every day should be Earth Day!

What a good day to reexamine how we're living and the impact we have on the Earth! 

The changes I've made this year have become more routine and take less effort to stick with these days. I won't say I've been perfect at not buying anything with packaging that can't be either composted, reused or recycled, but the amount of trash I produce is still down considerably! (And it was pretty minimal to begin with.) Most grocery shopping trips result in no trash at all, but there are a few items I haven't been able to get in either bulk or with completely earth-friendly packaging. Mostly, I just skip buying those items, but once in awhile I do pick up something in plastic. It's about progress, not perfection. :-) The great thing is that zero waste seems to be getting more and more popular with a wider range of people. I'm hoping this is a trend that continues. More people demanding less packaging can only result in more options for all of us.

My efforts to only shop secondhand have been going well too! My first urge now is to look for a secondhand item whenever I need something or if that fails, to figure out a workaround with something I already have on hand until I can find it secondhand (if I still think I need it). It's funny, if you wait long enough, you'll see just about everything go through the thrift store! Garage sale season is upon us as well so there are deals to be had! Maybe I'll finally find a good used toaster oven... I did finally find my wished-for cherry pitter! :-) I'm now well prepared for the summer harvests. 

I'm watching my own plants come to life and even have a few green strawberries already in my new little patch and the gooseberry bush I planted last year has quite a few teeny berries forming! I'll have to fence off the black raspberry canes before they start producing so Gus and Reilly don't eat them all this year. ;-) I have two tiny mulberry trees being delivered later today. How's that for timing?! They'll be tiny so I think I'll pot them this year then maybe plant them out front next summer. We'll see. They're supposed to be a great way to keep birds and squirrels away from other garden plants and trees, though I'll admit I bought them more for me. lol With the temps rising here, I've been bringing along a doggie water bottle for Gus. Reilly loves the heat, but Gus is more like me and overheats more easily. I've been making sure we end our walks in the park near the blueberry bush Gus discovered last summer so I can empty whatever water is left in the bottle near the bush. Summers are hot and dry here so any extra moisture will be happily soaked up and hopefully result in a little better blueberry crop this year. I might need a bigger water bottle...

So, I'll be planting a couple trees (and watering a wild blueberry bush) on Earth Day. Do you have any earth-friendly plans?

how to be alive

This was a really good read! I first became aware of Colin Beavan after watching No Impact Man a few years ago. I definitely wanted to read How to Be Alive when it came out. I keep meaning to borrow the book about his experiences trying to live a year with as little environmental impact as possible, but the documentary was really interesting and I highly recommend it! Sure, there were moments I questioned his sanity (as did his wife) and I'll admit I thought he was cheating a bit when he started getting ice from his neighbor to avoid using his refrigerator/freezer after his failed attempt at a DIY, non-powered solution for food preservation, but I really do admire his efforts to have less of a negative impact.

After that experience, he realized how much his daily decisions impacted not only his own life, but the world. Rather than challenging people to have no impact, a huge undertaking for anyone, this book puts more emphasis on each of us making smaller changes we can sustain. Colin discusses how being more true to ourselves and our own beliefs and passions can also have positive impact on others and our environment, but also urges us to focus on what we can do ourselves and not as much on the bigger picture in order to keep ourselves from feeling paralyzed by the size of the problems and doing nothing. Not being able to change everything shouldn't stop us from making changes we know are right.

The thing is, if you worry about the gigantic machine instead of fixing the small cog, nothing at all gets done. When your concern ranges beyond the things you can control, your influence shrinks to zero. (How to Be Alive, p76)

I've made a lot of changes to how I do things. Yes, there's more I could be doing. That doesn't mean what I am doing has no positive impact. I pretty routinely reexamine the choices I've made to determine if I'm ready to make more changes. One thing I'm beginning to feel a lot more pull toward is going car-free. I'm not quite ready for that change, but I'm getting closer.

from How to Be Alive

Yes, intellectually and in my heart, I know not owning a vehicle is better in many ways. First, of course, would be the health benefits of more walking and riding my bike. Not having a car would also mean less financial cost to me. A bus pass would run me $540/year max, though I'm pretty sure I could shave another $100 off that cost by using daily passes a couple times a week instead of a monthly pass since I work from home. But even the max out of pocket? Still less than my vehicle insurance alone. Not to mention gas, regular maintenance, any repairs needed and heaven forbid I get in an accident and have a deductible to pay on top of that. Then there's the environmental impact of driving personal vehicles. Sure, my Jeep doesn't spend nearly as much time on the road as most cars, but it still pollutes more than if I rode the bus or my bike. It's size does come in handy at times... like when I bought fruit trees for my yard. But how often does that need arise? It's not like I'll be putting in any more trees in my teeny yard. The home improvement store even rents trucks at reasonable daily rates to haul anything I'd need for my home. And in these days of Uber and Lyft, getting a quick ride door to door isn't hard to come by even if a willing friend isn't available. So many options!

So what's stopping me? Convenience. The ability to hop in my Jeep and run across town on my own schedule without waiting for a bus. Planting more food-producing plants in my own yard will help cut back on my weekly trips to the local farms to pick produce in Summer and Fall. Expanding my own garden and shopping more from the co-op (same produce, less commute) could replace those trips. I'm honestly really thinking about the possibilities. This has been a very expensive vehicle year which is certainly helping push me in that direction. Multiple repairs and then a fender bender thanks to another driver chatting away on her cell phone rather than paying attention to driving and nearly running down a pedestrian have added up quickly this year. And I still need to replace my tires too. I put away money every month and can cover the expenses, but life would sure be nice without those added bills! For now, the Jeep stays... Next year, we'll see.

What changes have you made? What have you been thinking of changing? What's stopping you?

March craftiness

We're halfway through April now, but it's not too late for a crafty update for March, right?

I slacked a bit on the knit poncho, not keeping up with knitting a full repeat a day as I'd started out doing in February. I've made some progress, but it's not nearly as close to being completed as I'd expected.

Lace Cotton Ponchette, pattern by windloop

Remember the fiber I found at the thrift store? It's now yarn!

638 yds, 249 grams

I love how this turned out! I used about 4 ounces of undyed BFL from my stash as the second ply to stretch the yardage. I love spinning big skeins so I have more options when I decide to make the handspun into something. I've actually finished a project with this skein already, but more on that later.

I also did a bit of sewing last month. Since I've cracked the code to finding the best secondhand deals, I've been picking up some items to disassemble and make into new items. Such fun! I've found some nice cotton men's shirts and had a few ideas floating around in my head I wanted to try out:

A thrifted cotton shirt & wool skirt and a yard of organic cotton from my fabric stash became a nice tote bag and drawstring project bag. =)

A wool suit jacket, cotton shirt, polyester tie & snaps were all thrift store finds and became a nice little project bag! Plenty of extras leftover for more projects too. 

The boys all hung out with me in the craft room while I sewed. I think they're enjoying their new bed. Notice, Phoebe is absent. lol She chose to sleep in the small bed on the antique sewing machine alone rather than pile in with everyone else.

It's not just eco-friendly to shop secondhand, it's a whole lot of fun too! =)

leaving it to fate

A funny thing has happened since deciding not to buy new products. The thrift stores keep providing! Well, almost always anyway. I've still yet to find a good toaster oven. But on the crafty side of things, I've had absolutely no urge to step foot into a craft store.

One of my local thrift stores puts all but the newest items half off each Saturday. Last week, I left with nothing. Sure, there were some interesting items, but nothing I needed. This week?

a very crafty thrift store haul!

I hit the crafty mother load! I could hardly believe it when I spotted this pretty spinning fiber laying atop a bin of fabric and acrylic yarn! And yes! It had been there at least a week so it was an even better deal. :-) At $4, I figured I couldn't go wrong and happily tossed it into my basket. Even if there is a bit of felting, it'll still be well worth the price!

I rip out and keep the zippers from any clothing items I repurpose, but I'm always on the lookout for good closures and was not disappointed that day. I found a pack of 3 zippers (50 cents) and another package of closures - snaps, hooks and eyes and even an overall buckle (also 50 cents). As I kept wandering, I spotted this inkle loom tossed on a table in the furniture dept. Full price, but only $5. :-) I was thinking warping board and I do believe it will be used that way, but I'm happy with the find either way.

When I first started thrifting, I tended to look in only particular areas of the store. Big mistake. lol I quickly realized that those sorting donations and placing them on shelves don't always know what the item is. I've seen pet items placed among kitchen utensils and parts of a set* split up and put in separate areas of the store, and of course the shoppers who change their minds often just place things on a shelf nearby so things aren't always where you'd think. The thrift stores here aren't massive so a quick browse up and down aisles doesn't take long, esp if you're pretty good at spotting the gems, and the extra effort can result in great discoveries.

While I do go in with a list and try to stick to it, occasionally, something comes along you can't pass up.

I have plenty of spinning fiber in my stash, but there was no way I was leaving this behind! Sometimes, you just have to trust fate. :-) I wonder what this will become... it's already on its way to becoming yarn. So far, no real felting issues with the fiber either. 

What's been your favorite crafty, thrifty find?

*A note on donating: If you're donating items that go together, help the thrift store employees out and bag the items together or use a rubber band to hold them together. It may seem clear to you that they go together, but it's not always to them. This helps them not to get separated and increases the odds the items will sell and not end up in the landfill. :-)

green your holidays, Easter edition

Easter is coming!

As a kid, our Easter egg hunts always involved hard boiled chicken eggs that we had collected from our own hens and then had the fun of dyeing ourselves. Our baskets were macrame over wire frames and the "grass" was fluffed out yarn ends permanently in place. While I'm sure the yarn was petroleum based (it was the 70s after all), they were sturdy and reusable year after year. I'm sure those baskets are still hiding away in a box in my mom's basement.

What, you don't have indestructible Easter baskets from your youth? Well, look no further than your local thrift shop for a plethora of options! This was the basket selection at one shop local to me recently:

Plenty of options and very reasonable prices too! So that covers the basket, how about a cute bunny to put in it?

Okay, the bunnies got photobombed by a bear, but there were even more bunnies that didn't make it in this shot. And how cute is that puppy in bunny ears?? Maybe you're looking for something less soft and cuddly?

There's plenty to choose from! Skip the plastic Easter grass and maybe use a pretty scarf scrunched up in the basket instead (they have plenty of those too!). Bandanas would work nicely for a boy. :-)

When looking for pre-made sweet snacks to add in, look for ones wrapped in foil rather than plastic. The foil can be made into a ball and once it's a few inches big (check your local guidelines for specific size requirements), it can be added to your recycling! Of course, making your own sweets can eliminate even the recyclable materials. ;-)

Shopping secondhand not only takes away the need for so many new products to be made which saves resources, but it also saves you cash (those stuffed animals were only $1-2 each!) and your money will go to a great cause. Sounds like a great way to celebrate Easter to me! :-)

look at my awesome buns!

Back in January, I picked up a bamboo steamer set at the thrift store and finally put it to work over the weekend! I was so excited to find it because I love Asian cuisine. I hadn't ventured much beyond making stir fries in the past though I have made my own vegan teriyaki sauce. I'd always left the rest up to the experts. Well, this weekend, I changed that.

Sure, I could have stopped at the local Asian market and picked up frozen steamed buns to toss into my steamer, but what's the fun in that? Plus, they come in a plastic bag. Boo. So, off I went in search of a recipe to make my own and came upon this one from The Kitchn. After a stop at my local co-op for supplies and a couple stops trying to find vegan oyster sauce*, I had what I needed to give it a try.

filled buns ready to be steamed

Oh my goodness, why haven't I made these before now?? It was so much easier than I thought! I pretty regularly make yeast doughs (bread, pizza, etc) so making the dough wasn't intimidating at all. While the dough rose, I started chopping. I'm a big fungi fan and had dried, mixed variety mushrooms on hand so I added those to my veggie filling (after rehydrating, of course).

all steamed and yummy!

Yeah, these will definitely be making regular appearances in this house! I ended up with extra filling and made up some rice and mixed it in.

Next up? Spring rolls! I still have half a head of cabbage in the fridge. :-)

*I found at least 4-5 different options, but none were even vegetarian though it was noted in the original recipe that many are. :-(

sugar,sugar

I've been listening to the Slow Your Home podcast for awhile now and I really enjoy it. This year, they're embarking on monthly experiments and for February, they cut out processed sugar. It's been interesting hearing about their experience. I've cut back on sugar, but haven't tried cutting it out completely and have no plan to. They mentioned That Sugar Film in one episode though and it sounded interesting. I was able to borrow it from my local library (yay!). You can watch the trailer here:

Curious how much sugar you're consuming? Check out That Sugar app too.

I found it very interesting. A lot of the information shared, I've heard or read elsewhere, but it's definitely worth a watch. The film follows Damon Gameau as he changes his diet and begins eating the same levels of processed sugar that an average person consumes. I found it very telling that at the end of the experiment, Gameau had gained weight even while eating the same or fewer overall calories than he had previously. In moderation, sweet foods aren't bad, but sugar consumed in the amounts most of us do daily isn't good for anyone. Take a look at some of the labels of the processed foods in your cabinets and fridge. You may be very surprised at many of the products that have sugar added in one form or another and it all adds up. The American Heart Association recommends no more than 6 tsp (25 grams) for women and 9 tsp (37.5 grams) for men of added sugar per day. Sound like a lot? A can of Coke contains 39 grams of sugar! Want a real shock? Those 7-11 Big Gulps? 91 grams of sugar! And that's if you put in 4 oz of ice before filling it up.

I cook mostly from scratch, especially now that I'm avoiding most packaged foods. Sure, there's still processed junk in the bulk bins, but I try to limit those items and stick to the one-ingredient bins. ;-) When I bake, I mostly use local raw honey these days in place of the sugar or at least cut back the amount in the recipe.

Why honey instead of sugar? The sugarcane industry has a negative impact on the environment and wildlife where it's grown. Forests are cleared to make way for the crop. The growing and processing of sugarcane requires immense amounts of water and pollutes our waters with runoff and production waste. And then there are the fossil fuels burned in shipping the sugar across the country or around the world.

For the past few years, I ate an almost entirely vegan diet and avoided products with honey for that reason. Over the past year, as I've learned more about the impact of the sugar industry, I've added local raw honey back into my diet in place of cane sugar in most circumstances. Not only do I feel this has a lighter environmental footprint in many ways, I'm also supporting local business. I can even refill my own jars from the local raw honey on tap at my co-op!

More information on the environmental impact of the sugarcane industry can be found here.

Have you ever tried to cut added sugar completely out of your diet?