Food Inc.

Last night I saw a movie called Food Inc.

If you are trying to loose weight, but have a problem eating, see this movie. There's nothing like seeing where food comes from to make you not want to eat it ever again. I mean, I know that beef is from cows and that chicken is a chicken. But the picture I get in my head of a cow is very different from seeing thousands of cows cakes in their own poop being strung up and led to the kill floor.

Anyway, the movie was very informing. It focused mainly on the business side of the food industry, and how the decisions made are bad and evil and wrong, and cause joblessness, indentured servitude, illegal immigration, e-coli outbreaks, death, mutilations, etc. But it also brought up a few issues such as antibiotics and the pollution caused in the transport of food.

Also, can I just express my surprise at how many items are made with corn? I should have known - High Fructose Corn Syrup. Duh. So Syrup. Bread. Cereal. But batteries?

Northern Exposure

I read this interesting Article on a place in Alaska. I think it's worth a glance.

Right To Hang

I read an article today about the issue of hanging clothing out to dry. I was going to post a like, but I can't seem to find it, so please stick with me.

The article was talking about people who live in this country, the US, who are being sued because they hang their laundry out to dry.

Seriously.

Now, I know that clothing hanging from lines is not the most beautiful sight in the world. No one needs to see your underwear flapping in the breeze. But I hardly feel it can be compared to couches on porches or rusty cars on the lawn.

This is not uncommon, apparently. There are quite a few states, including (I think) New Jersey, my home state, with laws against hanging clothes out.

I just don't understand people. Do they not understand the benefits of hanging the clothes out to dry, the savings in cost and energy? Or do they understand them but feel that any benefit is outweighed by how ugly it is?

I happen to think clothes hanging on lines can be quite poetic, and think these people should get lives that include something other than telling other people what they can or can't do.

Water Works

I read somewhere that most electricity used during laundry goes into heating the water.

So I started washing everything in cold water. Guess what? My clothes still get clean! The only time I use warm or hot is when I am washing something that's been peed on.

Not that it's laundry related, but I've also started taking shorter showers, and turning down the heat while I was in there. This is the biggest sacrifice for me, because I usually turn up the water as hot as it will go - in our house, that's not too dangerous, but will still leave my skin red. No more. These days I'm doing just warm. I'm thinking that in a few weeks I won't even notice.

Paper Towels

One of the things I have been resisting is buying recycled paper towels. Other paper towels are softer, more absorbent, and can be purchased in cute patterns or, my favorite, in select-a-size, so you can tear off shorter bits for small jobs.

But just a couple of weeks ago I did it. I figured we used too many paper towels for me to not take this small step.

And the paper towels are really not great. They are more like paper and less like towel. They do the job, sure, and if I had never had anything else I probably wouldn't question it.

And this is when I did something new. I took those old washcloths and dish towels, and I started using THEM. I use an old dish towel to wipe up spilled milk or coffee or water. I use a washcloth to wipe down the table and counter, and I just throw it in the laundry pile when I'm done. I do laundry every day, so they get washed quickly.

We are using far fewer paper towels than we have been, and I haven't had to do any more work. Cool!

Ah - Choo!

It's that time of year - noses are runny. For the past few years I'm purchased those little pocket packs of tissues so that each coat and bag would have one. More often than not, some drink would spill and soak them all, or they would hang out at the bottom of a bag and get so grimy I would just throw them out.

This year, I've gone Hankie. I took the receiving blankets from when my kids were infants and cut up a few of them. One blanket makes nine hankies. They are soft, and colorful, and reusable. I do laundry every day, so I just toss the dirty ones in the laundry room and they get washed within 24 hours. (48 hours at most.)

Taking It All In

I know I haven't posted in a while. But I have not forgotten this blog.

I think I reached a point where I had made all the changes I could make without leaving a certain comfort zone, and I needed to live it for awhile before doing anything else. But this doesn't mean it's over.

I am still buying organic and recycled goods. Still recycling. Still trying to cut down on meat and beef in particular. I am doing my best to keep the heat turned low (It's snowing in October, though, so... yeah). And I am still turning over many ideas in my head. A compost. A bike. Less TV, more writing and sewing and playing outside.

I am very aware that I am not alone in this journey. I an dragging my family along behind me, and a few of them are screaming about the toilet paper and the potential vegetarian meals. Baby steps are crucial.

A Reason To Buy A Brita

I don't use a Brita. Or any sort of water filter to filter the water coming out of my tap.

We have one downstairs. We use well water, and that gets filtered, and that is enough for me.

But I know many, many people that buy bottled water. I never got this. Why pay money for water, when you can turn on your tap? But people assure me it tastes different.

I might simply post this link, and encourage people to buy a Brita. Or another brand of water filter that looks like a pitcher you keep in your fridge.

I have no idea how much of this article is accurate. But if it is, even partially, I am terrified.

Heating Things Up

This time of year I always get the urge to turn the heat up to eighty degrees.

It's just the shock of going from summer to fall. Mostly days are mild, but we have our cold snaps, previews of January and February. Cold.

I never really thought much about heat growing up. I do remember thinking that some of my friends had cold houses. But then again, out kitchen was always freezing. Mostly because we had a dog that knew how to open the door, but not close it behind her.

Now that I pay for my own heating fuel - Oil, here at our house - I am much, much more aware of what the thermostat says.

Still, I rarely make it to October before turning the heat up.

I hear different things about what's best to do, meaning what burns less fuel, and is more economical. Some people think that turning the heat down four degrees at all times is the best thing to do. Clearly, this would burn less fuel. But I think we might freeze.

I recently read an article that said you can leave the heat on, as long as you turned it down by four degrees for eight hours a day. My problem is that I can't find the best time to do this. When to turn it down? We don't leave the house - my husband works from home, and I'm here with the kids all day. Turning it down during the day seems cruel. Turning it down at night... I know people turn down their heat at night, but I don't. I hate being cold at night. I just pile on more blankets and then sweat, and then freeze.

So... what do you do? Anyone have any advice on heat in the winter? I could use some.

Way to Swap! - more recycled clothing.

One of my Facebook friends is having a Clorox GreenWorks sponsored party this weekend. I shall be unable to attend. Which is a shame. I'm assuming it was kind of like a tupperware party, or one of those candle parties, where they give a little presentation and then try to get you to buy stuff. But I like Green Works.

What makes this party interesting, is that it involved a kid's clothing swap. Everyone would bring clothes they no longer wanted or had outgrown, and you could go through everyone else's piles to pick up stuff for your own kids. How neat is that?

Why don't adults organize stuff like that for themselves? I would LOVE a party like that. Even if I only wore an item twice I would feel as though I won.

Going The Distance

Last night I went and tried to calculate out footprint. There are a few of these online, none that I love, that ask you a few questions and then tell you how much CO2 you are producing.

I did my best to answer these questions, and I have to admit I fudged some it. I don't know how they can tell how much harm I am doing to the earth based on how much I spend on personal care products. But what was clear was that the transportation part brought my grade down.

Or up.

It's not so much the driving. Even though I have a mini-van and my husband drives a gas guzzler, we don't drive long distances much. No long commutes to schools or offices. Almost everything is in town, and my husband works from home most of the time. We do take driving trips a few times a year. But what really, really got us were the flights.

I have no idea how the fuel consumption works itself out. Doesn't the plane fly with or without us? And if the plane is full, isn't that better than if the plane is empty?

In any case, I reassured myself by the fact that I do not fly half as much as I used to. Our trips overseas are not as frequent as I would like.

And there isn't really anything I can do about the car, either. I do not live in a city, and there is almost nothing in "walking distance" unless you count a gas station. The only other places I go involve at least one child, but sometimes three, and we can't all fit on a bike. And there's no way I can carry all these groceries. Not to mention the fact that this is New England, and half the year is ice and snow, making walking nearly impossible.

What to do?

Fashion Where?

There are all sorts of issues concerning clothing and being green.

I wish I could be all concerned about the materials my clothes were made off - nothing but free range wool and organic cotton. No pesky plastic materials. And I am, but I'm more worried about where the made clothing is coming from. And at the end of the day I usually buy my clothing from Target because it' least expensive and most convenient, and I always picture my shirts being stitched together by little blind children in chains using hot poisonous knives.

I looked at a few places to buy organic clothing or free trade clothing online. But I didn't like the styles, or if I did I wasn't about to shell out $180 for a pair of jeans.

So what I did was go to GoodWill.

Thrift shops can be fun. I used to go to a really cool one in Cambridge where they had piles of unsorted clothing you could sift through and buy by the bag. All I had to do was walk into that room and my allergies would knock me flat.

The truth is, there are a lot of good clothes at some of these places. Sure, maybe they have been worn before - not everything, though. And you wouldn't want to buy, say, your underwear there. But the other day I bought myself two pairs of pants and a shirt for under ten dollars.

Recycling clothing. How neat.

Paper Trail

I used to save all my receipts, and when my bank statement came I would check every single purchase, and every single check. And I would enter them in a spreadsheet, and make sure than the balance from the bank was the same as the balance from my spreadsheet. I think I did this because I was terrified of the bank cheating me or of buying something and forgetting about it, like a car.

But these days bank statements are a lot more descriptive. Bills can be scheduled, can be paid ahead of time. And when I check my online statement I can often see charges for things I bought that very same day.

So these days, when given the choice of a receipt, I usually say no. What's more, I've requested that my bank stop sending me paper statements. What for? I can check the statements online, and they are usually more up to date.

One thing I haven't done yet but which I am making my next step, is getting my bills emailed to me. This might not work for everyone. And it defeats the purpose if you need to print them out each time you pay them. But you shouldn't have to.

Baby Steps, right?

Food For Thought

I always thought people purchased organic foods because they were better for you.

I know know that this isn't necessarily so.

But buying organic IS supposed to be better for the planet because it uses fewer pesticides and those are bad. Poison, actually.

So now when I shop I am trying to buy more organic items. But I'm having a few issues.

For, one, I get confused. Is it really better? And if I'm trying to be Earth friendly, shouldn't I also look for things like packaging and localy grown and produced items? And which is more important? Is an orgnanic potato from Maine better than a regular potato with no bag from Iowa? And how about carrots? I get so confused that when you add cost or sugar or the fact that my family might not actually eat the organic things I buy turning them into waste which is no good to anyone...

I hate food shopping.

Snapshot

This blog has a lot more of me yammering than I thought it would. So today I'm just going to do what I do best: make lists.

Things I did today that were good for the environment:
- unplugged the coffee maker when the coffee was done.
- washed the laundry in cold water.
- hung the laundry on the porch to dry.
- turned off the paper shredder and unplugged it when I was done.
- did not go anywhere in the car.
- did not use the treadmill (I'm making a plus out of a minus, here.)

Things I did today that were not so good for the environment:
- used rubbing alcohol as a disinfectant on a few light switches and countertops and doorknobs.
- used quite a bit of water while trying to teach my three boys how to properly wash their hands.
- kept the TV on all day so my sick kids could watch Disney films instead of cry and whine.

No Impact

I happened to run across the No Impact site today.

Maybe you've heard of Colin Beavan. He's the one that lived a whole year with no electricity, traveled only on foot or bike, and all without buying anything but locally grown food. This is his site. And he is encouraging people to join in and try this experiment for 7 days. To give up everything and try this new lifestyle.

I have to say, I think what this guy is doing is admirable. But I find it more than a little intimidating. There are so many changes, so many things to think about. And it's so overwhelming - the food, the cleaning, the energy, the trash, the gas, the pets... It's easier to just give up.

This is why I'm taking it a bit at a time. One item at a time. One step at a time. And sooner or later each little step becomes second nature and then I can move on to the next step.

Yes, I know. On one side each change I'm making is so small it's not making a difference so why bother. On the other hand it's not fast enough and polar bears are drowning while I decide that I'm too busy this week to not bleach my whites or dry my clothes on my porch. But hey - I'm making an effort. I'm getting there.

The No Impact site also has a place where people offer suggestions for small changes. Check it out. See if there's anything that you can do this week. There are a few I think are doable.

The Right Choice

This past spring I found myself having a wine induced debate with my mother, sister and brother, which ended soon after I was labeled paranoid for being more concerned with a possible need to defend ourselves from a corrupt government than with the H1N1 pandemic. Although I do not wish to get the Swine Flu, I didn't understand how one would distinguish it from... well, the flu.

Days ago the news was filled with dire predictions from the CDC. According to these predictions, over a third of the US population will get H1N1. Half of these will need to be hospitalized. Over 90,000 people will die. Yes, this is extreme, and is it just coincidence that they are pushing these numbers and the vaccine just as we're talking Health Care Reform?

I may not have these numbers exactly right, but this is what I came away with. Also, this has a point. Stay with me.

Not too long ago, I looked up natural cleaners. I just thought I could do with a little less chemical. At first I used stuff around the house. One website recommended vinegar for floors. And it gets the floors clean enough, but the whole house then smells like a giant easter egg. So I got Green Works cleaners. From Clorox. And they are good. It's supposed to be good, right? The chemicals are bad. The perfumes are bad. The bleach is poisonous and toxic - and that makes sense, to me, right? If it's poison, what exactly am I cleaning?

Well, the answer is, obviously, H1N1. Because these cleaners clean, but they do not disinfect. Not the floors, not the counters, not the toilet. Which makes it all sound a little, well, dirty. And I know there is the thought that disinfecting actually kills off the weak germs and only the strong ones survive, creating a super strain. But regardless, to not disinfect at all may be simply inviting your children to get sick. To get H1N1 and go to the hospital and who knows what all.

So my question is this - do I have to make a choice? If I don't disinfect and scour and bleach, am I not doing a good job cleaning? And if I do, am I being irresponsible? Is there a middle ground?

Pulling The Plug

Last winter we had a power outage that lasted for a week, and I noticed something. No, I mean besides the fact that we had no light, or heat, or running water (we have a well with an electric pump.)

It was quiet. Really, really quiet. Until the generators started running. But for the first few moments of the day I realized just how many things we plug in around here. So here's a challenge.

Look around you. How many lights are on? How many appliances do you have plugged in right now? When you turn of your lights, do you still have glowing green lights from somewhere? When everything is off, can you still hear faint buzzing?

My husband assures me that these things do not take enough energy to make any sort of a difference. But I can't make that work in my head. To me, every little bit adds up.

Last April I started unplugging things. Not everything. Not the fridge, the washer or dryer. Not lamps I use frequently or televisions that take minutes to reconnect to the cable company. But the microwave. The coffee maker. I use them maybe once or twice a day, and when I do, I plug them in. Then I unplug them. I unplugged the radio that made the faint buzzing when it was off. I plug it in to use it. I unplugged the handheld vac - it isn't charged, but I usually know when I'll need it, and can charge it up ahead of time.

I realize this can be irritating. And my husband may be right - I may be overdoing it. But at the same time, it makes me feel a little bit better because I am trying. I am making this effort. And eventually it gets so that I hardly notice it at all.

The First R

We buy things we don't need.

Our society is built on advertizing and coveting and purchasing things we do not need. Things we already have. Things that do not necessarily need to be replaced. But that we replace anyway so that we can have the best, look the best.

What does that have to do with being green, you ask? Well... think about it. What happens to the old stuff?

If you buy a bigger or flatter TV just so that it looks cool, what happens to the old one? What happens to your old cell phone that didn't have internet? What's more, a lot of computer stuff isn't recyclable. Our town dump won't accept TV's or monitors anymore. What does one do?

Everything you buy takes energy to make. It is most likely packaged, which creates waste. Probably in that horrifying plastic that you can hardly cut through - I can't tell you how many times I've cut myself on that stuff. And eventually these new things will break. And THEN what?

I'm not talking about things you need. I understand that a person might need a new computer. I'm talking more about... waffle irons that will be used four times and then break. Your fifteenth pair of shoes. Another set of wine glasses when the two sets you have are still intact. A set of plastic glasses you plan to only use for a summer. An I-pod when you already have an I-pod that works, but you want one in blue.

You can disagree - if you do, please say so - but I think that many of us get confused about the difference between NEED and WANT. I can hear my mother "What's NEED got to do with it? If you want it, buy it." And every once and awhile, yes, this is an OK thing to do. But the challenge is to think about it. To ask myself the question "can it wait?" After all, before Reuse and Recycle comes Reduce.

Link link link

I have a link.

To... THE GREEN GUIDE!

At first it may be overwhelming. But it can be quite helpful For example, there are buyers guides. I can look up, let's say... diapers. And can find out that disposable diapers may not be so bad, as long as they are the right kind. And I can get some input on which brands are best.

They also have buyers guides for cleaners.

It's a good place to go to find things out.

Let me know what you think, or if you know of any other places to go.

Recycle

I remember when my childhood city started recycling. Suddenly we had to separate cans from the rest of the trash. And... that was it. Oh! Newspapers! We were supposed to separate newspapers. And I think other paper. I remember my mother used to tear the plastic windows out of envelopes, and I rolled my eyes, wondering why she was bothering.

I recycle everything I can. Our town here has mixed stream recycling. We pay for trash pickup, and they gave us a bin about five feet high. Our whole family could fit in it. And everything goes in there. Cans, bottles, plastic food containers, magazines, newspapers, envelopes, paperboard, cereal boxes, cracker boxes, pizza boxes... They pick it up every two weeks, and it is always full.

I don't know what to do when people don't recycle. I find it hard to put a can in with the rest of the trash. Some people just don't bother. It either isn't offered, or they simply don't trouble themselves. I supposed they simply aren't concerned. Others don't think it makes a difference. I think my brother is under the impression that the pollution created by the recycling process is more harmful than the actual trash.

As far as I know, recycling is a good thing. Right now, it's easy to do, and I suppose as long as our town dumps asks us to do it, I'll go along with it. Thoughts, anyone?

Bag It, Tag it

The grocery store is one of the most terrifying places in the world for me. I go with a list, but once I'm there the abundance of choices can keep me from moving forward. The list may say "Yogurt" but I forget what kind. This one is healthiest, but that one is organic, and both of those are expensive so maybe this third kind? And more often than not I end up getting the ones with cartoon characters on them that are green and purple because those are the ones the kids are asking for and... hey, well they knew what they wanted and I didn't.

I'm still working on all that.

One thing I DO have down, though, is the checkout. Because I remember my BAGS. That's right. I have a bunch of grocery bags - some that I got from the grocery store (they give a bag to each customer on Earth Day) and the rest that I got from.... other places. Workplaces. For gifts. From Health Fairs. Just canvas bags.

I keep them in the closet and I bring all of them each time I go. I usually have more groceries than will fit in the bags, but I choose not to bag the milk or the potatoes, and I ask that the meat be put in plastic.

This is something easy to do. At first I used to forget them, and sometimes I still do, but the first step is to plan on using them and on not giving up. Now I don't even give it a second thought. That's a lot of plastic bags I'm not using.

Hurdles

I never aspired to be "Green." Whenever anyone talked to me about eating healthier, or about being more responsible to the planet, I would roll my eyes. I expect some readers may do the same. I used to grit my teeth at the thought of organic peanut butter or recycled paper towels (maybe I still do). Why is this?

I think it might be because we feel bad. I know that Paper towels are bad. I know organic peanut butter is supposed to be better. But I don't do those things. So the person who DOES do those things must be feeling like she is better than me, right? Just as the person who refuses to eat sugar and works out seven days a week feels he is better than me because he is healthier. Or maybe I feel that these people are better, that I should be doing the same, and I resent them for having the time, the money, the drive, the will power.

I don't want to be preachy. I don't want to tell people what to do. I admit, I balk when people tell me to throw my plastic bottles in the trash. And just the other day my Mother-in-Law mentioned that our home had "organic everything" by which I think she meant I had Green Works cleaning spray and dishwashing liquid. Truly, there's not much else organic here, except for the broccoli.

My point is, this is more than just things I have to do. It is an attitude change, a lifestyle change. It's doing a little but more legwork, a little more research, paying a little bit more, giving up a few things...

But it can be done.

Explanation

It started, as many things start, when I had my first child.

With a child, with a new baby, you make many decisions. You choose a crib. You choose a carseat. And you choose... diapers.

I chose disposable diapers. Because, let's face it, I have no idea how to put on a cloth diaper. And although there are many "diaper systems" out there today, they only last as long as your baby fits into the plastic pants. So... Pampers for me. Or for my baby.

The thing is, a diapers hangs around the earth for hundreds of years. And keeping this in mind as I emptied the diaper bin every two days, I realized just how much trash - stinky trash - I was leaving (or my baby was leaving) on this earth.

But I didn't stop there. No, I had a second child. And a third.

And I started thinking more and more about all of the disposable items that are out there, and how much trash, how much pollution, I am personally responsible for.

No one can just "Go Green" overnight.... ok, maybe some people can. But not me. No. I need to do everything is small steps, one thing at a time, so that there is no culture shock but instead a smooth transition. This blog is about the small steps that I am taking - and that ANYONE can take - to reduce the harm I am doing to this planet, our home. I also have lots of questions, and I am open and welcome to advice or hints. Please don't hesitate to comment, correct, or encourage.

Thanks so much! Now wish me luck.