Well let's see, not much. I just gave birth to twins (for another family) and we bought a house and moved, and the economy tanked, and...well, i guess that's about it. I can't believe i haven't written anything here in 6 months!
I have been thinking recently about how lax i've gotten on so many of the original goals i had when starting this blog. For example, since buying this house i've gone on a massive consumption spree, buying more new stuff than i have purchased in years. And it just seems like our family is not on top of our waste production at all. Moving was stressful (while 8 mo pregnant with twins no less) and we are just finally getting settled into the new house. In the meantime, we weren't composting, we were throwing away tons of trash, we were eating out a ton, we were buying lots of over-packaged food items, we were using more disposable diapers, etc. Oh, and did I mention we haven't been vegan? For so long now, i don't know if our kids can handle the transition back... they may be psuedo-vegans (or straight-up carnivores) for the rest of their lives now because of my lapse :( We weren't eating meat (oh, except fish) but lots of eggs and lots of dairy.
Now that the state budget crisis has made it painfully clear that I WON'T be getting a job in the fall, and neither will any other new-ish teacher, I am trying to think about how I want our lives to be structured. We live in outer SE portland now, and Jay takes the bus to work every day. His company actually buys them all an annual pass now, which is amazing. In the past two years, we've averaged 7000 miles a year on the car, which is better than most Americans, but still so far above where i'd like to be. Since, at best, I'll be subbing again next year, what DO I want to focus my energy on? Elsie will be going to a kindergarten that's about 2.5 miles from our house. In contradiction to everything I've ever said, I simply could not send her to our neighborhood school. They are a "failing" school, which means a huge percent of their kids don't meet benchmarks by grades 5 and 8. I just don't think she will be well-served by the school. Plus, i've substituted there and its totally the kind of public school that people are talking about when they decide to homeschool, with more of a focus on lines and making the students be quiet than unleashing their potential.
So i'm working on a full-fledged re-emergence into our original goals which not working full time next year will certainly make easier. We live 1/2 a mile from our community farmer's market and i plan to get the majority of our produce there. I also am planning on doing some serious bike riding/bussing/eliminating the car as much as possible for now. The new green line Max is going in just 10 blocks from our house, and also has a stop at elsie's new school, so that will help with that. We have just re-pledged ourselves to veganism and there are only a few items left in our fridge that aren't vegan. And I have made a much better effort to only buy used items again (curse you, Ikea!!) and plan to stick to that. We got rid of SO much stuff when we moved, i feel like the items we own are totally used and needed and functional. Our space is really liveable now and is really uncluttered. We are also getting off all the disposable convenience items that we've used these past months, mostly diapers.
One big project for this summer is an energy audit of our house. We need to fully insulate the attic and build a wall to the unfinished part of the basement (currently you have to pay to heat even the gross crawlspace) and put in some new windows this summer. Hopefully that will help us keep the heat costs down when winter rolls back around (trying not to even think about that right now on this beautiful day in may).
I'll be posting more often to hold myself accountable and to keep track of progress. One measurable thing is how often we are putting our trash out. right now our 15 gal can is going out completely full every week, and i hope to get that down to twice a month, and eventually once a month.
Showing posts with label Family goals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Family goals. Show all posts
Monday, May 18, 2009
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Earth Life
Instead of Earth Day, or the even more PC Earth Week, why don't we just change our habits permanently? Like a dieter who yo-yos back and forth between skinny and fat, hopping on each new fad diet as it comes along, we talk about environmentalism as if one day or week could possibly have an impact. We can't go on a fad diet, we need real change and it needs to become permanent. Biofuels are a fad diet. Hybrid cars are a fad diet. Ethanol is a fad diet. Biodiesel cars are a fad diet. Shopping for 'green' products is a fad diet. We don't need an Earth Day. We need an Earth Life.
Let's face it, we can't 'conserve oil', compost, recycle or 'buy green' our way out of this crisis. The only solution is a massive restructing of our society, which is coming, whether we like it or not. It is coming because the end of cheap energy is here. Shipping our cheap food over massive distances, cheap air travel, cheap commuting in a car, cheap 3000 sq foot house heating bills, all of that is over. $4 a gallon gas is 2 months away according to the latest predictions.
Everything is going to change as oil gets more expensive, which in my mind, is a very Good Thing. People aren't going to change their habits unless they HAVE to. And believe me, we are all about to have to.
There is no substitute for oil that is going to allow us to keep living the way we have been. There just isn't. The only solution is to use less energy because to do otherwise is about to become prohibitively expensive.
I recently read an article somewhere about how companies have convinced us that the way to save the environment is to save our own families by buying certain products, etc. For example, people buy water from a water company because our tap water is 'unsafe'. Or they buy organic food. Or they buy an organic mattress. While there is nothing inherently wrong with these things, in fact I support it, it does smack of saving yourself and saying screw it to everyone else. If water isn't safe to drink, we need to do something about it, not just buy bottled water. Its kind of like the yuppification of environmentalism. Instead of a movement, we just have another offshoot of consumer culture. I really think a lot of people have bought into this idea that you can 'help' the earth by 'going green'. I've said it before and i'll say it again, every time you buy ANYTHING you hurt the planet. Not consuming is the only solution. You don't help the earth when you buy an organic cotton shirt, a Prius, a box of organic crackers, an energy star diswasher, or anything else. You only hurt the earth less than the standard counterpart. Consuming is not the answer. It has never been. Not buying is the only solution...we need to strive for that ideal, as hard as it may be.
I was teaching my juvenile delinquent students at the night school the other night, and I decided since it was Earth Day that I would focus on environmental issues. We were talking about carbon footprint and how to reduce it, and I showed them how to calculate it. It occurred to me then, as it often does, how incredibly horrible our family is doing at the whole car thing. The weather this spring has been terrible and I've been so not wanting to ride my bike or walk anywhere long distance. We are doing great on every other front, with the exception maybe of food packaging, which I still find practically impossible to reduce further, except car driving. And if you want to feel REALLY depressed about our future, try talking to some high school students. So many of these kids, the vast majority, are so self-absorbed, instant-gratification junkies that they don't care at all about their impact on the planet. They are obsessed with material things. I know some of it is just their age, but I can't help but think that a LOT of it is how we are raising our kids: in front of the TV, exposed to commercialism everywhere, 5000 advertisements a year, video games, IPods, cell phones, fast food, instant EVERYTHING. They get what they want when they want it. They never have to delay their immediate desires. It's sad. Even the poorest kids I work with have an IPod and a cell phone and eat junk food at almost every meal.
Our plans for the near future involve moving to a smaller town. I sincerely hope that this reduces our need to drive. Not that portland is so big, or doesn't have great mass transit, but it is just big ENOUGH that riding your bike everywhere is a pretty big challenge. Riding the bus and transferring all over the place with 2 kids is a similarly daunting challenge. I think my "Earth Life" challenge is going to have to include a limit on mileage...we are going to have to set a limit, such as 50 miles per week in a car, and stick to it. So if we want to drive to salem, we pretty much just used up our whole week's rations in one go. If we want to drive around town, we need to keep track of it and stay below it. Our family has done a lot of work, but giving up or reducing our car use has pretty much....well, it's just not happening. Now if gas is $5 a gallon, i'm pretty sure i'll be thinking differently...
Oh, and we bought a new laptop. GOD! i'm such a hypocrit! we are all hypocrits. How do we live in this society and not trash the planet? Sometimes it feels like the most impossible task on earth. I'm sure the parts to make this laptop were mined by 12 year olds in South Africa.
So...how's that for an uplifting Earth Day message? I just can't stand it when people's solution for earth day is to buy an organic cotton earth day t-shirt. Yeah, that's gonna save us all.
Let's face it, we can't 'conserve oil', compost, recycle or 'buy green' our way out of this crisis. The only solution is a massive restructing of our society, which is coming, whether we like it or not. It is coming because the end of cheap energy is here. Shipping our cheap food over massive distances, cheap air travel, cheap commuting in a car, cheap 3000 sq foot house heating bills, all of that is over. $4 a gallon gas is 2 months away according to the latest predictions.
Everything is going to change as oil gets more expensive, which in my mind, is a very Good Thing. People aren't going to change their habits unless they HAVE to. And believe me, we are all about to have to.
There is no substitute for oil that is going to allow us to keep living the way we have been. There just isn't. The only solution is to use less energy because to do otherwise is about to become prohibitively expensive.
I recently read an article somewhere about how companies have convinced us that the way to save the environment is to save our own families by buying certain products, etc. For example, people buy water from a water company because our tap water is 'unsafe'. Or they buy organic food. Or they buy an organic mattress. While there is nothing inherently wrong with these things, in fact I support it, it does smack of saving yourself and saying screw it to everyone else. If water isn't safe to drink, we need to do something about it, not just buy bottled water. Its kind of like the yuppification of environmentalism. Instead of a movement, we just have another offshoot of consumer culture. I really think a lot of people have bought into this idea that you can 'help' the earth by 'going green'. I've said it before and i'll say it again, every time you buy ANYTHING you hurt the planet. Not consuming is the only solution. You don't help the earth when you buy an organic cotton shirt, a Prius, a box of organic crackers, an energy star diswasher, or anything else. You only hurt the earth less than the standard counterpart. Consuming is not the answer. It has never been. Not buying is the only solution...we need to strive for that ideal, as hard as it may be.
I was teaching my juvenile delinquent students at the night school the other night, and I decided since it was Earth Day that I would focus on environmental issues. We were talking about carbon footprint and how to reduce it, and I showed them how to calculate it. It occurred to me then, as it often does, how incredibly horrible our family is doing at the whole car thing. The weather this spring has been terrible and I've been so not wanting to ride my bike or walk anywhere long distance. We are doing great on every other front, with the exception maybe of food packaging, which I still find practically impossible to reduce further, except car driving. And if you want to feel REALLY depressed about our future, try talking to some high school students. So many of these kids, the vast majority, are so self-absorbed, instant-gratification junkies that they don't care at all about their impact on the planet. They are obsessed with material things. I know some of it is just their age, but I can't help but think that a LOT of it is how we are raising our kids: in front of the TV, exposed to commercialism everywhere, 5000 advertisements a year, video games, IPods, cell phones, fast food, instant EVERYTHING. They get what they want when they want it. They never have to delay their immediate desires. It's sad. Even the poorest kids I work with have an IPod and a cell phone and eat junk food at almost every meal.
Our plans for the near future involve moving to a smaller town. I sincerely hope that this reduces our need to drive. Not that portland is so big, or doesn't have great mass transit, but it is just big ENOUGH that riding your bike everywhere is a pretty big challenge. Riding the bus and transferring all over the place with 2 kids is a similarly daunting challenge. I think my "Earth Life" challenge is going to have to include a limit on mileage...we are going to have to set a limit, such as 50 miles per week in a car, and stick to it. So if we want to drive to salem, we pretty much just used up our whole week's rations in one go. If we want to drive around town, we need to keep track of it and stay below it. Our family has done a lot of work, but giving up or reducing our car use has pretty much....well, it's just not happening. Now if gas is $5 a gallon, i'm pretty sure i'll be thinking differently...
Oh, and we bought a new laptop. GOD! i'm such a hypocrit! we are all hypocrits. How do we live in this society and not trash the planet? Sometimes it feels like the most impossible task on earth. I'm sure the parts to make this laptop were mined by 12 year olds in South Africa.
So...how's that for an uplifting Earth Day message? I just can't stand it when people's solution for earth day is to buy an organic cotton earth day t-shirt. Yeah, that's gonna save us all.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
See our new organized space! Lots of pictures!
I took some pictures for another organizing/decluttering website, so I'll post them here too. we've been working in the garden all weekend. If these giant 10" long worms aren't evidence of amazingly healthy soil, i don't know what is. We got some crops in the ground today. The weather has been amazingly warm and sunny these past couple of weeks.
I wanted to embed this slideshow into my blog, but i'm too stupid to figure it out today and i'm annoyed now, so you'll just have to click this link.
http://www.flickr.com/gp/24328696@N04/fRR293
I really feel like our space is totally organized. We have cleared out so much stuff. It takes a lot less time to clean up now. It's great. Spring has the effect of making me see how depressed i've been all winter. I feel so great right now, like everything is going to work out and be fine.
Jay's homemade laundry soap turned out amazing. we are trying to figure out how many more things we can do ourselves...its almost like a challenge. jay is wanting to buy a table saw because he loves working with wood and he wants to build things like children's furniture out of used scrap wood.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Spring cleanin'
Ok, so it's not really spring yet. But it certainly feels that way thanks to 3 days of sunny over-fifty degree weather.
This inspired us to get some stuff done. Well, actually what inspired us was that we were out taking a walk, and our neighbor was putting a Very Nice Futon out on the curb. We were all "ho ho, what's all this then? This is much better than our shitty futon." See, our computer/guest/random piles of crap room has this futon in it that came from my stepmom Marie's friend Diana. I think Diana bought it like 20 years ago or something because it is more comfortable to sleep on the ground than to sleep on this thing. Seriously. After my stepmom got some years of use out of it, it sat in their basement somehow getting more and more "firm" (read: hard as a rock). And also uglier. Its frame was painted black at some point and a very ugly tropical-plant themed futon cover was placed on it.
Well, on this day, our Lucky Day, our neighbor was putting out a nice wooden futon frame with a nice brown neutral-ish colored cover. And it was still soft! So we had to get it in the car to get it home. This caused us to notice that our car is full of massive piles of crap. So jay totally cleaned the car out, vacuumed, it etc.
This caused us to notice that our computer room was totally cluttered. Which caused us to notice a similar thing about the rest of the house. So we spent the next two days putting crap on the curb for people to help themselves to, putting many belongings on the free section of craigslist (including our old futon which was taken in a record 5 minutes), and aquiring an item like this on craigslist for elsie's room to put toys, books, etc. This caused us to notice that the kids have far too many books, several of which we hate and would be glad to never read again, so a lot of those went, too.
All in all, we totally organized our computer room, elsie's room, the toys in the living room, the backyard, the kids books, the bookshelves, the car, and some of our bedroom. And we went on several walks, spent a lot of time outside, did some yardwork, etc. It was a pretty successful weekend.
We are keeping a decluttering tally on the right hand sidebar. So far we've gotten rid of like 250 things. We have given up completely on all items that "may have some future use if a bunch of things change." If we aren't using it now, it goes. If we don't love it, it goes. We've also given up on "maybe we can sell this." No. Things aren't going to get sold. We aren't going to deal with that. We hold on to things because maybe someday we will get it together and have a garage sale. Sooooooooo not going to happen.
So...so far, we have decluttered, organized, and gotten rid of all non-necessary items in:
The kitchen island drawers and cupboards
Elsie's bedroom
Elsie's closet
All books, kids, adults, etc.
The living room toys area
The computer desk/office space
The office bookshelf
The yard (believe me, there was a lot of crap out there, both literally and the non-disgusting kind)
some of the garage
the two hall closets (except the top shelf!)
the entire computer room
The minivan
We have left to declutter/organize/get rid of junk in:
Office room closet
our bedroom closet
top shelf/medical type supplies in hallway closet
bathroom (should be somewhat easy, there isn't too much in there)
kitchen cupboards
rest of the garage
the camry. if it doesn't die first.
oh, and steam clean the carpet
we're getting there...
It feels so good to get rid of stuff. It just feels so liberating. I fought back the urge to go to Ikea this weekend and buy a bunch of organizing stuff. It seems stupid to buy stuff when you are trying to get rid of stuff...but that is the grip our consumer culture has on us, i guess. I think I might get some plastic totes off craigslist or something to store winter clothes during the summer, etc. But I don't need to get it new. The organizer thing I got for elsie's room was $25 on craigslist. A similar thing at target is anywhere from $60 to $90. At Ikea its $60 to $130. Jeez! just for some plastic bins on a shelf. Lame.
This inspired us to get some stuff done. Well, actually what inspired us was that we were out taking a walk, and our neighbor was putting a Very Nice Futon out on the curb. We were all "ho ho, what's all this then? This is much better than our shitty futon." See, our computer/guest/random piles of crap room has this futon in it that came from my stepmom Marie's friend Diana. I think Diana bought it like 20 years ago or something because it is more comfortable to sleep on the ground than to sleep on this thing. Seriously. After my stepmom got some years of use out of it, it sat in their basement somehow getting more and more "firm" (read: hard as a rock). And also uglier. Its frame was painted black at some point and a very ugly tropical-plant themed futon cover was placed on it.
Well, on this day, our Lucky Day, our neighbor was putting out a nice wooden futon frame with a nice brown neutral-ish colored cover. And it was still soft! So we had to get it in the car to get it home. This caused us to notice that our car is full of massive piles of crap. So jay totally cleaned the car out, vacuumed, it etc.
This caused us to notice that our computer room was totally cluttered. Which caused us to notice a similar thing about the rest of the house. So we spent the next two days putting crap on the curb for people to help themselves to, putting many belongings on the free section of craigslist (including our old futon which was taken in a record 5 minutes), and aquiring an item like this on craigslist for elsie's room to put toys, books, etc. This caused us to notice that the kids have far too many books, several of which we hate and would be glad to never read again, so a lot of those went, too.
All in all, we totally organized our computer room, elsie's room, the toys in the living room, the backyard, the kids books, the bookshelves, the car, and some of our bedroom. And we went on several walks, spent a lot of time outside, did some yardwork, etc. It was a pretty successful weekend.
We are keeping a decluttering tally on the right hand sidebar. So far we've gotten rid of like 250 things. We have given up completely on all items that "may have some future use if a bunch of things change." If we aren't using it now, it goes. If we don't love it, it goes. We've also given up on "maybe we can sell this." No. Things aren't going to get sold. We aren't going to deal with that. We hold on to things because maybe someday we will get it together and have a garage sale. Sooooooooo not going to happen.
So...so far, we have decluttered, organized, and gotten rid of all non-necessary items in:
The kitchen island drawers and cupboards
Elsie's bedroom
Elsie's closet
All books, kids, adults, etc.
The living room toys area
The computer desk/office space
The office bookshelf
The yard (believe me, there was a lot of crap out there, both literally and the non-disgusting kind)
some of the garage
the two hall closets (except the top shelf!)
the entire computer room
The minivan
We have left to declutter/organize/get rid of junk in:
Office room closet
our bedroom closet
top shelf/medical type supplies in hallway closet
bathroom (should be somewhat easy, there isn't too much in there)
kitchen cupboards
rest of the garage
the camry. if it doesn't die first.
oh, and steam clean the carpet
we're getting there...
It feels so good to get rid of stuff. It just feels so liberating. I fought back the urge to go to Ikea this weekend and buy a bunch of organizing stuff. It seems stupid to buy stuff when you are trying to get rid of stuff...but that is the grip our consumer culture has on us, i guess. I think I might get some plastic totes off craigslist or something to store winter clothes during the summer, etc. But I don't need to get it new. The organizer thing I got for elsie's room was $25 on craigslist. A similar thing at target is anywhere from $60 to $90. At Ikea its $60 to $130. Jeez! just for some plastic bins on a shelf. Lame.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Getting out
As per our simple livin' resolution for this year, we are getting out more. we finally got around to buying a bike trailer ($125 on craigslist) that is a lot nicer than our old one (which was given to some homeless people who asked for it). we've used it for jogging, also, since it has a jogging attachment. there have actually been a couple of days lately that it didn't pour down rain in the evening, and that's when we are going out. it feels good to move the body--i feel like we've been in hibernation mode for months!
this week we had the sad duty of taking our dog Barry to the humane society of sw washington so we could get him out of the county. the oregon humane society pulled a lot of strings for us to get him in there. he couldn't be in multnomah county any longer because the mailman filed a complaint and had him listed as a "Level FOUR dangerous dog"--it required him to be muzzled, never outside, always on leash, a sign up on our property declaring that there was a vicious dog on the property, etc.! it is so crazy. this dog has been in our family for 6 years and has never even come close to biting someone. the mailman gets what basically amounts to a scratch on his hand and suddenly he's public enemy no. 1. There was no way we could rehome him in our county and no way we could keep him. it was a gut-wrenching decision. we are keeping tabs on him at the shelter, and he is doing well and they think he is going to go fast. if you know anyone who might want a GREAT dog (who just happens to hate mailmen) please send them the link to the shelter.
we are in the process of applying for the oregon health plan right now. i know we probably won't get it because your income has to be ridiculously low to qualify, but we really can't afford health insurance right now. its quite the process, but if we got in, it would be so huge for our family. i don't know what we can do otherwise.
this week we had the sad duty of taking our dog Barry to the humane society of sw washington so we could get him out of the county. the oregon humane society pulled a lot of strings for us to get him in there. he couldn't be in multnomah county any longer because the mailman filed a complaint and had him listed as a "Level FOUR dangerous dog"--it required him to be muzzled, never outside, always on leash, a sign up on our property declaring that there was a vicious dog on the property, etc.! it is so crazy. this dog has been in our family for 6 years and has never even come close to biting someone. the mailman gets what basically amounts to a scratch on his hand and suddenly he's public enemy no. 1. There was no way we could rehome him in our county and no way we could keep him. it was a gut-wrenching decision. we are keeping tabs on him at the shelter, and he is doing well and they think he is going to go fast. if you know anyone who might want a GREAT dog (who just happens to hate mailmen) please send them the link to the shelter.
we are in the process of applying for the oregon health plan right now. i know we probably won't get it because your income has to be ridiculously low to qualify, but we really can't afford health insurance right now. its quite the process, but if we got in, it would be so huge for our family. i don't know what we can do otherwise.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
The Story of Stuff
A short video to make you think about stuff. You know, like things.
http://storyofstuff.com/
The nice thing about doing The Compact (see sidebar) as we have been now for about 7 months (I can almost count on one hand the total amount of things we have purchased new this past year) is that your desire to consume just grows less and less. This also goes hand in hand with decluttering. You realize how much time you spend cleaning and otherwise managing the chaos of items in your house--you lose the desire to bring more items into your life.
I really have no desire to shop for anything. I haven't set foot in a mall or big box store for about 2 years. I just don't see the need. There are some items that i've bought new this year, such as underwear and things of that nature, but the level of frivoulous spending for items that aren't absolutely necessary is down to almost nothing. It also helps that we're broke.
Here is a simple-living pledge that I think it would be pretty easy for our family to follow this year, since we already do most of this stuff:
In order to keep our lives simple in 2008 we are going to do the following:
*restrict purchases to needs (exceptions for birthday/anniversary/holiday gifts - everyone needs a toy now and again)
*buy used when possible and practical (exceptions for personal care, undergarments/socks, safety equipment, shoes, and medical needs)
*recognize limits of our day, and do what we can, let the other stuff go, and start new each day
*work on organizing life, home and work so that we can fully enjoy our time, rather than spending it on digging through chaos
*make wise choices about purchasing new goods
*be conscious of the impact we have on the earth and try to minimize our footprint
*spend more time outside
*eat well
*move more
*stop and play with our children every day
*tell each other we love one another every day
http://storyofstuff.com/
The nice thing about doing The Compact (see sidebar) as we have been now for about 7 months (I can almost count on one hand the total amount of things we have purchased new this past year) is that your desire to consume just grows less and less. This also goes hand in hand with decluttering. You realize how much time you spend cleaning and otherwise managing the chaos of items in your house--you lose the desire to bring more items into your life.
I really have no desire to shop for anything. I haven't set foot in a mall or big box store for about 2 years. I just don't see the need. There are some items that i've bought new this year, such as underwear and things of that nature, but the level of frivoulous spending for items that aren't absolutely necessary is down to almost nothing. It also helps that we're broke.
Here is a simple-living pledge that I think it would be pretty easy for our family to follow this year, since we already do most of this stuff:
In order to keep our lives simple in 2008 we are going to do the following:
*restrict purchases to needs (exceptions for birthday/anniversary/holiday gifts - everyone needs a toy now and again)
*buy used when possible and practical (exceptions for personal care, undergarments/socks, safety equipment, shoes, and medical needs)
*recognize limits of our day, and do what we can, let the other stuff go, and start new each day
*work on organizing life, home and work so that we can fully enjoy our time, rather than spending it on digging through chaos
*make wise choices about purchasing new goods
*be conscious of the impact we have on the earth and try to minimize our footprint
*spend more time outside
*eat well
*move more
*stop and play with our children every day
*tell each other we love one another every day
Saturday, January 5, 2008
merry post-holiday greeting
happy new year everyone...
This post will serve as the substitute for the more traditional letter-in-a-christmas-card that informs everyone about what they have been doing. we have not gotten our act together to do anything for the holidays in terms of cards, baking, gifts, etc. I had big plans to bake stuff to mail to the far-away relatives, and never did get a chance to. We did give a few books this year, and i bought people some things in ireland (more on that in a moment).
we were really pretty pleased/impressed with how restrained our families were this holiday season. most presents were hand-me-downs or used, which was awesome. there was a minimum of wrapping paper, most of which was recycled, and the stuff for us adults was very small. still, it can be a bit overwhelming to consider that this (photo below) is what counts for trying for a very minimalist christmas. our entire couch was covered in presents for the kids.
we continue to be pretty non-committal about any gift-giving. we just aren't into it, and kind of refuse to feel like we should buy things for people and get all stressed about it. when the kids are older, i suspect that we will make some things, but right now that idea seems kind of ludicrous since we don't even get time to do dishes.
as for how things are going, the kids are doing well. as you can see, emmett is huge and has become an official toddler. he's 13 months old now. he runs around after elsie now and we've seen brief moments (of up to 10 minutes!) of them playing together and entertaining each other, whilst leaving us alone. hopefully it's a taste of things to come in the future. he also loves to eat everything and does a lot of babbling and playing with all sorts of objects. he understands what we say now and can follow simple commands such as 'hand me that ball'. he is much more eager to please, sensitive and compliant than elsie ever was. he will cry if we tell him 'no', whereas elsie never cared if we told her not to do something (and still doesn't!) elsie is growing bigger by the minute, and will be four in 2 months. she has started sounding out words, and can write her name and several other words. she loves to read still, and proudly announces that she now reads "chapter books" which she requests constantly. her vocabulary amazes us on a daily basis, saying things like "i have this memorized" and "is this a sand-hill crane, mama?" (today, she brought me a picture she found of a crane. where she heard about sand hill cranes, i have no idea). we've kept to our TV free lifestyle but do allow her to watch movies which we get from the library or video store. emmett hasn't watched any movies or tv.
elsie loves spending time down at her grandparents' house and we send her down there as often as we can. her behavior has gotten easier recently, and we've noticed that we aren't feeling like ripping our hair out quite as many times per day. the terrible threes are hopefully coming to a close.
my job as a teacher ended just before christmas, which is at once a relief, something sad, and something stressful. i really felt like i came into my own as a teacher toward the end, and i was sad to have to leave the job after hitting my stride. i was really enjoying my students. they were really sweet on my last day, many of them getting me christmas presents, cards, and flowers telling me that they will miss me and that they wanted me to stay. there were a few tears shed and i had a couple of students tell me wonderful things such as i was the best teacher they ever had (sniff). it was sad to realize i wasn't going to see them any more. it feels good to know that i really picked the right career and i learned a lot during these past months. i am excited to get a 'real' teaching job for next year or the year after.
at the same time, the job was taking a lot out of me, and it was very hard to keep up with.
jay has been doing some work here and there for his friend david, who just started a cultural resources company (david was the one who also got fired along with jay and 2 other people from AINW in august). in combination with substitute teaching for me, we are hopeful that we can make it through the next 6 months financially with both of us working very flexibly. it will be kind of nice to switch off working/staying at home on an as-needed basis. we have talked about moving to salem and renting a cheap apartment, while i sub there, but we are going to hold off in the hopes that jay will land a full time job in the next few months and then see if moving is necessary. the idea of moving is almost more than i can deal with. i'm just so sick of moving. but our place is kind of expensive and it would be nice to save some money. however, if jay does end up getting a job, it would be silly to move to salem and then to move back. we have some reason to hope that david will have a full time position for him in the next 6 months. i'm hoping that he can work and i can work part time, as i'd rather not jump into full time teaching next year unless i have to. i'd rather wait until emmett is 3 to tackle that. still, if jay doesn't have a job, we'll have no choice. subbing is OK money, but we might have problems when summer comes if jay doesn't have a job. we are trying not to stress about it too much. sometimes it just feels like we can't take any more changes and adjustments, though. nothing has been stable since August.
In other news, i just got back from an 7 day trip to ireland, which was absolutely amazing. My good friend roy got married to a wonderful irish woman, which was the reason for the trip. it was amazing and crazy to be by myself with no kids for so long, and offered me an unprecedented chance to think and take care of my own needs for a change. the kids and jay weathered it fairly well with lots of support from my family. i decided while over there that our family should not postpone happiness for some time in the future, when things might go a certain way; that we have each other, and in that regard we are very lucky and blessed. we are all working on focusing on the positive for now and realizing that everything is temporary. i felt very grateful and very, very fortunate to get to go on this trip and to be with my friends during this time.
the wedding feast in longford, ireland
roy and i at trinity college, dublin.
at some point i will post pictures of the kids and everything, but right now i don't think i can take any more elsie harassment about 'when will you be done?!?'
just one final thought: during these past few months it has become apparent to me that it is entirely impossible for people who are in a crisis to think about the environment, or anything beyond just their day-to-day survival. a lot of things fell by the wayside as we contemplated more important things, for example: are we were going to have to move in with my parents? how we were going to get health insurance? how we could afford to heat our house? etc. people all over the world, and in america, are in crisis and are just trying to survive. many, many millions of americans are only one paycheck or medical problem away from disaster. how can people think about their choices affecting the earth when they are just surviving? i know we didn't. we went back to whatever was cheapest/easiest, which always means less organics, more trash, less mindful consuming, etc. it's a pity, but its hard to imagine anything changing in a meaningful way while so many people are in poverty. its obvious that global poverty and environmental catastrophe are linked, and our family now understands the reasons for this first-hand.
here are a few pictures to appease the masses. thanks for reading this long ramble.
This post will serve as the substitute for the more traditional letter-in-a-christmas-card that informs everyone about what they have been doing. we have not gotten our act together to do anything for the holidays in terms of cards, baking, gifts, etc. I had big plans to bake stuff to mail to the far-away relatives, and never did get a chance to. We did give a few books this year, and i bought people some things in ireland (more on that in a moment).
we were really pretty pleased/impressed with how restrained our families were this holiday season. most presents were hand-me-downs or used, which was awesome. there was a minimum of wrapping paper, most of which was recycled, and the stuff for us adults was very small. still, it can be a bit overwhelming to consider that this (photo below) is what counts for trying for a very minimalist christmas. our entire couch was covered in presents for the kids.
we continue to be pretty non-committal about any gift-giving. we just aren't into it, and kind of refuse to feel like we should buy things for people and get all stressed about it. when the kids are older, i suspect that we will make some things, but right now that idea seems kind of ludicrous since we don't even get time to do dishes.
as for how things are going, the kids are doing well. as you can see, emmett is huge and has become an official toddler. he's 13 months old now. he runs around after elsie now and we've seen brief moments (of up to 10 minutes!) of them playing together and entertaining each other, whilst leaving us alone. hopefully it's a taste of things to come in the future. he also loves to eat everything and does a lot of babbling and playing with all sorts of objects. he understands what we say now and can follow simple commands such as 'hand me that ball'. he is much more eager to please, sensitive and compliant than elsie ever was. he will cry if we tell him 'no', whereas elsie never cared if we told her not to do something (and still doesn't!) elsie is growing bigger by the minute, and will be four in 2 months. she has started sounding out words, and can write her name and several other words. she loves to read still, and proudly announces that she now reads "chapter books" which she requests constantly. her vocabulary amazes us on a daily basis, saying things like "i have this memorized" and "is this a sand-hill crane, mama?" (today, she brought me a picture she found of a crane. where she heard about sand hill cranes, i have no idea). we've kept to our TV free lifestyle but do allow her to watch movies which we get from the library or video store. emmett hasn't watched any movies or tv.
elsie loves spending time down at her grandparents' house and we send her down there as often as we can. her behavior has gotten easier recently, and we've noticed that we aren't feeling like ripping our hair out quite as many times per day. the terrible threes are hopefully coming to a close.
my job as a teacher ended just before christmas, which is at once a relief, something sad, and something stressful. i really felt like i came into my own as a teacher toward the end, and i was sad to have to leave the job after hitting my stride. i was really enjoying my students. they were really sweet on my last day, many of them getting me christmas presents, cards, and flowers telling me that they will miss me and that they wanted me to stay. there were a few tears shed and i had a couple of students tell me wonderful things such as i was the best teacher they ever had (sniff). it was sad to realize i wasn't going to see them any more. it feels good to know that i really picked the right career and i learned a lot during these past months. i am excited to get a 'real' teaching job for next year or the year after.
at the same time, the job was taking a lot out of me, and it was very hard to keep up with.
jay has been doing some work here and there for his friend david, who just started a cultural resources company (david was the one who also got fired along with jay and 2 other people from AINW in august). in combination with substitute teaching for me, we are hopeful that we can make it through the next 6 months financially with both of us working very flexibly. it will be kind of nice to switch off working/staying at home on an as-needed basis. we have talked about moving to salem and renting a cheap apartment, while i sub there, but we are going to hold off in the hopes that jay will land a full time job in the next few months and then see if moving is necessary. the idea of moving is almost more than i can deal with. i'm just so sick of moving. but our place is kind of expensive and it would be nice to save some money. however, if jay does end up getting a job, it would be silly to move to salem and then to move back. we have some reason to hope that david will have a full time position for him in the next 6 months. i'm hoping that he can work and i can work part time, as i'd rather not jump into full time teaching next year unless i have to. i'd rather wait until emmett is 3 to tackle that. still, if jay doesn't have a job, we'll have no choice. subbing is OK money, but we might have problems when summer comes if jay doesn't have a job. we are trying not to stress about it too much. sometimes it just feels like we can't take any more changes and adjustments, though. nothing has been stable since August.
In other news, i just got back from an 7 day trip to ireland, which was absolutely amazing. My good friend roy got married to a wonderful irish woman, which was the reason for the trip. it was amazing and crazy to be by myself with no kids for so long, and offered me an unprecedented chance to think and take care of my own needs for a change. the kids and jay weathered it fairly well with lots of support from my family. i decided while over there that our family should not postpone happiness for some time in the future, when things might go a certain way; that we have each other, and in that regard we are very lucky and blessed. we are all working on focusing on the positive for now and realizing that everything is temporary. i felt very grateful and very, very fortunate to get to go on this trip and to be with my friends during this time.
the wedding feast in longford, ireland
roy and i at trinity college, dublin.
at some point i will post pictures of the kids and everything, but right now i don't think i can take any more elsie harassment about 'when will you be done?!?'
just one final thought: during these past few months it has become apparent to me that it is entirely impossible for people who are in a crisis to think about the environment, or anything beyond just their day-to-day survival. a lot of things fell by the wayside as we contemplated more important things, for example: are we were going to have to move in with my parents? how we were going to get health insurance? how we could afford to heat our house? etc. people all over the world, and in america, are in crisis and are just trying to survive. many, many millions of americans are only one paycheck or medical problem away from disaster. how can people think about their choices affecting the earth when they are just surviving? i know we didn't. we went back to whatever was cheapest/easiest, which always means less organics, more trash, less mindful consuming, etc. it's a pity, but its hard to imagine anything changing in a meaningful way while so many people are in poverty. its obvious that global poverty and environmental catastrophe are linked, and our family now understands the reasons for this first-hand.
here are a few pictures to appease the masses. thanks for reading this long ramble.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
so...um...
jay lost his other, newer job...
we're not sure if its because of the kids or what, but it would seem that way. the guy wouldn't give a reason. he just said "its not a good fit." after only 2 months. this would be the day after jay had to leave work early to pick emmett up from daycare because emmett was sick. jay wasn't willing to work unpaid overtime. he wasn't willing to go out of town on a moment's notice. he left work every day after 8 hours to get his kids. he wasn't willing to be a corporate zombie slave.
the sad thing is i think this happens to a lot of people. people get fired because they have small kids, get pregnant, have a sick spouse, etc. and there isn't jack crap you can do about it because you live in a "will-to-work" state. meaning, you can be fired at any time, for any reason (for no reason, actually).
so the tables have turned. he is a stay-at-home dad and i'm making the money. its sure going to suck come january when i'm no longer doing this job, and i just substitute teach, and our family has no benefits. yup. sure will suck.
everything else has been so out the window these past 3 months. its been beyond stressful.
"when you look into an abyss, the
abyss also looks into you."
we're not sure if its because of the kids or what, but it would seem that way. the guy wouldn't give a reason. he just said "its not a good fit." after only 2 months. this would be the day after jay had to leave work early to pick emmett up from daycare because emmett was sick. jay wasn't willing to work unpaid overtime. he wasn't willing to go out of town on a moment's notice. he left work every day after 8 hours to get his kids. he wasn't willing to be a corporate zombie slave.
the sad thing is i think this happens to a lot of people. people get fired because they have small kids, get pregnant, have a sick spouse, etc. and there isn't jack crap you can do about it because you live in a "will-to-work" state. meaning, you can be fired at any time, for any reason (for no reason, actually).
so the tables have turned. he is a stay-at-home dad and i'm making the money. its sure going to suck come january when i'm no longer doing this job, and i just substitute teach, and our family has no benefits. yup. sure will suck.
everything else has been so out the window these past 3 months. its been beyond stressful.
"when you look into an abyss, the
abyss also looks into you."
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Garbage update
Today we are setting out our 32 gal garbage can for the first time since May 10. I'm not totally sure that we even set it out on May 10, but since we have definitely gone over a month at this point, we have easily reached our goal of only setting it out once per month.
The three recycle bins we have are for paper, plastic/aluminum/tin, and a separate one for glass. Almost all of our waste has gone into these bins (we have been setting them out weekly still).
So what is in that garbage can? What is not?
What is NOT in our garbage can: any recyclable container (plastic, even those that aren't curbside-able, we take to New Seasons to recycle--things like soy yogurt tubs, tofu tubs, etc.), glass, any paper product, any disposable item (save for the last of elsie's disposable pull-ups, we use hankies instead of kleenex, no paper towels, napkins, plates, no pads/tampons, etc), any food waste, any pet poo or cat litter (those get buried), any reusable item (such as margarine tubs that can be used as tupperware, plastic bags that can get re-filled at the bulk bin), any plastic bags (any we don't re-use have been recycled).
What IS in there, then? Plastic bags that are not reusable, such as those in boxes of cereal. I have really minimized my consumption of these things. However, we shop at a food liquidator because it is very, very cheap, and most of those products are packaged. So that is where those things came from. Pet food bags are in there--they aren't recyclable and there is no alternative. Bulk dog food doesn't work (we'd need to buy the whole bin). I guess we could make our own dog food but...yeah. I'm not quite there yet. Some disposable items that i can't find an alternative to such as Q-tips (any ideas?) , Lids to containers that are recyclable (you can't recycle glass jar lids, plastic tub lids, etc.) There is probably some other stuff in there that I am forgetting.
I want to try to go a month and a half before we set it out again...
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Fake Plastic Trees
So I was talking to a friend a few weeks ago, who was telling me about plastic products and how some of them are being shown to contain Very Scary Chemicals. I had heard about this in regards to baby bottles, but didn't pay much attention since my kids never really had bottles. Well, I have since also gone to the pediatrician (anyone who is counting out there, Emmett is still like 93rd percentile for weight, weighing in at 20 lbs 11 oz at 6 months) and she was mentioning the plastics thing again. I have been confused, but now I know the deal, and so I am going to share it with you.
I heard a story on NPR the other day about plastic water bottles. A shocking and sad statistic is that only 23% of these individual-portion water bottles get recycled. And these bottles, recycled, are just as valuable as the first-run versions! Everyone wants these recycled bottles. It is sad when there is such a demand for a post-consumer recycled product, but nobody is recycling it. Well, people shouldn't buy their water in freaking little bottles, either. I mean, really! You can bring a bottle with you and re-fill it, or if you don't like tap water, fill it at home. Bottled water is the biggest rip-off ever. Brands like Aquafina and Dolsane (or whatever they are called--the coke and pepsi bottled waters) aren't even "spring" water. They are just purified tap water. If you really can't do tap, then buy it in huge, re-fillable 10 gallon jugs. You can even get it delivered! I, myself, like tap water.
Ok, so back to the thing about how plastics are scary. Here is the deal: many plastics contain a chemical called Bisphenol-A or BPA. This chemical is an endocrine-disrupting hormone that probably causes cancer, early puberty, developmental delays in children, etc. There is evidence that this chemical leeches into foods we eat or liquids we drink from the plastics that contain it. But there is good news! Not all plastics contain it. Sadly, almost all baby bottles and sippy cups do. So the most vulnerable among us are the ones getting it. What is wrong with people? Why are we putting Scary Cancer-Causing chemicals in baby bottles?
So here is the break-down. Look at the bottom of your plastic cup, tupperware container, or sports bottle. If it is a #7, it probably contains BPA and you should get rid of it. THIS INCLUDES NALGENES. I know, i know. Its sad and horrible. We all thought lexan was the greatest thing ever. Plus, all those healthy people carry their Nalgenes with them wherever they go. But they are not safe. Especially not for hot liquids. I cringe when I recall that i have put coffee in mine on more than one occasion. #7 plastics are ok if they are labeled "bio-based" plastic.
There are several other kinds of plastics we should not use. We should not buy them because they should not be made. We do not want these Scary Chemicals in our environment, in our children's bodies. It is unacceptable to use these chemicals, and the makers need to know that.
#3 plastics: Bad. contains DEHA (di(2-ethylhexyl)adipate) which is known to cause liver cancer. With a name like that, you know you shouldn't be using it! Also found in cling-wrap. Don't use cling wrap. Especially don't microwave it! This chemical is now found in our air, food, water and bodies. Not ok. #3 is also PVC or polyvinylchloride. This is a bad, bad thing. We do not want PVC in our lives. If your children's toys contain PVC, please do them a favor and get rid of them.
#6 plastics: Bad. Contain styrene which is toxic to the brain and nervous system.
Again #7 plastics, Bad. So many studies show this. Get rid of it. Don't buy it.
Go look at your child's sippy cup. If it says #3, 6, or 7, get rid of it and replace with:
Plastics #1, #2, #4 and #5 are all OK. No known endocrine-disrupters. No cancer. They are still plastics, but they are less evil than the other ones.
If you need alternative sippy-cup sources, please check out this great blog article on the subject. There is also a company called "Born Free" that is making BPA-free bottles and sippy cups. I'm too lazy to google it. You do it! If you aren't sure because it isn't labeled, this quick test will let you know whether your stuff contains BPA--is it hard and clear? Or is it squishy or soft-ish and cloudy? If it is hard and clear (think colored Nalgene) it contains BPA.
Here is a full article about which plastics are ok and which aren't and more info on why they aren't ok.
While you are at it, get rid of your teflon pots and pans. Teflon is also a Scary Cancer-Causer.
We are slowly replacing everything teflon with stuff that is stainless steel. We are getting rid of all plastic things and using glass, stainless steel or the safer plastics.
I heard a story on NPR the other day about plastic water bottles. A shocking and sad statistic is that only 23% of these individual-portion water bottles get recycled. And these bottles, recycled, are just as valuable as the first-run versions! Everyone wants these recycled bottles. It is sad when there is such a demand for a post-consumer recycled product, but nobody is recycling it. Well, people shouldn't buy their water in freaking little bottles, either. I mean, really! You can bring a bottle with you and re-fill it, or if you don't like tap water, fill it at home. Bottled water is the biggest rip-off ever. Brands like Aquafina and Dolsane (or whatever they are called--the coke and pepsi bottled waters) aren't even "spring" water. They are just purified tap water. If you really can't do tap, then buy it in huge, re-fillable 10 gallon jugs. You can even get it delivered! I, myself, like tap water.
Ok, so back to the thing about how plastics are scary. Here is the deal: many plastics contain a chemical called Bisphenol-A or BPA. This chemical is an endocrine-disrupting hormone that probably causes cancer, early puberty, developmental delays in children, etc. There is evidence that this chemical leeches into foods we eat or liquids we drink from the plastics that contain it. But there is good news! Not all plastics contain it. Sadly, almost all baby bottles and sippy cups do. So the most vulnerable among us are the ones getting it. What is wrong with people? Why are we putting Scary Cancer-Causing chemicals in baby bottles?
So here is the break-down. Look at the bottom of your plastic cup, tupperware container, or sports bottle. If it is a #7, it probably contains BPA and you should get rid of it. THIS INCLUDES NALGENES. I know, i know. Its sad and horrible. We all thought lexan was the greatest thing ever. Plus, all those healthy people carry their Nalgenes with them wherever they go. But they are not safe. Especially not for hot liquids. I cringe when I recall that i have put coffee in mine on more than one occasion. #7 plastics are ok if they are labeled "bio-based" plastic.
There are several other kinds of plastics we should not use. We should not buy them because they should not be made. We do not want these Scary Chemicals in our environment, in our children's bodies. It is unacceptable to use these chemicals, and the makers need to know that.
#3 plastics: Bad. contains DEHA (di(2-ethylhexyl)adipate) which is known to cause liver cancer. With a name like that, you know you shouldn't be using it! Also found in cling-wrap. Don't use cling wrap. Especially don't microwave it! This chemical is now found in our air, food, water and bodies. Not ok. #3 is also PVC or polyvinylchloride. This is a bad, bad thing. We do not want PVC in our lives. If your children's toys contain PVC, please do them a favor and get rid of them.
#6 plastics: Bad. Contain styrene which is toxic to the brain and nervous system.
Again #7 plastics, Bad. So many studies show this. Get rid of it. Don't buy it.
Go look at your child's sippy cup. If it says #3, 6, or 7, get rid of it and replace with:
Plastics #1, #2, #4 and #5 are all OK. No known endocrine-disrupters. No cancer. They are still plastics, but they are less evil than the other ones.
If you need alternative sippy-cup sources, please check out this great blog article on the subject. There is also a company called "Born Free" that is making BPA-free bottles and sippy cups. I'm too lazy to google it. You do it! If you aren't sure because it isn't labeled, this quick test will let you know whether your stuff contains BPA--is it hard and clear? Or is it squishy or soft-ish and cloudy? If it is hard and clear (think colored Nalgene) it contains BPA.
Here is a full article about which plastics are ok and which aren't and more info on why they aren't ok.
While you are at it, get rid of your teflon pots and pans. Teflon is also a Scary Cancer-Causer.
We are slowly replacing everything teflon with stuff that is stainless steel. We are getting rid of all plastic things and using glass, stainless steel or the safer plastics.
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Top 10 lists
Top 10 best things we have done to simplify and reduce our impact so far...(if you want more info on how to do these things, go back and read the earlier posts in May)
1. Drastically reduced our waste.
we have yet to put the garbage out to the curb. in fact, we had one 13 gallon kitchen garbage can unfilled for over 2 weeks. much of this garbage was stuff from before we started all this. there were a few things that went in there that could have been minimized: two food take-out containers, some wrappers, etc. But I have made a very conscious effort not to buy anything that comes in packaging that can't be reused or recycled. I have only used bulk bin plastic bags (over and over), glass jars, tin cans, plastic bottles and tubs that are recyclable. We have to take our #2 and #5 plastic tubs (like margarine tubs) to the store, because they can't be recycled at the curb. I haven't bought anything like crackers or cereal that come in a bag in a box. It hasn't been as hard as I thought. sometimes, it just comes down to "i am not going to buy this" because of its packaging. I have never done that before, so it is something I have to think about consciously.
2. Re-going vegan. The lower you eat on the food chain, the less you pollute, the less carbon you emit, the less waste you produce.
3. Not buying anything new. We haven't (other than those cloth diaper covers for elsie and the computer router that jay got). The amount of stuff we consume is destroying the earth. Plus, i've gotten some killer deals at garage sales lately!
4. Drastically reducing our energy consumption with a few very simple changes: line-drying laundry, washing laundry in cold water, using compact fluorescent bulbs for all lights, leaving things off when not in use (even if you just are out of the room for a short time). these things really make a difference.
5. Not buying anything disposable. No more paper towels, paper plates, napkins, tampons/pads (check out the Diva cup, Moon Cup or Keeper for more info. there are also lots of cloth/reusable pads out there), very little T.P thanks to "family cloth", no juice boxes, no individually-wrapped granola bars. Nothing that you just use once and then throw out.
6. Switching our household energy to green power.
7. Reducing our use of the car. We are working on selling the old car. We are using the bus and walking a lot more. We are grouping our trips together, and meal-planning so we only have to food shop once a week.
8. Stopping the junk mail.
9. Composting all food waste.
10. Localizing our food. I have made a big effort to not buy any produce from further away than Washington, California, and in a few instances, Mexico. Almost everything has been organic. We are also getting really excited about our garden, which is already growing so fast. In just a few weeks we will be eating our own zucchini, lettuce and tomatoes. I can't wait! Some things are just insane: don't buy apples from new zealand. Don't buy pine nuts from china (i think they ALL come from china). Don't buy turkish apricots--they really are from Turkey! We have enough food choices without shipping food across the globe.
Top Six Things That Have Been the Hardest...
1. Reducing use of the car. Sometimes, I want to take the bus, but its such an effort I just can't do it. Getting two kids and our stuff on the bus, especially if we need to transfer, walk a long distance, etc. Is just too much for me. Just a trip across town, a 45 minute bus ride, is scary to contemplate with two kids in tow. We are looking for a bike trailer, but I'm not really comfortable with Emmett riding in it for long distances. Our entire country has been set up with one thing in mind: the car. It is hard to imagine living without one. But we have reduced our use and become more efficient with it.
2. Not buying food from far away. Sometimes, you just don't know where food comes from. Maybe it was "made" in california or something, but where are the ingredients from? Unless you write to the company, you can't know. They probably don't even know, because it probably changes. It makes it pretty hard to buy some things local, like crackers, pasta or things like that.
3. Not making waste. Not making any waste would mean never, ever buying some things again. Maybe some day I can give up things like crackers (or maybe I could make my own?), certain kinds of cereal, etc. I have stopped shopping at Trader Joe's. They only have a few things that meet my criteria now. Almost everything there is completely over-packaged. It just makes my skin crawl to buy bell peppers in a non-recyclable plastic container with a styrofoam tray under it. What I need to do is write to companies and ask them to reduce their packaging. Why does cereal have to come in a bag in a box? It's so unnecessary.
4. Not buying "stuff". Although we haven't been shopping at the mall or anything, we have picked things up at garage sales and goodwill. I still feel the desire to consume stuff. To "solve" a problem with buying. I think I am done for a long while, but it seems like sometimes I just feel the need to buy something. I think we are conditioned to do this.
5. The difficulty with vegan vs. our goals/the environment. Sometimes, to be vegan, you need a certain product that you can't get just anywhere. What if that product is overpackaged (a LOT of vegan things have really awful packaging that is unnecessary or not recyclable, etc.) Some days I feel really restricted. I try to remind myself that I have so many choices and so much privilege that we think we are entitled to things, when really we are just used to them. So i can do without.
6. Taking short showers. Ok, so I love to take long showers. But I'm working on it, really! I justify it because now that I have two kids I only get to shower like twice a month. Ok, not really, that's an exaggeration. Four times a month, at least.
1. Drastically reduced our waste.
we have yet to put the garbage out to the curb. in fact, we had one 13 gallon kitchen garbage can unfilled for over 2 weeks. much of this garbage was stuff from before we started all this. there were a few things that went in there that could have been minimized: two food take-out containers, some wrappers, etc. But I have made a very conscious effort not to buy anything that comes in packaging that can't be reused or recycled. I have only used bulk bin plastic bags (over and over), glass jars, tin cans, plastic bottles and tubs that are recyclable. We have to take our #2 and #5 plastic tubs (like margarine tubs) to the store, because they can't be recycled at the curb. I haven't bought anything like crackers or cereal that come in a bag in a box. It hasn't been as hard as I thought. sometimes, it just comes down to "i am not going to buy this" because of its packaging. I have never done that before, so it is something I have to think about consciously.
2. Re-going vegan. The lower you eat on the food chain, the less you pollute, the less carbon you emit, the less waste you produce.
3. Not buying anything new. We haven't (other than those cloth diaper covers for elsie and the computer router that jay got). The amount of stuff we consume is destroying the earth. Plus, i've gotten some killer deals at garage sales lately!
4. Drastically reducing our energy consumption with a few very simple changes: line-drying laundry, washing laundry in cold water, using compact fluorescent bulbs for all lights, leaving things off when not in use (even if you just are out of the room for a short time). these things really make a difference.
5. Not buying anything disposable. No more paper towels, paper plates, napkins, tampons/pads (check out the Diva cup, Moon Cup or Keeper for more info. there are also lots of cloth/reusable pads out there), very little T.P thanks to "family cloth", no juice boxes, no individually-wrapped granola bars. Nothing that you just use once and then throw out.
6. Switching our household energy to green power.
7. Reducing our use of the car. We are working on selling the old car. We are using the bus and walking a lot more. We are grouping our trips together, and meal-planning so we only have to food shop once a week.
8. Stopping the junk mail.
9. Composting all food waste.
10. Localizing our food. I have made a big effort to not buy any produce from further away than Washington, California, and in a few instances, Mexico. Almost everything has been organic. We are also getting really excited about our garden, which is already growing so fast. In just a few weeks we will be eating our own zucchini, lettuce and tomatoes. I can't wait! Some things are just insane: don't buy apples from new zealand. Don't buy pine nuts from china (i think they ALL come from china). Don't buy turkish apricots--they really are from Turkey! We have enough food choices without shipping food across the globe.
Top Six Things That Have Been the Hardest...
1. Reducing use of the car. Sometimes, I want to take the bus, but its such an effort I just can't do it. Getting two kids and our stuff on the bus, especially if we need to transfer, walk a long distance, etc. Is just too much for me. Just a trip across town, a 45 minute bus ride, is scary to contemplate with two kids in tow. We are looking for a bike trailer, but I'm not really comfortable with Emmett riding in it for long distances. Our entire country has been set up with one thing in mind: the car. It is hard to imagine living without one. But we have reduced our use and become more efficient with it.
2. Not buying food from far away. Sometimes, you just don't know where food comes from. Maybe it was "made" in california or something, but where are the ingredients from? Unless you write to the company, you can't know. They probably don't even know, because it probably changes. It makes it pretty hard to buy some things local, like crackers, pasta or things like that.
3. Not making waste. Not making any waste would mean never, ever buying some things again. Maybe some day I can give up things like crackers (or maybe I could make my own?), certain kinds of cereal, etc. I have stopped shopping at Trader Joe's. They only have a few things that meet my criteria now. Almost everything there is completely over-packaged. It just makes my skin crawl to buy bell peppers in a non-recyclable plastic container with a styrofoam tray under it. What I need to do is write to companies and ask them to reduce their packaging. Why does cereal have to come in a bag in a box? It's so unnecessary.
4. Not buying "stuff". Although we haven't been shopping at the mall or anything, we have picked things up at garage sales and goodwill. I still feel the desire to consume stuff. To "solve" a problem with buying. I think I am done for a long while, but it seems like sometimes I just feel the need to buy something. I think we are conditioned to do this.
5. The difficulty with vegan vs. our goals/the environment. Sometimes, to be vegan, you need a certain product that you can't get just anywhere. What if that product is overpackaged (a LOT of vegan things have really awful packaging that is unnecessary or not recyclable, etc.) Some days I feel really restricted. I try to remind myself that I have so many choices and so much privilege that we think we are entitled to things, when really we are just used to them. So i can do without.
6. Taking short showers. Ok, so I love to take long showers. But I'm working on it, really! I justify it because now that I have two kids I only get to shower like twice a month. Ok, not really, that's an exaggeration. Four times a month, at least.
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".
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
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/).
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.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
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).
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