Eco-Friendly Entry
I have not yet had to pleasure of meeting Wayfaring Wanderer but since we live in the same town, a photowalk is planned. I hope we will finally get to meet in the very near future, maybe for a photo-snow-walk or a hike at the Hebron Rock Colony. When I read about her “Share the Love” green giveaway, I had to participate for a chance to win one of her lovely prizes and perhaps the book “Living Green”, a lovely picture frame or a re-usable bag may also be in my future. I could think of plenty of eco-friendly things I do currently to brag about but it was alot harder to think of ways to improve upon the many eco-friendly actions I take on a daily basis.
5 things I do right now that are eco-friendly:
- Use re-usable containers for take-out food and re-usable bags for shopping; support restaurants which use recyclable take-out containers
- Make my own homemade household cleaners
- Compost throw-away kitchen waste
- Recycle glass, plastic, metal, batteries, CFL light-bulbs, pasteboard, cardboard, newspaper
- Make a majority of healthy, nutritious meals at home
5 things I don’t do but can easily start doing:
- I hang out clothes on a clothelines mainly during the summer but could do this more often in the fall and spring
- Be more consistent with recycling & composting; sometimes a few things that could easily be recycled or composted end up in my trash because of pure laziness
- Finish ridding kitchen of plastic food storage containers by finding inert alternatives
- Save more food for leftover meals and make a plan to use these so they do not go to waste
- Drive less; walk more
Nomination for prize: Blue Bird Hill
Good luck to all the entrants and much luck to everyone in achieving their eco-friendly aspirations.
Filed under photography | Comments (2)Bamboo Anyone?
Green Daily published a story this past saturday about some really cool and sustainable spectacles. The story claims they are really flexible so it is hard to break them but I wonder how the material will hold up to the rigors of everyday wear? They are also affordable as I have routinely paid at least $150-$200 if not more for frames in the past. I have bamboo growing in my yard. I wonder if they would cut me a deal if I donated some bamboo?
I also posted this over at the More Hip Than Hippie Forum.
Filed under environment | Comments (2)Are You a Thread Head?
The latest podcast show by the Thread Heads over at ThreadBanger is all about reusable shopping bags, one of my favorite subjects. Just ask anyone who has had to endure my incessant ramblings about using them when I explain the great pleasure I get every time I walk out of a store with my bags in hand. It did take me awhile to learn to bring them with me on shopping trips but now it has become a force of habit. I now remember before I leave the house to bring my bags with me and you must form a habit of bringing them into the store with you as well. One of my local grocery stores used to give me $.05 off my total shopping bill for each cloth bag I would bring to put my groceries in so that was a big help and a great reminder. They have just recently changed to giving me points on my frequent shopper card but it is still an incentive. I do find that if I have my bags with me at all times that I use them everywhere I go. I love telling the cashier at any store I shop at, with a smile of course, that I have brought my own bag. It just makes me feel good and makes me feel like I am making a difference, however small.
I have all sorts of different bags. I have several Classic String Bags and also a couple of Produce Bags. I have started a collection of health food store reusable bags which are usually made of canvas. Whenever I go to a new health food store I always pick up a bag with their logo on it. I have one from Greenlife Grocery, Nature’s Food Patch, Earthfare and Whole Foods Market. My Whole Foods bag is so big and durable that I have used it like a back-pack to lug my stuff around. I haven’t picked up any chico bags yet but I do plan to get some of those awesome bags at some point in the future. They are very convenient and compact so you can stuff them in your car so you don’t forget. The other reuasable bags I take with me on shopping trips are just canvas bags I have collected over the years with various organizations logos on them. I have customized some of them by painting or sewing over the logo. A friend of mine made this bag completely from scratch.
One of the organizations mentioned in the Thread Head podcast was Morsbags whose goal is social guerilla bagging. They give you a pattern for a really simple to sew bag and give out their labels in printable .pdf form, then you give away the bags you make for free usually on a day set by the head organization. I really like this idea and so much so that I created a pod for my area called BlueRidgeBags so if you want to make some with me contact me through the morsbags site.
Other links of interest:
She’s A Betty: Reusable SHopping Bag Guide
Reuasable Grocery and Shopping Bags Blog
Feed Projects link via The Daily Green
U-HandBag Blog: Tutorial for making a reuasbable bag with comfy handles
Filed under crafts, environment, friends | Comments (6)
