So perhaps Mother Nature doesn't actually need a brassiere to hold up her lovely mountains, but supporting her in other ways is going to help make this world a better place. Today I thought about how important it is to support all the mama's out there trying to make a difference (and dada's, sister's, friends.)
For today's eco challenge I am going to make sure I am supporting a friend who just co-started an organic eco-friendly lip balm business. You are also making a difference by supporting a mama by reading this blog! Thank you.
And if you want to help support my friend check out her products on Amazon, just search for Mama Purist.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Day 24 - how's the air out there?
For the first time in as long as I can remember (about 9 months back currently...) it was hot in the Northwest yesterday. Okay, so it was only like 75 degrees out, but that is a big step up for us! I got into my car about mid-afternoon and went straight for the air conditioning. After just a few minutes I realized, wait, here is another one of those decisions I make throughout the day without putting any thought into how it might affect the environment. I turned the air off and rolled down my window. I forgot how nice it feels to have fresh air cooling you off when the convenience of air conditioning seems to be the default choice. I know there are times when air conditioning might feel necessary, but try to remember the next time you are in your car to roll down your windows and enjoy the feel of the outside air!
Happy Summer everyone
Happy Summer everyone
Monday, June 20, 2011
Day 23 - back in the saddle again
Such a long lapse in writing, thank you so much for those who encouraged me to get back in the saddle and continue the cause. I became derailed in my writing due to a short vacation. Isn't it funny how a long weekend can take you away from an exercise routine, a diet, a new habit you are trying to form? It also took the baby back to a state of non-sleep which might explain the lack of writing...
Now on to the creation of daily habits. Has anyone noticed the culture of fear that the media is (and has been) creating regarding nature? It's interesting as a parent to see how nature and natural things are portrayed in the media towards children and towards providing for our children. From the threat of organic veggies being tainted to cartoons depicting the forests as a scary place full of villainous creatures no wonder we have such a disconnected relationship with nature. Perhaps the newest habit is to break down some of these myths and be more aware of the balance of reality and myth.
Yes, it is important to understand the risks but risks are everywhere but they need to be balanced. What about the benefits of non-pesticide soaked food? Or the benefit to learning to enjoy a peaceful moment watching wildlife or exploring a new trail? I have had the joy of watching my four year old getting into the dirt to capture a worm or a potato bug and stare in fascination at it wriggling around.
So go out and find some worms this week and try to remember that joy and quiet wonder you used to experience daily as a child. This is the start of a new connection to nature.
Now on to the creation of daily habits. Has anyone noticed the culture of fear that the media is (and has been) creating regarding nature? It's interesting as a parent to see how nature and natural things are portrayed in the media towards children and towards providing for our children. From the threat of organic veggies being tainted to cartoons depicting the forests as a scary place full of villainous creatures no wonder we have such a disconnected relationship with nature. Perhaps the newest habit is to break down some of these myths and be more aware of the balance of reality and myth.
Yes, it is important to understand the risks but risks are everywhere but they need to be balanced. What about the benefits of non-pesticide soaked food? Or the benefit to learning to enjoy a peaceful moment watching wildlife or exploring a new trail? I have had the joy of watching my four year old getting into the dirt to capture a worm or a potato bug and stare in fascination at it wriggling around.
So go out and find some worms this week and try to remember that joy and quiet wonder you used to experience daily as a child. This is the start of a new connection to nature.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Day 22 - creativity in repurposing
At work on Friday I found an empty gift box on my desk. It turns out that as I have been doing these little things to encourage reduction of waste and reusing resources at work people have started to pay attention. As this gift box was on its way to the garbage bin someone put it on my desk to see if I could find a new use for it. Although I am not hoping for all garbage to end up on my desk, it was exciting to think of the endless possibilities of finding new uses for our everyday items.
Ideas for finding new uses for items you might not be using anymore:
old jewelery, scarves, buttons, random decorative items - Maybe it's just me, but I love to take these things, cut them up into new designs and hot glue them on to blank headbands. I have an assortment to wear on my own and the others can be given away as gifts (if you know anyone who is willing to sport gaudy headpieces on a daily basis...)
clothes that aren't in good enough shape for goodwill - first I check if something is worth giving to goodwill for someone else to use, but if it torn or stained I try to think of other purposes before throwing away. Cut into strips as rags, or use the strips to do some old school hair rolling (like curlers but takes longer...) Other uses are making braided rugs, braided belts, or guitar straps out of longer strips of fabric. Not too long ago I cut the sleeves off of some plaid shirts and lined them with fleece to make fingerless gloves.
cardboard boxes, wrapping paper tubes, misc cardboard - make a fort, a car, a spaceship or house for your kids. And if you don't have kids, why not make one for yourself? It provides a little more use before these head to the recycle bin.
What other ideas do you have? There are endless suggestions at Etsy as well, try looking up a new use for something before you throw it away!
Ideas for finding new uses for items you might not be using anymore:
old jewelery, scarves, buttons, random decorative items - Maybe it's just me, but I love to take these things, cut them up into new designs and hot glue them on to blank headbands. I have an assortment to wear on my own and the others can be given away as gifts (if you know anyone who is willing to sport gaudy headpieces on a daily basis...)
clothes that aren't in good enough shape for goodwill - first I check if something is worth giving to goodwill for someone else to use, but if it torn or stained I try to think of other purposes before throwing away. Cut into strips as rags, or use the strips to do some old school hair rolling (like curlers but takes longer...) Other uses are making braided rugs, braided belts, or guitar straps out of longer strips of fabric. Not too long ago I cut the sleeves off of some plaid shirts and lined them with fleece to make fingerless gloves.
cardboard boxes, wrapping paper tubes, misc cardboard - make a fort, a car, a spaceship or house for your kids. And if you don't have kids, why not make one for yourself? It provides a little more use before these head to the recycle bin.
What other ideas do you have? There are endless suggestions at Etsy as well, try looking up a new use for something before you throw it away!
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Day 21 - my new baggies
I am not going to try and keep track of how many days I missed blogging this week, I will just start where I left off. It has been a challenging week as the baby was sick and the weekend was busy. But here I am, back at it again.
I received my re-use-it bags in the mail yesterday and was giddy to use them today. The kid's lunch was packed in his usual lunch box, but instead of plastic baggies that would be thrown away he had his snacks in adorable cloth bags with guitars on them. He was tickled when he saw how they velcro shut. I sported my very trendy "This is not a paper bag" paper bag looking reusable bag today and got several compliments. Don't you love when eco-conscious crosses with trendy fashion item? Okay, maybe not, as that is what has gotten us in this pickle in the first place, right? At least the current fad is somewhat productive on a consciousness level. I digress.
Good news is, I love my little lunch baggies and it makes me want to pack a lunch which will reduce waste and will save me some money by bringing food instead of eating out. Note to anyone going to try and switch your family to something like this, do NOT try to convince your husband that it is worth buying these because they are cheaper than Ziploc. When I tried to explain how the average American spends $85 a year on sandwich bags I got laughed at for a long time, apparently we only spend a few latte's worth on our baggies. I suggest going with the eco-friendly argument or the "I will eat out less" argument, it might work better.
I received my re-use-it bags in the mail yesterday and was giddy to use them today. The kid's lunch was packed in his usual lunch box, but instead of plastic baggies that would be thrown away he had his snacks in adorable cloth bags with guitars on them. He was tickled when he saw how they velcro shut. I sported my very trendy "This is not a paper bag" paper bag looking reusable bag today and got several compliments. Don't you love when eco-conscious crosses with trendy fashion item? Okay, maybe not, as that is what has gotten us in this pickle in the first place, right? At least the current fad is somewhat productive on a consciousness level. I digress.
Good news is, I love my little lunch baggies and it makes me want to pack a lunch which will reduce waste and will save me some money by bringing food instead of eating out. Note to anyone going to try and switch your family to something like this, do NOT try to convince your husband that it is worth buying these because they are cheaper than Ziploc. When I tried to explain how the average American spends $85 a year on sandwich bags I got laughed at for a long time, apparently we only spend a few latte's worth on our baggies. I suggest going with the eco-friendly argument or the "I will eat out less" argument, it might work better.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Day 20 - baggie blues
I am not blue at all about the order I just placed for reuseit snack baggies and lunch baggies. Great idea sent to me by my dear friend Nikki. Thank you!
BUT, the blues do hit when you learn what all those little sandwich bags lead to. I learned today the following facts at www.reuseit.com
Anyone else going to go bagless?
BUT, the blues do hit when you learn what all those little sandwich bags lead to. I learned today the following facts at www.reuseit.com
- The U.S. goes through 100 billion plastic shopping bags annually at an estimated cost to retailers of $4 billion. (The Wall Street Journal)
- The extremely slow decomposition rate of plastic bags leaves them to drift on the ocean for untold years. According to Algalita Marine Research Foundation, these plastic bags cause the death of many marine animals (fish, sea turtles, etc.), every year when animals mistake them for food.
- Numbers were kept on 43 different types of refuse. Cigarette butts were the most common. Plastic bags came in second. (Ocean Conservency, 2008)
- When plastics break down, they don't biodegrade; they photodegrade. This means the materials break down to smaller fragments which readily soak up toxins. They then contaminate soil, waterways, and animals upon digestion.
- Windblown plastic bags are so prevalent in Africa that a cottage industry has sprung up to harvest them. These are then woven and sold as hats and (more durable) bags.
Anyone else going to go bagless?
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Day 18 and 19 - digging a little deeper
I can't claim to have done a whole lot of new and different things the last two days, but I have been working hard on digging deeper into the core of me and trying to figure out where I got so far off track. It used to be the norm for me to buy all my clothes and furniture second hand, look for ways to conserve resources better, spend my free time out on trails or adventuring in the snow and use my time and energy to make the earth a better place. Something has happened to pull me away from those values. Now I am a mom, at a time where I feel it is so important to be exemplifying these behaviors, and I am doing no such thing.
Is it the lack of time and energy as you get sucked into the daily insanity of juggling a family and a full time job? Is it the instant gratification I get from buying something shiny and new, a treat for working so hard and sacrificing so much? But why have I gone so far as treating myself for the sacrifice of those things I used to hold so dear? Writing this blog and changing my priorities are a new way to 'treat' myself and to stop having to give up so much.
New priorities:
1. Teach my children how to enjoy Nature and the importance of conservation and preservation.
2. Exemplify by spending more time outside. Awareness is the entry to Action.
3. Have fun again...
How about everyone gets outside and has a little fun playing in the dirt. It's a great reminder to not take everything so seriously.
Is it the lack of time and energy as you get sucked into the daily insanity of juggling a family and a full time job? Is it the instant gratification I get from buying something shiny and new, a treat for working so hard and sacrificing so much? But why have I gone so far as treating myself for the sacrifice of those things I used to hold so dear? Writing this blog and changing my priorities are a new way to 'treat' myself and to stop having to give up so much.
New priorities:
1. Teach my children how to enjoy Nature and the importance of conservation and preservation.
2. Exemplify by spending more time outside. Awareness is the entry to Action.
3. Have fun again...
How about everyone gets outside and has a little fun playing in the dirt. It's a great reminder to not take everything so seriously.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Day 15, 16 and 17 - Happy Mother's Day Mama Gaia
A few days behind as the baby has been sick and I am tired. I am working on incorporating my habits, saving electricity by turning off lights whenever I leave a room, turning off my computer each day when I leave work, cutting down on disposable cups (although I found out that if you order a latte at Starbucks and give them your reusable mug they still use a disposable to measure and make the drink... sheesh!) also focused on saving water and being aware of my daily waste. All of these things are thankfully becoming more habit than challenge, as it should be. Today is one of the most important day's to think about our impact on the earth because it is Mother's day. A day we can honor nurturing our maternal instinct and our ability to take care of others, including the earth and all it's beings.
Mother's day is a funny day. The focus (as media would tell you) is supposedly on the mother and what she wants to do, but really it's just a way to teach kids to honor the mother, isn't it? It's not like you spend the day with a few hours by yourself with a good book, a massage, a soak in the tub or anything. Or maybe people do and I just didn't plan my day right. No, I loved spending the day with my wonderful, sweet, whining, crying, children because despite the tears they are my life. Sometimes I wonder how Mother Nature feels about these things. Do you think the human race is at the toddler stage? Or is it the early adolescence? Perhaps Mama Gaia is just wanting some time to relax today. I hope Mother Nature has a good sense of humor.
Today's present to Mother Nature is time spent in the garden. New plants planted and seeds were put in the soil. Hopefully she got to relax with a little massage (digging in the dirt), a little makeover (new flowers) and a nice soak (watering the fresh soil.) Maybe this will help her realize that even though we are loud, seemingly careless at times and slightly obnoxious, we all love our mama's.
Mother's day is a funny day. The focus (as media would tell you) is supposedly on the mother and what she wants to do, but really it's just a way to teach kids to honor the mother, isn't it? It's not like you spend the day with a few hours by yourself with a good book, a massage, a soak in the tub or anything. Or maybe people do and I just didn't plan my day right. No, I loved spending the day with my wonderful, sweet, whining, crying, children because despite the tears they are my life. Sometimes I wonder how Mother Nature feels about these things. Do you think the human race is at the toddler stage? Or is it the early adolescence? Perhaps Mama Gaia is just wanting some time to relax today. I hope Mother Nature has a good sense of humor.
Today's present to Mother Nature is time spent in the garden. New plants planted and seeds were put in the soil. Hopefully she got to relax with a little massage (digging in the dirt), a little makeover (new flowers) and a nice soak (watering the fresh soil.) Maybe this will help her realize that even though we are loud, seemingly careless at times and slightly obnoxious, we all love our mama's.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Day 13 and 14 - let's get dirty
I know I am a bit late for this, but it is time to start gardening! Last night I flipped the soil for the third time this Spring in my two little veggie plots and I think they are almost ready for some seeds. As for planting thus far I have only had a chance to throw a few flower seeds on the front lawn beds. Literally thrown as I like to garden like Mother Nature does, a combination of wind dispersal and randomization. Really it is just my creative way of landscaping with the help of my small children, but I like to think it is the 'natural' approach.
Tonight I am working on planning the garden. How can I maximize our soil to minimize our impact on the Earth? When it comes to our food it is important to think about ways to alleviate the amount of miles Produce typically travels so we can have it available in our grocery stores. Could you imagine what would happen if everyone grew three or four veggies in their garden during the Summer? What impact would that have on eliminating the fuel used to transport our carrots, lettuce, tomatoes, peas and more from wherever it might be coming from?
How about giving it a try? Even a small window box or outside planter can grow a vegetable. One less vegetable you are purchasing that might have been sprayed or might have used fuel to get to the store can make a small impact. I have extra seeds if anyone is interested. I got a little overly excited when buying seeds this year. Not sure how I will fit this all in:
Purple carrots, orange carrots, radishes, snap peas, piccolo zucchini, regular zucchini, edamame beans, lettuce, chives, spinach, tomatoes, corn, sunflowers, and quinoa. Whew!
Tonight I am working on planning the garden. How can I maximize our soil to minimize our impact on the Earth? When it comes to our food it is important to think about ways to alleviate the amount of miles Produce typically travels so we can have it available in our grocery stores. Could you imagine what would happen if everyone grew three or four veggies in their garden during the Summer? What impact would that have on eliminating the fuel used to transport our carrots, lettuce, tomatoes, peas and more from wherever it might be coming from?
How about giving it a try? Even a small window box or outside planter can grow a vegetable. One less vegetable you are purchasing that might have been sprayed or might have used fuel to get to the store can make a small impact. I have extra seeds if anyone is interested. I got a little overly excited when buying seeds this year. Not sure how I will fit this all in:
Purple carrots, orange carrots, radishes, snap peas, piccolo zucchini, regular zucchini, edamame beans, lettuce, chives, spinach, tomatoes, corn, sunflowers, and quinoa. Whew!
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Day 12 - repurpose for multipurpose
A super quick entry tonight as it is late and it has been a very busy day! Today I had a great experience where someone I ran into commented on my shampoo adventure and gave me some more tips (I think I was most surprised and pleased that someone had read what I wrote yesterday). Thank you Taylor, I am super excited about the new ideas. So now I am getting ready to go and make a simple face serum out of the products I made shampoo with last night. I get multiple purposes from my ingredients and less waste is produced in the form of excess plastic bottles, excess chemicals and the transportation that goes into getting all of our beauty products into stores. I will sleep well with a little almond oil and essential oil serum enhancing my delicate skin.
Enjoy re-purposing what you have in your home to help reduce waste!
Enjoy re-purposing what you have in your home to help reduce waste!
Monday, May 2, 2011
Day 11 - simple recipes to reduce waste
Today's simple step starts with a recipe. 1 cup distilled water, 1 cup Castile soap and 1 tsp Almond Oil. What do we have? Yes, you guessed it, shampoo! I made my own shampoo with three simple ingredients and filled up a bottle that just ran out. Reusing the same bottle over and over and refilling it with this concoction means I am putting less chemicals down the drain and using less plastic bottles. It also means I am saving some pennies as I won't be buying my expensive fancy shampoo for awhile. It took less than 5 minutes to do the whole thing and now I have fun new shampoo. I can't wait to start making new fancy flavors. Next time I will try steeping some fresh rosemary and mint in the water before adding the soap. Yum!
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Day 9 and 10 - Reduction and Regression
The garage sale was a success. I have gone through many phases of my life where I love nothing more than going out and hunting a good garage sale to find that one special treasure, but I have never been on the giving side of this feat. It is a very strange experience putting your personal belongings out onto a table for people to go through, handle, comment, judge and then try to purchase for mere change. I thought a garage sale would be engaging, entertaining and a way to make new friends but instead it was hard work, boring, tedious and at times belittling. Despite this, the end result was worth the whole experience. Our house is cleaned out and *hopefully people found good uses for things that we no longer needed. There were a few high points during the day when people were really excited about an item which made me feel all warm and fuzzy about letting it go, but on the whole it was an exercise in letting go.
Our overall reduction of stuff has felt very cleansing. Reduction is feeling somewhat addictive to me, as I look around the room right now I see a multitude of items that I feel I could easily go put out in the free bin to give away to the people still driving down our street looking for the last deals. Letting go of things gets so much harder when you have a family, I look at something to give away and my four year old says "why would you give that away mama, it is so special to us!" It just about melts my heart. But then I think, shouldn't I be sad that he thinks these things are special? Wouldn't it be so much easier if we didn't get attached to things? Our impact on the earth is directly linked to the amount of stuff we hold on to, the waste that we create and the demand we create by purchasing all of these things.
Well, at least for today I can say we have made an effort to reduce. Unfortunately this weekend has also been about regression. I gave in to convenience this morning and had Starbucks, in a disposable cup. Ugh. I took an extra long shower and I even used plastic spoons on the ferry and threw them away, and then went to the grocery store without my reusable bags and got plastic bags! I went against all of my good habits that I have been working so hard to incorporate. Why does this happen? You would think this bout of regression could have waited at least until I was into this for a month, I can't believe it is showing up after the first week. Perhaps it is like the regressions I see in my boys right before they are about to embark on a developmental milestone. Perhaps I am about to reach a new milestone in my ecoquest...? Or perhaps it was Sunday and I was lazy.
From waste reduction to environmental consciousness regressions, the new focus is on redemption. So, as a minimal act of redeeming myself I have made a small donation. My offering is not directly going to an environmental cause, it goes out to all of those affected by the tornadoes, part of our money from our sale goes to the Red Cross today (interesting when examining letting go of things when so many have things taken away from them without choice). Some days it is about supporting each other in order to have a healthier Earth.
Our overall reduction of stuff has felt very cleansing. Reduction is feeling somewhat addictive to me, as I look around the room right now I see a multitude of items that I feel I could easily go put out in the free bin to give away to the people still driving down our street looking for the last deals. Letting go of things gets so much harder when you have a family, I look at something to give away and my four year old says "why would you give that away mama, it is so special to us!" It just about melts my heart. But then I think, shouldn't I be sad that he thinks these things are special? Wouldn't it be so much easier if we didn't get attached to things? Our impact on the earth is directly linked to the amount of stuff we hold on to, the waste that we create and the demand we create by purchasing all of these things.
Well, at least for today I can say we have made an effort to reduce. Unfortunately this weekend has also been about regression. I gave in to convenience this morning and had Starbucks, in a disposable cup. Ugh. I took an extra long shower and I even used plastic spoons on the ferry and threw them away, and then went to the grocery store without my reusable bags and got plastic bags! I went against all of my good habits that I have been working so hard to incorporate. Why does this happen? You would think this bout of regression could have waited at least until I was into this for a month, I can't believe it is showing up after the first week. Perhaps it is like the regressions I see in my boys right before they are about to embark on a developmental milestone. Perhaps I am about to reach a new milestone in my ecoquest...? Or perhaps it was Sunday and I was lazy.
From waste reduction to environmental consciousness regressions, the new focus is on redemption. So, as a minimal act of redeeming myself I have made a small donation. My offering is not directly going to an environmental cause, it goes out to all of those affected by the tornadoes, part of our money from our sale goes to the Red Cross today (interesting when examining letting go of things when so many have things taken away from them without choice). Some days it is about supporting each other in order to have a healthier Earth.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Day 8 - groovy garage sale-in
In the spirit of re-using we are preparing for our first venture into the Great Neighborhood Garage Sale. Signing up for the community garage sale has forced me to actually go through with this. I have spent all week going through my closets, drawers and the garage to see what we are holding onto that we no longer need. Isn't it amazing how much stuff we accumulate? I am a regular Goodwill dropper offer so I really thought I would have to scrounge to find things, but there were whole boxes that I feel ready to let go. Items from not that long ago when I lived on my own, before kids and 'grown-up' life that I look at and think, "will I ever REALLY have a need for this again?" And the answer is no, I will probably not need the collection of amazingly cute and chic high heels, the multitude of small handbags, or my colllection of colorful scarves. Not only do I not truly need these things but I really don't mind passing them on either. I am hoping that some adventurous bargain hunter out there tomorrow stumbles upon our yard and comes away feeling like they found a great treasure. Then it will be entirely worth it.
I am anxious and excited about our yard sale tomorrow. I am not sure why but there is part of me that has these silly questions going through my mind today "what if no one wants our stuff?", "what if people make fun of what we put out", it never occurred to me that throwing a garage sale would feel like such an intimate showing of my life. Despite this emotional obstacle I am excited to be releasing these little treasures of mine out into the world for a new life and adventure they get to partake in. This is the first time in my grown up life that I have actually thrown a real garage sale and I can't wait for the experience.
Wish me luck!
I am anxious and excited about our yard sale tomorrow. I am not sure why but there is part of me that has these silly questions going through my mind today "what if no one wants our stuff?", "what if people make fun of what we put out", it never occurred to me that throwing a garage sale would feel like such an intimate showing of my life. Despite this emotional obstacle I am excited to be releasing these little treasures of mine out into the world for a new life and adventure they get to partake in. This is the first time in my grown up life that I have actually thrown a real garage sale and I can't wait for the experience.
Wish me luck!
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Day 7 - meat is neat but not to eat
Did you know that to produce one pound of beef requires 2,500 gallons of water, more than 40 times what you would use to make a pound of potatoes? Then factor in the energy used to feed and raise the beef, the fuel to transport it and the amount of methane produced by the cattle all so we can eat some beef; this equals out to a real eco bad guy.
So today the focus is to start a habit to limit the amount of meat my family and I are eating. We are not a super crazy meat family to begin with, but this gives me even more reason to limit our intake of animal. Yesterday we had a fully meat-free day and today was almost meat-free (there was some chicken in our soup for lunch.)
When you hear people talk about the importance of thinking globally but acting locally I think that is also applicable to how we treat our bodies and the earth. The first step is to focus on how we are treating our own body, what we are putting into it, on it, and around it (being local). When we are aware of how we are nurturing ourselves we can become more aware of how to nurture mother nature (thinking global.)
It all starts with awareness, and today's awareness has given me the chance to minimize my harm to livestock and in turn minimize my negative effects on the earth. Join me this week and skip the livestock for one of your meal's. Even doing it once a week will make a difference!
So today the focus is to start a habit to limit the amount of meat my family and I are eating. We are not a super crazy meat family to begin with, but this gives me even more reason to limit our intake of animal. Yesterday we had a fully meat-free day and today was almost meat-free (there was some chicken in our soup for lunch.)
When you hear people talk about the importance of thinking globally but acting locally I think that is also applicable to how we treat our bodies and the earth. The first step is to focus on how we are treating our own body, what we are putting into it, on it, and around it (being local). When we are aware of how we are nurturing ourselves we can become more aware of how to nurture mother nature (thinking global.)
It all starts with awareness, and today's awareness has given me the chance to minimize my harm to livestock and in turn minimize my negative effects on the earth. Join me this week and skip the livestock for one of your meal's. Even doing it once a week will make a difference!
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Day 6 - the diaper conundrum
Thank you my friend Rachel (not talking to myself, a different Rachel...), you have made me delve into a subject I am not sure I am ready to tackle quite yet. The dreaded diaper dilemma. Here is a pretty major environmental question that I have been ignoring as a full-time working mom. It never came up as a question with my first child, cloth diapering hadn't become as prominent as it is now and being a career driven working mom I was all about convenience. Now, with the second child I honestly hadn't thought much about doing anything differently this go round. Then I go and start making changes and now need to make a conscious decision, do I dispose of diapers and worry about landfills and the waste being created for producing them or do I invest in cloth diapering and worry about the added water and energy I am using to clean them on a daily/weekly basis?
This is a great example of how economics and convenience play into our daily environmental decisions. To cloth diaper sounds lovely and I can greatly appreciate the positive impact it has on the environment eliminating waste, saving resources and more. But there is a major commitment and investment needed to go down this path. When looking into it today I figured it would cost ~$300 to get the basic system of cloth diapering just to see if I like it and can sustain it. This would be about the same as 7 1/2 months of disposable diapers. So yes, there seems to be an inherent ROI if you assume the baby will be in diapers until he is around three years old. The total savings if he is potty trained at three would be around $700. But then you figure in things like extra diapers to replace ones I lose or break, extra diapering supplies like night time inserts, wipes, etc and that savings gets diminished rather quickly. And then you look at the additional water and electricity expenses for running the washing machine every day and I am not sure where that leaves me, perhaps it is break even? If that is the case then I start evaluating based on convenience.
Is it convenient? Well, not exactly. Can we really make this happen? Would we really be able to keep up with laundry? Maybe, although we can barely keep our own laundry current (have you seen some of my recent fantastical outfits?), let alone the kids' laundry, and now we are thinking of adding a necessity like clean diapers into the mix? Hmmmm....
When I look at my choices I know that taking on this challenge was not about always doing the easy thing and that I can no longer have convenience be my only deciding factor. So I will dip my toe into this diaper adventure (not quite ready to jump in feet first). I have ordered my first cloth diaper and should see it on my doorstep in a few days, we will see if there is a way to evaluate our ability to do this with a sample run. I am not even sure if one diaper will be enough to learn from but we are going to give it a try and see what comes of it.
Anyone care to weigh in on this one?
This is a great example of how economics and convenience play into our daily environmental decisions. To cloth diaper sounds lovely and I can greatly appreciate the positive impact it has on the environment eliminating waste, saving resources and more. But there is a major commitment and investment needed to go down this path. When looking into it today I figured it would cost ~$300 to get the basic system of cloth diapering just to see if I like it and can sustain it. This would be about the same as 7 1/2 months of disposable diapers. So yes, there seems to be an inherent ROI if you assume the baby will be in diapers until he is around three years old. The total savings if he is potty trained at three would be around $700. But then you figure in things like extra diapers to replace ones I lose or break, extra diapering supplies like night time inserts, wipes, etc and that savings gets diminished rather quickly. And then you look at the additional water and electricity expenses for running the washing machine every day and I am not sure where that leaves me, perhaps it is break even? If that is the case then I start evaluating based on convenience.
Is it convenient? Well, not exactly. Can we really make this happen? Would we really be able to keep up with laundry? Maybe, although we can barely keep our own laundry current (have you seen some of my recent fantastical outfits?), let alone the kids' laundry, and now we are thinking of adding a necessity like clean diapers into the mix? Hmmmm....
When I look at my choices I know that taking on this challenge was not about always doing the easy thing and that I can no longer have convenience be my only deciding factor. So I will dip my toe into this diaper adventure (not quite ready to jump in feet first). I have ordered my first cloth diaper and should see it on my doorstep in a few days, we will see if there is a way to evaluate our ability to do this with a sample run. I am not even sure if one diaper will be enough to learn from but we are going to give it a try and see what comes of it.
Anyone care to weigh in on this one?
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Day 5 - save paper, save trees
Eliminating waste is an endless feat. It seems that our world has been transformed to convenience ourselves and make every moment new, fresh and efficient. For example, our use of paper. I'm not sure about where you work, but at my work there are boxes and boxes of reams of paper stacked up next to our printer, and it seems that we are always running out of it. We use paper to print out huge Powerpoint presentations, paper to print out emails and agendas and paper to print out new ideas. We also are using a significant amount of paper to take notes throughout the day as we go from meeting to meeting and need to mobilize our thoughts.
So for today I have attempted to reuse and reduce our paper consumption at work on a small scale. (Every little bit counts, right?) I put a box next to our printer and labeled it REUSE PAPER - SINGLE SIDE PRINTED PAPER GOES HERE - REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE. My goal now is to take that single side printed paper and create some makeshift notepads. I will put the notepads next to where we get our bound notebooks and hopefully people will grab them instead the next time they reach for a fresh pad. You can do this too, simply reuse your paper by turning it into a notepad.
Reduce, Reuse and Recycle!
So for today I have attempted to reuse and reduce our paper consumption at work on a small scale. (Every little bit counts, right?) I put a box next to our printer and labeled it REUSE PAPER - SINGLE SIDE PRINTED PAPER GOES HERE - REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE. My goal now is to take that single side printed paper and create some makeshift notepads. I will put the notepads next to where we get our bound notebooks and hopefully people will grab them instead the next time they reach for a fresh pad. You can do this too, simply reuse your paper by turning it into a notepad.
Reduce, Reuse and Recycle!
Monday, April 25, 2011
Day 4 - opt out
Today is Monday. Back to work on a rainy dreary day and I woke up late this morning so I am feeling grumpy and groggy. Today is one of those days that it is hard to get excited about incorporating a new habit or making a change, but it is only day 4 so I must find a way. So, as nice as it would be to opt out and stop pushing myself to be a better eco-citizen, I will look at other ways to opt out that will help, not hinder.
Focus: opt out of unnecessary printed materials to save waste, paper and TREES!
I took a few minutes today and was able to stop getting sent phone books by using this site:
http://www.yellowpagesoptout.com/
and I signed up to stop getting pre-approved credit card offers here:
https://www.optoutprescreen.com/?rf=t
and I signed up to be able to opt out of more generalized junk mail through this awesome nonprofit service, I am excited to try it out on a few different junk offers when I get home and can target the companies that keep sending me crap that goes straight to the recycle bin:
https://www.catalogchoice.org/
Surprisingly the hardest one was to try and stop getting paper statements from my bank. Nowhere on their website could I figure out how to opt out and get emails instead. I sent a customer service inquiry and am waiting to hear back. You think it would save them money and any bank would want to save money, right? Maybe I should start looking at a new bank...
Ideas and links came from the following sites:
http://www.50waystohelp.com/
http://www.ecocycle.org/junkmail/index.cfm#step1
Join me and stop the cycle of junk mail!
Focus: opt out of unnecessary printed materials to save waste, paper and TREES!
I took a few minutes today and was able to stop getting sent phone books by using this site:
http://www.yellowpagesoptout.com/
and I signed up to stop getting pre-approved credit card offers here:
https://www.optoutprescreen.com/?rf=t
and I signed up to be able to opt out of more generalized junk mail through this awesome nonprofit service, I am excited to try it out on a few different junk offers when I get home and can target the companies that keep sending me crap that goes straight to the recycle bin:
https://www.catalogchoice.org/
Surprisingly the hardest one was to try and stop getting paper statements from my bank. Nowhere on their website could I figure out how to opt out and get emails instead. I sent a customer service inquiry and am waiting to hear back. You think it would save them money and any bank would want to save money, right? Maybe I should start looking at a new bank...
Ideas and links came from the following sites:
http://www.50waystohelp.com/
http://www.ecocycle.org/junkmail/index.cfm#step1
Join me and stop the cycle of junk mail!
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Day 3 - the power of planning
Today I focused on putting some effort into planning before going to the grocery store to bring light to reducing the amount of waste I create for our landfills. Don't get me wrong, I do a relative amount of planning before grocery shopping, but often it is a very loose list of items and not a thorough plan of meals. This leads to items in the refrigerator that eventually go bad because even though they sounded like a great thing to eat I never actually put them together in a meal. Either that or I make a great big meal but then don't plan on how to use the leftovers and I am horrible about leftovers. I think I have an actual phobia about leftovers, it is ridiculous and not grounded in reality, I know, but if it has been in the fridge more than a few days it really freaks me out.
So another big little step for me today. An entire week of meals planned out to waste as little food as possible. What other ways can I eliminate waste? I think I will start researching composting bins for food waste reduction. Anyone out there composting right now and have some advice on getting started? I was looking at the 7 cubic foot compost wizard jr. Looks fairly easy to manage and won't attract rats to our yard (my phobia of rats is almost as bad as my phobia of leftovers...)
Here is to a full week of dinners, I can't wait for the Chanterelle taco's tomorrow night. Although now that I look at the picture with the recipe I don't think I bought Chanterelle's at the store today, so here is to an exciting night of random mushroom taco's!
So another big little step for me today. An entire week of meals planned out to waste as little food as possible. What other ways can I eliminate waste? I think I will start researching composting bins for food waste reduction. Anyone out there composting right now and have some advice on getting started? I was looking at the 7 cubic foot compost wizard jr. Looks fairly easy to manage and won't attract rats to our yard (my phobia of rats is almost as bad as my phobia of leftovers...)
Here is to a full week of dinners, I can't wait for the Chanterelle taco's tomorrow night. Although now that I look at the picture with the recipe I don't think I bought Chanterelle's at the store today, so here is to an exciting night of random mushroom taco's!
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Day 2 - my new fear of plastics
So here I am excited, giddy even, to start my eco groove and I happen upon a radio station talking about our current water bottle crisis. I listen intently and come away with an intense phobia of plastic and an endless supply of guilt for my daily actions. Don't get me wrong, I commend all those ecowarriors out there, but seriously, do you need to threaten cancer and death with every cause and toxin? Yes, I am sure these things are not good for us, but when you tell me that leaving a bottle of water in my car will give my young susceptible children cancer do you think you have given me the strength and courage to make a change? No, you have just scared the %^& out of me and now I feel like a horrible mother. Thanks.
After listening to the commentary on how water bottles are the crux of human demise I told my husband that we weren't going to use any plastic bottles and can't leave anything in the car. He looked at me, looked around the car and said "You realize that most of the parts of this car are plastic, right?" Which I replied with the normal, well thought out response of "Well, then, we can't take the kids anywhere in the car."
This seems to be the issue for me, if I try to immerse myself in saving the planet and working towards the right cause I so quickly get overwhelmed with the doomsday rants and give up. I don't want to do anything to hurt my children, I never would, no one would. So why not just make a suggestion like, "you know, it isn't good for the environment or for our bodies to heat up plastic with drinking water or food in it". "Try to remember to not leave bottles in your car when it is warm out as the off gassing isn't great to breathe in". "Don't microwave food in plastic containers if you can help it." These things seem fairly simple and if put in this light I can do them and think of myself as a good mom doing the right things for my kid. When you tell me that I have already ruined my children's health you really are only making me feel guilty and scared.
What about the toys? I just recently learned that rubber ducky toys for the bathtub are made of plastics that should not be around children (or anyone really), especially not soaking in their hot bath water. So why do the toy makers make them? Why put smiling faces on them and put them in cartoons with people playing with them? It's not like we have an inner need for toy ducks in our bathtubs, we just buy them because they are cute and innocent and seem like a safe toy for our children and babies to play with. I even have one made to check the temperature in the baby bathtub, I honestly assumed I was being a loving caring mom putting that duck in his tub with him. Come to think of it, I even gave toy ducks away at my son's birthday party. ACK!
What do I do now? I am suffering from a serious ducky dilemma. Do I contact all the parents I know and tell them to get their toy ducks far away from their children? Am I completely overreacting? What do I do with the ducks I have? If I throw them away I am contributing more plastic to the landfill, and doing the wrong thing. If I leave them in the bathtub I am creating a health hazard. If I put them in the garage sale pile I am now hurting someone else's kids. Oh no, the panic and anxiety are welling, ACK AGAIN!
Okay, first just breathe. Now I need to focus on what I can do.
Recap from what I learned yesterday:
After listening to the commentary on how water bottles are the crux of human demise I told my husband that we weren't going to use any plastic bottles and can't leave anything in the car. He looked at me, looked around the car and said "You realize that most of the parts of this car are plastic, right?" Which I replied with the normal, well thought out response of "Well, then, we can't take the kids anywhere in the car."
This seems to be the issue for me, if I try to immerse myself in saving the planet and working towards the right cause I so quickly get overwhelmed with the doomsday rants and give up. I don't want to do anything to hurt my children, I never would, no one would. So why not just make a suggestion like, "you know, it isn't good for the environment or for our bodies to heat up plastic with drinking water or food in it". "Try to remember to not leave bottles in your car when it is warm out as the off gassing isn't great to breathe in". "Don't microwave food in plastic containers if you can help it." These things seem fairly simple and if put in this light I can do them and think of myself as a good mom doing the right things for my kid. When you tell me that I have already ruined my children's health you really are only making me feel guilty and scared.
What about the toys? I just recently learned that rubber ducky toys for the bathtub are made of plastics that should not be around children (or anyone really), especially not soaking in their hot bath water. So why do the toy makers make them? Why put smiling faces on them and put them in cartoons with people playing with them? It's not like we have an inner need for toy ducks in our bathtubs, we just buy them because they are cute and innocent and seem like a safe toy for our children and babies to play with. I even have one made to check the temperature in the baby bathtub, I honestly assumed I was being a loving caring mom putting that duck in his tub with him. Come to think of it, I even gave toy ducks away at my son's birthday party. ACK!
What do I do now? I am suffering from a serious ducky dilemma. Do I contact all the parents I know and tell them to get their toy ducks far away from their children? Am I completely overreacting? What do I do with the ducks I have? If I throw them away I am contributing more plastic to the landfill, and doing the wrong thing. If I leave them in the bathtub I am creating a health hazard. If I put them in the garage sale pile I am now hurting someone else's kids. Oh no, the panic and anxiety are welling, ACK AGAIN!
Okay, first just breathe. Now I need to focus on what I can do.
Recap from what I learned yesterday:
- be water conscious - I did take a shower today, but I was super quick and I also remembered to turn the water off while I was brushing my teeth.
- save electricity - I remembered to unplug the hairdryer, but then i used it and can't remember if I unplugged it again... Turn lights off in all the rooms (which Brian just pointed out to me that I forgot the one in the bathroom)
- Use less plastic! Start by figuring out what to do with rubber duckies...
- Tell people about it, not in a scary way, but in a productive way.
- Apologize to all of my friends who I gave rubber duckies to: SORRY! I hope you are reading this!
- Buy the book "Slow Death by Rubber Ducky" and read it so I can know what other chemicals I need to be aware of. Or better yet, go see if the local library has it!
- Stop feeling guilty for all the toxins that are presented to my children and tackle them one at a time.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Day 1 - the smallest things
Day one and it's Earth Day. I feel excited to start this journey and am looking all over to see what little things I can do for the environment. Each day I am looking for things to start healthy earth friendly habits.
Starting out my day today I was focused on water and energy usage awareness. Out of part laziness (honestly) and a wee bit of conservation awareness I skipped my morning shower. Who needs a shower every day, right? It's amazing how much water we waste throughout the day by leaving the water on while brushing our teeth, running the dishwasher or laundry not on a full load and sometimes by taking our showers or baths for way longer than necessary. I read a tip today to only put the amount of water you need for your tea in your teapot, then you aren't using extra energy to heat the unused water. Both a water and energy way to conserve. Genius!
Next step, energy resources. I made sure that every light was off before leaving. Tomorrow I need to go around and unplug any appliances that are sucking energy by just sitting there plugged in and not being used. Would have done that today but I didn't think about it until now and I am sure when I get home from work and in the frazzle of getting the boys fed and put to bed that it will go back down the priority list. Perhaps I will make it a fun exercise to do with the family. (Or maybe not, probably want to keep the child and baby away from the outlets now that I think about it.)
The big challenge to myself today was to NOT stop at Starbucks for a coffee drink. Yes, I have become the stereotypical northwest suburban mom addicted to Starbucks drive through (while driving my Subaru Outback, how cliche is that?). But, it is in my power to change my habits. Today I came to work and dug through my drawers to find that barely used mug I bought forever ago so I could be 'green', gave it a good solid wash and got my caffeine fix at work. Not only did I avoid a throw away cup but I also saved money! I also gave my water bottle a good solid wash and will be using that today. Amazing how convenience and sugary coffee drinks have tainted me so much.
These are a few of the teeny tiny steps I have started with. I realize that many of you will read this and think it is ridiculous to claim that I am doing something for the environment by skipping a shower and skipping a coffee run, but it all starts with awareness and this is my awakening.
Starting out my day today I was focused on water and energy usage awareness. Out of part laziness (honestly) and a wee bit of conservation awareness I skipped my morning shower. Who needs a shower every day, right? It's amazing how much water we waste throughout the day by leaving the water on while brushing our teeth, running the dishwasher or laundry not on a full load and sometimes by taking our showers or baths for way longer than necessary. I read a tip today to only put the amount of water you need for your tea in your teapot, then you aren't using extra energy to heat the unused water. Both a water and energy way to conserve. Genius!
Next step, energy resources. I made sure that every light was off before leaving. Tomorrow I need to go around and unplug any appliances that are sucking energy by just sitting there plugged in and not being used. Would have done that today but I didn't think about it until now and I am sure when I get home from work and in the frazzle of getting the boys fed and put to bed that it will go back down the priority list. Perhaps I will make it a fun exercise to do with the family. (Or maybe not, probably want to keep the child and baby away from the outlets now that I think about it.)
The big challenge to myself today was to NOT stop at Starbucks for a coffee drink. Yes, I have become the stereotypical northwest suburban mom addicted to Starbucks drive through (while driving my Subaru Outback, how cliche is that?). But, it is in my power to change my habits. Today I came to work and dug through my drawers to find that barely used mug I bought forever ago so I could be 'green', gave it a good solid wash and got my caffeine fix at work. Not only did I avoid a throw away cup but I also saved money! I also gave my water bottle a good solid wash and will be using that today. Amazing how convenience and sugary coffee drinks have tainted me so much.
These are a few of the teeny tiny steps I have started with. I realize that many of you will read this and think it is ridiculous to claim that I am doing something for the environment by skipping a shower and skipping a coffee run, but it all starts with awareness and this is my awakening.
Earth Day 2011 - Challenge to myself
Happy Earth Day Mama Earth
I, like many urban/suburban yuppies in their thirties, love to think of myself as eco-conscious. An eco-savvy, organic cotton wearing, recycling and reusing, farmers market veggie buying, all organic baby food feeding, veggie gardening mama is what I strive so hard to present. But when you look at my daily actions what am I actually doing for our mama earth? Today I woke up and saw all sorts of lists online about the small daily things you can do for the environment and thought "am I really eco-conscious?" Where did I take the wrong turn?
Let's see... In my twenties, studying Environmental Education for my graduate work was an opportunity to do something and take action on a daily basis, it gave me a chance to dream big about what I would do in the future and on the downside to judge others for their inaction and my perception of their laziness. I dedicated my life then to stopping the cycle of adolescent consumption by encouraging girls to become active and connected to the outdoors. Guiding trips, creating curriculum, volunteering, were all ways I could do this.
Now I work for a teen retailer and base my family's livelihood on getting teenager's to consume more. I have spent these years telling myself this contradiction is necessary and really helpful as it provides an income for me to impact a greater breadth of environmental justice, or necessary for my growth as it gives me an understanding of the benefit of consumerism to our world and not just the detrimental aspects. Whatever it is I am telling myself I cannot ignore the laziness I have succumbed to on a day to day basis. So, starting today, with the help of anyone who is willing to support me on this challenge, I will stop being lazy. Every day for the next year I am looking to do one small thing for the environment. I have usually ignored the suggestions for those tiny things you can do thinking I only want to do BIG things. But what good is holding out for BIG things if I am not doing them?
Thank you for reading and please help support me on this challenge. I will need it as I have found it is so easy to be lazy each day and do not want to fall into that again!
Happy Earth Day everyone!
I, like many urban/suburban yuppies in their thirties, love to think of myself as eco-conscious. An eco-savvy, organic cotton wearing, recycling and reusing, farmers market veggie buying, all organic baby food feeding, veggie gardening mama is what I strive so hard to present. But when you look at my daily actions what am I actually doing for our mama earth? Today I woke up and saw all sorts of lists online about the small daily things you can do for the environment and thought "am I really eco-conscious?" Where did I take the wrong turn?
Let's see... In my twenties, studying Environmental Education for my graduate work was an opportunity to do something and take action on a daily basis, it gave me a chance to dream big about what I would do in the future and on the downside to judge others for their inaction and my perception of their laziness. I dedicated my life then to stopping the cycle of adolescent consumption by encouraging girls to become active and connected to the outdoors. Guiding trips, creating curriculum, volunteering, were all ways I could do this.
Now I work for a teen retailer and base my family's livelihood on getting teenager's to consume more. I have spent these years telling myself this contradiction is necessary and really helpful as it provides an income for me to impact a greater breadth of environmental justice, or necessary for my growth as it gives me an understanding of the benefit of consumerism to our world and not just the detrimental aspects. Whatever it is I am telling myself I cannot ignore the laziness I have succumbed to on a day to day basis. So, starting today, with the help of anyone who is willing to support me on this challenge, I will stop being lazy. Every day for the next year I am looking to do one small thing for the environment. I have usually ignored the suggestions for those tiny things you can do thinking I only want to do BIG things. But what good is holding out for BIG things if I am not doing them?
Thank you for reading and please help support me on this challenge. I will need it as I have found it is so easy to be lazy each day and do not want to fall into that again!
Happy Earth Day everyone!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)