summer now).
Driving car less. Yes, but its hard. I shopped one day. Another day we planned to bus to meet friends at a city garden. Well, a wheel fell off our stroller (so we have to fix it! can't buy another one.) then we missed the bus. And i didn't know how to do it with a stroller with 3 wheels. So we drove. Other than that, we have been walking. Jay has been driving to work this week because of working long hours, but that wont be the case next week. It is hard not to drive. I need to work on the bus habit. I enjoy walking (especially when the weather is nice). When you aren't in the habit, the bus is daunting.
Food: Ok, so the 1000 mile limit isn't all that realistic. We can get some staples like olive oil and rice from California, I think. We were at the co-op and there were these bulk organic cracker things. They were made in PA. What to do? I bought them. I bought apples instead of mangos (dried) though. So we will try to buy local, whenever possible. And organic. Mostly everything we ate this week was organic.
Not buying stuff, especially not new stuff. Ok, so I bought those cloth diapers, but of course if I didn't buy those, i would have been buying more disposable ones to use and throw away, and these wont get thrown away. So, yeah. Also, Jay bought a router for our cable internet. We talked about it, and he had been planning on buying this for a long time, so our laptop (that a friend just long-term loaned us) can be on the internet at our house. That's it. I bought a pair of shoes and a shirt at a garage sale (total: $3.50). Our cousin bought Elsie a train table at a school fundraiser garage sale because it was $40. We need to get rid of stuff to make room for it.
Here is an article about "the compact": the pact to not buy anything new for a year
Water: yes we have been taking short showers. We dont shower every day (no, we aren't stink hippies). The yellow leave it mellow is working out ok. It starts getting stinky at some point and gets flushed. One thing I am going to start trying is reclaiming greywater. Taking old bathwater, water after washing dishes, and water after washing laundry, and using this to water flowers and in the garden. Someone gave me this idea, and i thought it was great. why not use the kid's bathwater to quench the irises?
That's about it. Thinking about choices more. Thinking about habits, trying to do things more consciously. Asking "do i need that?" and usually answering "no".
Time is money
This will be my last rant-n-rave for awhile here. So many ads and things claim their product is "eco-friendly". I was at home depot a few weeks back (I know! we aren't going there again. we needed sand for a sandbox) and a sign there said "Improve your home. And the environment." Ok, look. You can't IMPROVE the environment by buying anything. Ever. All you can do is make things less bad for the environment. No car is environmentally friendly. Some are just less horrible than others. I think we like to think our hybrid vehicles are "good" for the planet. But we need to remember that they aren't. They are bad. Just not as bad as a Hummer.
My next idea I've been thinking about lately is this: to live, one needs to work. I don't mean like drive to an office and do a job. I mean "work" as in, make food, clean clothes, repair dwelling, get water. That kind of thing. Many of us go to a job, and then buy convenience items because we "don't have time" to do things the "hard way". For example, people who have young children and work use disposable diapers. They don't have time to wash cloth diapers, dry them, fold them, etc. (it takes like no time, but that's not the point). They don't have time to cook from scratch, so they buy a $3.49 loaf of organic bread. They don't have time to take the bus, so they own a car and spend money on it to drive to work. When you don't have a job, you can save a lot more money (and you know, a penny saved is a penny earned). Of course you need some money. I'm just looking at the facts that our generation works more hours than any other generation in history. Almost all families have two income-earners. We also have more "convenience"-items than any other generation. And we have less free-time. Our kids are more scheduled.
So...less time, more stuff, more disposable stuff, more stuff with planned-obsolescence so we have to buy it again and again, more work, less family time, more time in a car, more stress, more choices that are bad for the environment...
I wonder if more frugal, simple-living could eliminate the need for a second income (unless you make like six-figures or something, in which case you probably aren't too interested in simple-living). Like, I was thinking about working 2 or 3 days a week substitute teaching starting next fall. Its like $150 a day! That would come in real handy! But wait, if I am working, then I need to pay somebody to watch my kids. So that's like $60 or $80 a day right there that i don't earn. Then I need to keep owning my car. That's $400+ a month that i could save if we get rid of it. Then I am not meal-planning and cooking from scratch and we are spending more on food, so that's money not saved. Then I'm too tired to hang up my laundry, so I use a lot of energy and money drying my clothes in the dryer. Then I buy a lot of over-packaged convenience foods from Trader Joe's that cost a lot so I don't have to cook. And on and on. So, like, am I actually going to come out ahead if i work part time? It doesn't really seem like it. If I am baking my own bread right now, cloth diapering, not buying new stuff, working on going without the car, etc.
What if we did even MORE of our own work? Who has time to, for instance, make your own clothes? Do their own repairs? Make their own soap? Who has time to not have plumbing, but draw their own water and live off the grid? Who has time to take the bus, walk, or ride a bike everywhere? Who has time to grow their own food? Make pasta from scratch? Eat dried, bulk beans instead of buying them canned? Who has time to even hand-wash their clothes in a basin? Who has the time to not own appliances of "convenience" such as a microwave, salad tosser, washing machine, dryer, or vacuum, etc.? A person who doesn't have a "real" job has the time to do these things. And doing these things would probably save you $20,000 a year or more. Enough to be, well, a full-time job! This is the kind of work people used to do to live. The kind of work you need to do to maintain a life...before there was such thing as a "job" or "office" to go to...
I'm just thinking out loud. I'm not saying we should do these things. It just strikes me how we buy things to make our life more "convenient." But if we didn't work so much, we wouldn't need to try to "save time", so we wouldn't need to buy things, so we wouldn't have to work to buy them...
How many hours do you need to work to buy a dryer? Or for the electricity to run it? How many hours of work do you need to do to buy a big TV? Or a microwave? Or a fancy laptop? Or a Blackberry(TM)? Or a car, and the gas and maintenance it needs to run? Or somebody to fix your roof? Or a new hot-water heater? Or new clothes for your job? New shoes? A new lawnmower?
I don't know...it just seems like less work and more free-time and less stuff is all intertwined.
My next idea I've been thinking about lately is this: to live, one needs to work. I don't mean like drive to an office and do a job. I mean "work" as in, make food, clean clothes, repair dwelling, get water. That kind of thing. Many of us go to a job, and then buy convenience items because we "don't have time" to do things the "hard way". For example, people who have young children and work use disposable diapers. They don't have time to wash cloth diapers, dry them, fold them, etc. (it takes like no time, but that's not the point). They don't have time to cook from scratch, so they buy a $3.49 loaf of organic bread. They don't have time to take the bus, so they own a car and spend money on it to drive to work. When you don't have a job, you can save a lot more money (and you know, a penny saved is a penny earned). Of course you need some money. I'm just looking at the facts that our generation works more hours than any other generation in history. Almost all families have two income-earners. We also have more "convenience"-items than any other generation. And we have less free-time. Our kids are more scheduled.
So...less time, more stuff, more disposable stuff, more stuff with planned-obsolescence so we have to buy it again and again, more work, less family time, more time in a car, more stress, more choices that are bad for the environment...
I wonder if more frugal, simple-living could eliminate the need for a second income (unless you make like six-figures or something, in which case you probably aren't too interested in simple-living). Like, I was thinking about working 2 or 3 days a week substitute teaching starting next fall. Its like $150 a day! That would come in real handy! But wait, if I am working, then I need to pay somebody to watch my kids. So that's like $60 or $80 a day right there that i don't earn. Then I need to keep owning my car. That's $400+ a month that i could save if we get rid of it. Then I am not meal-planning and cooking from scratch and we are spending more on food, so that's money not saved. Then I'm too tired to hang up my laundry, so I use a lot of energy and money drying my clothes in the dryer. Then I buy a lot of over-packaged convenience foods from Trader Joe's that cost a lot so I don't have to cook. And on and on. So, like, am I actually going to come out ahead if i work part time? It doesn't really seem like it. If I am baking my own bread right now, cloth diapering, not buying new stuff, working on going without the car, etc.
What if we did even MORE of our own work? Who has time to, for instance, make your own clothes? Do their own repairs? Make their own soap? Who has time to not have plumbing, but draw their own water and live off the grid? Who has time to take the bus, walk, or ride a bike everywhere? Who has time to grow their own food? Make pasta from scratch? Eat dried, bulk beans instead of buying them canned? Who has time to even hand-wash their clothes in a basin? Who has the time to not own appliances of "convenience" such as a microwave, salad tosser, washing machine, dryer, or vacuum, etc.? A person who doesn't have a "real" job has the time to do these things. And doing these things would probably save you $20,000 a year or more. Enough to be, well, a full-time job! This is the kind of work people used to do to live. The kind of work you need to do to maintain a life...before there was such thing as a "job" or "office" to go to...
I'm just thinking out loud. I'm not saying we should do these things. It just strikes me how we buy things to make our life more "convenient." But if we didn't work so much, we wouldn't need to try to "save time", so we wouldn't need to buy things, so we wouldn't have to work to buy them...
How many hours do you need to work to buy a dryer? Or for the electricity to run it? How many hours of work do you need to do to buy a big TV? Or a microwave? Or a fancy laptop? Or a Blackberry(TM)? Or a car, and the gas and maintenance it needs to run? Or somebody to fix your roof? Or a new hot-water heater? Or new clothes for your job? New shoes? A new lawnmower?
I don't know...it just seems like less work and more free-time and less stuff is all intertwined.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
New American Dream
I just wanted to post this website that a friend sent me that really sums up a lot of these ideas.
Its www.newdream.org I have spent a lot of time looking around it, there is so much on there! The only thing I thought was kind of lame was the junk-mail reducing thing. They want you to pay $41 to do it. I paid $2 to remove both jay and i from the DMA (direct marketing ass'n) and i called a 1800 number (for info on that, see the entry "simple ways"). That's it. That is supposed to stop like 80% or more of your junk mail. So don't pay $41. Pay $2 and do it yourself. Otherwise, the website is awesome.
Its www.newdream.org I have spent a lot of time looking around it, there is so much on there! The only thing I thought was kind of lame was the junk-mail reducing thing. They want you to pay $41 to do it. I paid $2 to remove both jay and i from the DMA (direct marketing ass'n) and i called a 1800 number (for info on that, see the entry "simple ways"). That's it. That is supposed to stop like 80% or more of your junk mail. So don't pay $41. Pay $2 and do it yourself. Otherwise, the website is awesome.
10 things to never buy again
I think part of the difficulty I face with my goals is a total 180-degree shift in thinking required when it comes to convenience. It has never before in the history of man been easy or convenient to transport oneself 10 miles. Until the early 1900's, the only way to get there was by foot, by horse, or by boat. Only in the last 70 years or so could anyone even dream that going 60 miles is a short trip that is no big deal. Heck, some people do it every day for their commute.
My point is this: When we examine the things we aren't willing to give up or change its often because we feel a sense of entitlement. Like, well, I have to have my (insert thing of convenience here). Thinking about the course of history, has anyone at any time in any location ever had the kinds of choices and privileges that we have? Of course not. I think that we will be forced to give up many of these things as we see cheap oil become a thing of the distant past. So, if we will be forced to give up our convenience items (an easy drive to wherever, a piece of fruit in the middle of winter from a far away country, a coffee from Starbucks each day, a cheap flight somewhere) why not try to give them up now, and find another more sustainable alternative? Humans have the nasty habit of waiting until AFTER they have smashed into a brick wall to make some tough decisions. It is a lot less painful to change course before the smash happens.
So when I think "but I won't be able to easily get over to my friend's house if I don't drive"--well, maybe I shouldn't be able to get there so easily. Maybe I have only been reliant on a false easyness-- one that has been subsidized by the environment of future generations.
Maybe I should have to curtail my activities, or at least take longer to get there. Maybe we shouldn't be living 40 miles from our jobs. Or eating mangos. I should be forced to pay more money for shade-grown, fair-traded, organic coffee. And I should do it now (and I do, ok?!!?)
We need to look at the things we need and the things we "need" and ask ourselves: can I do without? Am I willing to pay a very large sum of money for this if I'm not? Because that is the real cost of it. If you aren't willing to pay $10 for a piece of beef, then you shouldn't eat it. Because that is the piece of beef with the environmental damage, greenhouse gas emissions, loss of antibiotics for actual diseases, illnesses with e. coli treated, and so forth, built into it. Am I willing to pay $10 a gallon for gas to drive over to my friend's house? (Depends on which friend, right?)
Some habits are hard to change. Some are easy. Such as: Never buying anything listed on the list below ever again. Do you have a "right" to use paper towels? Of course not. 150 years ago no such thing could have even been dreamed of. So let's all do a 180 and ask ourselves if we can give up some conveniences. We aren't entitled to them, we're just used to them.
1. Styrofoam cups
Styrofoam is forever. It's not biodegradable.
Alternative: Buy recyclable and compostable paper cups.
Best option: Invest in some reusable mugs that you can take with you.
My point is this: When we examine the things we aren't willing to give up or change its often because we feel a sense of entitlement. Like, well, I have to have my (insert thing of convenience here). Thinking about the course of history, has anyone at any time in any location ever had the kinds of choices and privileges that we have? Of course not. I think that we will be forced to give up many of these things as we see cheap oil become a thing of the distant past. So, if we will be forced to give up our convenience items (an easy drive to wherever, a piece of fruit in the middle of winter from a far away country, a coffee from Starbucks each day, a cheap flight somewhere) why not try to give them up now, and find another more sustainable alternative? Humans have the nasty habit of waiting until AFTER they have smashed into a brick wall to make some tough decisions. It is a lot less painful to change course before the smash happens.
So when I think "but I won't be able to easily get over to my friend's house if I don't drive"--well, maybe I shouldn't be able to get there so easily. Maybe I have only been reliant on a false easyness-- one that has been subsidized by the environment of future generations.
Maybe I should have to curtail my activities, or at least take longer to get there. Maybe we shouldn't be living 40 miles from our jobs. Or eating mangos. I should be forced to pay more money for shade-grown, fair-traded, organic coffee. And I should do it now (and I do, ok?!!?)
We need to look at the things we need and the things we "need" and ask ourselves: can I do without? Am I willing to pay a very large sum of money for this if I'm not? Because that is the real cost of it. If you aren't willing to pay $10 for a piece of beef, then you shouldn't eat it. Because that is the piece of beef with the environmental damage, greenhouse gas emissions, loss of antibiotics for actual diseases, illnesses with e. coli treated, and so forth, built into it. Am I willing to pay $10 a gallon for gas to drive over to my friend's house? (Depends on which friend, right?
Some habits are hard to change. Some are easy. Such as: Never buying anything listed on the list below ever again. Do you have a "right" to use paper towels? Of course not. 150 years ago no such thing could have even been dreamed of. So let's all do a 180 and ask ourselves if we can give up some conveniences. We aren't entitled to them, we're just used to them.
1. Styrofoam cups
Styrofoam is forever. It's not biodegradable.
Alternative: Buy recyclable and compostable paper cups.
Best option: Invest in some reusable mugs that you can take with you.
2. Paper towels
Paper towels waste forest resources, landfill space, and your money.
Alternative: When you do buy paper towels, look for recycled, non-bleached products. Search the National Green Pages™ for recycled paper products.
Best option: Buy dishtowels or rags to wash and reuse.
3. Bleached coffee filters
Dioxins, chemicals formed during the chlorine bleaching process, contaminate groundwater and air and are linked to cancer in humans and animals.
Alternative: Look for unbleached paper filters.
Best Option: Use reusable filters such as washable cloth filters.
4. Overpackaged foods and other products
Excess packaging wastes resources and costs you much more. Around thirty three percent of trash in the average American household comes from packaging.
Alternative: Buy products with minimal or reusable packaging.
Best Option: Buy in bulk and use your own containers when shopping.
5. Teak and mahogany
Every year, 27 million acres of tropical rainforest (an area the size of Ohio) are destroyed. Rainforests cover 6% of Earth’s surface and are home to over half of the world’s wild plant, animal, and insect species. The Amazon rainforest produces 40 percent of the world’s oxygen.
Alternative: Look for Forest Stewardship Council certified wood.
Best Option: Reuse wood, and buy furniture and other products made from used or salvaged wood.
6.Chemical pesticides and herbicides
American households use 80 million pounds of pesticides each year. The EPA found at least one pesticide in almost every water and fish sample from streams and in more than one-half of shallow wells sampled in agricultural and urban areas. These chemicals pose threats to animals and people, especially children.
Alternatives: Buy organic pest controllers such as diatomaceous earth.
Best Option: Plant native plants and practice integrated pest management. Plant flowers and herbs that act as natural pesticides.
7. Conventional household cleaners
Household products can contain hazardous ingredients such as organic solvents and petroleum-based chemicals that can release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into your indoor environment, positing a particular danger for children. The average American household has three to ten of hazardous matter in the home. Don't use bleach in your home.
Alternative: Look for nontoxic, vegetable-based, biodegradeable cleaners.
Best Option: Try making your own green cleaner using vinegar, water, and castile soap.
8. Higher octane gas than you need
Only one car in ten manufactured since 1982 requires high-octane gasoline. High-octane gas releases more hazardous pollutants into the air, and may be bad for your car.
Alternative: Buy the lowest-octane gas your car requires as listed in your owner's manual
Best option: Make your next car purchase a hybrid. Or ditch the car and take public transportation, ride a bike, or walk.
9. Toys made with PVC plastic
70% of PVC is used in construction, but it is also found in everyday plastics, including some children’s toys. Vinyl chloride, the chemical used to make PVC, is a known human carcinogen. Also, additives, such as lead and cadmium, are sometimes added to PVC to keep it from breaking down; these additives can be particularly dangerous in children’s toys. PVC is also the least recycled plastic.
Alternative: Avoid plastics that are labeled as “PVC” or “#3.” Look for #1 and #2 plastics, which are easier to recycle and don’t produce as many toxins. Use sustainable construction materials.
Best option: Take action to tell manufacturers to stop using PVC plastics, especially in children’s toys.
10. Plastic forks and spoons
Disposable plastic utensils are not biodegradeable and not recyclable in most areas.
Alternative: Use compostable food service items. Companies such as Biocorp make cutlery from plant materials such as corn starch and cellulose.
Best option: Carry your own utensils and food containers.
Pregnant women, women of child-bearing ages, and children should be very careful when choosing fish due to high levels of environmental toxins including mercury found in many fish. Check out our Safe Seafood Tip Sheet to see what the environmental and health risks posed by different fish.
12. Rayon. Developed and manufactured by DuPont as the world's first synthetic fiber, it is made by from liquefied wood pulp. Unfortunately, turning wood into rayon is wasteful and dirty, because lots of water and chemicals are needed to extract usable fibers from trees. Only about a third of the pulp obtained from a tree will end up in finished rayon thread. The resulting fabrics usually require dry cleaning, which is an environmental concern as well as an added expense and inconvenience.
Much of the our rayon sold comes from developing countries, such as Indonesia, where environmental and labor laws are weak and poorly enforced. There is mounting evidence that rayon clothing manufacturing contributes to significant forest destruction and pollution in other countries.
13. Beauty/Body Care with Phthalates and Parabens. Phthalates are a group of industrial chemicals linked to birth defects that are used in many cosmetic products, from nail polish to deodorant. Parabens are preservatives used in many cosmetics that have been linked to breast cancer though more research is needed. Phthalates are not listed on product labels and can only be detected in laboratory tests. To be safe, choose products from companies that have signed on to the Compact for Safe Cosmetics.
14. Cling Wrap. Many people don't realize that cling wrap may be made with PVC. #3 PVC (polyvinyl chloride) leaches toxins when heated or microwaved and it is an environmental problem throughout its lifecycle.
15. High VOC Paints and Finishes. Volatile organic compounds or VOCs can cause health problems from dizziness to lung and kidney damage and are infamous for polluting both indoor and outdoor air. VOCs are found in products including paints as well as finishes used for wood, such a stains or varnishes. There are now a wide array of low or no-VOC paints on the market. Look for paints certified by Green Seal (http://www.greenseal.org/).
838 Ways to Amuse a Child
My dad found this book called 838 Ways to Amuse a Child at a used bookstore and got it for me awhile back. A few months ago I checked it out and found it pretty amusing. It was published in like 1960, so its really different from modern books about children's activities. For example, it gives ideas like if you want to hike with your child, write a letter to the National Hiking and Camping Association and ask for information. Its all about "correspondence", how to entertain your "convalescent child" while they are "convalescing" and things like that. You know what I mean...these were the days that hobbies listed include "indian lore" and "animal tracking" and things like that. It includes craft ideas on how to make a variety of ugly things, like paper mache fruit that you glue into a wooden bowl to hang on your wall. You know, how to macrame. It also has ideas like how to make a "hobo stove" for camping (take a large, restaurant-sized, tin can, soak corrugated cardboard in paraffin wax, light wax on fire and cook your beans-n-weenies or whatever).
The book got me thinking though, about a simpler time for children. I know, I know, there never was any "good ol' days" and its not like the post-war 50's were all sunshine for people. I'm not saying we should go back to pioneer days when you could expect half your children to die of cholera and a bacterial infection was fatal. But there was a time when childhood obesity was not a problem. I mean like, how on earth can a child get obese? They have insane amounts of energy and love to burn it. But its now an "epidemic" in our country, along with childhood diabetes, ADHD, etc. 838 Ways talks about games to play in the car, games to play at the hotel with your kids while traveling, craft ideas for a kid stuck in bed sick (or convalescing as she loves to say). What do kids in cars do now? They watch the car's DVD player of course. What do they do at home when sick? Watch TV. What do they do in a hotel room? Watch TV. A friend recently related to me a scene she saw at a local restaurant. A child, no older than 3, watching a hand-held DVD player at the restaurant, totally zombified. Our kids are so plugged-in, its scary.
I suggest that plenty of free-play outdoors would eliminate the "epidemic" of childhood obesity. Children revel in simple pleasures and are experts at the art of noticing the small--living in the moment. A child, left to her own devices, will watch an ant-hole for an hour. Even if there was never a time when life was easy and simple, the happy Cleaver family with 2.5 kids, there was a time when children didn't watch TV. Children's programming, including 24 hour "preschool TV" like Sprout is a new phenomenon, only around since I was a kid and Sesame Street came out.
A recent study said that forty percent of infants by THREE MONTHS are "regularly" watching TV or videos. How in the HELL does a 3 month old watch TV? Its sickening. Never mind that the American Academy of Pediatrics says that watching any TV before the age of 2 YEARS is damaging to a child's brain development. Other studies point out alarming facts such as 66% of kids age 8 or older have a TV in their room. More than 80% of American kids watch MORE than 2 hours per day.
If you have kids, try to simplify their lives, too. Less exposure to commercials means they won't develop the desire to mindlessly consume. My mother's friend told me that her friend's children who are TV-free asked for matching umbrellas and rain boots for christmas, instead of the latest toy fad. They simply weren't aware of the latest toy fads. I think that is so precious. Kids need to experience nature. They need to experience the world. Limit their TV time by A LOT. Or just get rid of it. You'd be surprised at the ways they come up with to entertain themselves.
Monday, May 21, 2007
"Local" is the new organic
I think it's awesome that so many people are taking a look here and getting ideas. It really helps keep me focused, and it re-inspires me when it inspires others to take action.
I have talked to several people about this, and I agree that it can't all be on the individual. Of course our society needs to make big changes. There needs to be new laws, regulations, systems in place. It is incredibly difficult to succeed without an infrastructure to support you. For example, if we want to go to Salem, how are we supposed to do that without driving? You pretty much have to drive. Yes, you can carpool, go less often, buy an efficient car or borrow a flexcar. But taking the train or bus is totally impractical. My brother rode his bike a few weeks ago, but I would probably pass out and die if I tried that. Wouldn't a real commuter train that connected all the cities in the Willamette valley be great? Of course it would. But just because society doesn't support environmentally conscious choices, that doesn't absolve us of personal responsibility. We still need to do what we can. We can't control what other people do, or what our legislators do. All we can control is what WE choose to do. Hopefully it sets an example for others. Making a mindful choice to recognize that we can only control our own actions frees us from comparing ourselves to others, guilt and saying "well, no one else does it, so i guess i won't either."
It is frustrating that our choices are so counter-intuitive. For example, it is cheaper to drive than to take Tri-met most of the time. Its cheaper to buy factory-farmed eggs than local, sustainable ones. Even though factory farming is hideously unsustainable, it is subsidized by the government, by cheap fuel, by the environmental damages that future generations will have to deal with. Still, we have to suck it up and support more expensive sustainable choices. Only by doing so will things eventually reflect their true costs.
If you don't have a CSA in your area, look for farmer's markets. If you don't have a co-op in your area, consider starting a bulk buying club with friends. Buy things in large quantities and then divy it up amongst yourselves. There have been a lot of things lately about local eating. Local is the new organic.
It is almost more important to eat locally and in-season than to eat organic. What good is organic if its shipped 3000 miles? The amount of carbon and pollution from that shipment overshadows the good of it being organic. More and more people are looking for local options.
Ok, back to our goals. Today was my first shopping trip since we have set our goals. For dinners this week I decided on: Spinach pesto from scratch (the sauce, not the pasta), greek bean/rice burritos (with spinach and kalamata olives), ethiopian food (i finally found teff to make the bread! its mostly split peas, lentils, greens and stuff to go on the bread), and nachos.
I went to the co-op. Elsie goes to school Monday AMs and i was torn about driving. Its about a mile and a half. Since Jay is working longer (10 hour) days this week, he is driving. Its sad that a 15 minute car ride takes an hour on the bus. It makes it so hard if he works late because it would mean he gets home at 8:00 instead of 7:00. Ok, so he was already driving. As I said before, I can't put Emmett in a bike trailer yet, so its either walk or drive (or bus). It takes me about 40 minutes to walk that, about 4 to drive. I reconciled this by grouping it with a shopping trip to the co-op (as i said, i'm not ready to bus to the grocery store with kids or kid in tow). I brought my cloth shopping bags, my own tupperware, my own used plastic bags (bread bags, already used produce/bulk bags, etc.). I got everything in bulk, even tofu. The thing i love about the co-op is you can buy half and half or milk in glass and then bring the glass back and they re-use it. I think its the only place in town that does that.
I struggled with the local option. That is going to be the hardest, and probably going to require me to revise the goal of "nothing more than 1000 miles away". first of all, because you just don't know where some stuff comes from. The product might be made in california, or even oregon, but where was the flour or sesame seeds its made of grown? There is really no way to know that. The biggest thing that i changed my mind about was dried mangos, because they were from mexico. So i bought dried apples from washington state instead. The yogurt and half and half were local. The co-op lets you borrow or leave plastic containers for re-use, too. They even have bulk corn chips. The main dilemma was about tortillas. One was made in New York, but had more reusable packaging. The other was made in Eugene, OR. SO i went with the local. You can reuse that packaging, its just not the zip-lock kind of resealable tortilla package (know what i mean?).
The other choices I made today were taking my own coffee cup (we were out this morning, so i got some at the co-op.), also the temperature has dropped today and it was in the 50s last night so when i got up the house was 61 degrees. I was tempted to turn on the heat, which has been off for 3 weeks, but then i just put on a bunch of clothes. Its hard for me because i hate being cold. but 61 isn't TOO cold to just put on 3 layers. RIght now, while i'm changing habits, i have to think about almost every single choice i make. Should i buy this? is it sustainable? do i need the heat on? what impact does action X have? i think the longer we get into sustainable habits, it starts to require less thought and diligence.
Last thought of the day: have you noticed that things that are good for the environment, are also good for community? For example, you interact with your neighbors when you are out line-drying your clothes or gardening. You talk to people on the bus. You share supplies to help decrease waste with others at the co-op. You don't talk to people when you drive or sit in your house and watch TV.
I have talked to several people about this, and I agree that it can't all be on the individual. Of course our society needs to make big changes. There needs to be new laws, regulations, systems in place. It is incredibly difficult to succeed without an infrastructure to support you. For example, if we want to go to Salem, how are we supposed to do that without driving? You pretty much have to drive. Yes, you can carpool, go less often, buy an efficient car or borrow a flexcar. But taking the train or bus is totally impractical. My brother rode his bike a few weeks ago, but I would probably pass out and die if I tried that. Wouldn't a real commuter train that connected all the cities in the Willamette valley be great? Of course it would. But just because society doesn't support environmentally conscious choices, that doesn't absolve us of personal responsibility. We still need to do what we can. We can't control what other people do, or what our legislators do. All we can control is what WE choose to do. Hopefully it sets an example for others. Making a mindful choice to recognize that we can only control our own actions frees us from comparing ourselves to others, guilt and saying "well, no one else does it, so i guess i won't either."
It is frustrating that our choices are so counter-intuitive. For example, it is cheaper to drive than to take Tri-met most of the time. Its cheaper to buy factory-farmed eggs than local, sustainable ones. Even though factory farming is hideously unsustainable, it is subsidized by the government, by cheap fuel, by the environmental damages that future generations will have to deal with. Still, we have to suck it up and support more expensive sustainable choices. Only by doing so will things eventually reflect their true costs.
If you don't have a CSA in your area, look for farmer's markets. If you don't have a co-op in your area, consider starting a bulk buying club with friends. Buy things in large quantities and then divy it up amongst yourselves. There have been a lot of things lately about local eating. Local is the new organic.
It is almost more important to eat locally and in-season than to eat organic. What good is organic if its shipped 3000 miles? The amount of carbon and pollution from that shipment overshadows the good of it being organic. More and more people are looking for local options.
Ok, back to our goals. Today was my first shopping trip since we have set our goals. For dinners this week I decided on: Spinach pesto from scratch (the sauce, not the pasta), greek bean/rice burritos (with spinach and kalamata olives), ethiopian food (i finally found teff to make the bread! its mostly split peas, lentils, greens and stuff to go on the bread), and nachos.
I went to the co-op. Elsie goes to school Monday AMs and i was torn about driving. Its about a mile and a half. Since Jay is working longer (10 hour) days this week, he is driving. Its sad that a 15 minute car ride takes an hour on the bus. It makes it so hard if he works late because it would mean he gets home at 8:00 instead of 7:00. Ok, so he was already driving. As I said before, I can't put Emmett in a bike trailer yet, so its either walk or drive (or bus). It takes me about 40 minutes to walk that, about 4 to drive. I reconciled this by grouping it with a shopping trip to the co-op (as i said, i'm not ready to bus to the grocery store with kids or kid in tow). I brought my cloth shopping bags, my own tupperware, my own used plastic bags (bread bags, already used produce/bulk bags, etc.). I got everything in bulk, even tofu. The thing i love about the co-op is you can buy half and half or milk in glass and then bring the glass back and they re-use it. I think its the only place in town that does that.
I struggled with the local option. That is going to be the hardest, and probably going to require me to revise the goal of "nothing more than 1000 miles away". first of all, because you just don't know where some stuff comes from. The product might be made in california, or even oregon, but where was the flour or sesame seeds its made of grown? There is really no way to know that. The biggest thing that i changed my mind about was dried mangos, because they were from mexico. So i bought dried apples from washington state instead. The yogurt and half and half were local. The co-op lets you borrow or leave plastic containers for re-use, too. They even have bulk corn chips. The main dilemma was about tortillas. One was made in New York, but had more reusable packaging. The other was made in Eugene, OR. SO i went with the local. You can reuse that packaging, its just not the zip-lock kind of resealable tortilla package (know what i mean?).
The other choices I made today were taking my own coffee cup (we were out this morning, so i got some at the co-op.), also the temperature has dropped today and it was in the 50s last night so when i got up the house was 61 degrees. I was tempted to turn on the heat, which has been off for 3 weeks, but then i just put on a bunch of clothes. Its hard for me because i hate being cold. but 61 isn't TOO cold to just put on 3 layers. RIght now, while i'm changing habits, i have to think about almost every single choice i make. Should i buy this? is it sustainable? do i need the heat on? what impact does action X have? i think the longer we get into sustainable habits, it starts to require less thought and diligence.
Last thought of the day: have you noticed that things that are good for the environment, are also good for community? For example, you interact with your neighbors when you are out line-drying your clothes or gardening. You talk to people on the bus. You share supplies to help decrease waste with others at the co-op. You don't talk to people when you drive or sit in your house and watch TV.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Simple ways to make a difference
So last week was bike to work week. Maybe you missed it. That's ok, because you can still bike to work any day. I'm pleased to say that yesterday I biked over to a friend's house and then to the bar, whereas the week before I had driven. It didn't occur to me to bike, even though it was only like 3 miles the whole night . It just goes to show that we have to consciously make an effort to change these habits.
You can calculate your carbon impact here. The difference between driving 5000 miles per year and 8000 miles per year is a LOT. Our family apparently has a "much smaller impact" than the average. We still have an impact, of course. And find out about simple ways to save carbon emissions here, like unplugging devices when not in use. They use energy, even when they aren't on. Did you know that? I am going to turn my computer off at the power strip when not in use, unplug the coffee pot, microwave, and other things that I can unplug without moving a large piece of furniture. You can go one step further and become carbon neutral by offsetting your use.
One thing that is really awesome is CSAs: Community Supported Agriculture. This means you "subscribe" to a farm by giving your money directly to a local farmer, usually an organic, sustainable farm. Then you share in the risks, and the bumper crops, of that farm. It's a very awesome thing. We have done it for about 5 years. We aren't doing it this year because we are trying to grow most of our own produce. And I want to be able to choose our food at the farmer's market, instead of having to take what the farm is growing. But here is a list of Portland-area CSAs. We have personally done the 47th ave Farm and Pumpkin Ridge Gardens, and they are both great. If you don't live in Oregon, you can probably find a CSA near you.
Our first moral dilemma in terms of our goals comes this week because we have pledged to not buy anything new. Well, we have also pledged to make a very, very small amount of garbage. We currently use a disposable pull-up on Elsie at night because she wets a lot when she sleeps (even though she has been potty trained for a long time). I know that sounds weird, that a family with these goals would use a disposable diaper, but we have been through a lot with her (leaking cloth diapers, really smelly, morning battles over taking it off and washing the bum, etc) it was just getting to be too much. After 3 years of cloth diapering, we figured one disposable a day wasn't a big deal. Well, it still makes a pretty large amount of waste. Plus, we are obviously buying the pull-ups "new". Then they get thrown away. I have looked for a pull-up cloth nighttime diaper used, but they aren't as readily available as regular diapers. So i think we will have to buy them new. They are called Happy Heiny's (yes, all cloth diapers have stupid names having to do with butt). They are made by work-at-home-moms. I'm hoping we can just get by with two (wash them each morning, so its ready to go the next day).
Oh, and Elsie has decided after seeing them on two of her friends, that she wants flip-flops. Uhhh...i wonder if they have any at Goodwill right now? She wears size 8 or 9, if anybody out there has some laying around :)
You can calculate your carbon impact here. The difference between driving 5000 miles per year and 8000 miles per year is a LOT. Our family apparently has a "much smaller impact" than the average. We still have an impact, of course. And find out about simple ways to save carbon emissions here, like unplugging devices when not in use. They use energy, even when they aren't on. Did you know that? I am going to turn my computer off at the power strip when not in use, unplug the coffee pot, microwave, and other things that I can unplug without moving a large piece of furniture. You can go one step further and become carbon neutral by offsetting your use.
One thing that is really awesome is CSAs: Community Supported Agriculture. This means you "subscribe" to a farm by giving your money directly to a local farmer, usually an organic, sustainable farm. Then you share in the risks, and the bumper crops, of that farm. It's a very awesome thing. We have done it for about 5 years. We aren't doing it this year because we are trying to grow most of our own produce. And I want to be able to choose our food at the farmer's market, instead of having to take what the farm is growing. But here is a list of Portland-area CSAs. We have personally done the 47th ave Farm and Pumpkin Ridge Gardens, and they are both great. If you don't live in Oregon, you can probably find a CSA near you.
Our first moral dilemma in terms of our goals comes this week because we have pledged to not buy anything new. Well, we have also pledged to make a very, very small amount of garbage. We currently use a disposable pull-up on Elsie at night because she wets a lot when she sleeps (even though she has been potty trained for a long time). I know that sounds weird, that a family with these goals would use a disposable diaper, but we have been through a lot with her (leaking cloth diapers, really smelly, morning battles over taking it off and washing the bum, etc) it was just getting to be too much. After 3 years of cloth diapering, we figured one disposable a day wasn't a big deal. Well, it still makes a pretty large amount of waste. Plus, we are obviously buying the pull-ups "new". Then they get thrown away. I have looked for a pull-up cloth nighttime diaper used, but they aren't as readily available as regular diapers. So i think we will have to buy them new. They are called Happy Heiny's (yes, all cloth diapers have stupid names having to do with butt). They are made by work-at-home-moms. I'm hoping we can just get by with two (wash them each morning, so its ready to go the next day).
Oh, and Elsie has decided after seeing them on two of her friends, that she wants flip-flops. Uhhh...i wonder if they have any at Goodwill right now? She wears size 8 or 9, if anybody out there has some laying around :)
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Ideas on living simple
Just one more idea for today (I will not be posting as much once I get all my initial ideas down!) and that is on living simple.
I was talking to a mom yesterday with a 2 year old and a 4 month old. She was telling me that they couldn't afford for her to not work full-time (She is a teacher and her husband also works full-time) and she went back to work when the baby was only 6 weeks old.
I'm not judging this person's situation, since obviously I don't know her personal finances, but I think we all have an idea of the amount of money we "need" to have to live. For example, Jay makes a pretty modest income and we have a LOT of student debt. But I don't need to work. Why? We own older, crappy cars (ok, ok, one of them is pretty nice. but its old enough that its very cheap by newer car standards). We don't own a house (yes, yes, a house is a great "investment" but it is also STUFF. A very big STUFF that takes a lot of money to upkeep. Also our rent is about $825 a month, and if we bought this house or a comparable one it would be a $1600 or more per month mortgage). We don't buy things (when we do they are almost always used). Our kids' stuff is almost 100% hand-me-downs (thanks to our friends and especially Jay's sister!). We eat really simple, cheap meals mostly (beans and rice kinds of things...at some point, i will post frugal meal ideas here). We don't eat out much.
So I guess what I'm saying is...do people really *need* to work, or do we just work to maintain a certain level of spending? How can moms that I know make more than twice what we do (with mom and dad both working) *need* to work, while I don't need to? Maybe its that we choose to work. My goal for the next 10 years is for Jay and I to both work part-time (I'm not working out of the home right now. Oh, yes, believe me I AM working!) And why not? If we don't buy a house, and especially if we get rid of our cars at some point, we don't need to double what jay is making right now by having me work full-time.
I would pay so much money to not have Emmett in daycare. And i guess I do. But money is just money. Stuff is just stuff. My baby is only going to be a baby once. If I owned a house, I would sell it to stay home with them if that is what it took. If I had a car payment, I would go car-free if that is what it took. I would eat beans and rice for EVERY meal, if that is what it took.
Its all a matter of what you are willing to "sacrifice". I guess I'm more willing to be poor than to have someone else raise my kids. I'm not trying to sound judgmental if you chose some other path, or if you really DID have to work when your kids were little. Its just something that I think about a lot.
It is kind of what I am talking about with the treadmill idea. We work to own a house. We work to pay for our kids' daycare. We have to keep working to upkeep the house. To pay for our 401K. To be able to go on a cruise vacation. Of course you may be more financially "secure" if you are on this treadmill. We aren't paying down our debts a lot. We aren't saving for retirement (that whole issue is so crazy anyway. There was a Frontline about it awhile back, and it just made me feel like its so impossible to do that now anyway).
Enough about that. Have I mentioned that I love living without a TV? I love, love, love it. I don't miss the thing at all. TV is stupid. And evil.
I was talking to a mom yesterday with a 2 year old and a 4 month old. She was telling me that they couldn't afford for her to not work full-time (She is a teacher and her husband also works full-time) and she went back to work when the baby was only 6 weeks old.
I'm not judging this person's situation, since obviously I don't know her personal finances, but I think we all have an idea of the amount of money we "need" to have to live. For example, Jay makes a pretty modest income and we have a LOT of student debt. But I don't need to work. Why? We own older, crappy cars (ok, ok, one of them is pretty nice. but its old enough that its very cheap by newer car standards). We don't own a house (yes, yes, a house is a great "investment" but it is also STUFF. A very big STUFF that takes a lot of money to upkeep. Also our rent is about $825 a month, and if we bought this house or a comparable one it would be a $1600 or more per month mortgage). We don't buy things (when we do they are almost always used). Our kids' stuff is almost 100% hand-me-downs (thanks to our friends and especially Jay's sister!). We eat really simple, cheap meals mostly (beans and rice kinds of things...at some point, i will post frugal meal ideas here). We don't eat out much.
So I guess what I'm saying is...do people really *need* to work, or do we just work to maintain a certain level of spending? How can moms that I know make more than twice what we do (with mom and dad both working) *need* to work, while I don't need to? Maybe its that we choose to work. My goal for the next 10 years is for Jay and I to both work part-time (I'm not working out of the home right now. Oh, yes, believe me I AM working!) And why not? If we don't buy a house, and especially if we get rid of our cars at some point, we don't need to double what jay is making right now by having me work full-time.
I would pay so much money to not have Emmett in daycare. And i guess I do. But money is just money. Stuff is just stuff. My baby is only going to be a baby once. If I owned a house, I would sell it to stay home with them if that is what it took. If I had a car payment, I would go car-free if that is what it took. I would eat beans and rice for EVERY meal, if that is what it took.
Its all a matter of what you are willing to "sacrifice". I guess I'm more willing to be poor than to have someone else raise my kids. I'm not trying to sound judgmental if you chose some other path, or if you really DID have to work when your kids were little. Its just something that I think about a lot.
It is kind of what I am talking about with the treadmill idea. We work to own a house. We work to pay for our kids' daycare. We have to keep working to upkeep the house. To pay for our 401K. To be able to go on a cruise vacation. Of course you may be more financially "secure" if you are on this treadmill. We aren't paying down our debts a lot. We aren't saving for retirement (that whole issue is so crazy anyway. There was a Frontline about it awhile back, and it just made me feel like its so impossible to do that now anyway).
Enough about that. Have I mentioned that I love living without a TV? I love, love, love it. I don't miss the thing at all. TV is stupid. And evil.
Change in mindset
I think for us, the biggest challenge is going to be the car thing. Its so easy to be reliant on the convenience of a car. I am always secretly hoping that gas will go up and up and up--over $5 a gallon, because it will force myself and others to change this habit. I think the way I am going to have to tackle this is to pretend, in most cases, that we don't have a car. Sadly we have two, although one of them may die at any moment and won't get replaced.
If I can get myself to pretend that we don't have a car, maybe I can get so used to not having one that when we do make the switch, it won't be a big deal.
I've noticed that flexcar now has a car on 52nd and division, which is a short bus ride from our house. We'd have to take our carseats on the bus, which would be a hideous hassle, but if we are only doing this once or twice a month, it wouldn't be that bad.
Sadly, it costs an insane amount of money to take a greyhound or train to salem, which is another time we drive (to visit family). So its not really feasible.
I just wanted to post these great links about ideas to reduce waste. We are planning on visiting the Wednesday farmer's market at People's Food Co-Op They also have square dancing on Wednesday evenings, so we can check that out as well. Elsie's music teacher's band Government-Issue Orchestra plays there sometimes.
Anyway, the reduce waste thing
Also, the how to stop junk mail thing. As you can see, they make it hard for you. But I got FIVE, yes count them FIVE credit card offers in one day last week. This has got to stop. So I think I will order little pre-paid postcards from the post office and send them to these addresses. Hopefully I can curtail most, if not all, the junk mail we get.
I did this for myself and Jay. I get the credit card offers, he gets the student loan consolidation offers. Often times we get about 10 of these a week. Its stupid. I also called this 1-888-5OptOut to stop pre-screened credit and insurance offers.
Here is a very cool list of where to buy recycled items and recycled gift ideas
Metro may have its problems, but you have to admit it's pretty cool.
If I can get myself to pretend that we don't have a car, maybe I can get so used to not having one that when we do make the switch, it won't be a big deal.
I've noticed that flexcar now has a car on 52nd and division, which is a short bus ride from our house. We'd have to take our carseats on the bus, which would be a hideous hassle, but if we are only doing this once or twice a month, it wouldn't be that bad.
Sadly, it costs an insane amount of money to take a greyhound or train to salem, which is another time we drive (to visit family). So its not really feasible.
I just wanted to post these great links about ideas to reduce waste. We are planning on visiting the Wednesday farmer's market at People's Food Co-Op They also have square dancing on Wednesday evenings, so we can check that out as well. Elsie's music teacher's band Government-Issue Orchestra plays there sometimes.
Anyway, the reduce waste thing
Also, the how to stop junk mail thing. As you can see, they make it hard for you. But I got FIVE, yes count them FIVE credit card offers in one day last week. This has got to stop. So I think I will order little pre-paid postcards from the post office and send them to these addresses. Hopefully I can curtail most, if not all, the junk mail we get.
I did this for myself and Jay. I get the credit card offers, he gets the student loan consolidation offers. Often times we get about 10 of these a week. Its stupid. I also called this 1-888-5OptOut to stop pre-screened credit and insurance offers.
Here is a very cool list of where to buy recycled items and recycled gift ideas
Metro may have its problems, but you have to admit it's pretty cool.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Getting away from the Joneses
Ok, so when i do something I like to go all-out. I feel really excited and optimistic about our new pursuit.
Today, I decided that I didn't need to wash stuff in hot/warm water, so i just washed in cold. They got just as clean (go figure) so I am going to mostly wash in cold now.
Last week I was hanging up laundry (have I mentioned I love to do this? it makes me feel all pioneering or something, especially when wearing emmett on my back while doing it, which is always) and our next-door neighbor offered me a really nice clothes-drying rack. Its much nicer than the ones you can see in stores now. Its all wood. Anyway, I had never even spoken to this woman because i had heard she was kind of grouchy. Well, long story short: if I had never been hanging up my laundry, she never would have offered me this thing that i've wanted, and i wouldn't have found out she is actually nice! how horrible, since we have shared a fence for 8 months!
This post has some pictures of our garden, as promised. It was just planted last weekend. I can't wait to watch it grow. That is our Earth Machine composter in the back. You can get them for $35 from metro (that's $50 cheaper than retail). they are cool.
Did i mention that we also have a worm bin in our garage? We started it last summer. They only eat about 1/4 the kitchen scraps we make, but they are doing ok. Elsie likes watching it. I think their poop (or "castings" as they like to call it) are almost ready for harvest.
Ok, here is the part where i get a little weird. last year i had talked to jay about using cloth "wipes" for ourselves instead of toilet paper. He was not into it--that's an understatement. Yesterday someone posted a blog comment about "family paper". i had no idea what this meant, until i realized its this idea about cloth toilet paper, basically.
So i decided that even if jay doesn't want to, at least elsie and i can and we can reduce our TP useage. so i cut up a t-shirt that was so old i couldn't even give it to goodwill and i made some. at least for pee, why not? i can throw them in with the cloth diapers when i wash them. everyone says they are softer and make you feel cleaner...
Today i also decided to go ahead and organize my scary recipe drawer. I pulled out an old shoebox i have been saving for something and i'm in the process of sorting them out. it is such a disaster in there.
on the downsizing side, i sorted out a big bag of stuffed animals (someone said these breed in the night, i think its true!) to get rid of. i also put boxes out for someone to take on the craigslist free ads. i think you can actually move around in our garage now, which is really nice.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
The crowd pleasers
This is also our family blog, I guess, so here are some recent pictures of the kids...
Our goals
These are the goals we have set for ourselves as a family. We are going to try them for one month, and then revisit them. I'll post on the progress of these goals, and the challenges we face in trying to meet them.
Ways we negatively impact the environment:
Make garbage that goes in a landfill
Use electricity
Drive cars
Buy food that is grown in an unsustainable manner or from far away
Consume goods that deplete resources, are made far away, end up in a landfill, etc.
Use water
Our goals to minimize this impact
1. Only put our trash on the curb one time per month. We have a normal-sized garbage can (35 gal).
This goal still bothers me, because any amount of waste is going in a landfill, and that is pretty horrible when you really think about it. Is it possible to not produce any waste? It would probably be very, very hard. We'll start with this one!
a. Only buy food that comes in packaging that can be reused or recycled. No plastic packaging that can't be reused or recycled.
b. Buy everything possible in bulk, reusable containers
c. Use only cloth bags for shopping
d. Bury organic waste (cat litter, dog waste, non-compostable food)
e. Compost paper waste (dryer lint, kleenex, coffee filters, etc.)
f. Compost ALL food waste
g. No disposable towels, paper towels, napkins, plates, or anything else where possible.
We already cloth diaper anyway! :)
h. No single-serving packages (juice boxes, string cheese, granola bars, etc.)
i. Stop all junk mail.
j. Switch ALL bills to e-bills. pay all bills online.
k. Recycle everything. If it can't be recycled, don't buy it.
l. Buy goods that are recycled (like 100% post-consumer recycled toilet paper)
2. Consume less electricity
a. Elect to use wind-generated power
We did this, and we do pay more, but its worth it. Plus, you get a yard sign! You can also opt for a fixed rate. Find out more here http://www.greenmountain.com/services/OR/index.jsp They serve Florida, New York, New Jersey, Texas and Oregon. PGE customers can sign up very easily.
b. Line-dry clothes
I love line-drying my clothes anyway.
c. Switch all bulbs to compact fluorescent when they burn out.
These need to be specially recycled when they burn out (in like 4 years) because they contain mercury.
d. Not use a fridge in the winter (?)
Has anyone tried this? If so, i'd love to hear about it. Why keep your fridge at 40 when its 40 outside here most of the time? What's to stop us from keeping stuff in the garage in the winter?
e. Keep thermostat very low in winter (we don't have a/c)
We keep ours at 66 daytime, 59 night.
3. Drive car less
What I would really love to do is not own a car. We just bought a used minivan. Maybe if we get into the bus/bike thing we could sell it. I looked into flexcar, but the nearest flexcar is really far away from our house, so it would take forever to get to it.
a. Jay only carpool, take bus or ride bike.
There are some times when he has to be at work really early or work really late, in which case he will probably have to drive. Its pretty rare, though.
b. Laura to bus distances over 1 mile. Walk distances less than 1 mile.
We can't bike because Emmett is too small for the bike trailer. When he gets bigger, though, we will do a lot of that.
c. Meal plan and only grocery shop once per week.
I will have to drive to the store. I can't imagine getting groceries and 2 kids on the bus. Yikes. But we can walk to one local store, so we will do that more.
4. Vast majority of food (80%) local and/or organic. Nothing from more than 1000 miles away (I realize we may not know where ingredients for some products like crackers or something come from, but at least the producer of the product would be local)
a. Have a garden--freeze what we don't eat fresh.
We do--yay! And its huge and awesome. I will post pictures soon.
B. Don't eat out of season. This means no bell peppers or tomatoes in the middle of winter.
C. Buy food at farmer's market, or from local farmers at New Season's/Co-op, etc.
D. Eat very little animal products
E. Minimal restaurant-eating, less than once per month.
5. Don't buy anything new, except items that need to be new for health or safety.
I realize this is going to be hard. We are going to try it though!
a. borrow, trade or buy used items
b. even then, consume mindfully
c. Consider packaging of all products when buying
d. Buy nothing new that is made in a sweatshop or foreign country
f. Tell others not to buy us new gifts.
6. Reduce water use
a. Time showers--5 minutes or less
b. If its yellow, leave it mellow. If its brown, flush it down...
c. Laundry extra large loads only
d. Fill sink when doing dishes (rather than running water).
Ways we negatively impact the environment:
Make garbage that goes in a landfill
Use electricity
Drive cars
Buy food that is grown in an unsustainable manner or from far away
Consume goods that deplete resources, are made far away, end up in a landfill, etc.
Use water
Our goals to minimize this impact
1. Only put our trash on the curb one time per month. We have a normal-sized garbage can (35 gal).
This goal still bothers me, because any amount of waste is going in a landfill, and that is pretty horrible when you really think about it. Is it possible to not produce any waste? It would probably be very, very hard. We'll start with this one!
a. Only buy food that comes in packaging that can be reused or recycled. No plastic packaging that can't be reused or recycled.
b. Buy everything possible in bulk, reusable containers
c. Use only cloth bags for shopping
d. Bury organic waste (cat litter, dog waste, non-compostable food)
e. Compost paper waste (dryer lint, kleenex, coffee filters, etc.)
f. Compost ALL food waste
g. No disposable towels, paper towels, napkins, plates, or anything else where possible.
We already cloth diaper anyway! :)
h. No single-serving packages (juice boxes, string cheese, granola bars, etc.)
i. Stop all junk mail.
j. Switch ALL bills to e-bills. pay all bills online.
k. Recycle everything. If it can't be recycled, don't buy it.
l. Buy goods that are recycled (like 100% post-consumer recycled toilet paper)
2. Consume less electricity
a. Elect to use wind-generated power
We did this, and we do pay more, but its worth it. Plus, you get a yard sign! You can also opt for a fixed rate. Find out more here http://www.greenmountain.com/services/OR/index.jsp They serve Florida, New York, New Jersey, Texas and Oregon. PGE customers can sign up very easily.
b. Line-dry clothes
I love line-drying my clothes anyway.
c. Switch all bulbs to compact fluorescent when they burn out.
These need to be specially recycled when they burn out (in like 4 years) because they contain mercury.
d. Not use a fridge in the winter (?)
Has anyone tried this? If so, i'd love to hear about it. Why keep your fridge at 40 when its 40 outside here most of the time? What's to stop us from keeping stuff in the garage in the winter?
e. Keep thermostat very low in winter (we don't have a/c)
We keep ours at 66 daytime, 59 night.
3. Drive car less
What I would really love to do is not own a car. We just bought a used minivan. Maybe if we get into the bus/bike thing we could sell it. I looked into flexcar, but the nearest flexcar is really far away from our house, so it would take forever to get to it.
a. Jay only carpool, take bus or ride bike.
There are some times when he has to be at work really early or work really late, in which case he will probably have to drive. Its pretty rare, though.
b. Laura to bus distances over 1 mile. Walk distances less than 1 mile.
We can't bike because Emmett is too small for the bike trailer. When he gets bigger, though, we will do a lot of that.
c. Meal plan and only grocery shop once per week.
I will have to drive to the store. I can't imagine getting groceries and 2 kids on the bus. Yikes. But we can walk to one local store, so we will do that more.
4. Vast majority of food (80%) local and/or organic. Nothing from more than 1000 miles away (I realize we may not know where ingredients for some products like crackers or something come from, but at least the producer of the product would be local)
a. Have a garden--freeze what we don't eat fresh.
We do--yay! And its huge and awesome. I will post pictures soon.
B. Don't eat out of season. This means no bell peppers or tomatoes in the middle of winter.
C. Buy food at farmer's market, or from local farmers at New Season's/Co-op, etc.
D. Eat very little animal products
E. Minimal restaurant-eating, less than once per month.
5. Don't buy anything new, except items that need to be new for health or safety.
I realize this is going to be hard. We are going to try it though!
a. borrow, trade or buy used items
b. even then, consume mindfully
c. Consider packaging of all products when buying
d. Buy nothing new that is made in a sweatshop or foreign country
f. Tell others not to buy us new gifts.
6. Reduce water use
a. Time showers--5 minutes or less
b. If its yellow, leave it mellow. If its brown, flush it down...
c. Laundry extra large loads only
d. Fill sink when doing dishes (rather than running water).
Consumer
I hate the term "consumer" when it comes to describing people. They don't mean it to be a negative thing when they talk about it on the radio, but it is. As in: "we need to protect consumers"; "Consumer confidence is down," etc. But if you take it out and look at it--that is what we are. We aren't part of a cycle, or contributing anything back, we're just CONSUMING. It is a very ugly thing when you look at it closely. We're consuming insane amounts of resources. We all know it's not sustainable. And we don't mean "not sustainable" like in the obscure, long, long time from now--like 1000 years from now. We are talking 100 years. 50 years. We can't keep consuming at this rate, or our children are going to pay the price in their own lifetimes. Yet we kind of choose to ignore this and go about our daily lives.
What we forget is that simple living--choosing to live a very simple life--is actually more fulfilling, more rewarding, and happier, than a life filled with the trappings of technology, commuting, lots of bills, credit, stress, etc. We are drawn into that lifestyle against our better judgement. We make money to spend on stuff. The accumulation of stuff doesn't make us happy. Instead, we find ourselves buying more just to replenish the momentary happiness that consuming brings us. We forget this when we hop on the treadmill of modern life and continue to make money to buy stuff.
What if we get off the treadmill, or never get on it? What happens?
That is what our family intends to find out. What if we made an environmental pact? What if we decided to minimize our impact way beyond what we have done in the past? What if we pushed ourselves to see HOW minimally we could consume? What if we found out that we enjoyed it, and did more and more?
That is what this blog is about. Our journey into simplicity for the sake of our earth. It scares me to think about the earth my own children will inherit. With their births, it has become all too real to us what environmental tragedy might mean for future generations. At the same time, we found ourselves falling into the trappings of "convenience" because....well, we have kids. I mean, we have kids, so we need to do X (drive more, use this product, buy this thing, etc). Shouldn't it be the other way around? Because we have kids, we should strive NOT to consume. To go out of our way to simplify our lives, minimize our impact. To show them that having stuff is not the end-all-be-all, but is rather usually the root of much suffering.
We often think we can just recycle things, but what we forget is that its: Reduce, reuse, recycle, in that order. First we need to consume less. Then we need to reuse or repair things. THEN recycle. Recycling should be our last goal.
What are we capable of? We will find out.
What we forget is that simple living--choosing to live a very simple life--is actually more fulfilling, more rewarding, and happier, than a life filled with the trappings of technology, commuting, lots of bills, credit, stress, etc. We are drawn into that lifestyle against our better judgement. We make money to spend on stuff. The accumulation of stuff doesn't make us happy. Instead, we find ourselves buying more just to replenish the momentary happiness that consuming brings us. We forget this when we hop on the treadmill of modern life and continue to make money to buy stuff.
What if we get off the treadmill, or never get on it? What happens?
That is what our family intends to find out. What if we made an environmental pact? What if we decided to minimize our impact way beyond what we have done in the past? What if we pushed ourselves to see HOW minimally we could consume? What if we found out that we enjoyed it, and did more and more?
That is what this blog is about. Our journey into simplicity for the sake of our earth. It scares me to think about the earth my own children will inherit. With their births, it has become all too real to us what environmental tragedy might mean for future generations. At the same time, we found ourselves falling into the trappings of "convenience" because....well, we have kids. I mean, we have kids, so we need to do X (drive more, use this product, buy this thing, etc). Shouldn't it be the other way around? Because we have kids, we should strive NOT to consume. To go out of our way to simplify our lives, minimize our impact. To show them that having stuff is not the end-all-be-all, but is rather usually the root of much suffering.
We often think we can just recycle things, but what we forget is that its: Reduce, reuse, recycle, in that order. First we need to consume less. Then we need to reuse or repair things. THEN recycle. Recycling should be our last goal.
What are we capable of? We will find out.
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