I’m doing so badly at this! Well – I have been recycling more at work, and upcycling the things I have into new things, and I’m planning on having a yardsale (things get used again, I hopefully get some extra cash) and I’ve been buying less and less single-serve meals. But otherwise…shrugs1 month ago

I think last semester I was pretty good about recycling and whatnot, but I want to take it a step further and pick up new habits, as well as do more that I had done last year. So, I’m going to remember to 1. reduce, reuse, recycle (in that order), 2. Eat more organic foods (when I can afford it) 3. Make more things from scratch (kinda goes with the “reduce” thing) and 4. hopefully this spring when we’re in the new house, I can start composting and gardening. My dad wants to do the last one too, so it should be easy to do. I’ll try to keep a log of how I’m doing. Maybe I can blog about it (since I would like to start a blog of something) 4 months ago

given that I have several vegan friends, and contribute to a vegetarian website, it only makes sense that I actively promote vegan recipes and foods -

- there are a lot of things we all eat that are vegan, or with the simple substitution of one ingredient (like vegetable broth instead of chicken broth) can become vegan so why not promote it

from an environmental standpoint, the resources needed to produce the food are significantly less than animal based foods, and usually, the amount of saturated fat is ridiculously low so its healthy too

oh yeah, and vegan dishes will be creeping into my classes as well 5 months ago

washing out the old smells and reuse for storing dry goods. 6 months ago

this morning at the farmers market I asked one of the farmers for the lettuce leaves, beet tops, and other stuff that was one the ground only to be swept and probably discarded later – its headed for my compost 9 months ago

I’m continuing to find different ways to be greener. I bought a very nice short-sleeved shirt for my fiance at a thrift store. He has a new nice shirt, it was cheap, and we’re reusing something that’s already there! I sold some things that I no longer used on ebay, so now I’m not much richer, but at least someone will use them instead of gathering dust or me throwing them away! I also bought a cd case for my physical cds (not too green there) but I took out all the papers from the cd cases and gave them to the library, where they are in great need of better cd cases for the cds and games that they loan to their patrons. I’m also trying to buy more shelf-stable foods and less frozen foods, and trying to drink more water as compared to jucies and whatnot. 9 months ago

Not doing half as well with this as I wanted. However, I’m still doing pretty well, considering that I’m trying to buy used, I recycle whenever I can, I’m selling/giving away things that I no longer use, and I’ve been trying to make new things out of what I have. I’m using the library for books a LOT more, I’m using Google Docs so that I’m using less paper and reaching more people, I unplug almost everything when I’m not using it, and I’m still doing my best to buy organic. There’s still too much plastic in my house, but I’m working on it!

Also, I’m going to reuse wrapping paper by mod-podging it to my desk! The desk will look better and I’ll reuse stuff :) Also considering buying old wood frames, fixing them up, and framing various magazine images to decorate instead of buying expensive artwork. 10 months ago

record heat – water restrictions – argh!

so improvise on the water barrel concept and leave a bucket under the drip from the air conditioner to catch the water to be used later for potted outdoor plants or other areas of the garden

(then start thinking about adding rain barrels under the downspouts to catch the rainwater from these cloudbursts and thunderstorms) 10 months ago

I’m making a million (okay, maybe just 100) pockets for a festival coming up, and so far, they’re all made from leftovers from other projects, fabric that was given to me, and old (clean!) t-shirts and sheets etc. Pretty cool, huh? Now if people would actually like and buy them, that would be even better…. 11 months ago

I made a reuseable bag out of plastic grocery bags by cutting off the parts with ink, carefully melting the bags together to make a single sheet, then melting/sewing the edges to gether to make a bag. A friend’s father told me I was nuts for doing that myself when I can just dump the bags into the recycling bin by the grocery story entrance, and maybe that’s true. But I enjoyed making the bag and I felt a little better about the bags I brought home instead of using my reuseable ones. I really need to use them more often!!

Then again…I wonder what the heck the vast majority of those bags are made of…. 13 months ago

I recently cut up a skirt that I didn’t like and refashioned it into a much better one :) I’m donating a big bag of clothes to the thrift store and digging through my closet to give more things to the jewelry and book sale coming up at the library. I’ve been reading library books like crazy and putting them on hold rather than going out and buying my own copy. I’ve been trying to reuse paper as much as possible, and putting my plastic and glass drink bottles in the recycling at work. Actually, someone took out one of my glass coffee drink bottles, washed it out, and put daffodils in it! It looked lovely on the desk (and you couldn’t really tell that it wasn’t a “real” vase!) We also made a bulletin board about “going green for March” and people put all kinds of ideas on the board that were neat. I’m not making any huge differences, but I hope my small contributions are helping :) 14 months ago

Next steps:

Recycle! I need a specific bin/trashcan, and something in the kitchen to collect the items. It will really help reduce our trash (although I know only aluminum is really worth recycling, as far as energy goes).

Compost! I need a bin/composter. I have the perfect place behind the garage for it, gated off and everything. The area is full of trash from the previous owner, so I have to clean it out. I’d love to save all my veggie scraps, egg shells, etc. and compost it.

Plant herbs, etc.! I loved having culinary herbs last summer, and want to do it again, and maybe a few veggies as well. 14 months ago

I’m glad that I’m not the only one trying to do this… otherwise, it would be really hard to find (affordable) sustainable food/products!

Went grocery shopping today for basics (milk, cereal, apples, spinach, etc.) and found myself buying almost completely organic. I’m not sure when this became a habit (I think it’s also partly due to my incentive to eat healthier) but this definitely means I’m closer to completing this goal! :)

Sigh… if only I could do this in a way that was more wallet-friendly… but I guess it’s only fair. I mean, things are usually cheap for us at the expense of others… in this case, also at the expense of our planet? 15 months ago

I planted a sprout in a yogurt cup yesterday, and used another to hold some loose ribbon…but there’s still so many! I love yogurt, but how do I cut down on all the plastic?

I am giving clothes and some other items that I don’t use often away to people I know instead of keeping them. My books that I lost interest in/don’t read are being given to a high school book sale (which I helped to start, back in the day!) which will benefit charity in some way. Also, a cleaner room means the airflow (and the feng shui lol) is better and saves money and energy. I made hair ribbons out of scraps from a skirt and other scrap fabric I have for two coworkers, who assured me that they love them! I am planning on buying some “new” clothing at the Goodwill, though nothing ever is guaranteed there and truthfully, it takes a bit of gas to get there. However, I’ll just organize a big shopping trip thing and get everything all at once.

See…I am trying! I think I’ll have to do some research on the yogurt cups though :-/ 15 months ago

I keep washing out my yogurt containers and using them for things, but I can’t keep doing that forever-I’d be buried in them! However, the price is going up so I may be buying fewer of them anyway :-/ I always get a paper bag to carry my things when I go shopping, and I actually am using one to modify a skirt pattern at the moment. I really should just remember to bring in my reusable bags! Now that it’s winter and I’m bringing my coat in with me to work, I can just stuff one of my fold-up reusable bags in my pocket. Once I get into the habit it’ll get easier to remember. 16 months ago

I tried to be green today….bought an organic frozen dinner and greek yogurt and put water in my thermos. However, I realized that the frozen dinner had plastic packaging on the inside anyway and the yogurt is in a plastic cup that I had to throw away. Ugh! Being green and good to myself is sometimes in direct contrast to being green for the environment. For example, I love my new organic deoderant—but it’s in a regular nonbiodegradable plastic container that I’ll have to throw out! At least I’m trying to use fewer plastic bags and plastic things in general. And I did reuse a yogurt cup at home (making it into a pincushion!) though I couldn’t at work. So it goes. I really am trying! 16 months ago

It’s harder than I thought; I have to constantly think about what I’m doing or not doing all of the time! So far I’ve done little things, but they help in the long run. I bought some frozen meals, but got the kind that is mostly just wrapped in paper, not a lot of plastic or a tray. I used paper bags this week at the grocery store, and I’ll reuse the bags to make/adapt sewing patterns. I got pizza at work on a paper plate instead of buying something in a plastic package or getting a salad in a plastic container at the salad bar. Really wanted a salad though….I have to figure out how to get salad without being wastful. I washed my plastic utensils and put them in the drying rack instead of just throwing them away, oh, and I bought organic laundry detergent and organic deoderant. Both came in plastic containers, though the detergent said it was made of recyled materials. The detergent smells really nice actually, and it got all my clothes clean! I bought the deoderant is partly b/c of the weird chemicals in the normal ones, and it smelled really nice all day today, even when I came home! I recommend Mrs. Meyer’s stuff and Arm and Hammer, but make sure you’re not allergic to anything in them! 16 months ago

I’m something of a liberal, but nowhere near a bleeding heart! I dislike the fact that I have a million plastic bottles in my car because I can’t remember to take a water bottle to work instead of buying one and polluting myself and the environment.

I’ve been a messy messy girl all my life, always wanting the next new thing, buying it, and then not knowing where to put it/losing interest in it. My whole life has been spent being yelled at for the phenomenal mess in my room, and then spending the time not being yelled at cleaning and organizing and moving things until I get sick of looking at the objects and chuck them into drawers.

These things have got to change. I used to be more aware of my carbon footprint, and I need to get back on track with that. I’m pretty sure I throw out more trash than anyone else in the house, and that needs to stop! I need to start making my own lunches, bringing my stainless steel water bottle to work, buying things in glass and paper packages, and recycling what I can, whenever I can. I’m sure I spend at least $100 a week on bottled drinks and plastic packages…I could certainly stand to save that much a week!!

Also, despite the emotional attachments I have for some objects, they also need to go. I’m so much happier in an uncluttered environment…so why do I keep things around that I don’t really like and/or never use?? There are kids out there who will have more fun with my books and toys than I do, and they deserve to have them (though I will certainly be keeping a select few for my own future children I hope!). I have shirts and things in my closet that I should really give away, or maybe make into new things. I used to sew so many of my clothes, and I have awesome patterns, but that all slid when I was taking my Master’s classes! I should really get back into that; buying fabric and making things that really fit, and buying from local thrift stores and altering the clothing. I’ll still need to purchase professional things, but I can make things to wear for everything else!

All in all….this is an attempt to get back my space, my sanity, my time, and my money! I’ll never be superduper green, but I’ll do my very best! 17 months ago

I came across a site the other day that was selling re-usable menstrual pads. Yup, that’s right—re-usable! At first I was a bit grossed out and even skeptical of them, but after browsing their products and reading the reviews, I decided to order some of their products and try it out.

Maybe it’s because I’ve never found one type of brand/product perfect for me, so perhaps this is me in my hopeful attempt to find it but…

Re-usable pads don’t actually sound that bad… You’re ultimately saving yourself some money, and saving the planet a hundred less bloody pieces of well, yeah. Not to mention… what the heck did our ancestors (and people from other parts of the world) do before industrial times?

Here’s the site:
http://lunapads.com/

They shipping to Canada and the US for free until Nov 30. ;) 18 months ago

I keep taking the used mason jars from work that are destined to be be discarded. At home them come in really handy for the dried fruits and nuts from Trader Joes as well as the bulk food items from Whole Foods. Storing them in Glass Mason Jars instead of plastic allows them to keep better and the pantry looks much cooler with old style jars filled with culinary treasures.

Recycling and reusing can be stylish. 18 months ago

I wanna plant my own tree and take care of it until it grows independently. 18 months ago

It’s a fad. It will pass. Just be responsible for what you have. I’m not trying to save the world. The world will take care of itself. I just need to take care of me. 19 months ago