Monday, May 16, 2011

Ch-Ch-Changes

I believe that many people would make the kinds of changes reflected in this blog, if these changes were perceived to be easier.  Truthfully, the changes are difficult to make on the surface because of competing priorities, like family, school, work, and the demands of maintaining all of the things we have - and we have many things.  While these changes require the commitment of time and effort upfront, they become manageable habits, which pay off in the long run.
Even with commitment to change, the people in one’s inner circle, especially in one’s household, can significantly influence the success of such endeavors.  I am fortunate, because my wife Joselle is in full support of my efforts to consume less, buy local, eliminate potentially harmful chemicals from our home, and lessen the overall impact of our lives on the planet.  Therefore, my blog entries inevitably include the perspective of we rather than the perspective of only me.
Bulk Shopping
Bulk shopping was the first change made in our home.  I selected this as a priority because I subscribe to the notion I learned from Bea Johnson of the Zero Waste Home that controlling what you bring into your home is the best way to reduce the waste you produce.  In other words, packaging equals waste.  No packaging results in a significant reduction in waste.  I discovered a wonderful bulk market, which served not only to reduce the amount of waste we produce but also became a resource for me.  The market provided a nice door prize for the neighborhood Earth Day Event that I organized, and my contact person at the market is becoming a wonderful new friend.  You never know what unexpected side benefits new choices will produce.

Organic cotton sacks for packaging flour, sugar, nuts, etc. in bulk store
As it turns out, bulk shopping was harder than my wife and I expected.  After a long, hard day of school and work, Joselle did not always feel like making an extra stop on the way home, and certain items were simply more affordable elsewhere.  So, while we made a bold declaration to shop exclusively at the bulk store, this has not always worked out for us.  However, we are shopping regularly at the bulk store, and we certainly produce far less than a bag of waste each week for two adults, one large dog, and one cat.  Further, we have been consuming the canned and packaged items in our pantry without replacing them.  We are creating room for our new system, which will include using organic cotton sacks for bulk shopping and glass jars for storage.  Our pantry makeover is not complete, but it is well on its way!
Glass jars, which come in a variety of sizes, for storing items in pantry

Farmer’s Market
Next I decided to focus on buying local, so we visited our farmers market.  We have been able to find great sources for local eggs, bread, honey, and soap, as well as some local produce like sweet potatoes and apples.  However, we have not always been successful at finding organic products, which are important to us.  Sometimes small farmers do not go through the rather expensive and time consuming certification process, which is fine with us.  We are willing to trust the word of the farmer about how food is grown on his/her farm.  The challenge for us has been the abundance of produce importers at the local market, who did not grow the food.  I am not comfortable in their ability to vouch for its quality, and I am concerned importers might tell me what I want to hear rather than the truth.  The result is that we purchase less produce at the farmers market than we otherwise might if we had better access to the growers.  We continue to subscribe to a local home delivery service for about half of our organic produce, and purchase the rest between the farmers market, bulk store, and regular grocery.
An unexpected benefit of the farmers market is that I have developed a relationship with Simon, the man who makes the goats milk soap, which is my favorite find thus far.  Simon donated door prizes for my Earth Day project, which helped raise awareness among my neighbors about great local products available through the farmers market.  Additionally, Joselle and I have begun giving the soap as gifts to friends and family.  In fact, we are beginning to get requests for more.
Homemade Ice Cream
Since I am not much of a consumer, my focus remained on food, which is something everyone must acquire.    My food vice is ice cream, and I was not successful in finding a local ice creamery.  I do not plan to give up ice cream anytime soon, so I decided to make my own.  I chose to make ice cream by hand rather than using a machine to decrease my consumption (it’s hard work), save electricity, and perhaps even burn a few calories in the process.
Since my initial ice cream experiment, we have not made any more ice cream.  (I am on a diet, which has resulted in limited ice cream consumption.)  My wife did buy ice cream from the grocery for dessert when her brother was in town.  I did not object.  I anticipate that we will make our own ice cream by hand for special occasions, because this allows us more control over what is in our food, discourages over-consumption, and is fun.  We will continue to by-pass ice cream in the store during our regular shopping excursions...most of the time!
Household Cleaners
Turning my attention to reducing the use of chemicals in our home, I decided to address the chemicals we use in the cleaning process.  As it turns out, we do not regularly use many chemicals, even the “environmentally-friendly” ones we own.  Upon closer examination of the ingredient lists (as well as the realization that not all ingredients are disclosed), I echo my classmate Liz's resolution to replace my cleaners with “homemade, food-grade solutions” whenever possible.  We are going to try soapnuts instead of laundry detergent, and we continue to use the room spray that I made, which smells great and has lasted quite a while.  However, our greatest impact might be on others.  We recently hired a housekeeper at Joselle’s insistence.  (I have mixed feelings about it.)  During the past several weeks, Kathy has become so accustomed to our way of cleaning that she told us she is going to recommend it to all of her clients!

Toiletries
My next area of focus was something even closer to me - my own skin.  Completing a very thorough assessment of my carefully selected hygiene products, I was surprised by all that I do not know about what I am applying to and absorbing through my skin.  Though I already make some of my own toiletries, my intention was to replace a few others with new homemade concoctions.  I found a few recipes and purchased the ingredients, then life got in the way.  As a result, I have not yet tried my new recipes.  The one I am most excited about is a recipe for hair spray, because I am most concerned about breathing the particulates that fill my bathroom when I use hairspray.  The recipe I will try is below:
1 lemon
2 cups water
1 oz. rubbing alcohol
Basically, you boil and strain lemon wedges, cool, add rubbing alcohol, and spritz.  Below is a video demonstration:


If this one does not work, I have seen another recipe for sugar water, which is reported to work well.  I will follow up on the blog with my results.
Lawn Maintenance
Lastly, I felt it was important for me to find a non-toxic way of treating weeds in my yard.  We intend to plant a garden next year, and I want to keep the soil as pure as possible.  My treatment of weeds with white vinegar has been labor and time intensive, but well worth the work in my opinion.  However, I am discouraged by the pervasive use of chemicals I witnessed on a windy day adjacent to my yard.  The way I treat my yard will not change, but my plans for a garden might change unless I feel confident that my immediate neighbors are not contaminating my yard with toxins.
Final Thoughts
This project has been satisfying in many ways.  Since we are acculturated to believe that we need goods sold in stores, resisting the homogenization of American life is quite freeing.  Further, I feel like an advocate for my own health and well-being every time I refuse chemically laden products.  I also love supporting local businesses, because I am investing in the local economy and in the dreams of small business people.  Finally, finding ways to tread more lightly upon the Earth is always important to me.
Like many others, I have consciously been working to live in a more sustainable way for years.  However, I have come to realize that sustainable living is not a destination, to which we will ever fully arrive.  Everything we do has an impact, and there will always be opportunities to improve.  The truth is that the more we improve, the harder it is to identify new opportunities.  One of the greatest impacts we might have is to share with each other.  KP’s use of the Diva Cup prompted many others to give it a try, as did my coffee and honey facial scrub.  Liz’s mantra about “homemade, food-grade solutions” resonated with me and many others, and one of Kris’s entries even got comments from a woman who found our blog accidentally.  My wife and I have decided we must try Karyn’s homemade veggie burger recipe, Coleen’s preferred kitty litter (Cedarific), Nancy’s shower curtain alternative, and Melissa’s shampoo recipe.  Through the blog, our personal changes have rippled outward and created effects bigger than any of us would have individually.  Alone these steps will not solve global warming, but they will create awareness and build community necessary for addressing larger environmental challenges.

References
MKxBeauty. (2010, February 21). How to: Homemade hair spray [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgdqgKYxpFs
[Untitled image of eco-bag].  Retrieved from http://www.ecobags.com/Organic-Cloth-Sack-large?sc=29&category=6434

1 comment:

  1. What stood out to me most about this entry is that changes that may seem too hard at first can be implemented in a moderate way for big change and a feeling of deeper connectedness to one's community. Love it!

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