The Radical Rolling Pin

But, what about next month? or the next?

What will we do in May? What will we continue to do for the rest of the year and beyond?

What can we start and make into a habit?

What will you take away from the April frenzy of “Earth Day” ? 

Recently I was challenged to write down all the things I (and my family) do to support the environment. So much of what I do now for the earth is just part of my daily life, and I don’t really think about it. But I was surprised to find, when I wrote it all down, that I really do quite a lot.

Compost :: We are lucky in our town to have “city compost,” so we can compost all of our kitchen scraps (including any scraps from animal products), as well as things like milk cartons, pizza boxes, take-out containers etc. Last summer we took the plunge and put in a compost bin at home. We only compost vegetable scraps, egg shells, and coffee grounds in that one.

Recycle :: We recycle everything we can. Paper, plastic, glass etc. Yes, sometimes it’s a pain in the ass, like when I forget about that jar of whatever in the fridge. It starts to mold and smell and I find it when I’m cleaning, and I am so tempted to just toss it! I don’t. I compost whatever is in the jar and dutifully clean it, and either recycle or reuse that jar! Sometimes it’s really a commitment that I don’t want to keep!

Another note on recycling. Although I think we should recycle existing plastics and such I think we should be reducing our use. I mean really, our junk gets shipped to other counties, sorted, turned into more cheap plastic crap for us to use. Think about that! It’s pretty disgusting! Bottom line here is that we should focus on using less, and reusing, not just recycling.

Here are a couple of interesting documentaries on trash! Waste Land and Garbage Dreams.

Re-Use :: I buy most of our stuff in bulk. I bring bags to the store to fill them with rice, beans, coffee, oats etc. Sometimes I forget them, but most of time I remember! I do buy some things in cans or jars, but those numbers are dwindling.  I also save a lot of the jars or plastic containers that I do get and use them to store grains, herbs, and leftovers. I also keep a small tub in my garage that I store any plastic containers in to use as a way to send leftovers home with others. Our family uses its own water bottles, so we don’t buy containers of water. I often bring my own containers when we order take-out, however most of the restaurants we patronize use compostable containers.  We also buy most of our clothes from consignment or thrift stores. Not always, but mostly! (I don’t buy shoes second hand or undergarments.) When I do buy new, I usually buy our clothes from local people or merchants.

Cars :: We do not drive a new car and neither of our cars are hybrids. As a matter of fact, my car is a small SUV. Sure, it would be more economic and environmentally friendly to drive a car that is not such a gas hog, but it’s what I have and it’s what I own. I personally think it’s more responsible of me to drive this car less than go run out and buy a new car. Our other car is small and uses less gas and we choose to drive it when it’s appropriate.

Eat a diet that is sustainable to your area :: I think this one is more complicated than the others on my list, because we often don’t think about how our food effects the environment. There are many schools of thought on this. Years ago I read an article on how eating meat was not a good thing for the environment, so we should all be eating less meat and a more vegetarian diet.  Then a few years later I read a book that stated that the growing of grains was depleting our soil and not good for the environment, so we should not be focusing on a vegetarian diet. I think it’s easy to find evidence on both sides of this fence.  But here is what I think and how our family deals with this: I think that the problem is that we grow too much! We don’t have balance. We are so afraid of not having enough, that we over produce and over consume, as a country and as a world. We are becoming “used” to having it all, never going without. I get that. I have a steady supply of food in my house, because I stock up. I get comfort in knowing that I have food to get us through an emergency. I think most people do. And that is what our foremothers (and forefathers) did. It’s called taking care of our family. BUT! We don’t need big Agra producing so much food that it is hurting our ability to grown our own.

Oh, I see I’m going on a rant here . . . 

So, this is what we try in our home to do. We buy as much as possible locally. In the summer we go out and pick berries. I grow and buy vegetables from local farmers. I buy milk from a local dairy. I buy beef, pork, lamb, chicken and eggs from local farmers. I make my own food. I can, freeze and dry in the summer months.

So, what I am saying is that I purchase what I can from people in our area, who have small sustainable farms. It’s not necessarily cheap, easy, or always convenient. But none of the people I buy from are making tons of money or being subsidized by the government. They are hardworking people trying to scrape by and make a living just like we are. I know that I am getting quality food and I feel much better supporting people (most of them friends) who live in my community.

GMO’s :: Educate yourself on Genetically Engineered Organisms (GMO’s). This movie and this TED Talk are a great place to start.

Cleaning :: The cleaning products that I use are borax, baking soda, vinegar, essential oils and products by biokleen.  We do not use toxic chemicals. Period.

Yard and Garden :: First I’m going to qualify this and say, I really hate weeding! I just want weeds to be gone and leave me alone. However, I’m not willing to use toxic chemicals to get rid of them. SO, to some extent I embrace them. I eat what I can (yes I know that sounds extreme to some) and pull up what I don’t want to eat. The rest I just make peace with, or pull out of the ground. Sometimes a little music on the iPod and dirt on my hands is exactly what I need. I will not put toxic chemicals in the same ground that I am growing food in. It is not healthy for me, my family or my neighbors!

So, what are the things I could improve on?

Well, we are coming up on a year that we have been without a dryer. Last year our dryer died, and I wanted to see if we could survive without one. It has not been the easiest year, but we have managed just fine without one. We will get a new/used one soon, but we will continue to hang clothes and towels out to dry when the weather is good.

Keep the heat down, turn the lights out more, flush the toilet less . . . there really are a lot of things we could do.

We haven’t yet put up a water catchment system, but are looking into do so along with a gray water system.