2009 Resolution....Save the Environment.

Resolutions galore. I've been warned by many that I have too many resolutions to keep, but I'm going for it anyway. Here they are:

1. Charting all my consumption. Separate lists for food, material goods, daily necessities, all money spent. My hope is that being able to look at everything I purchase in a day and eat in a day will assist me in becoming more aware of habits that have formed over the years. Thus leading to the ability to reduce overall. This will help me eat healthier and spend less on other things. Plus I'm a spreadsheet freak so it's all in good fun.

2. Charting my fertility. I mention this one because any lady that hasn't been doing this already should take full advantage. You can stop taking hormones (birth control) and naturally track your fertility, knowing when it is and is not a good time for love making. If you're trying to get pregnant it aides in this, if you're wanting to make sure you don't get pregnant it aides in this. Read the book "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" http://www.ovusoft.com/ and you will never have to take birth control again. Another way to reduce consumption :)

3. The obvious one: going to the gym. I go in spurts of being good at this and being a complete looser at this. I'm trying a new approach. Each month will be a progression. I'm starting January with 3 times a week and increasing it by one each month to 5 times a week. In the beginning of each month I'm going to work out for short amounts of time and increase it more to the end. This will keep me busy until the end of March. Once spring hits I'm always more likely to work out. It's my hopes to stick with this idea to the end of March then start a new plan once the outdoors are an option. The more time spent working on my health, the less time I have to buy things I don't need and mindlessly eat.

2009 is going to be a great year. I've never been more excited at the potential in a year then this one. I am also planning to come up with more creative ways to reduce my over all consumption and will share them with you. Please share with me any tips you may have.

Happy New Year!!

Multi-use.. water?

Over the past few weeks I've been working hard on reducing my single serve usage. I continue to find going out with friends challenging because of the widely accepted use of single serve everything. It feels embarrassing to constantly be making requests to change the way my food is served to me and it's hard to explain my venture to some.

So I decided it will be worthwhile to make some added changes in my personal life that I can be proud of all on my own, without having to answer to anyone publicly. I've found a way to re-use my dish water (thanks Emily for the suggestion). When I do my dishes, I use a plastic tub in my sink to catch the water. After my dishes are done, I bring the water out to my compost bin and this moisture helps to speed up the process of composting. I've heard of people also using their shower water in similar ways (watering plants, grass, etc). Feeling the cold weather in MN right now makes me think I need a little more time to mentally prepare for this one. Maybe there will be a warm stint in December to trigger my motivation.

Clearly one of my goals is to get out the idea of trying to reduce our single serve usage, but sometimes it nice to do it without the added attention. Being the introvert that I am, it's challenging to take a stand to do something out of the ordinary. But regardless of that, it's gratifying to know that my carbon footprint is getting a little smaller each day.

ps... on an exciting side note, some of my coworkers have decided to follow my lead and bring utensils from home instead of using disposables.

Vacationing Single Serve Free

Vacationing Single Serve Free.... felt impossible. I had great intentions. I brought my cloth napkins, I brought my to-go mugs for my husband and me. I thought this would be easy.

First thing on our road trip we decided to get a sandwich at a chain restaurant: the sandwich came in multiple wrappings and we had nowhere to sit in the restaurant, so we had to take it to go (more throw away packaging). The trip continued with more restaurant stops, including more single serve throw always. We went for walks around the city and I continuously forgot my reusables. Spur of the moment decisions commonly made single serve uses a must.

While we are on vacation we look forward to treating ourselves with pastries, chai and many other things that seem to come in single serve packaging. Is it selfish to want to treat ourselves to these luxuries? Part of vacationing is to be worry free. Being worry free can include being environmentally considerate. I'm working on perfecting this technique.

A Challenging Day

Over the weekend I went to a Diabetes Expo with my sister-in-law and mother. My 2-year-old niece was diagnosed as a diabetic about a year ago. There family is learning how to eat a diet that is healthy for a diabetic. The expo was a huge opportunity for people to give away samples. Everything was either a paper handout to explain the company services/products or a single serve package to give the product a try. It was great for my sister-in-law to get all these things to try. Her daughter is a rather finicky eater, so finding options that she will go with is difficult. It was challenging for me because I knew that the majority of the people filling their goodie bags will potentially toss what they've received without necessarily utilizing it.

While with my sister-in-law and my mother we decided to go out to lunch. My mother was insistent about wanting to buy lunch. Seeing as she is from a small town and unfamiliar with big city prices, I tried to find some low price options. We narrowed it down to a chain taco restaurant or a chain sandwich shop. We decided on tacos and there I was trying to figure out how to place my order without getting all the extra wrapping. During this lunch I threw away the paper liner from my basket, a paper napkin and a paper cup. I failed to plan ahead for this meal, leaving my fabric napkin and to go cup at home.

The day clearly started out poorly with my choices. But once I got home, my husband and I finished installing a compost bin. YEAH!! I've been anticipating this and had a week’s worth of compost to immediately put in the new bin. It felt fantastic. He made the bin from scrap wood that we found in our basement. We had to buy wire for the sides and hinges for the top, but mostly it was made of all things we had lying around.

That evening lead to the next challenge: having visitors who are not familiar with recycling. Some of their actions were as if they think recycling is a joke. They had beers and the next day I found a few beer bottles in the garbage. The garbage was located behind the recycling bins, which were clearly for glass bottles. I’m not sure if this was intentional or a mistake. Regardless it reminds me that there are a lot of people in the world who are still not recycling. In the city of Minneapolis it’s particularly easy to recycle and you even get a discount on your garbage bill if you do. Hopefully our time spent with our friends left a positive influence on them to see how easy it is to recycle.

Rid Your Life of Single Servings

Join me in my endeavor of ridding the world of single serve convenience that's leading to this world’s destruction. ... OK, that's a drastic statement, but really, is it necessary for us to get a beverage in a disposable container every time we're thirsty? Is it necessary that we throw away packaging each time we go out for lunch? There are many times during my day when I'm throwing something away and I think about the unnecessary thing I just used and tossed out. With a little bit of thoughtfulness and foresight I believe we can rid our days of this excessively disposable lifestyle.

There are a few easy things I'm starting with:

1. Handkerchief - I carry a handkerchief to blow my nose. This may sound silly, but I use a lot of kleenex during my day and handkerchief is a surprisingly pleasant change.

2. Lunch - I love leftovers, and bringing leftovers to work is usually my lunch. This used to mean using a styrofoam or paper plate and plastic utensils. Instead I bring a real plate/bowl and silverware to work everyday. Then I bring it home each night and wash them with the rest of my daily dishes.

3. To-go cup - I try to carry a to-go cup everywhere I go. If I decide I need a soda or coffee during the day, I don't need to use a disposable one. Simple.

I'm excited to take this to the next level. In two weekends my husband and I are planning a road-trip to Winnipeg. This will definitely be a challenge in single serve heaven (gas stations and fast food).

I have a long way to go and here is my start. Please share with me your experiences and thoughts about single serve.