How Chocolate Chips Inspired Me to Reduce our Waste.

On Monday, Mike and I (and Gabe, our trusty sidekick) went to the bulk foods store to get him some popcorn, which he eats by the pound. While there, I decided to get some other staples, like, say, four pounds of chocolate chips:

(aaand peanut butter chips. What? I couldn't say no. And now I am happily making Reese's cups by the handful, ie: shoving a little of each in my mouth. It's a great way to celebrate finally reaching my pre-Gabe weight, don't you think?)

Anyway. After I put all of the goodies (popcorn, oats, nuts, chocolate chips,  beet sugar, quinoa, and so on) in jars, I took a look at the waste left over:

(How much do I love this hanging Ikea spice and utensil rack? More counter space, more convenient, more awesome. Booyah.)

Ahem. I sure am distractible today, huh? 

Anyway. I took a look at the waste from the bulk food store purchases, then I took a look at our recycling pile which is taking over the kitchen: 

And firmly resolved to start shopping more at the bulk foods store and reduce our packaging waste.

I mean, really. If only for reducing the amount of recycling we have to schlep around (the greatest downfall of apartment living, alas).  Though, it certainly makes me more aware of how much waste, even recycling, that we are creating.

It got me thinking about the ways in which we already reduce our waste and the ways we can reduce our waste even more. And since tomorrow is Earth Day, I thought I'd share.

 

• Participate in a CSA in the summer and fall - we get locally grown fruits and veggies in our own cloth bag. The only waste is a rubber band or two.
• No paper products - we use cloth napkins and kitchen towels instead of paper towels.
• Bake our own bread - using either this or this recipe.
• Cloth diaper Gabe.
• Pack our lunch in reusable containers and reuse zippered baggies.
• I love Lunapads.
• Use a water bottle instead of bottled water. 
• Bring cloth bags to the grocery store.
• Use baking soda and vinegar to clean just about everything, including my hair.
• Buy dried beans instead of canned beans; buy cheese in a block instead of shredded.

• Make our own peanut butter. No more time spent futily trying to clean out peanut butter jars for recycling! We go through a few jars a month of this. Yum.
• Start making jam again (I use this since I don't use pectin). PB&J from scratch makes me feel accomplished.
• Also: start making yogurt again. Those #5 plastic tubs are the worst.
• Shop online less; in fact, shop less, period. (April is currently a Buy Nothing month for us, but still! Shopping less is always a good plan, right?)
• Buy absolutely everything we can from the bulk foods store or aisle. 
• Reuse produce and bulk foods bags.
• Try to make cheese. (!) 
• No coffee unless we've remembered our travel mug; no shopping unless we've remembered our grocery bags; no excuses!
• Make ketchup (I've done this once in a pinch and it was stupid easy).
• Less convenience food - like frozen waffles and breakfast cereal and more cooking from scratch (I've started to slack off since having a baby).

It's exciting to be inspired again to challenged ourselves to grow in this way; I've missed it!

(If you're interested in this sort of thing, you might want to check out my green baby steps page, which I just updated. Also, this video about a zero waste family was ridiculously inspiring.)

(Happy Earth Day! And Good Friday! Free coffee if you bring a reusable mug to Starbucks or Caribou! Hurrah for caffeination!)

Ten Things about Cloth Diapers.

I've known since I was senior in high school that I would cloth diaper one day. That may seem a little crazy, but we had a debate in my Environmental Science class and I was convinced. The decision wasn't a big deal and figuring out what cloth diapering entailed was as easy as turning to my awesome cloth diapering aunts. By the way, cloth diapers are way, way different now than when we were babies. I don't claim to be an expert, as I've only been doing this for two months. This isn't as much of a how-to post as it is a how-and-why-I-do post. (For how-to guides, this is a great starting point, as is this.) I will try to answer any questions you have, though!

1. I don't have enough. But I don't have the money to buy more right now. Maybe we'll get some for Christmas? Our current stash is seven one-size and three smalls (mostly gifts). We do a load of diapers every or every other day, with some disposable supplementing thrown in.

2. Washing isn't gross at all. Since he only consumes breast milk, his poop is water-soluble and the diapers can just be thrown in the washing machine, no pre-rinsing required. If you can handle wiping a baby butt, you can handle dumping a bag of dirty cloth diapers in the machine. Promise. Our set-up involves this pail liner. You could probably just use the same trash bag over and over, too.

3. One-size FuzziBunz are my favorite. Now, I've only tried three types - FuzziBunz one-size, FuzziBunz perfect size and GroBaby one-size. My aunts have tried them all and found that FuzziBunz were the best for not leaking and have snaps instead of Velcro, and since I intend to use these diapers for future babies, I prefer snaps since they don't wear out like Velcro can. The GroBaby diaper inserts take longer to dry and tend to bunch up. Plus, FuzziBunz are soft fleece. I think I'll also try BumGenius 4.0, since they also have snaps.

4. Newborns CAN wear cloth diapers! Once he reached eight pounds - he was maybe 10 days old? He grows like a weed. A chubby weed. - I threw cloth diapers on him. We just made it work - adjusting the snaps as tight and small as possible.

5. He doesn't wear cloth overnight. In order to get our beauty sleep, I put a disposable diaper on him for 10-12 hours a night. Disposables hold more pee and wick the moisture away from his skin. (I think I've gone over the importance of sleep here before. When I was a rookie, I'd change his diaper and re-swaddle him and sit up to nurse him...now Gabe and I stay half-asleep while he nurses. Sleep is priceless!)

6. No more poop explosions or diaper rash. Period. (Though there is still some pee leakage now and then.)

7. We've saved money. Like, a lot. I've only had to buy two packs of diapers since he was born, which is sort of amazing since most people go through that much in a week. Saving money is the number one reason I cloth diaper (waste and keeping Gabe away from yucky chemicals are the other reasons).

8. So. Much. Less. Waste. I am amazed at how much waste we created when we used disposable diapers for a weekend while traveling. It's a little crazy, really. Babies create so much extra waste already (har har), no use in adding to it with disposable diapers!

9. We cloth diaper on the go. Usually. It's easy to throw used cloth diapers in a wet bag like this, and just bring along a few extra cloth diapers. If I'm leaving him with my mom, I bring disposables.

10. Big baby booty. The cloth diapers add some bulk to Gabe's behind, which means he tends to grow out of onesies more quickly.  No loss, really, since I get impatient for him to wear his cute clothes in the next size!

A Gift Guide with Heart.

The holidays are rapidly approaching (hurrah!) and I put together a few ideas for those who haven’t finished their gift shopping. This time of year can be a lot of fun, but can get out of hand when we think about how much stuff is consumed. From the gifts no one really needs to the insane amount of wrapping and cards to the numerous big family dinners, there is a mass consumption of stuff.

I think a bit of indulgence is allowed, and I certainly don’t want to be Scrooge. But instead of feeling like we need to get bigger and better presents to express our love, we can still buy gifts, but ones that are more thoughtful and in line with our values. Sprinkle this season with a few gifts and lots of family time.

And copious amounts of hot chocolate and cookies, of course.

Fair Trade

Last year, along with making most of my presents, I got lots of Fair Trade goodies to give to my family – chocolates, teas, and coffees. It was my little way of supporting Fair Trade with my money and introducing family members to Fair Trade goodies. If you’ve been trying to convince your dad for-ev-er to drink Fair Trade coffee, this might be your chance to introduce him to it! Equal Exchange has put together some baskets – some fabulous, last minute deals! (Although, they expire TOMORROW, December 15th, so you’d better order fast!)

Eco-Friendly

Think reusable. Reusable shopping bags, reusable water bottles, reusable travel coffee mugs (or, if they shun drinking from reusable coffee mugs, get them one of these), and reusable towels (boo to paper towels!). Break your brother's disposable habit by filling a (reusable!) bag with lots of these goodies.

Local

Got a friend who's addicted to big box stores, chain restaurants, and corporate coffee shops? Introduce her to what your town or city has to offer with some gift cards to a local business or two. Soon she’ll see how much more fun shopping local can be!

Healthy

Maybe your mom keeps talking about going on some crazy fad diet (as she does every year) – encourage her to eat healthy (and eat, period! Crazy diets…bleh) by purchasing a share of a CSA. Depending on the CSA, she’ll get some form of delicious, local fruits and vegetables every week or month. Check out Local Harvest for more information or to find a CSA near you.

Clean & Green

Is your sister a tad OCD? As in, you’d rather eat off her bathroom floor than your kitchen table? If she’s using lots of bleach and other nasty chemicals, help her break the habit and keep a healthier home by giving her a basket full of fabulous cleaning supplies without all the nasties. Some of my favorite are this, this, this, and this. She will appreciate it, I promise.

Et Cetera

A few more ideas that may be a bit more sustainable than the average gift :

• A donation to charity
• Soy candles
• An experience – a concert, dinner at a nice restaurant, or a play.
• A microloan on Kiva.org.
  
• Essential oils
• An iTunes gift card – digital music is less waste than a hard copy.
• Shop around on Etsy and support handmade!
• Paraben-free make up or nail polish without formaldehyde (um, ew)
• Anything from Heifer International.
  
• Homemade anything – from food to pampering kits.
• Wood toys are much better than plastic ones for the kiddos in your life – they last longer and are more durable. (Bonus points if it’s sustainably forested!)

A note on waste

During the weeks from Thanksgiving to New Years, about 1 million additional tons of garbage to our landfills each week in the US. EACH week. As in, in ADDITION to the waste we already create. That is just crazy ridiculous. To help reduce this waste, give your gifts in reusable gift sacks or wrap your gifts in newspaper or other reused material. I promise, with a little creativity, they will look even nicer than those glossy wrapping papers!

I Wear People's Old Clothes And You Should, Too!

Since I’m three weeks into my four months of second hand-only clothing purchases, I thought I’d share why I’m doing it, how it’s going, and my tips. I’m a huge fan of tips.

Why?

Think about all the energy and chemicals that go into producing cloth, sewing a shirt, packaging the shirt, and then marketing and advertising the shirt. Not to mention the fuel used at as the cotton is shipped to a production plant, then the cloth is shipped to a factory, then the shirts are shipped to a warehouse, and then out to stores. Whew!

Compare this to a second hand shirt which likely traveled from a person’s house to the second-hand store. Also, by reusing the shirt, it diverted from a landfill. Winner!

Plus, I have honestly enough clothes. I really do. (Uh, just don’t tell my husband I said that.) With a small closet and a dresser full of clothing – I’m not going naked any time soon. I examined the reasons I buy new clothes – for a specific occasion or because I’m bored with my clothes. I’m not a huge shopper, anyhow. (Malls give me hives. It used to be fun to ‘hang out’ there in middle or high school, but now I never go unless I have to get something specific to pick up. Like H2Ocean at Hot Topic. And let’s not talk about how much I stuck out like SORE THUMB at Hot Topic in my little floral skirt and purple-streak-less hair. I felt like shouting, “DON’T JUDGE ME! I HAVE NOSE RING! AND BELLY BUTTON RING! I’M REBELLIOUS, TOO!” See, that’s what malls do to me. I feel utterly un-cool at them. And overwhelmed. Moving on.)

So, How’s It Going?

AWESOME!

I mentioned that sometimes I buy clothes because I’m bored with my wardrobe. And then sometimes I don’t even wear the new clothes much. And then sometimes I realize I’m getting rid of things I HARDLY WORE. It’s a painful cycle of mistake clothes bought out boredom. Buying second-hand makes this a little less annoying, because at least if I get rid of something I hardly wore, I didn’t buy it brand new – wasting all of the resources (including MY MONEY) that went into the clothing.

It still makes me mad at myself, though.

I also tend to fall into that terrible trap of not wearing everything I own because I have too much of it. Paradoxically, when I have less clothes cluttering up my closet, I wear more things! It’s amazing!

Simpler = better, once again.

I satiated my clothes boredom by shopping at Plato’s Closet twice this month – a grand total of $50 for a pair of shoes and half a dozen shirts. Win.

Tips!

• Try not to rule out second-hand clothing because you think it’s OMG! SO NASTY! to wear other people’s clothing until you check out a consignment shop for yourself. There are plenty of higher-end consignment shops that even a person who would never THINK of stepping foot into a thrift store would adore.
• Be prepared for thrift stores that don’t have changing rooms. Sad, but true. I’ve been known to wear a skirt and leggings to try on pants – just hike up the skirt and wiggle into those jeans! Or try on shirts over a tight tank top. Or have a friend hold a sheet around me. I have no shame. But I’m fun in a thrift store!
• Scope out stores in nice suburbs or neighborhoods – the kinds of places where people might shudder at the thought of wearing Banana Republic clothes from last season. Their loss, your gain.
• Take your clothes to a consignment shop or second hand store and you might just make a little money. If all else fails: Goodwill! Never throw away what can be reused…or Mother Earth will smite you.
• For young adults: Plato’s Closet. Yeah, it’s for juniors – but I’ve found tons of insanely cute, name brand clothes in there. Just be prepared for feeling like a teenager.
• Wash it before you wear it. Yep. Do it.
• Clean out your closet! I cannot say it enough - simple is better. You will be happy. I promise you.
  

Saving Money. So Hot Right Now.

I’ve been voraciously devouring two fantastic books: Craft Inc.: Turn Your Creative Hobby into a Business by Meg Mateo Ilasco and The Anti 9-to-5 Guide: Practical Career Advice for Women Who Think Outside the Cube by Michelle Goodman. I am alternating between the books at whim, but I just can’t get enough of them. They are seriously amazing. Part of me worries that I’m getting my hopes up too much – they make it seem quite possible to do what you love for a living. I’m admittedly a wee bit nervous to allow myself dream up grandiose ideas – what if they don’t come to be? What if I am disappointed? And worse, what if I fail?

Anyhow, we’ll talk about my career aspirations another time. I noticed that both books, particularly The Anti 9-to-5 Guide, place a lot of emphasis on downsizing your lifestyle in order to do what you want. To not be limited by your Starbucks habit, shoe addiction, or huge cell phone bill, but be free to pursue your deepest desires and aspirations.

Let’s say you despise your job, so you invest heavily in retail therapy. But then you're trapped in your job in order to maintain your standard of living (like those pretty designer handbags and those yummy lattes). Would you be happier with a job that you dread and lots of expensive things or a career that you adore and living simply?

Many of the authors’ suggestions on how to downsize your lifestyle or spend less are things we already do, so I thought I’d share some ways that Mike and I are frugal and ask you to share your ideas as well!

• No cable. We had free cable last year, but when it came time to choose spending $40+ a month on TV? Nope.
• Library instead Netflix or buying books and CDs.
• One car for the two of us. (I walk to work.)
• Biking to the grocery in the summer. Mmm, summer.
• Aside from washing dishes, I do all our cleaning with baking soda and vinegar.
• Buying in bulk – rice, oats, almonds, etc.
• Dried beans instead of canned beans. So super cheap it’s amazing!
• I cut the coffee habit a few months ago – which means my coffee runs have drastically reduced.
• Planning meals – less waste, more eating healthy, and less chance we’ll decide to just order a pizza instead!
• Reusing everything you could ever imagine. I reuse packaging and brown paper bags for my Etsy and Amazon packages, I rinse out Ziploc bags, I reuse aluminum foil, our “Tupperware” is reused yogurt containers, and we have almost no disposable paper products in our house.
• Love hand-me-downs, thrift stores, consignment shops, and ridiculously cheap clothing stores.
• Never spring for manicures, pedicures, salon hair cuts or coloring (Best Cuts is my friend. As is hair dye-in-a-box!).
• No pre-cut, pre-washed veggies or fruit. I'd rather do it myself and save a lot of money.
• Try to make do with what I have. (My husband is laughing at me right now. I kind of like Target. And Joann Fabric.)

Here’s to spending less money and living more.

[ETA: I think it's important to point out that I don't advocate cutting costs at the expense of human rights, the environment, or so on - I choose to spend my money more intentionally - instead of buying a whole lot of junk I don't need from Wal-Mart, I buy it from Target one nice, quality item that is fair-trade, made locally, or something like that. :) I'd never want to promote saving money above all else. It's about spending it more wisely. Right?]

{Don’t forget to share your frugal tips. Be proud of your penny-pinching prowess!}

DIY Friday - Lez Get Crafty!

My earrings have been all in a tangle, and I needed a way to organize them - so why not make my own earring holder?!

I used part of a bag from oranges (reduce, REUSE, recycle, right?), a picture frame (very old and unsightly, but it got the job done), a hot glue gun, and scissors.



1. Stretch the mesh plastic to fit the inside of the frame.
2. Hot glue into place.
3. Trim the edge of the mesh.
4. Hook earrings on like so!
5. I just covered a piece of cardboard with newspaper clippings and drew a star.
6. Note along left side - I will have the FLDS scandal forever live in my earring organizer. Oh, yes.

Hope your Friday's grand!

At Least Some of The Coffee Was Fair Trade

This weekend I went to a conference about 3 ½ hours away. (It was a fantastic conference, if you’re wondering, about youth and conflict – specifically conflict resolution education. Enthralling, important work presented by people from 19 countries…and yours truly.)

On the way to my parents’ house the night before the conference, I stopped at a gas station for a Starbucks double shot of espresso. The next day I got an iced coffee drink in a plastic cup, because I had forgotten my travel mug at work. (So this was pretty ironic!) At the conference, I drank a Diet Pepsi from a can and at a boxed lunch. The next day, I succumbed to the coffee again and used two Styrofoam cups. (Two because they wouldn’t let me bring any food or drinks into the keynote speaker, so I never got any of the first coffee). There was another boxed lunch, Diet Pepsi, and a good cup of coffee (Whole Foods, dark chocolate mocha. Sigh.) for my drive home.

It made me feel AWFUL.

On a normal weekend, I create little waste – maybe some plastic bags from carrots or a paper bag from flour. And some food scraps because we stopped composting. (It smelled. SO. badly.) We use small plastic bags for our trash (reused grocery bags) and take it out once or twice a week.

Here was my waste this weekend:

* 3 aluminum drink cans
* 2 Styrofoam cups
* 2 boxed lunches with disposable napkins, forks, plastic containers, plastic bags, etc
* 1 plastic cup with lid and straw
* 1 coffee cup with plastic lid and cardboard sleeve
* A take out box and paper bag for my Tofu Pad Thai
* Oh, okay, and a little paper bag from Taco Bell (Cinnamon twists are my secret love!)

In two days, I created as much waste as Mike and I create together in about 10 days.

It makes me feel guilty, especially because I could have avoided using 3 cups if I had remembered my travel mug.

And I really didn’t need to drink the Pepsi. But it was free. And I was thirsty.

It might be really silly that I felt a major twinge of guilt for creating so much more waste this weekend. I know the nature of traveling is disposable items, but still.

Maybe I should view this as progress – that I’m becoming more aware of my consumption; that I can’t just mindlessly create trash without thinking about my actions.

Now, I just need to work on that pesky Target habit.

Oh! How convenient! Crunchy is challenging us yet again; this time, to not purchase anything new for the month of April. Not counting food, of course.

I’m going to challenge myself one step further – and say no disposable convenience food. That means if I forget my travel mug at work, I’m stuck with nasty office coffee.

And if I’m hungry, I either eat at home or somewhere that doesn’t use disposable products. If I eat out, I’ll either ask for foil for my leftovers or bring my own Tupperware.

It’s against my American nature of impatience and laziness. If I’m hungry, I want to eat NOW. If I’m craving something, I want it ready, NOW.

But I’m going to try and make a conscious effort in April to be less selfish and less of a consumer.

Baby steps.

A Reusable Coffee Mug - Easy As 1-2-3

I’ve heard (seen?) a lot of confusion on different blogs/comment/forums* about using a reusable coffee mug at a coffee shop. As someone who frequents the coffee shop QUITE regularly (They recognize me by my mug; and last time, veteran barista told newbie, “She brings her own cup” as newbie reached to grab me a disposable cup.), I can speak with some authority on this matter.

Here’s a little “how to” for using your own coffee mug at a coffee shop.

1. Get a reusable mug – avoid plastic if you can; it’ll last longer and not affect the taste of your delicious coffee (or tea or hot chocolate!)
2. Measure how much liquid your mug can hold, so you can order coffee at the shop. Mine’s a tall (12 oz), FYI.
3. Bring clean travel or ceramic mug with you to coffee shop (this means don’t forget it at work the night before!)
4. When you order, show them your coffee mug and say, for example, “I’ll have a 12 oz Highlander Grogg in this.”
5. Make sure to unscrew the top from the mug if it has one and hand them the cup part. There are some reports that at Starbucks they put the lid in a plastic disposable lid so it doesn’t touch the counter. So just keep it yourself!
6. Enjoy your coffee and the fact that there is a little less waste because of you.

I’ve heard people complain that Starbuck baristas sometimes mark your drink on a disposable cup and then throw it away – they’ve created new post-it note stickers to help avoid this, but it’s possible they could be out of stickers or just hate trees or something. Most times when I go to Starbucks, the cashier just verbally tells the barista what my order is as he hands her my cup. (Though now I normally go to the local coffee shop – so there is never any cup writing). If you’ve experienced the wasted cup phenomenon, maybe just casually mention something about not wanting to waste cup?– or just order plain coffee so no marking is required!

* Hey, I spend a lot of time, online, what can I say? Yesterday my husband sent me this article. Maybe he was passively trying to stage an intervention?

Yep, I'm Pretty Much a Weirdo

This morning as I was doing the dishes, I paused for a moment and wondered how many other people actually wash out their Ziplock bags to use over and over again. Sometimes I really forget how weird I am!

Here's something to think about though - I have not had to buy any kind of plastic bag for an entire year. For trash bags, we just use Target bags (or whatever other store we happened to go to and not bring a tote bag. Even though we make an effort to bring our own bags to the store, we are not in danger of running out anytime soon of the plastic bags from the times we forget.) For food storage, I continue to reuse the ziplock bags, used plastic containers from food, and cute little Corningware dishes.

I remember the first time I'd ever heard of someone reusing Ziplock bags. I was in middle school, living in Thailand and our housekeeper (no, we weren't rich, everyone had one) would rinse out the bags, turn them inside out, and stick them to fridge to dry. My little American self thought her Thai ways were strange. I was a product of a country who valued disposability and the temporary nature of our merchandise. Now I see that she saw no reason to throw away something that had just been used once.

It's definitely to the advantage of a company to create disposable products, because consumers will need to keep spending their money to buy replacements. But we really don't need to - not when we buy products that will last or just use products longer. Sometimes it's good to be weird. :)

Check it out. It was a Winter Wonderland. No cars! (Except the dozens at the car dealership.)

The Way I See It

Apparently, no one has listened to me!

C'mon Mitt, Hil, John, and Barack - lead by example. I have nothing against drinking water and coffee, don't get me wrong! (yumm...coffee.) It's just that I know that y'all are better than that. (Well, most of you anyway. :) )

*********************
In other news, this blog is slowly making it to the top of Google when searching for that Atomic Kitten song. WTF? At least lots of people are unknowingly learning about the benefits of soy candles as they search for those lyrics. :)

I Come Bearing Gifts

I LOVE Christmas!

I do, I really really do. My extended family gets together and is disgustingly happy - playing games, sledding, and doing things like exchanging sappy letters instead of useless gifts. We even have a caroling party. (It seems like no one carols anymore. People don't know what to do when we come to their front door. Not like I'd have any clue, either: "Crap! It's cold and I'm wearing pajamas and I can't leave or I'll look rude! Smile and endure the singing.")

I usually spend lots of time the month before Christmas trying to find exciting, personal, unique gifts for everyone. No cheap, plastic, battery operated toys for my godson (or new nieces and nephews)! Wooden personalized name puzzles or photo books or wooden sushi sets, like I'm giving this year. I love the personalized gifts for EVERYONE - Snapfish has been my best friend for the past few years. There aren't a TON of people we get gifts for - immediate family, grandparents, and my godson. Maybe some friends? That's over 20 people right there.

This year, newly married, trying to save money, and enjoying the added bonus of not doing too much of the commercial Christmas thing, (I did go Black Friday shopping. It's FUN! I like buying stuff. Retail therapy and all that, I believe in it. :) But I definitely keep it to a minimum. Because not being able to pay my bills would cause way more stress.) we decided to make our own gifts. We have been saving our glass jars from salsa, applesauce, and jelly. Plus, we have lots of mason jars lying around -- so we decided to do gifts in a jar! Sand Art Brownie Mix, Cappuccino Mix, Friendship Soup Mix, French Vanilla Hot Chocolate, Candy Cane Bath Salts, and the most endeavorous of them all - Homemade Candles.

I'm not sure how well received they will be, but they were so much fun to make together. I got to be crafty, have an excuse to watch more TV, and test the mixes, of course. :) Yum! I went the grocery store to buy all the food mix ingredients - it was less than $50. Add to that the craft store materials (wax crystals, wicks, salts, fabric, ribbon, etc) and we made 25 jars for less than $100. That's less than $4 a gift. Shhh, don't tell. We'll probably give one or two to everyone on our list (except the little kids - they get sushi), plus a small gift that is more personal. It's really hard for me to restrain from not spending more on everyone -- I just want them to know how much I love them. :)

Here's the finished product of the cappuccino, hot chocolate, and brownie mixes:

After I made the mixes and put them in jars I decorated some of the jars with green and red fabric cut into stars or trees, a la this salsa jar turned cappuccino mix:

I also cut squares out of the fabric and hot glued them to the lid, then used some hemp string to tie the fabric around the jar. For most of them, the lid can easily be unscrewed with the fabric and string still in place. I cut the labels out of card stock, decorated them and put instructions on the back. This project is pretty darn environmentally friendly PLUS it's super affordable. Score. You're reusing old jars, buying some simple food and craft items, and spending a little time to create some really special gifts.

As far as wrapping goes, it would be most eco-savvy to not wrap the gifts at all. However, seeing as how we have a bazillion bags left over from our wedding, we'll be using those some some reused tissue paper to give most of these gifts. They are sort of wrapped already, but I really love the prolonged suspense of giving and getting gifts. Kids don't love gift bags so much, since they just want to tear through the paper. So I wrapped those in classifieds and added some cloth ribbon:

it's da sushi!

The ribbon, hemp string, and fabric really made a few simple gifts look nice. I'm really excited to give these out!

Here are a few more pictures of our hard work::

First time making candles -- they smell like lilac!

Yum. Chocolate chips.

(Recipes are from allrecipes.com, razzledazzlerecipes, and organizedchristmas.com.)

Leggo My Pesto

We got a basil plant as one of our wedding gifts. It's great! It naturally repels insects, smells yummy, and tastes delicious. Since we live in an apartment, sans balcony or courtyard or any greenery, we adore houseplants. We have quite a few. Don't ask me what they are or you'll hear descriptions like "it's a potted plants that's green with long leaves. or maybe they're called strands? there are little sprout thingys off some of the strands." Wow, I'm making myself sound ditzy. I'm not. Promise.

Where was I again? Oh yeah, making your own food in your own jars is cheaper and creates less waste and more fun (cheesy much?). You can reuse the same jars over and over, and you don't have to drive to the store, so you save some CO2 as well. It's a win-win-win-win situation.

Here are some pictures of what I did:

I picked ALL of the leaves off the basil plant (which, by the way, is pretty much a fool proof plant if you give it enough sunlight.) Notice the sewn-by-Mike curtain and chives to the left and the Ikea bamboo-esque plant to the right. :)

I put the basil along with olive oil, garlic, and walnuts in the food processor. It was soooo easy and the best pesto ever. The mess left a little to be desired. (Notice our teeny tiny sink. At least there's a garbage disposal. But nope, no dishwasher. That would be Mike.)

We got really pretty antique jars at one of our wedding showers:

Ta-da! (That whole basil plant made this little jar. But a little pesto tossed with spaghetti goes a long way.) Looks yummy. You can either stick it in the fridge and eat it in 2-3 days, or freeze it.

Yay! I did it! 30 days!! It's only the beginning, though. :)

All I Can Really Think About is How The Office was a Rerun

Another cop out of an entry. Ugh. I hate to do this, but I worked over 11 hours today. Soooo, here goes::

We don't recycle paper until we use nearly every square inch of it. That means, printing on two sides, using scratch paper to make my beloved lists. (Lists give me a sense of peace and order. It's nice.)

Aaaand that's my lame-o post. My day was fantastic, if you're interested. That's rare a) at my job and b) after working for nearly 12 hours.

Those Thin Little 5-A-Day Bags

Hey you!

Don't get a plastic bag for each of your fruits and vegetables at the grocery store. Either put them all in one bag, don't get plastic bags at all, or bring your own bags.

We usually just put the all in one bag or don't bother with the bags. The clerks never find it a hassle and we have less annoying bags lying around.

(I pine for the bags that make your produce last even longer. Maybe for Christmas?)

OPERATION: Actually Post!

We joined NaBloPoMo so we will FORCE ourselves to post daily for the entire month. Let's see how this goes!

Each day we'll discuss a different tip or idea for reducing your consumption, being more environmentally conscious, or just plain being green. As much as I hate to label it -- It's a green tip a day. (For some reason, using green as an adjective in that way really gives me the heeby jeebies. *shudder*)


Today: Never buy paper towels ever again.


I actually started to realize how unnecessary paper towels are last year when I lived with four other girls. Out of cheapness, we stopped buying paper towels and started using wash clothes, cloth towels, and rags to clean up our messes. We had plenty cloth alternatives, so it never became a problem. Just throw in a few towels with every load of laundry and you'll save money! Easy peasy.

Work, on the other hand, is a different story. I work at an after-school center with lots of kids. That means, lots of paper towels when they spill something. Which, of course, happens all the time. I have lots of guilt over this, and try to assuage myself, because the paper towels are recycled which makes a world of difference. Right?