Hugging the Midline

GratefulMo: Off the Sauce

I finally did it: I quit drinking pop for real. It's been about three weeks since my last Diet Pepsi and I'm feeling so much better. Man, that was a hard one for me. Long early-morning drives are usually the biggest tempation, but I've made it through three drives in the last week without my vice, so I know I've quit for real.

I'm grateful for the things that motivated me to quit, and the benefits I've realized now that I'm here:

214. I adore the healers who have come into my life in Fairfield, and a couple of them strongly encouraged me to quit the NutraSweet if I truly wanted to stop the urinary tract infections and headaches and nagging aches and pains that have plagued me on and off for years. It has helped already; I haven't had a UTI since I quit the soda, and I can't remember the last time I was symptom-free for that long.
     
     
215. I realized that I had to just stop cold turkey. I can't even count the number of times I've cut down to one a day, or only if it was free, or only on long car trips, or only at restaurants, but I found that I was playing way too many games and creating way too many clever loopholes for myself with those approaches. Obviously. Geesh, am I a (recovering!) addict or what? Regardless, I'm always grateful when the lightbulb goes off in my head and I'm finally able to change my ways. 
     
     
216. Glen is still drinking the stuff, but he has cut down considerably and no longer keeps it in the fridge, so I'm not tempted by his stash.
     
     
217. I'm saving so much money. I'll spare you the math (I'm sparing myself the math, actually; it's too depressing to admit exactly how much I used to spend), but I'm planning to upgrade to a better camera and I'm guessing my annual savings from not drinking pop will easily exceed the cost of the camera.
     
     
218. The environmental savings are huge, right? How can I even think of calling myself an environmentalist when going through so many disposable containers each year?
     
     
219. I'm drinking a lot more water.
     
     
220. I don't need caffeine to get going in the morning anymore, and the withdrawl headaches have stopped.

What was I thinking drinking that crap for so long? Hindsight is 20/20, but when you finally stop a bad habit, it's amazing how obvious the choice seems. Yay me!

I Heart Free Stuff

So, are you on Freecycle? If you're not, you really should be. It's an online message board in your community where you post things you're looking to give away or hoping to get. In the six months or so since I joined I've given away a couple breast pumps that were on their last legs, an ancient computer, and various odds and ends, all of which were just taking up space in my house, and would be doubtful to have much if any resale value.

Today a family hauled away the musty old shed that otherwise our contractor would have demolished and sent to the landfill as we're making way for our new garage. When I mentioned that I was going to give it away, our contractor was surprised that anyone would want it, but I actually had half a dozen people interested in it, and a couple of them had really compelling stories (this family lost three sheds full of recreation gear on their river lot during the recent Iowa flooding); I wish I had more than one shed to give away. 

Last week I posted a request for some purple coneflower, and ended up being invited to dig up my pick of plants from a local woman's beautiful but overcrowded perennial garden. I came home with a couple boxes full of transplants, an armful of fresh basil, and an invitation to attend a weekly summer garden tour in town.

Outside of Freecycle, of course there's the tried-and-true "leave-it-on-the-curb" method, which Glen and I used to amazing success after cleaning out the shed last night. It turns out there's a hot market for rusty lawn chairs and grody old camping equipment in Fairfield. 

And last but not even close to least, Jack is blessed by an amazing wardrobe made up almost entirely of his friend Theo's hand-me-downs, which he then passes on to his cousin Dane when he's done wearing them.

I love this sharing of stuff in every way. There's the thriftiness aspect, for sure. My head spins when I think of how much money we save on clothes for Jack, and how much I would have had to spend to buy those same flowers from a garden center. I love the mini-connections I've made with people I've shared with, the positive environmental impact, and the beautiful synchronicity when something I would have trashed turns out to be a real treasure to another family.

Grateful All Over

Today's four-hour roundtrip commute felt like driving meditation, and left me feeling grateful:

116. The incredible abundance of the season's red bud, lilac, and flowering crab blossoms weighing down branches — their intoxicating scent wafts through the windows of my home office, and makes evening walks an absolute joy. Are the blooms especially plentiful this year or am I just more aware of their beauty?



117. Our new laptop that lets me blog from anywhere (although I'm currently happy to be sitting at my desk with its vase full of lilacs).



118. Rising oil prices — now hear me out! — It's hard to be too grateful for something that negatively impacts my pocketbook, and is surely creating a real burden on folks of more limited financial means. But I have to say that these high prices are finally making Glen and I take a look at our driving habits. With my job in one direction and Glen's daughter in the other, we still drive A LOT. But we've started thinking twice before driving off on spontaneous out-of-town errands, and we've both eased up on our lead feet (I've started enjoying making a game out of seeing how many miles per gallon I can get on long drives). Maybe this is what it will take for all of us to be more mindful of our driving habits.



119. An attitude adjustment — At some point on today's drive, it hit me that I've been wallowing in negativity about a certain situation long enough, and I can make a choice to see it from a more positive perspective. (Sorry my posts sometimes allude to juicy details, but then stop short of sharing them; although that leads to the next item on my list...)



120. Discernment — Thank God blogs weren't around to chronicle my teen angst, and I wasn't tapped into the blogging world during more dramatic periods of my life. Certain personal details that show up on other blogs occasionally make me wince, and remind me to err on the side of caution when it comes to personal details that could hurt or embarrass others, or come back to haunt me in a job interview someday.



121. Sixty-six bucks (some from you, some from me on your behalf), raised for the Play Room as a result of my post on the topic last week. New total to be announced soon!

   

MoGreenMo Wrap Up

So, that’s it. Twenty-four Green changes in two months. Which, it turns out, is enough to feel like we’re on our way to a lifestyle change.

I am so much more conscious now of the purchases we make, and find myself asking lots of questions before I buy something: Can we find it locally and/or second-hand? Is it organic and cruelty-free (Kalona cheese and butter, cage-free eggs)? Can I make it myself (popsicles and bread)? Is there an option with less packaging or less-offensive packaging (soap packaged in recycled paper instead of a plastic pump)? And even: do we really need this thing at all?

Then there are more questions after something has served its purpose: Can it be recycled (like the tinfoil and office paper I used to unthinkingly throw away)? Can it be given a second life by reusing it for another purpose or giving it away?

Of course, these 24 changes are just scratching the surface. I don’t plan to catalog each future Green change in this blog, but I’m sure we’ll continue making changes.

A few things I still plan to do:

• Compost.
• Make more food from scratch.
• Get a little basket on my bike so I can use it more for errands (taking inspiration from my sister Jana in Portland, Oregon, who commutes to work by bike every day).
• Start using my damn reusable bags 100 percent of the time! The habit is pretty ingrained now, and I’m more than 90 percent compliant, but this is one area in which it seems like it should be easy to be perfect!
• Keep learning! I had an interesting conversation with my friend Kelly after I posted about my new water bottle made from corn. After talking to her and doing some research, it turns out that corn probably isn’t the best choice since it’s such a resource hog, although I still think it’s better than nasty stinkin’ plastic any day.
• Keep having fun with this and not beat myself up too much for (ahh...) my long, hot showers.

If you came in late and want to read about any of my GreenMo and MoGreenMo changes, here are the related posts:

• Change 1: Ours is Bigger Than Yours
• Changes 2-4: Resolution Redux
• Change 5: Paper Chase
• Change 5 followup: I Am A Dork
• Changes 6-7: Mo Gockico
• Changes 8-9: This is Not a Crafts Blog!
• Changes 10-12: Keeping it Green
• GreenMo WrapUp: Once You Go Green
• MoGreenMo Announcement
• Change 13: Plastic Freakout
• Changes 14-16: The Greening Continues
• Changes 17-19: Green Shopping Spree
• Changes 21-24: Keep on Greenin'

Keep on Greenin'

A few more changes to bring MoGreenMo on home:

Green change #20 — I finally decided to spend the extra money for the Seventh Generation chlorine-free diapers. Of course, the hard-core Greenies use cloth diapers, which we didn't even attempt; if I want any sort of cred as an environmentalist I should really try to use the least offensive disposable diapers. Since Seventh Generation diapers aren't bleached, they don't pollute with dioxins, so they're a little better than Pampers.

We bought a case of Seventh Generation diapers through Amazon's discounted subscription service. I didn't do the math for an exact comparison, but Seventh Generation isn't much more expensive when bought in bulk.

These new diapers work fine during the day, but we had some leak-through issues when using them overnight, so now we're stocking two brands, Pampers for day and Seventh Generation for night.

Now the Big Question is, since bleaching diapers creates environmental toxins, why do companies even do it? Why bleach any paper products like paper towels or napkins? Do people really care that much about having white paper products instead of tan? As Glen commented, it seems nuts to pay MORE for a product that involves LESS processing. If everyone demanded unbleached paper products, I guess companies would make more of them and then they'd be cheaper.

Green change #21 — We covered the inside of our windows with plastic sheeting to minimize energy loss. Although we're using less energy (and feel much more toasty on cold, windy days), we're creating additional waste from the sheeting and the packaging it came in, so I consider this kind of a wash environmentally. But here's the Green change: Since our windows are six-feet tall, we had lots of leftover sheeting which a couple months ago I probably would have tossed in the garbage. Now that I'm being more thoughtful about my choices, I realized that our leftovers would work on standard-sized windows. I posted them on Freecycle, and someone took them. What an easy change for me, and I helped someone out in the process.

Green change #22 — When our stash of paper napkins ran out, we started using cloth napkins all the time. We own plenty of cloth napkins, but for some reason I've always thought of them as being for special occasions only. I really enjoy using them, and apparently so does our son. The other day Jack was eating a snack in the car and started asking for a "napnik." We found a couple paper napkins stashed in the glove compartment and handed him one, but he became indignant, throwing it down and crying "no!!! napnik! napnik!" It took a moment, but we finally realized that he's not used to paper napkins; now only cloth will do for our little sophisticate.

Green change #23 — We started recycling tinfoil. That was one of those embarrassing "duh" moments for me when I saw tinfoil on a list of things that can go in the recycling bin instead of the trash.

Green change #24 — I've taken a cue from my thrifty husband by making sure I use every last bit of my toiletries, adding water to the almost-empty hand soap bottle and cutting the tops off tubes of lotion and conditioner.

Green Shopping Spree

For my next few Green changes, I treated myself to a little shopping spree at Natural Selections. This awesome store (and website) features clothing and bedding made from organic fibers, wooden toys, bamboo kitchen items, and other natural products. It also happens to be about the only place you can buy clothes in Fairfield other than WalMart, and a nice quick walk for me (important on these single-digit temperature days) at only three blocks from our house. I haven't done a lot of shopping there because it's a little pricey, as so many Green products are. But for the most part my Green changes involve conserving resources and money, so I think it will even out in the end if I pay a little more for certain eco-friendly products. Or maybe I was just looking for an excuse to shop.

Green change #17 — I wanted a new pair of thick, warm, comfy socks, so I bought a pair from India Organic made of organic cotton and bamboo, which seems to be showing up everywhere these days. Bamboo is an easily renewable resource (you know how fast it grows if you've ever grown a cut piece of bamboo in a glass of water) that can be grown without the use of pesticides or herbicides.

Green change #18 — Because of my aforementioned plastic freakout, I've been trying to avoid the stuff as much as possible. I've always bought hand soap that's biodegradable, cruelty-free, etc. BUT, my usual variety comes in a plastic pump. So I've decided to be brave and experiment with bar soap, preferably packaged without any plastic. I bought a beautiful Japanese ceramic blue soap dish for our upstairs bathroom, along with a bar of lavender soap from Pangea Organics. It's biodegradable and cruelty-free, of course, smells nice, and leaves my hands clean and soft.

The coolest part, which I didn't realize until I got home and read the label, is that the soap's packaging is made from 100 percent post-consumer paper embedded with organic flower seeds; I can plant the whole thing in my garden this spring. I love the idea that a product's packaging can be something useful and surprising in itself, not just more nasty stinkin' plastic for the landfill.

Green Change #19 — I've been looking for a water bottle that's not plastic. A couple people had recommended aluminum, which I thought I might find at Natural Selections. I didn't see any aluminum bottles there, but I did see (and buy) a water bottle that says it was made entirely from corn. I know Ethanol is supposed to have its own set of environmental issues compared to regular gasoline, due to the way it's processed; I don't know if my corn-based water bottle has similar processing issues, but the label says it will biodegrade in 80 days in a commercial compost system. I wonder how long it would take in a landfill — less than 1,000 years, I suspect!

The other cool thing about this bottle is that it contains its own water filter, so I can drink regular old tap water without worrying about it. I've been thinking a lot lately about the craziness that we buy bottled water because we're scared of what comes out of the tap. I like what No Impact Man said in a recent post: "Municipal water should be clean and free. If rich people [by which he means anyone who can afford to buy bottled water] don't insist on this by drinking it, it won't be." 

The Greening Continues

Although we've continued to make changes, I haven't made time to write about them much lately; we're amost halfway through MoGreenMo, so I'd better get writing. Here are a few recent changes:

Green Change #14 — I bought non-toxic, biodegradeable Seventh Generation laundry detergent, dishwasher detergent, and dish soap when the old stuff ran out. Hy-Vee carries some Seventh Generation products; we got the rest at Everybody's. Booby prize goes to WalMart for not carrying any of these products. I think the new stuff works just as well as the less Green varieties.

Green change #15 — I bought some plastic baggies at Everybody's that say on the box "all of our plastic products are PVC and plasticizer-free and are packaged in materials made from recycled paper." So, even though plastic baggies aren't exactly environmentally friendly, hopefully these are a little better than the alternative. What does everyone think? Do I deserve credit for this one? What's plasticizer anyway? I bought these baggies a few days ago, before my most recent plastic freakout; if I came across them in the store today, I'd probably skip them altogether. I'm also going to take a cue from my thrifty hubby by washing and reusing the baggies as much as possible.

Green change #16 — I've started reading a few Green blogs, which is where I've gotten a lot of my ideas:

• Doc Green — A new blog about trying to go green while keeping a crazy, hectic med student's schedule
• Green as a Thistle — This woman is on day 348 of a challenge to make one green change a day for 365 days. I decided to do GreenMo and MoGreenMo without knowing there were bloggers out there already kicking my ass in this department!
• No Impact Man — This NYC man and his family tried to go a year without making any impact on the environment, doing stuff like turning off their power, swearing off all transportation other than walking or bikes, not buying anything other than necessities, etc. Now that the year is over, he still gives really thoughtful commentary on environmental issues, and there's lots of great discussion in the comments. A No Impact Man book and movie are coming soon. Thanks for the tip, Heather.
• Planet Green — Lots of great ideas from the TreeHugger people. I've gotten great recipes and product tips from them.

Plastic Freakout

As my poor suffering husband can tell you, lately I've become kind of obsessed with plastic. I admit it has been causing me a bit of a freakout. Here are some things I've been reading about my new least-favorite material: 1) Drinking and eating from plastic is potentially harmful; toxins which may be carcinogenic can leach from plastic into your food and drink, and of course then into you. 2) It's estimated that plastic should take about 1,000 years to biodegrade — 1,000 YEARS! Another way to think about it is that, since plastic has only been around for about 150 years, every piece of plastic that's ever been created is still with us. I find that kind of chilling. 3) Most plastic isn't recyclable. Even those types that are recyclable are much more difficult to recycle than other materials like glass and paper, and even the plastic recycling process itself can create harmful toxins.

So yeah, a bit of a plastic freakout chez Keenan. Which has resulted in Green change #13 (the first I've written about for MoGreenMo): We've stopped impulse plastic toy purchases for the kids, and are instead looking for ways to get them secondhand through eBay, freecycle, consignment shops, or friends and family.

It takes a bit more time and thought to search for items this way instead of just dropping them in the cart when we're already at Target or Walmart. But these days I can't stand the thought of having a new piece of plastic produced just for us. This change should save us some money, too.

I'd love tips here. What are you doing to avoid using plastic?

MoGreenMo

I really enjoyed the process of challenging myself to make 12 Green changes this month, following through on the challenge, writing about it, and getting tips and feedback from all of you. In fact, I liked the process enough to want to give myself another challenge for February, and, while I reserve the right to change my mind(!), I think I'll try to go for a new challenge each month.

Every month's challenge won't be environmentally related, I don't think, but I'm on a bit of a roll with the Green changes, and I'd like to continue to push myself a bit more in this direction. So, February's challenge is to make 12 more Green changes. Same as in January, the changes need to be relatively easy and relatively inexpensive, although they naturally get a bit tougher once we venture further in.

I'm also going to give this challenge a name, as I found it cumbersome in January to keep saying "my challenge to make 12 Green changes this month." I've noticed lots of bloggers naming their challenges, and I even participated in one in January — WoYoPracMo (World Yoga Practice Month). So let's call January's challenge GreenMo (Green Month), and, in honor of Jack whose favorite word is "mo," February's challenge will be MoGreenMo (More Green Month).

Unlike when I made my GreenMo challenge to the Internets and beyond without mentioning it to Glen first, I did clear MoGreenMo with my honey before committing to it. Obviously when I make these types of changes, he ends up having to change, too. Big thanks to him for being such a good sport, and thanks to everyone who has given me suggestions and support over the past month. I'm looking forward to keeping it going.

Once You Go Green...

Since it's the last day of January, I thought I'd sum up the green changes I made this month, with updates on some of them:

Green change #1 - Reduced the Junk Mail - Signed up for Catalog Choice, a website that lets me opt out of catalogs I don't want to receive. I've kept opting out of new catalogs as I've received them. I also later signed up to stop getting unwanted credit card and insurance offers. I can't remember which blog I found this on, so thanks for the tip, whoever it was.

Green change #2 - Reduced the Junk Bags - Started using reusable bags for grocery shopping. I've remembered to do this about 75 percent of the time; so has Glen. I hate it when I get out to the car and remember that I've forgotten to use them. Funny thing is, I almost always remember at Hy-Vee and almost always forget when I make a special trip to Everybody's to buy something organic or non-toxic, so I guess I'm about canceling myself out with those purchases. At least we keep improving!

Green change #3 - Reduced the Junk Packaging - Used reusable packaging for a gift exchange.

Green change #4 - Reduced the Junk Receipts - Declined receipts at both the ATM and the gas station; I've kept that one up.

Green change #5 - Reduced/Reused/Recycled Office Paper - Reduced by keeping my printing to the bare minimum. Reused by giving Jack my discarded office papers for coloring. Recycled by sending office paper out in the recycling bin instead of the trash. They're still picking it up at the curb, although I just saw another ad in the Fairfield Ledger yesterday saying that they won't!

Green change #6 - Reduced the Packaging and Artificial Ingredients - Made my own 100% juice popsicles.

Green change #7 - Recycled Everywhere - Started checking the upstairs and office garbages for recyclables and bringing them down to the kitchen recycling bin. Glen has started doing this, too.

Green change #8 - Reused an Old Magazine - Made a recycled magazine coaster. I still have only one coaster, but I plan to finish the set one of these days. I may even try making one of the cool recycled magazine baskets I've seen.

Green change #9 - Reduced Meat Consumption - Make one organic vegetarian meal each week. I haven't cooked tofu since that first night, but we've remembered how much we love breakfast for dinner and we've started having eggs (cage-free, of course) for dinner about once a week.

Green change #10 - Reduced Power Consumption - Unplugged appliances we don't use much to stop using phantom power; have also started turning off our two computers and printer at night. I'm curious to see if this makes a difference on our next power bill; I'll report back.

Green change #11 - Reduced Junk Batteries - Bought and started using a battery charger and rechargeable batteries. Used them to replace batteries in the camera and one of the remotes when they ran out.

Green change #12 - Gained a Green Ally - Had a conversation with Glen about approaching all of our purchases with a green mindset.

Getting to my twelve green changes this month was really pretty easy once it became top-of-mind. And we're keeping it up! I'll write about some of the additional things we've done tomorrow.