boolar

It’s a poor cell photo, but it shows the brilliant idea of my mother-in-law in action: using clothespins to hang my plastic bags from the curtain over my kitchen sink.

Why would I hang plastic bags over my sink? To dry them.

Why are they wet? Because I wash them.

What, are you trying to tell me that you use a new plastic bag every time you buy a carrot at the store and then dispose of it after only one use? You are probably one of those people who still get asked “Paper or Plastic?” because you don’t bring your own reusable grocery sacks to the store.

If so, please don’t tell me. I’ve lost patience with all my supposedly liberal, free-thinking, eco-conscious friends who eat out of disposable packaging daily, can’t bother to bring a couple of bags with them to the store or buy in bulk, and don’t compost their food waste (the list can go on, I assure you, but I’m learning to choose my battles).

By openly attacking the habits of others, I open myself up to criticism for plenty of wasteful things I do. Bring it on! Over the past several years, I’ve been taking steps to reduce the amount of waste I send to the landfill, down the drain, and into the atmosphere. If you’ve got a suggestion for me, I’ll be happy to take yet another step in the right direction.

Please:

*Keep in mind that recycling uses a whole lot more resources than reducing what you consume and re-using what you can.

*Buy a re-usable grocery bag, one that folds up real small so you can keep it in your car or your backpack. I almost always have a few on me. They don’t have to be expensive… thrift stores are full of them, Chinatowns are, too. Re-use sturdy plastic bags for produce… just rinse them out and hang somewhere to dry. Of the last four people I have lived with, exactly three have openly claimed (feigned) eco-consciousness, while exactly zero re-used even a single grocery bag the entire time we lived together. *sigh* Are you trying to tell me that you use those paper bags for your recycling? How about getting a reusable bin about the same size?

*Learn to buy grains, beans, nuts, dried fruits, spices and many, many more things from the bulk section. If your usual grocery store doesn’t have one, ask them to get one or take your business somewhere else. You can get bulk organic foods for less money than conventional packaged ones! It is so much less wasteful! It is so much fun (you get to try just a few bites of something new, or just a few pennies worth of an exotic spice)! You can bring your own jars (just be sure to weigh them first so they can subtract it at the register)! Do it!

*When you go down to your favorite Thai restaurant to order take-out, bring your own reusable take out containers. Bring one when you go out to dinner so you don’t have to use a disposable box for those leftovers you always have (these are another good thing to keep in the car). If they give you trouble about this, question who you are supporting with your dollars.

*Buy a travel mug for your latte. Drink your coffee in the shop. Or, give up coffee all together.

*If it came out of the ground, find a way to get it back there. I know so many people who talk about composting but don’t do it for one silly reason or another, like not having the right tools, skills, or time. Listen: I started my first compost pile by throwing vegetable scraps into a pile in the backyard. When I thought of it, I poked at the pile a bit with a stick. When I weeded, I threw those on there, too. It became a bit of an experiment. When it looked too dry, I’d add some water. If it looked too wet, I’d add some dry leaves or newspaper or egg cartons or an old pair of jeans or something. Soon, my pile of garbage was a mound of black dirt full of juicy worms. Your vegetable scraps already know how to decompose back into the earth, just give them the space to do it in! Be sure not to add any grains, meat, or cooked stuff, and you’ll be on your way… google any problems that might arise, you’ll be sure to find an answer!

So I started on this train of thought because of bananas. Bradley asked me this morning why we don’t eat YoNanaSurprise (Yogurt, Banana, Honey and Peanut Butter) for breakfast anymore. I reminded him that we gave up the Nana part years ago. Oh, I’ll have a piece of banana bread every once in a bit (it’s my favorite), but I’ve been boycotting bananas ever since I noticed that my organic, “fair-trade” bananas had a Dole sticker on them… just didn’t seem right. A little research showed me how much deforestation of the rain forests occurs for banana plantations, how workers rights are blatantly disregarded by the big banana moguls, and how much energy it takes to bring an unripe banana to Oregon.

On top of this, I began to realize that somebody living in the cold, wet Pacific Northwest does not need to be eating bananas grown in warm, tropical conditions… I’m a big believer that I need to be eating whatever the hell it is that grows where I live.

I know that it’s much easier not to pay attention, but with a bit of care invested now, these thoughtful actions will become habit and you won’t put any more thought into re-using your grocery bag as you did throwing out the other ones.