What I Love

I am totally stealing this from Shauna (I hope she doesn't mind) and sharing with you something that I love.

What I love....the library.

Since slowly adapting my family to a "consume less" lifestyle we have found a large love of the library.

I have read more books in the last month then I have in the last 5 years (that's a little embarrassing to admit).

Now part of that is I have found more time for reading and have found ways to work it into my schedule.

My kids have enjoyed playing together more and have needed me less.

Now while that was a little disheartening it also has been a pleasure.  I can let them play outside and I can enjoy some sunshine on the deck while being immersed in Alice Steinbach's travels around Europe.

My daughter has really shown a love for our weekend jaunts to the library.  She looks at it almost like shopping.  I allow her to pick out whatever she wants (and as many as she wants for that matter).

Who knew there could be such unbridled passion for picking out books?  She then picks out a new book each night for the next two weeks to read before bed.

I love that my kids enjoy reading more and that they get upset if we can't go to the library (I don't like to make them upset but you get the point).

Anywho the library we go to is beautiful.  It is set in a park and there are walking trails (which we haven't explored yet) and a butterfly meadow.

The entry has a beautifully painted ceiling

The beauty of it really brings the whole package together.  So how about you?  Do you enjoy the library?  Marie, if you read this I know the answer is a resounding "YES" as you had Christmas pictures taken at the library (they were SUPER cute by the way).

Well I hope if you don't visit your local library that maybe this will spur you into visiting.  I hope you have a wonderful Wednesday.

Tweet

Weekend Wrap Up

Well this weekend wrapped up No Impact Week here in Greensboro.

To commemorate the week I finished by reading No Impact Man by Colin Beavan.

A good book indeed and it gave more in-depth information than could obviously be included in the movie.

I do have to say, and I in no way receive any sort of compensation for doing so, that the book is well done and the real jewel of the book is the list of resources in the back.  You can get website information about how to volunteer with a local environmental group or how to find a clothing swap in your area.  There are also numerous book suggestions (many of which have gone on my list to pick up at my local library).

To further apply our no impact philosophy, and to do something useful with a plastic item, my son Andrew and I made a watering can from a large white vinegar bottle.

To make it was super simple.  He drilled (yes he got a little power tool exposure) one hole in the cap and then several holes in the bottom of the bottle.

To make it work

• Fill a bucket with water (preferably with water from your rain barrel).
• Push the bottle down in the water so that it can fill up (keep your thumb off the top hole)
• Put your thumb over the hole on the cap and lift from bucket

The water is trapped and you can just remove your thumb from the hole once you are at the flower bed.

I was really impressed with how easy this was and that it worked.

Once the recycling project was finished we were on to another project...chocolate making.

I am so very lucky to have a friend like Sharon, Bit of the Good Stuff.  She sent me this fantastic raw chocolate making kit.

I put my fear aside and got out the kitchen scale.

I put WAY to much thought into how hard this was going to be...because in the end it was SO easy.

It took all of about 10 minutes (and then another 90 while I waited for it to set up in the fridge).

My result...well take a look for yourself:

They are in a four leaf clover pattern for St. Patrick's Day

I put a goji berry on each one and waited.  I didn't want to get too fancy or stray from the original recipe as I wanted to make sure I got it just right.

My kids will tell you they love them, but are mad that I didn't let them eat more than one a piece.

They are indeed delicious and I highly recommend raw chocolate making to anyone who can do a little measuring.

Other than that that was about it for my weekend...OH well there was a little matter of Georges St Pierre retaining his welterweight title (in a fantastic fight against Nick Diaz).  

Yeah for GSP!

I hope you all enjoyed your weekend and are ready to kick off a fantastic Monday.

Remember today is the last day to enter my Plastic Free by Beth Terry giveaway (check it out here).

Tweet

Cool Stuff to Share

Plastics

Am I the only one or do you also think of The Graduate when you hear people talk about plastics?

This past Saturday I went to one of our local libraries and heard Beth Terry, author of Plastic Free, and Danielle Richardet, It Starts With Me, speak.

Beth spoke about how she has moved to creating almost no plastic trash (except for some of the unavoidables like prescription refill bottles) after reading the article "Our Oceans Are Turning to Plastic...Are We?"

She showed us the ugly, British trash exported to China:



But she also showed us the good, products that can make for more eco-friendly living:

Glass Dharma glass straws

Chico reusable bags that come with a pouch (so you can always keep one on you)

RePEat bamboo utensil set that you can keep in your purse

Danielle also read the same article on water pollution and became driven to bring down her plastic consumption.

She not only uses reusable bags at the store but she brings jars everywhere with her.  She has them for her bulk bin items at her local co-op but also for leftovers at restaurants.

I have never thought about bringing my own container to a restaurant.  But it is rather wasteful to bring home the one time use container when I could plan ahead and bring something with me.

Did you know you can bring your own jars to fill at the bulk bin section of grocery stores (places such as Whole Foods, local co-ops, and natural food stores)?  

After the talk I was overwhelmed with information.  Beth's advice was to just do what you can and don't try to tackle everything at once...because after all every little bit helps.

That was good advice.

Now I mentioned that Beth wrote a book, Plastic Free:

I would like to give you all an opportunity to win a signed copy of this book.

The giveaway will run through Monday March 18th and I will announce the winner on Tuesday the 19th.

To enter fill in the Rafflecopter below (I promise the winner's book will be shipped plastic free)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tweet

No Impact Greensboro

I find it ironic that a little over a month ago I watched, and reviewed here, the movie No Impact Man by Colin Beavan.

And then what ho?  My fair city, Greensboro, decides to participate in a No Impact Week.

I am incredibly psyched!

Starting this past Friday there are daily activities you can participate in.

On Friday my whole family went to one of our local colleges, Guilford College (who has tons of green initiatives going on there), for an art exhibit by Bonnie Monteleone titled "What Goes Around Comes Around."

This is a giant wave made out of plastic waste from the Pacific Ocean.

What struck me about this exhibit was just what sort of things end up BACK in the ocean.  Things like empty bottles from motor oil and household cleaners, parts of surfboards, and tons upon tons of bottle tops.

Bonnie also had up some photographs that give a graphic example of what all of this plastic can end up doing to our animal life.

 (this is a bird's carcass filled with plastics which were fed to it by its unknowing mother)

I don't show these things to make you depressed, or guilty, merely just to make you aware.

Hopefully the movement will take hold and people will start to think before they buy and put a little more thought into what they do with their plastics.

To support those who chose to participate this week the City put out an action plan so that each day you can focus reducing your footprint in a specific area.

The week is laid out like this:

Sunday: Reduce/Reuse/Repurpose/Refuse
Monday: Energy
Tuesday: Transportation
Wednesday: Food
Thursday: Water
Friday: Green Home/Green Work
Saturday: Give Back
Sunday: Eco-Sabbath

So on Sunday we made use of tofu containers, drink cups from Panera, and large yogurt containers to plant some seedlings.

Today I plan to eat by candlelight, or natural light if there is enough of it, and have a family game night instead of TV watching (hopefully my children won't revolt).

What sort of things might you do today to reduce your energy consumption?  Do you have any good ideas for repurposing items?

Tweet

Getting My Frugal On

This past weekend my church held a consignment sale.

If you go on the second day of the sale the items are half off.

Channeling my inner Marie, Feeding Five, and Shauna, What I Love, I proceeded to buy gently used items for my kids at fantastic prices.

My kids were not willing to try everything on and model for me...so I had to splay everything out on the bed and take pics that way (I know not nearly as exciting).

For my 10 year old I picked up 3 shirts, 1 pair of shorts, and pajama pants:

For his age group the pickings were slim.  I am sure it has everything to do with boys at this age being tough on their clothes.

My 5 year old racked up a few more items, although he was disappointed he couldn't find a pair of camo pants (for some reason he really wanted some):

He got 3 t-shirts, 2 shorts, 1 khaki pant, and a rain jacket.  Notice the camo John Deer tee.

However the winner in all of this was my daughter.  I suppose young girls take really good care of their clothes, plus they like to wear pretty dresses (which is of endless fascination for my daughter).

We were lucky enough to pick up this bounty:

1 flannel pajama set, 1 sweater, 3 skorts, 1 skirt, 1 t-shirt, 1 pair of jeans, 1 long sleeve linen shirt, and 6 dresses.  I am absolutely in love with the pink dress that is front and center of the second picture.

What was the grand total for this spree?  $51.50.

Yes got 27 pieces of clothing for $51.50.  That averages out to $1.90 per item.

When I came home and told my husband how good the sale went and how little we spent...he was sold on buying second hand from here on out.

I have to say that "No Impact Man" has made quite on impact on us.  Reusing items instead of buying new is really becoming our mindset.

Tomorrow I will have a little round up to let you know how some of our initiatives are going and to update you on the no poo.

Tweet

Self Sufficiency

What is this you might ask?

A fair enough question.

It is my first run at greening my beauty routine.

See last week I posted some goals I had to decrease my carbon footprint.

Part of my goals was to make my own shampoo.

With that I did a bunch of reading and it was suggested that you have a period of time where you wash your hair with baking soda and then use an apple cider vinegar rinse.

So enter the baking soda (on the white plate...no it is not a controlled substance), the tinted jar of apple cider rinse, lemon peel sugar scrub, and a lemon rind as a face tonic.

Before jumping in the shower on Sunday I used the lemon rind (I grated the zest to save for a future project) to rub all over my face as a toner (gently mind you, and stay away from the eyes...it can sting a little).  The lemon can help with purifying the skin cells (which helps with the signs of aging, skin problems, age spots, etc).

I got in the shower and rinsed my face and then I washed my hair with a tablespoon of baking soda.  I was a little worried once I got it in my hair, as I was not sure that it would all come out and/or that I would have a big greasy mess on my head before heading to church.

To make my fears a little worse I rinsed with the vinegar, which was super cold and smelled funny.  I used about half of the jar of rinse.

Things did improve when I used my sugar scrub as it smelled quite pleasant.

So how well did the items work?

Well it is probably too soon to tell if the lemon is going to make my skin look any younger, but I'll keep trying it and see what happens.  I figure if it makes the cells healthier it should give me a more vibrant appearance.

The scrub gave my skin a nice softness all day and the piece de resistance....my hair.

I was so very pleased once it dried and I could see that it was cleaner now then it has ever been.

My hair was nice, clean, and shiny.  I finally realized that what I had been reading was true.  You don't need the various shampoos to make you have a nice head of hair...you just need $1 to buy a box of baking soda and a bottle of apple cider vinegar.

To make the items above:

Vinegar Rinse:
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 C water

Sugar Scrub:
peel of 1 lemon
1/2 C sugar
olive oil

I cut up the lemon peel and put it, and the sugar, in my Vita-Mix.  I blended them together until they were of a fine consistency then added enough olive oil to make a paste (sorry I didn't measure how much oil I used, but I know it didn't take much).

So be sure to save your lemon peels (they can have a whole host of uses) such as:

• degreaser
• clean your microwave
• polish chrome
• deodorize your garbage disposal
• clean your stainless steel sink
• refresh your cutting board

What things do you do, or have you read about, that can green your beauty routine?

Tweet

No Impact

Well continuing with my trend to watch documentaries produced years ago I watched No Impact Man last night with my husband, using the wonderful Netflix to stream it.

As a side note I wouldn't recommend watching with children as they drop the "F" bomb several times.

                                                                        Source: Uploaded by user via Mary on Pinterest

The movie follows Colin Beavan, his wife Michelle, and their 2 year old daughter Isabella as they spend 1 year (living in New York City) attempting to make no impact on the Earth.

For this they give up, in stages mind you (they didn't go completely cold turkey):

• buying anything new
• electricity
• all forms of transportation that doesn't involve human power to get you there (i.e. walking, biking, etc)
• toilet paper
• food packaging
• creating trash
• air conditioning
• TV

I myself would have had to draw the line at toilet paper...that would have to be my luxury item if I were to do such a project.

They made sure that they ate food grown within 250 miles of their home, which meant giving up on Starbucks but eating more from the local farmer's market.

Overall I thought the film was a little extreme, but I think his point was to see what things they could live without if they tried and giving everything up all at once gave them a clean slate to start from.

In the end I think they found they enjoyed family time more and eating local foods.  It made them feel more connected to their city and more conscientious of their consumption.

I had my husband watch this with me because I thought this would appeal to him, and did it ever.

We've decided to make an action plan and see what we could do to make less of an impact.

• Make our own shampoo.  This "recipe" calls for essential oil...so I am going to make my own.  I am currently drying out some orange peels so that they can be the scent of our shampoo.
• Bake our own bread.  I am selling off some surplus items from around my house so that we don't have to spend extra funds to buy this awesome bread machine.

                                                                       Source: squidoo.com via Teresa on Pinterest

• Increase productivity from our home garden.  This weekend we are cleaning everything out and beginning our spring planting (kale, spinach, and broccoli seeds will be hitting the dirt).
• Make my own bags for produce, bulk bin items, and unwrapped baked goods.  I saw these bags on Pinterest and find the instructions easy to follow...I think even my meager sewing skills can make this happen (they have tags to write bulk bin item numbers on the side).

                                                       Source: frugalgranola.com via Rachel on Pinterest

• Make our own cleaning supplies.  You would be amazed at what white vinegar, borax, and baking soda can do for your house.
• Repurpose and reuse the items we have instead of being so quick to buy new.
• Making our own cola.  My husband loves a soda every now and then...but he doesn't love the ingredients SO we are going to try a few recipes, starting with this one.

As these projects progress I will be sure to blog about it.  Because if something is a success, or even a failure, there is bound to be something we can learn from it and by sharing with all of you who knows what you can teach me :)

What sort of suggestions for having less impact can you share?

Tweet