Live and Learn Part II: The Vital Wheat Gluten Fable

The day came when I really wanted vital wheat gluten. I assure you it seemed absolutely necessary. At one store it was sold in plastic bags. So of course I didn’t buy it. At the next store I saw it in a cardboard box. Jackpot!

Not quite.

I’m not sure if it was my all consuming desire that blinded me to the fact that inside that little box would be a plastic bag (like 99.2% of food sold in cardboard boxes). I thought it might be like baking soda, or mac and cheese, you know. But of course it wasn’t, and I got twice the packaging I would have ended up with if I’d just bought the plastic bag.

Here’s the kicker. A week later, back at the first store, I found it in bulk. Ack! (True to my principles, I had looked for it in bulk, but at the second store, not the first. Confused? Yeah.)

Now, I don’t go beating myself up for these accidental transgressions. It just annoys me that my unintentional “slips” are for things like vital wheat gluten instead of, say, blueberries (which we are really missing these days).

So what is the takeaway message from this little goosechase? I’m tempted to say it’s don’t give up–Just say no! So, so many of the things we need, excluding printer cartridges and that sort of thing, can be found in a plastic-free form. But for me the real lesson was to just keep on keeping on…and not worry too much about my lack of x-ray vision.

Which reminds me that I’m still looking for a plastic-free source of wool stuffing. If you happen to know of anyone who offers it in a paper bag, do tell.

A Practical Interlude

Seems like I could go on and on forever musing about the poetic and philosophical reasons to reduce plastic waste. Yes, it’s lovely to live in a way somewhat approximating my great grandmother’s youth. Yes, I’m baffled at why it took me so long to make simple changes that bring me so much pleasure, not to mention a whole new understanding of what it means to live more lightly on the earth. Yes, the light reflecting on the snow is beautiful. Etc. Today I’m postponing my regular programming for a bit of practical, nitty gritty advice on how to get by without plastic.

Disclaimer! Partly why I’ve not given much how-to advice is because each of our needs are so different and I am confident that you can find the solutions and methods for your family. My only real advice is to Just Say No to plastic whenever possible. Buy food in glass or paper, buy it in bulk, or make your own. Inevitably, though, after I give my just say no spiel, I get asked:

But what about…

Plastic bags used for bulk food and produce? I was on the verge of bringing my glass jars to the store with me to fill with beans and rice when I thought of cloth. I made a few dozen drawstring bags in sizes that range from “enormous head of kale” to “poppy seed.” Durable produce keeps well in them for a week or so. Fragile greens like lettuce do well once transferred to the salad spinner or a lidded bowl or jar. Things like carrots and celery can be kept partially submerged in a bowl of water.

Milk? Look for it in a returnable glass bottle. If this isn’t available, it might be better to choose a recyclable plastic jug than a carton, which is plastic lined but not recyclable.

Cheese? Most grocery store deli sections will cut you a hunk of cheese from their bulk supply and wrap it in butcher paper. Bring a reusable container to cut back on paper waste. Lunch meats are also available this way. It is fun and surprisingly simple to make soft cheeses like ricotta and mozzarella. This book tells all, but an online search probably would too.

Yogurt? I’ve had my ups and downs making goat milk yogurt, then switched to a commercial brand sold in glass jars, and am now making my own from cow’s milk with great success and for impressive savings. You can use your favorite natural yogurt as starter, or buy the little packs (plastic free!) in the refrigerator section of your store (or online). No fancy equipment is needed, unless you count the thermometer, which is helpful. Also of interest is this company that recycles #5 plastic (which yogurt containers are made from), something that most cities do not offer recycling for.

Toilet paper? I get asked about this one all the time. Even big box stores sell individual rolls wrapped in paper. If you really want to get eco-groovy, though, cloth wipes are not as weird as they first sound.

Crackers? This was one of the things I was most concerned about how we’d do without because it was one of the few things my daughter would reliably eat. But for that same reason I was a bit relieved to remove them from our cupboard. Why are organic kid’s crackers made with white flour and sugar? Why? I’ve only found one brand of paper wrapped cracker in our town, and my daughter won’t eat them. Well, now that she’s forgotten all about those peanut butter sandwich ones, she’s starting to a bit more. Anyways, I make crackers every so often.

Bread? I make all of our bread with the five minute a day method. It feels a bit like cheating–no kneading–but is so good and easy that I don’t care.

Chips and tortillas? Try your local burrito shack—many sell them in paper bags, oftentimes made fresh. Also, look around your town for a Mexican bakery/grocery where tortillas get made fresh and can be popped into a paper or cloth sack. No luck? Here’s my post on tortilla making.

Body care items? My co-op offers many shampoos and lotions in bulk, but I’ve been enjoying making my own (my recipes are here and here).  If that’s not your style, this company makes shampoo bars which I’ve heard good things about. Toothpaste is one thing I’m not ready to give up. Could it be one of the best inventions of the modern era? Look for it in a recyclable aluminum tube. Hint: Tom’s.

CDs and DVDs? Download music, rent movies.

Tupperware? This post discusses quality storage.

Everything else? Seek and ye shall find. Most of the time, anyways, if you’re patient and persistent–two skills I’m discovering my capacity for.

We’ll return to further Deep Thoughts…sooner or later, no doubt.

In the meantime, what ways have you found to reduce plastic waste in your home?

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The Keeper of the Keys

Selected excerpts from the introduction to Laurel’s Kitchen

(it’s called The Keeper of the Keys, but I think of it as the Manifesto of the Mighty Homemaker):

“I have begun to wonder, of late, about this belief that housework is essentially tedious. To what extent do you suppose it has been hoisted upon us by those same commercial interests who so obligingly provide us with dishwashers, dehydrated dinners, and disposable diapers – all meant very generously, of course, to relieve us of all that horrible work, obviously an evil in itself?”

“What really troubles us most about housekeeping is that in our desire to be freed from its tedium, we have welcomed a host of time- and labor-saving devices which have not only not eliminated tedium but cut us off from the truly pleasurable, creative side of our work…Worst of all, these labor saving products and devices represent an enormous sinkhole for the worlds diminishing resources. The world cannot afford this version of homemaking.“

“The less than thrilling side of homemaking will always be there. But as soon as we take into our own hands some of the tasks we’d previously consigned to machines and manufacturers, our work becomes vastly more gratifying.”

“Why compartmentalize our lives so that art is a thing apart? There is an artistic way to carry out even the simplest task, and there is great fulfillment to be had from finding out that way and perfecting it. To lead lives of artistry, we have only to slow down, to simplify, and to start making wise choices.”

::

No, I don’t sing my way blissfully through all the chores, but folks, these ladies are on to something. Last fall when we began preparing for our plastic fast I revisited this cookbook for practical advice. I found these words (and many others) that inspired and encouraged me at a time when I was struggling with the basic question of what to cook for dinner. I was a little skeptical at first, about how great it is to make lentil spread, but quickly found that they were right. The routines of cooking whole foods from scratch did seem to bring me to new heights of satisfaction and creative fulfillment. Partly this is because simple tasks like making bread and soaking beans are a part of something bigger–they speak to our collective need and longing to live in a more sustainable way. Reframed as such, how could this work that nurtures us and helps us nurture the earth not be gratifying?

Assuming you like lentil spread, of course.

Playthings

(the toes are my favorite.)

money bags: making more out of less

Since leaving my job as a nurse two years ago (on the cusp of giving birth to my daughter), I’ve become keenly aware of the fact that our family lives in a more earth friendly way on one income. Partly this is because I have time to do all the “green” things that one has time for as a hausfrau, and partly it’s because we plain don’t have money to spend on travel and new stuff and all the other things that are decidedly unhelpful to the planet. Either way, we are getting the hang of the whole live simply so others may simply live concept. And liking it.

The only trouble with was that we couldn’t afford it. Every month since Cora was born we’ve slowly but surely gone into the red, dipping into our small savings just to cover our most basic expenses. It was, you see, green and earth friendly, and yet ultimately unsustainable. I was looking down the road and seeing blue scrubs in my future.

For the record, I loved working as a nurse. But if I had to choose between the high stress of the hospital to a day of nursing my girl, soaking beans, walking to the store, and living fully, I’d take the latter. Hands down. If only the latter could make economic sense. Which I became determined to make happen. In essence, my job was to figure out how to make staying home pay. Clearly, just making yogurt and shampoo, while helpful, wasn’t enough. I had to get a firmer grip on our budget.

Funny enough, it took me awhile to see the answer sitting right in front of me. Here we were, discovering the richness of a life with less plastic, and I was still using my debit card for just about everything. So, I extended the no plastic rule to that magic little card. Thats right: less plastic, more cash. As with most of my brilliant discoveries, lot’s of folks have been touting this method for…ever. This post on the envelope system is quite helpful, and it’s basically what I’m doing now. For the first time since I said goodbye to a paycheck, we’re fully in the black. Just like that we were living within our means.

Shortly after I started divvying up cash for our different expenses, I found these tempting little cloth money envelopes. Don’t they just make you want to be frugal for the sake of cuteness? I wanted them so bad. But you guessed it: not on the budget. So then I thought, I could make those. And then I thought, no I can’t because I can’t buy (plastic) zippers.

Welcome to my world, folks.

I might have been able to find metal zippers, and might even have figured out how to install them. I’ve learned that there’s almost always an alternative to plastic. In this case, it happened to be a couple little wooden buttons from my sewing box. And a bit of improvisation. Perhaps I’ll get to embroidering little labels like “gas” or “comida” on these purses, but for now I just like to pretend all the money in them is for yarn.

One More Small Change: Eco Shabbat

Ah, February. Time to make another small change. Last month’s change was, if I do say so myself, a bit on the superficial side. Now, there’s nothing wrong with that, but for the sake of balance I’m turning now a bit more inward, towards the soul side of life.

Eco shabbat is about rest. For us, and for the planet. It is a time to slow down, literally and metaphorically. In Judaism, Shabbat begins at sundown on Friday night with the ritual lighting of candles, reciting of prayers, and sharing of challah. It ends at sundown on Saturday. The time in between is spent turning away from mundanity and towards the sacred. Without the distractions of technology and work and busy-ness, shabbat creates room for prayer and reflection. For dedicated time with family and friends and one’s own self. It is also a time to lessen our impact on the earth, to let it, too rest.

To facilitate this rest, life gets unplugged for a spell. Everything goes acoustic, as my musician husband was pleased to point out. Time is taken away from computer and television screens. Electric lights are left off. The car is kept parked. No money is exchanged. The radio is silent. Food is prepared in advance. In exchange, one gets to enjoy candle light. To go to bed early. To make music, play games, create art, take naps, journal, go for a walk, or visit neighbors. To give thanks.

My hope is to bring an eco-shabbat into our home at least one full day and night this month. February is full to bursting for our family. We have so much going on–wonderful, enriching things, yes, but the scales are tipped firmly in the camp of do, do, do. One day of rest would be a gift, a blessing, a wonderful beginning. And along the way we’ll carve out small shabbats. Earth hours, if you will. Weekday dinners spent in candle light. The odd day spent wholly at home, with nothing on the agenda. My hope is that it grows from there, becoming more a part of our lives, our rhythm, our days.

::

With thanks to the spiritual traditions that have passed this wisdom down.

A Journey in Thanks

I should have said yesterday that we didn’t just one day wake up and stop having trash in our garbage pail. It’s been a slow process of weaning ourselves off it these last five months. This journey to figuring out how to live with less waste is ongoing, but already so much goodness has come out of this simple commitment. Really, it’s almost like the minimum of trash is a side benefit rather than the point. Some of my favorite things from along the way:

:: Accessing my inner resourcefulness. That is, learning to cook root vegetables.

:: The rhythms of making bread, cheese, and yogurt.

:: Fearless trial and error.

:: Stepping outside the gates of the industrial food kingdom for a wholehearted return to whole foods, local foods, unpackaged foods, homemade foods.

:: Mindfulness and attention at the store, in the home, on the road, in my head.

:: Becoming a part of the strong and growing community of people who recognize that while we might not be able to change the world, we can change for the good of the world.

:: Discovering that saying no to plastic is not an act of deprivation but an invitation to partake of gifts previously unimagined and ever so benevolent. It is, in essence, about saying yes to an unwrapped life.

For all of these things, and for all the things to come, I am so grateful.

First Month’s Reckoning

In the venerable tradition of plastic free bloggers, here’s a semi-complete* accounting of the plastic that made it’s way into our house this month. Sneaky stuff, I tell you.

The first thing I had to come to terms with was that saying we wouldn’t be buying ANY plastic was, as my skeptical friends pointed out from the get-go, impossible. At least, for beginners like us it was. Choosing glass jars still meant a plastic seal around the lid, and sometimes a plastic lid. Considering that we didn’t buy any foods in plastic bottles, tubs, bags, or wrappings, as well as canned goods, this seemed like a necessary compromise. Nevertheless, we managed to cut back a little more each week, learning to rely ever more on the wondrous bulk aisle (what will we discover there next?).

So what do we have here?

A toothbrush package. Yes, the toothbrush was also plastic, you won’t be surprised to hear. We actually have two new ones, but I haven’t opened the other. They came from the dentist and neither of us were able to say No Thank You to that little souvenir at our checkups. We did, however, decline the dental floss (we have plenty) and the cheerful plastic gift bag.

A plastic cork. Kind of a gamble, unless you know the wine from experience. We know one NOT to get, now.

A couple of little hook hanger thingies from who knows what. Socks?

Plastic wrapping from a glass supplement bottle. The man needs his glucosamine, but not the extra wrapping. I’m going to write the company.

Seals from glass bottles of ketchup, yogurt, almond butter, mayo. It bears mentioning that I bought the humungous jar of mayo to avoid this quandary if and when we ever run out. Since we’re still buying milk in returnable glass jugs (see below) I’ve started making yogurt from that. For a quarter of the price, I might add. Almond butter comes in bulk, so I’m not sure how this made it into the cart. And ketchup. Well, we’ll see about that.

A screw-top from…something.

A butterscotch wrapper. From the mailman.

Five milk caps, and slightly fewer rings from the milk jugs. Apparently I’m not as diligent as I thought I was about saving trash. It doesn’t come very automatically after a lifetime of tossing it.

I call this little pile Friends and Family. It became apparent on around January 2nd that we wouldn’t be able to say no to gifts of plastic. Dinner guests are so happy to bring the roasted piñon gelato or the salad, and we’re so happy to have them (the guests, that is), that there’s no point letting our experiment come between us. For the record, we didn’t ask for these things. Just a little company.

The windup chatterbox was a late Xmas gift to Cora from the neighbor girls. She loved it for the hour it lasted before breaking.

And now for the moment you’ve been waiting for. What was it that Kyce couldn’t resist? What was so irresistible and necessary that even this woman with convictions of steel (!) couldn’t say no to it? Was it the cheese crackers for her little girl? The pint of blueberries? Nooo. It was a puny bottle of citric acid. Totally premeditated and I remain unrepentant. With it we made goat milk mozzarella. What can I say? I was craving pizza. And that little bottle will make an awful lot of cheese. Look for it in our trash pile come October.

There you have it. Our plastic trash from this month. Are you thinking what I’m thinking? Looks like an awful lot. Sadly, we don’t have a before picture showing our haul back in the days before we started cutting back. So you’ll have to believe me when I say this is quite an improvement.

Wish us luck for next month.

* Semi complete only because there are some things still in use, like the odd plastic bag from our CSA and a few lids. Also, astute readers will note that the styrofoam I posted about a while ago is nowhere to be seen. Apparently we couldn’t bear to keep that sad reminder around.

More Homemade Bodycare

Here’s my homemade shampoo update: it’s great and I love it.

A girlfriend and I spent an afternoon last week blending up a storm. We mixed, melted, concocted, and otherwise let our inner herbwife’s play away. We improvised a lotion, followed this recipe for the most luscious deodorant on earth, and made a fat batch of Rosemary Gladstar’s Famous Face Cream (which can be found in several of her books, including Herbs for Natural Beauty),

Here’s my lotion recipe. It should yield liquid self love of the highest order no matter your experience with this kind of alchemy.

Melt in a double boiler or microwave

1 C  grapeseed or almond oil (infused with herbs if you don’t mind waiting a week)

1.5 T shea butter

1.5 T coconut oil (or 1/3 C shea or coco)

1T beeswax

Cool to room temperature and reserve.

Into blender pour

1/3 C aloe vera gel or distilled water

10-20 drops essential oil of choice, if desired

Turn blender on a high setting, and slowly drizzle in room temperature (partially solidified) oil mixture.

Blend until creamy and butter colored.

Aah, the bliss of being well moisturized...