Lifestyle changes - challenge

I still haven't worked up the courage to do the No Impact week yet.

But I have been thinking a lot about lifestyle changes. That's what this blog is about, really, the lifestyle changes that have to be made in order to adapt to my ideals. Ultimately, I'd like to be living my ideals, and to not have to regret a single thing I do or use all day.

Not that I sit and stew about it, but still, I wince when I throw away tons of plastic or find myself driving around for no reason.

So I'm making more changes to my lifestyle. Or at least I'm giving this a try. I am cutting back on screen time.

I use my computer all day. I have found that I'm watching clips and TV shows while I'm doing laundry, washing dishes, etc. And I'm supposed to be watching my kids, too. It's too much. Additionally, I'm raising three young boys, and I;m trying to limit their TV time, too. I should be teaching by example.

So now, no TV. Fine. TV for them in the morning while I run on the treadmill. That's about 45 minutes. And they also have an hour at night while I make dinner. That's the same hour I'll have to check my email and catch up on blogs.

And as for everything else, no more TV on at night while I write, or take a shower, or read a book or whatever. If it's on, I'm watching it. If not, it's off. No multitasking. (Unless I'm just knitting to keep my hands out of the chips.)

I figure making my life less sedentary and less dependent on energy has got to be a good thing. And it's a change of note, so I'm noting it here. I'll keep the world posted.

Feeling Down

I give up. I give up. I can't do it today.

I am made of FAIL. I try my best, I do, but I am so easily overwhelmed. Today I drove dozens of miles with my three boys to buy the baby a Big Boy Bed. Something that we didn't need right away, but that I knew we eventually would need. And also I am forced to cramp myself onto the mattress of his toddler bed every once and awhile, and let me tell you, it's not just small. It's springy and uncomfortable. It was supposed to last for 1 baby, and it's 2.5 years into it's third. And I say it's done.

But at the store the boys went bonkers. I was so focused on trying to get a bed that wasn't too expensive, or ugly, but that was also practical in the space we wanted to use, not to mention the fact that all three boys were climbing all over all beds and at one point JUMPING from ONE to the OTHER, that I completely missed the fact that some mattresses were made of eco-friendly material. By the time I noticed it, I had already paid and arranged for delivery, and I think all the sales people were very happy to see us leaving, so I didn't go back.

I meant to be good. But I wasn't.

Also, I've eaten out something like, 6 times in the past week, I have decided to use chemicals in my yard, and I have driven my car a ridiculous number of miles. I am tired of this being a fight. I just want to give up for awhile, put my name on the "Good Person" document and move on with my life, without worrying that my next cup of overpriced coffee is chemically grown by slave children and served in a plastic cup that will outlive the human race. WHY IS THIS SO HARD?

What to keep, what to not keep

I want to make less trash.

So I'm not throwing away as much stuff as I used to. If there's anything I think I might be able to use for something else, I keep it.

Now I have small piles of twist ties, rubber bands, stacks of papers, plastic bags.... Not to mention that I have a closet full of clothing too small for the boys or for myself. And baby items I'm sure we'll never need again. When does not throwing stuff away become a sign of hoarding?

Time vs. Effort

Today I cut back the bushes in front of my house.

When it comes to my yard, I'm never sure when less is more. I suppose mowing a little less of the backyard would be a good thing. But taking care of the plants and trees we've got, that might actually be a positive thing, right? I mean, I really don't see what is going to be hurt by getting rid of the poison ivy.

I've been putting off taking care of the back yard because I don't have the time. I have three boys. I have a family. I have a home falling apart on the inside, and I have to make dinner. Who has time to pull the weeds out of the bushes in the front?

The thing is, I felt the same way when I first decided to hang clothes out on a line. I felt the same way when I decided to use canvas shopping bags. "I'll never remember!" I thought. And when I started working out, and when I started making dinner for my family. Each new step I take that will make my life better, life better for my family, I resist at first. I will have to remember to do it. Then I will have to take the time to do it. Then I will have to make the effort to do it. Gosh, it's so much, I'm tired thinking about it and I'm not even talking about anything in particular.

Anyway, I've decided to start taking the time to work in my yard more. I am going to extend the life of everything I have out there. I'm going to plant new things were there are blank spaces. But I'm keeping it easy. I really want to keep it easy and not... perfect. I want things to look like they just happened.

Getting Greener

Everywhere I look, I notice little signs advertising green products. McDonald's. The Disney Store. The grocery store now carries recycled trash bags. Sometimes I smile and relax little, thinking that maybe, just maybe, things will be OK. Maybe it's not the end of the world, and that we can save ourselves.

But then... I do not trust companies. A company is run by a group of people who don't want to lose their jobs, who want to make money, and who think they can each deflect responsibility. I wouldn't put it past a company to advertise something as green when it is not. They are trying to make a buck. It's organic produce wrapped in plastic. Yes, the Disney Store might sell organic t-shirts. Before you get all warm and fuzzy about the company, remember that they still sell all of the plastic toys and stuffed animals which will never ever go away.

Impossible

I got the curriculum for the "No Impact" people the other day.

Actually, I might have gotten it awhile ago, but I used an alternative email to sign up, and then forgot to check it for awhile. But anyway...

I'm scared.

It's not the trash thing that scares me. I'm a little nervous about the food thing, because eating only local food... that leaves tomatoes and yogurt? Seriously, that's going to be tough.

But the part that really freaks me out is the transportation. "Most car trips are under 2 miles away!" the instructions declare. But I have to tell you, where I am, nothing is under 2 miles away. Nothing. Nothing is under 4 miles away. Can you imagine me trying to get the kids to walk 4 miles to school? We'd never get back. I can't even get my kids to walk around at the mall.

So it's a leap of faith. I need to really take stock of where we go, and what we need to get there. And if walking with the kids isn't an option right now, maybe it can be in the future, when they are a little older. I don't need to do everything right all at once. I can get a bike and just do a few trips once the kids start school.

Fuel

I recently saw a documentary called Fuel.

Have you seen this? Apparently it's not new, just new to me.

Watching things like this bother me. I start watching and the film starts parading out facts and I want to say "I know I know, but what do I DO about it?" The film definitely has an agenda, and critics can be harsh. But still, it has it's points. We are running out of oil. We use it for everything. The oil companies pay off our politicians. We go to war for it. And we turn away from all other options. We're killing ourselves, painting ourselves into a corner.

And what can we do? It's so easy to say "yes, but I hate thinking about it. I'm going to buy myself a bottle of water and then take a drive in my SUV to keep my mind off it for awhile."

If nothing else, it made me think about getting a diesel car next time around.

Farm Stand - Eggs

I went to the farm stand!

I've been planning to do this all summer, but somehow I kept putting it off. I mean, it's in our town, but I don't ever just drive by it. It's next to a park I sometimes take the kids to, but the park tends to amplify the temperature, and it's been hot. So we haven't gone.

But today I finally went. I didn't need corn (although I shall make more of an effort to buy it there going forward), but I got beans and a cucumber (a small one Andy asked for in a very sweet voice.) And since they had a sign that said they sold farm fresh eggs for $3 a dozen, I got some.

Eggs have been an issue for me. I would like to buy some reasonable priced, organic, free-range eggs. But our grocery store only sells one kind like this. Oh, there are tons of organic eggs, presumably born of chickens fed organic feed while trapped in itty bitty cages. And there are free range eggs, born of chickens running free and being fed chemicals and antibiotics enough to keep a horse healthy. My eggs cost $4.69 a dozen. Sheesh.

Anyway, I got these eggs, and I took them home and I cooked them up... and they look just like regular eggs. I have heard that farm fresh eggs are supposed to be Sooooo good, supposed to look different, taste different... but these weren't. Which leads me to believe that either accounts of farm fresh eggs have been exaggerated or that we were sold regular eggs and told they were farm fresh. Hmmm....

Art: Food For Thought

Here's a fun site to look at. And think about. Running The Numbers.

With my luck this guys been all over and I'm just finding out about him now, right?

No Trash - challenge

I saw an article on Yahoo about this couple who refused to produce any trash for a year. This is their blog.

Think about this for a moment. No trash. That means no throwing anything away. Everything must be recycled, composted, or reused in a creative way. You would have to grow your own food, preserve your own food, make your own gifts - I mean, everything comes wrapped in plastic.

I think this is cool. I wish I could do this. I wish I had the guts to. And I suppose I've already started taking smaller steps toward meeting this goal. I think if everyone gave this a try, the world would be a cleaner place, a better place.

But it does kind of get me started thinking about the folks in charge. Why is there still styrofoam? Why do people still use paper plates on a regular basis? Why is it that the simplest toy needs to come in three times its weight of plastic? Why now, when we know what we know, are people so stupid.

And yes, I'll say it, it's stupid. If it's a business decision, it's stupid. If it's a money issue, it's greed. If it's a time saving or labor saving issue, it's laziness. This is where my rage takes over, and my disgust at people refusing to take any personal responsibility comes out.

So here's the challenge - less trash. I'm not naive. I know I'll end up producing some trash. But I can really try to cut back.

Attack of the Killer Tomatoes!

Last year I planted tomato seeds, and we got three tomatoes from sixteen plants. None of them were ripe before the first frost.

This year I tried planting them a little earlier. And guess what? We have tomatoes! In fact, four or five of the plants have little green tomatoes on them. I am stupidly thrilled!

Actually, the little veggie patch was a success, unless you count the beans, which never sprouted. We have carrots! Little ones, but you know... And peas! Thanks to Nick's RE teachers. Only three plants, which have given us about five pods so far. But that's plenty to add to an Indian Chicken Tikka.

I'm loving this. This afternoon, before it started raining, I was out watering the plants (of course) and I actually found myself wishing I had planted a few other things. Blueberries. Blackberries. Mint. Onions - do onions grow here? Cucumbers, or maybe peppers? We don't even eat peppers. But the way things are going, I might consider planting zucchini.

Clothing

I need new clothes.

Part of going green, for me, is buying fewer things new. So I've been checking out Goodwill, the Salvation Army, any second hand shops I know. And sometimes I find small, inexpensive items. But never quite what I'm looking for.

I don't have the time to scour the racks. I can't even manage to buy clothing on sale. How am I supposed to do this? I can't go on the way I am. My pants are falling off and most of my shirts are stained. It's OK for around the house, but I feel like such a slob when I leave.

fewer square feet

I think our house is too big.

I grew up in a big house, one with lots of rooms and lots of space. I like the idea of having too much space. Room to grow and spread out.

But once a week I try to clean the house we live in. And I change my mind.

Besides the fact that we have too much stuff cluttering up the space, we have too many rooms. I am actually glad when I come to a room we haven't spent time in all week, and that's sad. That's wasted space.

Also, the bigger the space, the more there is to heat or cool. Each square foot is a square foot taken from nature.

But how small can you go before you start feeling cramped? Why do we feel the need to spread out so much?

Dinosaurs To The Rescue

We got this book at the library.

The boys love it.

Part of caring for the planet is teaching children to respect and care for our planet, because that way our knowledge and our actions can become sustainable themselves. I am proud, reading through this book, knowing that we already do most of the things suggested - recycling, saving water, reusing items instead of throwing them away.

Food Trash - challenge

This morning I accidentally placed an entire bowl of dry cereal in the sink.

I don't usually do this, as we have no disposal in the sink. I usually throw food out in the trash first. But the incident made me take a look at just how much food we were throwing away.

For everything thrown away, there is a bigger footprint. Each plastic bag that held a loaf of bread left behind waste from being made, packaged, and transported to the bread factory. So when you end up throwing away the actual bread... it's waste for waste's sake.

So my new challenge, for myself, is to throw away less food. Yes, we have a compost, but it would be better if the food were put to it's rightful purpose. So from now on... smaller servings. If I'm wondering if I should make one or two packages of chicken, I'll make one. One or two cups of rice? One. Better we eat it all and then fill up on crackers than keep throwing away good food.

Not only will this help the planet, but it should also have a good and healthy effect on both our waistlines and out pocketbooks. Go Me!

Why we recycle

Nature - it's all around me

I like to think I'm a supporter of nature. Nature is supposed to be beautiful and wonderful and awe inspiring. And one of the motivating factors in my choice to become more Earth Friendly is Nature. And my wish to reduce my impact on Nature.

In other words, to not make a big huge mess that the beings I share my planet with then must live with or die from.

But I have to be honest with you. All I have to do is glimpse a small furry tail in a non-zoo setting and the scream that comes out of me isn't preventable. I just shriek, like a girl. Like a screaming.... screamy thing. I don't even know I'm going to do it, I just do.

It's got to be some sort of reflex. I mean, a built in reflex to warn off and frighten all furry creatures - stay away! Stay away! Like skunks scenting and lizards losing their tails.

Fill 'er Up!

Ozone

I just read this little yahoo bit about the ozone.

When I was a kid, being responsible to the environment meant picking up your trash and not using hairspray with chlorofluorocarbons. Because the chlorofluorocarbons dug away at the hole on the ozone and made it BIGGER!

I hadn't really heard about the hole in the ozone for awhile. I guess people talk about other things these days, like preserving wildlife and air pollution and recycling vs. organic farming vs. energy use. Our oil based lifestyle can be pretty distracting.

But really, it's all part of the same thing. It is an intricate thing, this planet and the life that lives on it. And we depend on it. Some people argue that we are not the cause of certain changes, that global warming is a myth, that climate change is a natural occurrence, that we aren't sure. But I think we owe it to every living thing to change our ways, just in case. Even if it means we won't make as much money, or might have to give up a few minor conveniences.