stasher bags, period undies, Primal trust and more…

Just wanted to post a quick update…

I’ve recently bought some Stasher bags so that we can stop using disposable sandwich baggies. They’re a little pricey, so I could only afford to get four. I’ll probably end up getting a few more in the future but this will work well enough for us right now. These are supposed to last for years, so in the long run, the price should be well worth it. I’ll update later and let you know how they’re working out.

In the picture, you might also be able to see that we’ve started composting. I’d still like to do a little research to find out if we have off site composting in my area but as we intend to use it in our garden, we’ve been doing it ourselves. I think many people assume food waste isn’t a big deal (I did). I mean, it’s food, it breaks down, right? What I’ve learned recently, is that food waste doesn’t break down properly in the landfill thus creating methane. Methane is a really potent greenhouse gas so food waste is actually really damaging to the environment.

One last update. I’ve been using period panties for a few years now but I’ve still been using pads as well. I didn’t have enough pairs to change them more than once a day ( the undies). I decided to rectify that problem and bought five more pairs. The ones I already had are Thinx brand. I decided to go with a more environmentally conscious company this time and bought from Kayaness.

Bam, reduce your junk mail

I just started reading How To Give Up Plastic by Will McCallum. I was surprised to realize that I already do some of the things that they recommend. Such as using a reusable water bottle, rarely eating out and using plastic utensils/straws/food containers, using a shampoo and conditioner bar wrapped in compostable materials. Now, that I’m thinking, I also use bamboo toothbrushes that are also compostable.

Anyway, the point is that I am and have been making changes and I’d like to share them here. So… I found out (not from the book, I can’t recall where) that you can register to reduce the amount of junk mail that you receive, and I wanted to leave that link here. You just register and pay five dollars for processing and bam,10 years of reduced junk mail.

https://www.dmachoice.org/register.php

No Impact Man

I finished reading No Impact Man by Colin Beavan. I am sobbing. I’m talking full on body shaking, convulsing, cathartic sobbing.

When I was looking through the reviews for this book on Goodreads, I was surprised. While it received many more positive reviews, there were a surprising number of one star ratings, complete with negative reviews. There seems to be a lot of criticism of the author himself for not initially knowing seemingly simple solutions to eco problems (like diapers or tissues) and writing about his personal revelations during the project.

I do not agree. The point of the project, of the book itself, was for Colin, a regular dude and his family to reduce the negative impact his family is having on the environment as much as possible. The point was to figure it out as the project progressed and write about the impact that had on him and his wife and daughter. To me, it seems, mission accomplished.

Regardless of whether or not you liked the book or the author himself, it does highlight things we should all be concerned with. Is the life you’re currently living, the life that you truly want to be living? Do all of the things you do and buy and consume and support really make your life better? Is this way of life that we are living worth our health…our happiness…our fucking planet?

For me, the answer is no. I need to start to do things differently.