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Well, ladies and gentleman, I will have you know that I am becoming quite the homemaker/handyman all bundled into one. All for the sake of the "Zero Waste Home." Which is a book about a family who made changes to their lifestyle so that they would not produce as much waste. And then they actually began to produce *no waste.* Well, the amount of trash that they had in one year fit into a mason jar. While I'm not planning on going to those extremes, the idea really got me thinking about how much trash we produce. The biggest culprits I realized are paper towels and tissue paper. Then plastics. Plastic bags, plastic containers, plastic packaging, etc etc etc. And it made me realize that there are literally islands of plastic landfills floating in the oceans, and that I am contributing just as much as anybody else to that type of pollution. It also reminds me of all the missions trips I've gone on, where I've seen children running around barefoot in trash and filth. I don't want to be a part of that! So I've been making some changes in the Holt household.
The first thing I did was make a portable compost. I drilled some holes in a plastic bin (hence the drill above). It was actually my first time using a drill, and I figured it out. Then I used a Bed Bath and Beyond gift card to buy a small compost bin for kitchen scraps. It even matches the green colors in our kitchen. I read that about 1/3 of our trash is kitchen waste, and I've noticed that to be very accurate. Such an easy solution and already it has made a 33% improvement in the amount of waste.
The next thing I began to do was stock up on cheap cloth towels. I put the paper towel holder under the sink and realized that I actually don't have to use it. Cloth towels work just fine! I have one for dishes, one for the counters, and one for drying. I haven't even touched the paper towels since I put it down there.
The next thing I did was start to collect some glass jars. I have been reading a lot about plastic, and with recent discoveries about the dangers of BPA (and toxins in other man-made materials like teflon), I think it's healthier to use materials like glass and porcelain instead of plastic. I have even read recently how plastics can cause hormone deficiencies in women. Obviously, I can't avoid everything, but I can go back to living a little bit more simply to try and produce less waste and live a little more naturally. So I've lately been picking up glass jars at the thrift store and that sort of thing! Along the same lines, I've sewed some cloth bags out of some linens and made mesh ones as well, so that I won't use plastic baggies anymore. I even went to the grocery store the other day and used my homemade bags to purchase bulk flour, nuts, and produce. The best part is I didn't have to throw anything way, and I felt a little bit like Laura Ingalls Wilder, except for the whole driving there thing.
Here's the dinner I took to the show with me. Homemade tomato soup in a mason jar and bread in a cloth bag. I thought it was really cool that my spoon fit in the jar. The funny thing was that the doors to the theater were locked, so a few of us were huddled in the cold. I squatted down against the building and ate my soup, and as I was wearing a huge, baggy gray sweater, the actor playing Thenardier said I looked like a homeless person. Which I actually sort of did. Just with really delicious soup.
In general, I decided to stop purchasing disposable products whenever possible. I recently discovered castille soap and might switch to buying it in large quantities. It is all natural and smells yummy (my all-purpose castille soap smells like amaretto). You can use it as laundry detergent, as hand wash, shampoo, body wash, etc. I'm not sure if I will give up my shampoo and conditioner, but I've started to mix it with water and vinegar in a spray bottle to clean surface and will start to make my own versions of cleaners as the other stuff runs out. It's crazy to me how people one hundred years ago survived with this type of cleaning. I mean to be clear, sure I'll lather on some disinfectant around flu season and I'm all for vaccinations, but in general the constant sterilization, the heavy use of antibiotics, the intense chemicals in all our products--it's just making us more vulnerable. The studies keep showing that letting your kid crawl around on a floor that hasn't been disinfected actually strengthens their immune systems. Let me be clear…I love a clean home (in fact, I really can't stand things to be dirty), but I'm ready to use some natural cleaners!
In a part of my waste-reducing efforts, I know it's time to simplify things. Because we joined our apartment possessions together (and because of wedding gifts), we're doubled up on lots of things. There are pots and pans I need to donate. I mean we can only fit 4 things on the stove and I just counted- we have 17 different versions of pots and pans that can go on the stove. How many travel mugs do we need? How many dishes can fit in the oven at once? Whew. Definitely time to simplify things.
The same goes with clothes. In the book I'm reading, the author has 4 tops and 4 bottoms and a set number of accessories and shoes. She just mixes and matches and looks really cute. Okay, I definitely can't reduce my closet to 8 pieces of clothing (haHA). But the author's simple wardrobe along with the children I met in Russia and Honduras who literally have one outfit makes me realize I don't actually need what I have. It just makes life more complicated to have so much (cue the song: "Wondering What Clothes to Wear"). Fashion can be a bit of an idol for me, a time-consuming thing that keeps me from seeing some of the beauty in life. I shop a lot at Plato's Closet and other consignment shops, so I felt like I was doing my part by recycling clothes, but storing up clothes I don't need, no matter where they are from, is still wasteful. And sort of glutton-ness. I'm starting out small. In the outfit above, I tailored this hand-me-down denim shirt to fit me (it was always slightly big so I never wore it). I sewed this flowy maxi skirt and then used the slip of an old skirt that I haven't worn in years as a liner. I've been adjusting my wardrobe so that it is less "wasteful" and keeping track of what I don't wear and don't need. Those will soon be donated.
To end this post on a fun note, I made my own calendar station. I actually used the binder from our wedding planning book. It makes me smile that I can reuse something so special (otherwise it would have sat on the shelf until I got tired of looking at it and thrown it away). The front of it even says our names and our wedding date. I used a calendar we had received in the mail for free and just cut out the months and glued them to scrapbook paper. I used page protectors to make it like a scrapbook. See the notes thing below? I can pull it out to write on it, and I can put photos in the page protectors too! Each month is decorated differently. My favorite is June. It's all about Jack's HOMECOMING! :)
As you can tell, I've been keeping busy. If I don't have anything to do, I'll find something to do! And it never seems like I have enough time to do it all. ;)
Last but not least, here is Molly and her puppy friend Bella. Bella's staying with us for a few days because her mommy got really sick and doesn't have enough energy to take care of a crazy puppy! We're happy here though, especially Molly! Leo will need a little work but he'll survive.
