Win-Win October 11, 2007

Remember when practically the only catalogue around was Sear’s, and it only came once a year?? Now I feel like I get about a dozen a day. However, thanks to brooklyngal’s fantastic suggestion, I’ve been deleting my name from catalogue mailing lists. It’s quick and easy and has a lot of positive trickle down effects:

1. I’m cutting my personal paper consumption.
2. I’m making my mailperson’s life a little easier!
3. I’m sending a message to retailers—BACK OFF, MAN!!
4. I’m cutting down on consumption of stuff in general because, let’s face it, the bombard ‘em with pretty pictures routine really does get me to buy more.
5. I’m also cutting down on carbon heavy shipping procedures by not using mail order services. (I think, though if you buy from factory direct catalogues I guess this is not really true…)
6. I’m cutting down on the accumulation of junk mail in my living room.

Anyway, thanks for the great suggestion!

What Happened to My Values? September 8, 2007

I’ve fallen off the wagon, guys. When I retreated to the mountains to house/dogsit this summer, I thought for sure that the immediate presence of nature would affirm and support my efforts to green-up my life. But instead I got distracted. I used un-earth-friendly cleaning products. I used many paper towels. I forgot my cloth shopping bags most of the time. I recycled much less than I could have. And now that I am back to my regular life, in my own space, a lot of the good habits I created in June and July have evaporated. I want to get back into my system, my rhythm. It was going so well!

Because we conceived this blog partly as a confessional space, I want to ‘fess up my excuses for being so undisciplined this summer:

#1) Cabin life is dirty. There were bugs and spiders to be smooshed (only the bold and biting ones), and adorable but hairy, muddy, dusty dogs to clean up after. And there was a dump instead of curbside pick up. I resorted to paper towels and heavy duty cleaners for dirt management.

#2) I found it tricky to transfer my systems and lifestyle into someone else’s space. More often than not I used their systems of cleaning and organizing, which were already in place in the cabin.

#3) This one is probably the real reason: I was on vacation. I think this exchange from Sports Night sums it up:
Casey: What happened to your values?
Dan: I find that maintaining them is a lot of work. I take a day off now and then.
Casey: You take a vacation from doing the right thing?
Dan: Yeah. I don’t loot storefronts or anything, but once in a while, when I consider the effort it takes to diligently adhere to a moral compass, I take myself out of the line up, and I rest for the next game.

Oy! Inadvertant, but not what I want. So it’s time for my next game, which is the same as the last game: cloth towels and cloth bags. And hopefully soon I will also tackle phantom energy. Thanks for listening folks!

Swiffa! July 8, 2007

Hey everyone. I just got a question from my friend W about Swiffers. She has a sweet little dog who came into her life about 6 months ago, and she recently discovered that Swiffers are PERFECT for cleaning up the dog hair. But she had sworn she would never be a Swiffer person because they use those disposable cloths that go to the garbage/environment. Whereas just sweeping doesn’t use any extra paper/plastic. So she’s having some guilt about that – even though she only uses like one Swiffer cloth per week. Any thoughts out there on Swiffer alternatives? Could you stick a cloth diaper on the end of a Swiffer and get the same effect?

In other news here: I am still only at about a 50% success rate on my cloth bag project. But I am working on it. Also, you’ve all inspired me to get off paper towels and napkins. I bought some cloth diapers and TJs towels and set up a little system with a rack, drying hooks and plastic bucket for the dirty ones. Actually quite exciting!

A Sticky Question July 2, 2007

Back to paper towels…The abstinence is going well, aside from the husband tearing off a sheet to use as a napkin last for no particular reason. I call it a memory lapse due to the fact that the half roll is still in the kitchen. Anyway, one of my last areas of paper towel use was to wrap peanut butter sandwiches to take in the car. I’ve now replaced this practice by putting said sandwiches in a plastic ziplock to re-use. Here’s my question: How do you wash those slippery suckers? With a sponge? Do you just rinse them without soap? And then, how do you dry them? I can’t believe it, but my first impulse was to use a paper towel! I guess by now I’ve outed myself as someone who hasn’t really done this before. I categorize this as a mess-phobia problem in that I never understood how to wash them. Look, I’m not proud, but there it is. Here’s another question while I’m on the subject of plastic—about ten years ago I was baby-sitting and saw the family using these things that looked like showercaps in various sizes that they put over bowls instead of wasting plastic wrap—does anybody know where to find those?

Machines for Washing, Part II June 26, 2007

Our paper towel discussion has really taken off! Just a quick recap here of paper towel substitute suggestions so far: old t-shirts, old sheets, 12-packs of cheap washcloths, 10-packs of Gerber cloth diapers, Trader Joe’s high absorbancy kitchen towels, Costco terry cloth towels, and of course, paper bags for bacon. Good stuff!

Here’s my follow up question for those of you off the paper and on the cloth: Do you find yourself doing more/larger loads of laundry than before? I’m curious about the enviro-tradeoff there. It seems like many green choices involve some kind of catch-22 like that: delete paper, increase water consumption. But maybe it’s very minute? Maybe it’s not enough to impact overall laundry machine use? Also I worry about bleach. I still use it, but I know it is environmentally harmful to plants, critters, kids, etc. I am considering, on my sis’s recommendation, a switch to white vinegar….

P.S. I must now shamelessly plug Carbon Leaf, my most favorite band ever. I don’t own the washing machine image above – it is from CL’s latest album, “Love, Loss, Hope, Repeat.”

Machines for Washing, Part I June 26, 2007

First of all, a big shout out to all of you for the great responses and positive feedback on this blog. We really appreciate it. Thanks for being in this conversation with us!

Now, about machines: I’m trying to focus on one small step (plastic bags) right now, but since I’ve opened this can of worms in my brain, all kinds of “green” questions are popping up. For example, what’s the scoop on dishwashers and laundry machines? Is handwashing more water/energy efficient than a dishwasher? It seems like it would be – but my preliminary investigation says no! (See here and here.) It looks like dishwashing uses less water than handwashing, and like you can reduce the energy consumed by turning off the drying cycle, popping the door open and letting the dishes air dry. I happen to love my dishwasher and may now perhaps be able to love it without guilt. Is this info accurate? Anyone else have good sources on this question? Anyone have a favorite strategy/solution in the dishes department?

An Okay Day June 21, 2007

Yesterday I went to the local farmer’s market to replenish my produce, instead of to a larger store, and I remembered to bring a cloth shopping bag with me. Hurrah! I put most of the food right in the cloth bag without extra packaging. But when it came to the pint of strawberries, I let the gal put them in a small, clear plastic bag for me. Because strawberries stain and the juice can get everywhere. Right? When I got home and came in the house with this random piece of plastic over my berries, it seemed silly. So I’ll take my chances with the berry juice next time. (I’m noticing mess-phobia as a recurring theme in our posts! Hm.) I also had a dentist appointment in the same area, about a quarter mile from the market. I chose to walk the extra distance instead of starting my car again and driving there. Now, I used to live in NYC so walking a quarter mile anywhere is no big deal. But I live in more of a car town now, and it’s really funny how that influences my habits. Leave the car, take the canolis….