Minimalism, in Blog Form
By Jenn | February 9, 2010
So glad to have been pointed towards this site, Mnmlist.com. As the fabulous URL hints, it’s all about doing more with less, which, as you dear readers know, is something we’re big advocates of here at Team TC.
Mnmlist is another brainchild of the prolific Leo Babauta of Zen Habits fame.
As someone who has dreams of a Zen-inspired space yet has a long way to go, these quotes are particularly inspiring, including a perenial favorite by William Morris: “”Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.” A friend recently said that she was going through her closet and getting rid of everything she wasn’t passionate about, which I found inspiring! Imagine only wearing clothing you find passionate, or being surrounded by objects you are passionate about, or only buying things which deeply move your soul…
Then there’s single-tasking, which I’ve been thinking lots about lately. Or taking small steps (tiny choices!) towards minimalism. Or the new-to-me-idea of minimalist eating. And the idea of simplicity being the path itself really reverberates with me.
In fact, since the Mnmlist blog is uncopyrighted, I may as well post the fantastic “about” post in its entirety:
Stop buying unnecessary things.
Toss half your stuff, learn contentedness.
Reduce half again.
List 4 essential things in your life,
stop doing non-essential things.
Do these essentials first each day, clear distractions
focus on each moment.
Let go of attachment to doing, having more.
Fall in love with less.
What are your thoughts on minimalism? Have you implemented it, do you desire to practice it, or does the idea give you hives?
[Thanks to Mickey Z. for the topic idea!]
[Image by Brad Montgomery via Creative Commons]
Topics: General | No Comments »
DIY Cold house living: hot! rice! sacks!
By Karina | February 8, 2010
I’ve mentioned before that our house is really cold. Really! Cold! So I wanted to share a little quality-of-life discovery that has really changed everything: rice bags. Amazing!
It’s so simple, really all we did was take a cotton sack that we had around the house (yet another use for those many reusable bags we have?), dump a couple of uncooked cups of rice into it (whatever on-hand - we have a big container of basmati rice so that’s what we used), knot the sack so there’s a little bit of play in the rice, and hey presto! a microwavable rice bag that, once hot, will keep its’ heat for over 30 min. I threw this together when we had an overnight guest with a sore shoulder, but last week I’ve been microwaving the bag on our way up to bed, and chucking it under the covers so we could have a nice warm bed after we’ve brushed our teeth. And while I wrote about the magic of flannel sheets in the winter, I have to say: a hot rice sack at your toes is pure luxury.
There are lots of DIY sources for rice bag instrucutions:
- Simple and to the point, this is pretty much what we did to make our bag.
- Our rice bag smells pretty ricey, but this tutorial recommends using a few drops of essential oil in the rice, and this one suggests breaking open a herbal tea bag and mixing it in with your rice.
- And this one recommends microwaving it with a cup of water so the rice doesn’t burn or scorch, and so it stays hydrated and warm longer.
I’m thinking that I’ll make a rice bag for every bed in the house! they double as heating pads for sore muscles, so it would be good to have a few around.
And for those that are interested: we had some people come over to give quotes for insulating the attic, and really, it’s not going to be that bad! I had wildly guestimated that it would cost about $5000, and it turns out that it will probably come in at half that. Still lots of money, but much more managable. However, the contractors came over on the windiest rainiest day of the winter, and we found at least 2 roof leaks and even worse, lots of leaks under the windows that the previous owner had installed, but apparently not sealed up. Darn it! so even though we’ve got these good quotes we have to now patch the roof (really the flashing, where the roof meets the chiminies) and seal the windows. THEN we can insulate the house.
Do you have any other heating pad ideas, or DIY staying-warm ideas?
[[Photo credits: http://www.flickr.com/photos/papayatreelimited/ / CC BY-NC 2.0 - go read the story at the flickr photo page, it’s great too!]]
Topics: Home | 8 Comments »
Easy Peasy Tip: Keep a towel at work!
By tinychoices | February 6, 2010
This is a tip so simple that we’re ashamed we didn’t think of it ourselves. Sure, we talk a lot about keeping cloth napkins and hankies on hand so you can avoid disposables. We even have talked about the best way to dry your hands in a public bathroom! so of COURSE we should have thought to suggest that we all bring a small towel (or even a washcloth) to work - you can keep it at your work station and bring it with you to the bathroom, or make the dash back to your desk with wet hands.
[tip via smart2begreen]
Will this work for you at your place of employ?
[[Photo from flickr user: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bo_brunner/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0]]
Topics: Easy Peasy Tips | 4 Comments »
Tiny Choices Survey: Julie!
By tinychoices | February 5, 2010
Vital statistics (name, age, location)?
Julie G, age 33, Perth, Western Australia. I blog at: www.gogreeneraustralia.com/blog/
How do you reside (apartment or house, roommates)?
I live in a unit with my husband, in a just-out-of-the-inner-city suburb.
Are your housing decisions dictated by choice or necessity? Please explain.
By choice: we took the time to save up a large deposit so we could buy a small home that was close to public transport and other conveniences. It was well worth the wait and effort.
How do you travel (transit, car, etc)? Are your travel decisions dictated by choice or necessity? Please explain.
I walk or take public transport, or get lifts with people, because I’ve chosen not to get a drivers’ licence. My husband has a secondhand Prius. He has a bike, and I’d like to get one too, so we can further reduce our reliance on the car.
Tell us about a Tiny Choice you’ve made in your life.
Eating less processed food. Not only is it better for my health, it means I’ve got less packaging waste to recycle, and haven’t contributed as much to the eco-impact of mass-produced food.
What is the one environmental dilemma you personally struggle the most with?
Junk food. I used to enjoy eating it, but the more I learn about it the less I like it - yet I still give in and buy it on nights when I don’t feel like cooking, or feel like comfort food! The fact that it no longer provides comfort, and in fact makes me feel guilty, hasn’t been enough to break the habit for me.
What is one Tiny Choice you can make in that direction?
I think I need to figure out some pantry meals that require zero effort, so I can still eat when I’m tired or haven’t shopped properly. I’d love some suggestions for this if anyone’s got ideas!
What is the one environmental Tiny Choice you make that people question (in either a positive educational or a negative hassle way) you the most about?
People love my Sigg reuseable water bottle. It’s pretty and looks sturdy, and if they compliment me on it I mention that I like not having to pay for water. Quite a few people have got their own reuseable bottles after chatting with me about mine.
What is the one environmental Tiny Choice you would like every single person to adopt?
Learn how to cook some vegetarian meals. You don’t have to go full vegetarian if you’re not ready (I’m not, yet) but you can make a difference right now if you learn how to make a few standby dishes and just give it a try.
Do you feel like you make sacrifices for environmentalism? Please explain.
Whenever I make a new change it feels like a sacrifice for the first week or two. But I’ve always been so happy with the result after a while, that it would feel like a sacrifice to go back to the old eco-unfriendly ways of doing things.
Are you generally: optimistic, pessimistic, neutral about environmentalism and the future?
Depends on what day you talk to me! Some days I read about all the difficulties facing our planet, all the structural problems we’re going to have to fix, and it makes me despair of ever sorting it all out. And then I read about or chat with someone who’s just forging ahead, thinking global but acting local, with some creative idea that seems like it’s really going to work, and I’m glad there’s such a great community of greenies out there doing their bit. It gets me excited again, and sets me off on new projects of my own.
Ultimately, I don’t think there’ll ever be a day when we can sit back and say “Yep, we’ve made the environment safe and sound forever”. There will always be some new challenge. But we’ve got more people than ever before making an effort, even if it’s just in their own backyard. So generally I’m hopeful about the future.
- Click here to read all of the Tiny Choices Surveys!
- Take the Survey: email us your answers to the questions above, along with a photo!
Topics: Surveys | 7 Comments »
States Move on BPA Bans
By Jenn | February 4, 2010
I hadn’t realized until now, but some states have taken action to ban BPA from food and beverage containers which are targeted to kids– this is exciting news!
In a nutshell, BPA is a hardener found in certain plastics– mostly those clear/colored hard-type plastics, such as Nalgene bottles– and also in the linings of nearly all canned food items and the tops of glass jars. While some scientists and health advocates have been expressing concern about BPA for years, the U.S. government held the position that it was perfectly safe. However, now “the FDA now agrees with the National Toxicology Program that BPA is of “some concern” for children and infants. But she said more needs to be known before the agency takes any steps to ban the chemical or reduce amounts.”
Okeydokey! So the federal government still isn’t taking steps to limit or ban this chemical, even where it’s been shown to leach into the food supply– but I find it so heartening that certain states are stepping up to the plate on their own and doing it their own selves:
In May 2009, Minnesota passed “the first statewide prohibition on the use of the toxic plastics chemical Bisphenol-A, or BPA, in baby bottles and sippy cups. The prohibition will go into effect January 1, 2010.”
Also in May 2009, Connecticut resoundingly voted against BPA, in situations concerning kids:
“The Connecticut State House has agreed, in an overwhelming vote, to ban bisphenol A (BPA) from plastic containers used by children and babies… The ban does not take effect until October 1, 2011… The ban now encompasses “reusable food and beverage containers, including containers of infant formula and baby food, reusable spill-proof cups, plastic sports bottles and Thermoses,” reported the Courant. The bill does not address products geared to the general population, beverage containers, and single-use jars and cans.”
And now, Seattle is close to passing legal restrictions on BPA:
“The state Senate on Friday approved a ban on the chemical from bottles, cups, and other food or drink containers intended for children age 3 or younger.”
And, as reported by our friend Susan over at West Coast Crafty, “the new Oregon Senate Bill 1032 is coming up for vote very soon. It would ban the toxic chemical BPA from all reusable food and beverage containers (like baby bottles and sippy cups) and formula cans and baby food jars (single use) intended for children under 3 — protecting the youngest, smallest and most vulnerable from this pervasive and toxic chemical. If you also support the bill, please take a minute to call or email your representatives (find all their info here and email them here) and let them know that you encourage them to vote YES on 1032.”
So if you’re a resident of Oregon, flex your political muscle and reach out to your reps!
Topics: Activism, Food | 2 Comments »
Tiny Choices Q&A: What to do with Mesh Produce Bags?
By Karina | February 3, 2010
Welcome to Tiny Choices Q&A, where we open the floor for discussion on questions which y’all have submitted (this is a long-neglected feature, feel free to contribute your questions through our contact button to the right!)
Aimee asks:
What can we do with those red mesh plastic bags that produce sometimes comes in (mandarin oranges, tomatoes)? I try not to buy them now, but my husband and I have a big pile of them that we can’t bear to throw in the trash.
Well! actually, this is something that I’ve thought about a lot, interestingly enough. I’ve managed to come up with a few idea, and maybe y’all can pitch in with more in the comments?
- When I was a kid, my girl scout troop required us all to have a large mesh bag to put our dining kit into so it could be dunked into the big communal pots of wash and rinse water when we went on overnight trips. Do you know any scouts you could ask about this arcane practice?
- I think you could fashion a pot scrubber from these mesh bags. Maybe try tying the end of a piece of thread to the center of the bag and sew from the center out in an expanding spiral. When you’ve looped your running stitch all the way through the bag, gather the thread in so the bag collapses in on itself
- Or if you’re fancy and skilled, follow these directions to crochet a flat scrubber from your mesh bag.
- If you have a bigger bag and go camping or somewhere with communal showers, sew a strip of waste fabric or ribbon onto the top of the bag to create a neat edging and thread a thicker string or thin rope through the mesh just below the edging to make a drawstring bag. This is perfect to use as a carry-all for your soap and shampoo back and forth from the showers. You can pack locally made soaps and homemade washcloths into the bags and gift them to friends and family!
- You can follow the same make-a-bag suggestion above, and reuse the mesh bags when you go produce shopping. You’ll have new light weight reusable produce bags!
- And finally, a last idea for a scrubber - if you find flat pop-up sponges near you (I can get them at trader joes) you can use the mesh to cover the sponge for a homemade dobie.
So, Tiny Choosers? Any other ideas for Aimee?
Topics: Home, Q&A | 5 Comments »
Spicey Improvements
By Jenn | February 2, 2010
Everyone’s got their own method of storing spices. Some folks like those countertop spinning racks, but I don’t have the space for that. Then there are those super cute magnetic metal tins, but I’m pretty sure spices are best stored in darkness, not with little windows to let in the light.
Clearly, though, anything would be an improvement over my current storage method:
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So I spent a bunch of time online investigating the options. When I really thought about it, though, I just didn’t feel right buying new storage items to replace the current storage items, when the current ones were still functioning– my spices were being held perfectly fine, just not in a pretty or organized way.
I was on one website which sells small metal tins, wherein the metal is of some “food safe type similar to tin” according to the merchant. That wasn’t really enough materials information for me… and the stainless steel tins would end up costing me a small fortune! I have a lot of spices!
So I thought about it. What comes in small contairs which I could reuse. Answer: baby food!
I hit up my colleague who feeds her toddler from glass jars of baby food, and she was happy to divert some of those jars from the recycling bin. I’m happy to have storage jars made from an inert material (though the plastic lid lining does contain some BPA, it doesn’t normally touch the food so leaching is minimal). While my spice cabinet does still need a few hours of TLC, I like to just imagine the beauty when everything is all neat like this:
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Have you repurposed anything around the house lately?
Topics: Crafts/DIY, Food, Home | 8 Comments »
DIY Storage-Solution Plans
By Karina | February 1, 2010
Even though it’s been a solid 9 months since I’ve moved in with my partner, I am still struggling to get all of my stuff unpacked and put away. Partly it’s because I’m lazy! and it’s easy to ignore a mess when you’re riding a motorcycle around or reading lots of books or canning food in a separate room of the house. We were really busy last summer doing fun things (see also: why our attic is not yet insulated), so I still have a few things that need better homes. Just last month I actually managed to empty the last box in our craft room, but it’s still not organized well enough to actually, well, USE the craft room. And there’s an unsightly plastic tub full of pocketbooks and other small bags in the middle of our bedroom floor which I haven’t yet unpacked.
(An aside: one of the biggest problems I’ve found with moving in with someone who’s already pretty settled is that you feel like YOUR stuff is causing all the problems, and that YOU have lots of junk that you don’t need - when in all actuality, HE has got plenty of junk too, and it’s just all hidden away in the good nooks and crannies.)
So after tossing around ideas for a few months but not actually fixing any storage problems, I thought I’d share my problem spots with you all so you can help me figure out the best way to store some awkward items.
- First: my pocket books. As I mentioned above there are a bunch in a big tub, and a bunch more on the floor under my dresser. What I’d like to do is store them all on a rack of some sort, so I am thinking of driving nails into the wall behind the bedroom door to hang my bags while I’m not actually carrying them. Then I got the bright idea of getting a bunch of beautiful coat hooks - and there’s lots on etsy - and using THOSE instead of a rack. Any other suggestions?
- Next, and staying in the bedroom: I have a lot of scarves. LOTS AND LOTS. I have some in a tote bag on the bottom of my wardrobe and more in the attic in a box of my winter clothes as-yet-unused this year. If they were all in one place I could see them and choose which to wear on any given day. I was in a Muji store this weekend and saw a clothespin-style hanging rack that would allow me to hang the scarves in the closet, but I didn’t want to buy a new thing. Would it be possible to get a bunch of clothespins and fashion an object that hangs from the wall (again, near the bedroom door) so I could both display and store my scarves at the same time?
- The third big problem area is my jewelry. I have a bunch, mostly earrings and necklaces. I have a couple of jewelry boxes but if I don’t see things, I don’t think to wear them. Plus right now the top of my dresser is covered with things that don’t otherwise have a good home, so it’s hard to get to the jewelry in order to pick out what to wear in the morning. I have had this problem for years, though - so I’ve got a large picture frame and I’m all prepped to attach screen to the back of it in order to make a hanging “portrait” style jewelry storage - like this - but I just haven’t gotten around to it yet!
- Most ridiculously and equally pressing is the issue of my unfinished sewing projects. I have a bunch! at least 3 or 4 dresses that have been started and never finished. I would like very much to finish these dresses. However, the unfinished projects are all over my sewing table right now, making it foolishly impossible to set up my sewing machine and finish the projects. Darn it! So my big question is: should I just go ahead and suck it up and plan a couple of days where I wade through this unfinished work and get ‘er done, or should I do something like make up project envelopes out of stashed scrap fabric to keep the projects neatly together and ready to go? These boxes are ultra cute too, and made from plastic canvas just like the boxes my gramma used to make - but on the other hand, I’d have to go out and buy plastic canvas to make these boxes, and I’d rather not buy any new craft supplies (that I’d just have to store).
What do you think? do you have any great ideas for me? Do you have any storage problem areas you’d like to discuss? post them in the comments!
[[Photo via creative commons license: http://www.flickr.com/photos/shoppingdiva/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0]]
Topics: Home | 9 Comments »
Easy Peasy Tip: Replace
By tinychoices | January 30, 2010
You know, for all the talk we do around here about the 4 R’s (Repurpose, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle), sometimes it’s just plain time for the 5th R: Replace. If you get to this stage, we know you’ve already thought about ways to fix up what you’ve got or pondered on how to make it workable– but, sometimes it’s just not.
So when it’s time to replace, consider your options. Is there a version made from earth-friendly materials? Can you buy it second-hand? Can you buy the most reliable one possible to extend the life of the new object, and avoid replacement? Take time to make sure you’re getting the best possible item, from all possible angles.
[Image by Nattu via Creative Commons]
Topics: Easy Peasy Tips | No Comments »
Tiny Choices Survey: Rebecca!
By Jenn | January 29, 2010
Vital statistics (name, age, location)?
Rebecca, 23, Monterey, CA
How do you reside (apartment or house, roommates)? Are your housing decisions dictated by choice or necessity? Please explain.
We live in military housing - a 3bd 1.5ba duplex that is just about the right size for us. We’d prefer a fenced yard so we could spend more time outside, but we’re only here temporarily. Our housing decisions are dictated mostly by necessity, since we’re military right now. We have two small children and hope to foster and adopt many many more children - mostly sibling groups, teenagers, and other less-likely-to-be-adopted children. Every child deserves a loving home. So eventually we plan on having a much bigger home, but we want to power it as much with reusable energy as possible (wind, hydro, solar, etc) as well as compost and grow/raise most of our own food.
How do you travel (transit, car, etc)? Are your travel decisions dictated by choice or necessity? Please explain.
For close-to-home type things (the park, friends houses, etc) I like to walk and push my kids in the stroller. For long distance or the grocery store we drive, but we try to combine trips as much as possible.
Tell us about a Tiny Choice you’ve made in your life.
I recently stopped using shampoo. I cleanse my hair twice a week with baking soda and water and soften with apple cider vinegar with a little grapefruit essential oil mixed in. On the other days I just scrub my hair under hot water and rinse with cold water. We’re also going to try out soap nuts for all our other “soaping” needs - our first order is in the mail right now! I can’t wait!
What is the one environmental dilemma you personally struggle the most with?
Using too much water and electricity or gas. We used to pay gas and electricity, so we tried to cut down on our usage in that department, but we never paid the water bill, and now we live in a place where we don’t pay for any of our utilities, so it’s a lot easier to use too much water/electricity/gas. It’s easier to cut down on your usage when you know how much you’re using.
What is one Tiny Choice you can make in that direction?
We should just be more conscious of turning off the lights, turning off the water, running the dishwasher and washing machines with full loads, washing our clothes LESS (yes, I realized that I can rewear clothes a few times before they really need to be washed). I also need to try to turn off our power strips more often (the ones hooked up to the TV, computer, etc). Most of our appliances I turn off when not in use, but I could turn off the power strip and cut off even the “standby” electricity.
What is the one environmental Tiny Choice you make that people question (in either a positive educational or a negative hassle way) you the most about?
Probably using cloth diapers. Usually it’s in a positive educational way. People want to know why we use cloth diapers and how it works for us, and how you clean them, etc. It’s really neat to be able to tell people how it works for us.
What is the one environmental Tiny Choice you would like every single person to adopt?
Plant stuff. If we would all grow a few vegetables on our porch or door step, we would put a little less stress on the rest of the world to grow stuff (and transport stuff) to us. It’s not that hard to plant a few tomato plants in some buckets or a bell pepper plant in a pot, or even a head or two of lettuce! Get creative and see what you can grow yourself. Learn to be more self-reliant and less of a consumer. As my grandmother used to say, “Fix it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.” There’s no reason to consume as much stuff as we do, and I think one big way to change that is to provide a little for ourselves.
Do you feel like you make sacrifices for environmentalism? Please explain.
I feel like it’s the other way around. I feel like I am making sacrifices when I am not being environmentally/health conscious. Like when I recently stopped using shampoo, I don’t feel like I’m sacrificing the cleanliness of my hair. But when I think about using shampoo, I feel like I was sacrificing the health of my body, the health of the water going down my drain, the health of the landfills that would hold the packaging from my shampoo, and the health of the air and non-renewable resources used to transport my shampoo to the store. It’s a bigger sacrifice to me NOT to take steps to care for the earth. I love this earth and believe it was given to us to be good stewards over.
Are you generally: optimistic, pessimistic, neutral about environmentalism and the future?
I am optimistic about environmentalism and the future because I am optimistic about people starting to think more outside themselves. I have been watching more and more people around me take responsibility for their actions. That is going to have a great impact not just on the environment, but on the other aspects of our world as well.
“The gifted never stop seeing the world for the first time… the great ones are never forgotten…”
-Jupiter Sunrise, September Girl
- Click here to read all of the Tiny Choices Surveys!
- Take the Survey: email us your answers to the questions above, along with a photo!
Topics: Surveys | 9 Comments »
Water Bottles & Profitability
By Jenn | January 28, 2010
I was walking past a colleague’s desk today when I noticed a pretty blue Klean Kanteen water bottle
on her desk. Of couse I was psyched! and I complimented her on it. She laughed and was happy I’d noticed– not surprisingly, we’d talked previously about bottled water and water bottles and reusable bottles and all of that good stuff. We talked about how it really does take time for a new habit to become a seamless part of ones’ life, and how it’s ok if you forget it here and there, and how that’s part of the remembering process.
And then she told me that the main reason she bought it was because of the expense of bottled water– even if it’s sold for only $1 in her neighborhood bodegas, well, that’s still $1 per day! And for a woman who just bought her own apartment in Manhattan, those every one of her dollars are important. So she marked on the calendar the day when her new bottle would become profitable! Which is so awesome! What a nice, tangible way to understand how this single choice will make an actual difference in her life.
We’ve talked before about how so many green choices are also money-saving choices, and money-saving choices often turn out to be green ones. It doesn’t matter which angle it’s approached from– saving money is a good thing, and if it turns out to also be a good eco-choice at the same time, well then bully all around.
What’s your latest new green habit, and what was your reason for implementing it?
[Image by Robert Couse-Baker via Creative Commons]
Topics: Waste | 2 Comments »
Measuring what you Conserve
By Karina | January 27, 2010
Around my house these days, we’re talking near-term attic insulation and taking full advantage of the tax credits that expire this year by installing a new furnace and hot water heater in the fall. So sure, I did move in just under a year ago - but we were so busy, you know, really seriously enjoying our blissed-out cohabitation that we didn’t start to implement the standard bottom line efficiency measures that I’m so serious about until this winter, when we started to wear our stocking caps to bed. And now we are having conversations like: So, Dear: you think in three or four years solar panels will be lighter and more efficient? and Sweetheart, we really need to investigate tankless hot water heaters to see if they’re right for us. Grossly sweet, true! but very practical.
But I’m ashamed to report that the most practical efficiency measure - and the easiest to apply! - has yet gone unimplemented by us. And that’s got to change! We are for-real-this-week setting up a shared spreadsheet to track and record the amount of electricity, fuel oil, and propane that our drafty old house uses.
I keep track of this kind of stuff all the time with my car. You may be familiar with such graphs as this one?
Yeah, I do that stuff for fun. That’s the kind of girl I am! We suggested you all do the same in an easy peasy tip. And stretchig a little further, I wrote a whole post about electricity metering and how it would help you to conserve. But are we tracking any of that? No, not unless you count a pile of ratty old fuel oil receipts, and you shouldn’t (because they don’t count).
So our job for this week is to find all the back data we can in order to track use, and to start writing it all down in a timely fashion. That way I can always be assured of having lots of weird data to make graphs with - because I really *do* do that stuff for fun. But more importantly, as the adage goes: you can’t conserve what you don’t measure, and beyond that, I want to be able to share with y’all the return on investment we will realize for the new efficient systems we install over the next few years.
Do you keep track of your energy use around the home and in the car?
[[Photo via creative commons: http://www.flickr.com/photos/adactio/ / CC BY 2.0 - and I know it’s not actual calcs, but it’s so pretty!]]
Topics: Home | 3 Comments »
Car-Free By Choices
By Jenn | January 26, 2010
I read today– and it’s killing me, but I can’t remember where I read this– that, by being a New Yorker who chooses to live without owning a car, I avoid spending about $13,000 per year on the vehicle. That approximate figure included car maintainance, gas, tolls, and other standard car-related fees.
What that figure didn’t include, I’m assuming, and I can’t check since I can’t find the article, is the mental stress not expended on thinking about that car. How can I pay for the cracked windshield? I need two new tires? Is the right side of the car supposed to be making that rattling sound? OMG, my windshield cracked again? And specific to life in this big city: I have to move my car to another non-existent parking spot due to alternate side of the street parking, twice every week, even though I hardly ever drive the car? That last one was a doozy when I lived in Astoria, Queens, as I was required to move my car to the other side of the street four days each week. Talk about not fun!
For me, living without a car is mostly really freeing. I get to walk a lot, bike when I’m able, and interact with the vibrant neighborhoods I pass through. But as good as public transportation is here, it can also be incredibly frustrating: two hours, two subways, and a bus to travel to a location 13 miles away is no one’s idea of a good time. Overall, though, my options are pretty efficient. NYC Transit runs 24/7, and though things slow down in the wee hours, your bus or train is guaranteed to arrive eventually. Every day I’ve got a built in 45-minutes each morning and evening to read or crochet or nap– try napping while driving! Doesn’t work so well.
I do 100% miss having a car about every other weekend, though, when I might want to escape the city and go for a hike or snowboard or just to see some bigger sky. These things are just as doable via public transport, and usually end up taking comparable amounts of time once car traffic is figured in, but there is just something so utterly freeing about hopping in your own car and going on your own schedule wherever the heck your heart leads you that day.
The eco-plus side about my not having a car is that, while I still wouldn’t use it for everyday commuting, I know myself well enough that I’m sure I’d get super lazy and start using it for local jaunts. Places I now get to by foot or bike or subway I’d end up driving, and there’s really just no reason to use cars for trips which are less than two miles. And in NYC, most trips are under two miles!
I do think this decision is made much easier by living in a place with relatively good public transit options, and wonder how I’d fare in other locations where the going’s not so easy. Car-free folks in LA, for example, are way more badass than I am. So for now this decision is a no-brainer for me– not only do I not spend $13k per year on a hoopty but I get to move my desk-job-sittin’ booty. It works!
What’s your car situation, and what are the reasons behind it?
[Image by Miss Turner via Creative Commons]
Topics: Transportation | 11 Comments »
Cooking at Home: Pasta!
By Karina | January 25, 2010
We had a dinner party this weekend, and I kind of went crazy with the menu. To start with, I decided we would make Fresh! Homemade! Pasta! As if we didn’t have to make side dishes, clean the whole house, or be gracious hosts as our guests arrived. But fresh pasta is so yummy, and it’s something that my partner’s kids could help out with, and for sure I’d be able to find just the right kind of noodles with whole wheat flour in them if I actually made them myself. So I jumped right in with both feet, and dare I say we pulled it off with great success and accolades from our friends!
I do have a pasta machine
There’s been a lot of discussion here at Tiny Choices about slowing down and cooking our own meals, and also some discussion about gadgets, and how just plain buying more stuff can be a bad choice. But in this case? I am fully behind the extraneous kitchen gadgets that I so rarely use. Everyone was excited that I’d made our dinner entirely from scratch - that was really cool. And we had a lovely dinner with 10 people around our really-only-seats-8 table, and we had a nice chance to slow down and just enjoy the evening. That’s a good Tiny Choice, no matter what kind of gadget I hide in the back of a cabinet for most of the year.
As my partner and I were eating the leftovers Sunday night (there are probably about 6 servings left over, which means that either we were slacking at the eating dinner part [which I know for a fact isn’t true] or tripling the 4-servings each recipe wasn’t necessary after all]) we realized that now that we’ve reacquainted ourselves with the fresh pasta, it’s going to be really hard to avoid making it frequently in the future. It definately takes about 4 times longer than tossing a box of noodles into some boiling water, but it really IS markedly more delicious. So maybe this means I’ll be making pasta much more frequently [Confidential to Jenn: when can you come over for dinner?].
Do you have any favorite labor-intensive high-results recipes? Any recent dinner party success stories?
[[Photo via creative commons: http://www.flickr.com/photos/30691679@N07/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0]]
Topics: Food | 11 Comments »
Easy Peasy Tip: Keep Perspective
By tinychoices | January 23, 2010
It’s so easy to get overwhelmed by the negative environmental stories we hear, that sometimes we can forget how ok other things really are. So while we don’t advocate glossing over the bad stuff, we most certainly do advocate keeping a positive and lighthearted perspective. It’s not all doom and gloom out there– so take a moment to notice & appreciate something good, whether it’s a new eco-habit you’ve adopted, a new tree on your street, or a rescued baby falcon!
[Image by LaPrimaDonna via Creative Commons]
Topics: Easy Peasy Tips | 2 Comments »
Friday Content - We Need Your Help!
By tinychoices | January 22, 2010
Hey Tiny Choosers!
We’d like to take this soapbox platform we’ve got here to ask for a little help for our Friday content. We would really like to have a more interactive feature on Fridays - Mondays through Thursdays are, in general Karina and Jenn mouthing off about whatever they feel most excited about in the moment after all! We’ve had two regular features:
- The good old tried and true READER SURVEY. Wherein anyone who would like to can send in the answers to our set of questions and a photo of yourself, and we will post it (along with a link to your own website, if you’d like).
- Our newest friend: Favorite Green Places. Wherein anyone who would like to can send in their Favorite Green Place with a note about why you like this place, and why it’s green!
So, go on now! send us that survey - or, as we’ve suggested before, find your BFF, or your mom, or that person you’ve been secretly crushing on, and interview them with our questions! Or let us know about your favorite place and how it’s green! Interview your local green business owner, or if you are an owner, let us know! Don’t be shy, now! We love collaborating with y’all and want to give you a corner of our soapbox too. You can submit using our contact form, or by sending us an email at tinychoices -AT- tinychoices -DOT- com.
[[Photo via creative commons: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thewmatt/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0]]
Topics: Favorite Green Places, Surveys | No Comments »
DIY Hot Pockets
By Jenn | January 21, 2010
As I’m constantly searching for ways to make it realistic for me to cook more meals at home, and bring more meals for my lunch at work, I LOLd when I read about homemade DIY hotpockets! But of course! This is a foodstuff I’d not yet considered…
I lived on Hotpockets when I was in Junior High, eating one every day upon my return home from school. Along with a bag of buttery microwave popcorn. Good times! Back then I loved the melty cheese-like substance and the rectangles of pink ham packed into each pocket. Now, my eating habits and food choices have changed somewhat, and I can’t even imagine eating one of those things… but the idea of a hot pocket is still absolutely fabulous– a little handheld envelope of crust sweetly protecting a filling of food. Basically it’s like a calzone, or a Cornish Pasty (which I lived on throughout my semester in England during college…hmm, I sense a trend here…). Portable! Freezable! Easy to have a bunch in your freezer for those moments when you need food, stat!
So why not make my own? The recipe linked to above is mostly a guide for making the whole-wheat dough, which is good as I’ve never actually made dough. From there I can get creative, filling the things with any kind of veggies I want, and maybe adding in the vegan sausage they suggest or maybe not. Savory pockets! Sweet pockets! Dessert pockets! (maybe not!) And if I double the recipe I’d then have a whole lot of these things in the freezer, which = a whole lot of quick and healthy meals.
I’m thinking that it’s probaly best to slightly underbake them, if my final intention is to then freeze them for later reheating/eating. Anyone have thoughts on that?
Have you ever made homemade hot pockets, aka Calzones, aka Dreampockets? What’s the most luscious food combo you can think to put inside your dream pocket?
[Image by TVOL via Creative Commons]
Topics: Food | 9 Comments »
Green Disputes in Relationships
By Karina | January 20, 2010
Did you all see the NYTimes article last week titled “Therapists Report Increase in Green Disputes?” It was a little worrysome. Apparently, environmentalism is upsetting relationships! Yikes!
While no study has documented how frequent these clashes have become, therapists agree that the green issue can quickly become poisonous because it is so morally charged. Friends or family members who are not devoted to the environmental cause can become irritated by life choices they view as ostentatiously self-denying or politically correct.
We have touched on issues of how to deal with a partner who doesn’t always believe the same thing you do - this post, for example, has some amazing and generous comments about making those relationships work. Plus here’s a sneak peak: Jenn and I have been talking about writing a post together about dating and starting new relationships while staying committed to our Tiny Choices. Look for it soon! (Secret note from K: now that I’ve outed us, we are really going to have to write that post soon, J!)
As I wrote this post I asked my partner: Do you feel pressured to perform in a green way in our relationship? And he was sweet and said no, that he doesn’t want to let me down so he is actually more cognizant of the Tiny Choices he’s making through-out the day. But he also said he doesn’t feel like I’m judging him, and I think that’s probably the most important part of the equation - don’t judge people, especially your loved ones.
So what’s the solution? Make TINY Choices:
Ms. Buzzell suggests that couples can overcome such differences if they treat each other gently. She advises partners who have a newfound passion for the issue to change only a few things at a time and provide lots of explanation.
“It is like exercise,” Ms. Buzzell said. “Take it slowly.”
Well! We seem to be on to something here. Y’all, be gentle to each other.
What’s your strategy for introducing new environmental concepts to your loved ones?
[[Photo via creative commons license: http://www.flickr.com/photos/carbonnyc/ / CC BY 2.0]]
Topics: General | 1 Comment »
Bike Lane Upgrades
By Jenn | January 19, 2010
The weather has been wonderfully mild here in NYC these past few days, and while I know we’re still smack-dab in the middle of winter, it’s nice to have a breather from the bitter winter temps we’d been experiencing. It was cold, yo!
And lately, my thoughts have been turning back to bike riding. You might remember that I had a minor accident last summer, and I’m sad to say fear prevented me from hopping right back on that bike the next day. It’s totally reasonable to be wary of an activity which is akin to trying to lasso a bucking bronco in a china shop– as Chip Brown wrote, “City riding is not a good way to live a long and peaceful life. Its ecstasies are the sort that soldiers know after battle when they have danced with the beast. To ride through the congested heart of Manhattan at rush hour is to dance with the beast. You compass extremes of terror and exhilaration.”
However, I think that not-riding may be as dangerous to my health as riding, in different ways. When I ride in the city, there are cars, doors, cabs, buses, pedestrians, and potholes to contend with. When I don’t ride, my adversaries are mental sluggishness, weight gain, slower transportation times, and a narrower view of the world around me. All of which is pushing me to get back on my bike again. So, the next mild day we have, I’m going to get back on my bike and ride.
I love these simple bike lane bumpers– and it makes for such an easy upgrade to our existing NYC on-street bike lanes. If the lanes are already painted on the road, then these bumps give an obvious demarcation between bikes and cars, making each safer from the other. And with the current propensity for cars and trucks to park in bike lanes with nearly no repercussions, this could really help. Super-bonus is that these bumpers are made from 100% recycled rubber!
Have you been riding through the winter? Wanna share your bike love?
[Image from designer Curro Claret]
Topics: Transportation | 3 Comments »
Performance “Technical” Clothing
By Karina | January 18, 2010
Lately I’ve been looking at performance “tech” clothing. Y’all know my love for icebreaker wool clothing - I love it! and I’ve got pants and leggings and underpants and sweaters and a throat warmer. But I’ve been talking to my partner a lot lately about winter hiking, and possibly winter camping, and it turns out that there’s a lot of really special clothing that you need to purchase. And I do have a lot of items on this list, and it is possible to do it on the cheap by buying things like polyester shirts and wool pants at thrift stores, I’ve never had much luck finding exactly what I need or that fit just right at thrift stores. It turns out that there are real gaps in my winter sports wardrobe, too - I love to ski (both downhill and cross country) but the shell I have currently doesn’t fit just right and is about 15 years old - and, as superficial as it is, it really looks it.
So I have been thinking a lot about what to buy. It seems like there’s a classic environmentalists dilemma when it comes to purchasing performance clothing - you can buy cheap, or you can buy responsible. I think the best example of this is Patagonia - they have commitments to many conservation and environmental programs, and they also use recycled plastics in their clothing (and recycle the polyester clothing at the end of life). But their products are super expensive - nearly 2x similar quality goods that are not manufactured so responsibly. Plus, there’s the whole “buying lots of stuff made out of plastic” situation. I have been doing a pretty good job of spending all my money on non-plastic clothes - like, lots of wool, pretty much. But for the out-of-doors, there isn’t a whole lot of options in outerwear. But that brings up a second clothing company - Nau - which makes the most amazingly styled sustainably designed clothing that I’ve seen in a while. This is my dream jacket! but unfortunately, they don’t have this jacket in an XL, and I am most definitely an XL.
So, what do y’all do? Save for a little longer and buy the really expensive stuff that is responsibly produced? I have been able to find some (generally season-old) Patagonia stuff on discounted websites, and when I do find that in my size I take advantage of it right away. But is it better, considering that I will be holding onto the garment for a good long time?
Where do you draw the line when it comes to expensive purchases?
[[Photo via creative commons license: http://www.flickr.com/photos/supernan/ / CC BY 2.0]]
Topics: General | 7 Comments »