Over the next few weeks, here at Green Renters we will be taking a look at:
Handmade and homemade gift giving
Shopping locally and Ethically
Eco friendly Christmas decorations
Christmas wrapping the green way
Dealing with non ‘green’ relatives
Preserving your plants whilst you are away…
Also we will be having a very special giveaway next week!
Stay tuned for more details!
I’ve been reading alot about toilets lately. It’s exciting to see that the enthusiasm many people have for cloth nappies and reusable sanitary cloths has extended to other bathroom activities.
There’s Crunchy Chicken’s annual cloth wipe challenge which involves using fabric cloth instead of toilet paper for either number one or number two depending on your enthusiasm. Even those the cloths need to be washed, it reduces the use of water in manufacturing toilet paper, oil, energy and of course tree production. It also saves money.
pic from Treehugger
I was interested by her comment
I know when I first started out, I felt like I was doing something illicit. Like wiping my ass on the bath towels and not telling anyone. Or picking my nose and wiping it on the carpet. Well, you get the idea. Once you get over that strange feeling of wrongness and embrace the softness of cloth wipes, one can become rather giddy with excitement. Or something like that.
There’s also a murmur of interest in DIY bidets, either clip or or more organic means such as a garden hose trigger gun (hehe). Find out more here
I found these cheap gardening tips in the Simple Savings Newsletter for September. It provides lots of tips on living cheaply and sustainably rather than consumer driven.
I’m really excited to hear that “No Impact Man” film is opening in the US.
The doco is about Colin Beavan who decides to completely eliminate his personal impact on the environment for the next year.
It means eating vegetarian, buying only local food, and turning off the refrigerator. It also means no elevators, no television, no cars, buses, or airplanes, no toxic cleaning products, no electricity, no material consumption, and no garbage.
No problem – at least for Colin – but he and his family live in Manhattan. So when his espresso-guzzling, retail-worshipping wife Michelle and their two-year-old daughter are dragged into the fray, the No Impact Project has an unforeseen impact of its own.
Laura Gabbert and Justin Schein’s film provides an intriguing inside look into the experiment that became a national fascination and media sensation, while examining the familial strains and strengthened bonds that result from Colin and Michelle’s struggle with their radical lifestyle change.
Want to find out more? You can check out the No Impact Blog and even try the challenge yourself!
How many of these do you do? List via Pink of Perfection
I recently had to come up with a cheap gift (under $5 per person) for a large group of international students. I was reluctant to purchase some cheap, imported tacky Australiana as suggested by my colleagues, and decided to make shortbread:
Shortbread recipe: ( I doubled this recipe)
Ingredients:
225g plain flour
Pinch of salt
115g rice flour
115g castor sugar
225 g butter
Directions:
- Sieve flour, rice flour and sugar into a bolw.
– Rub in butter and knead until a smooth paste forms
- Turn onto a floured board and make desired shape of biscuits. Prick biscuits with a fork
- Place on greased baking tray and cook in slow oven for 45 – 60mins, until pale brown.
Costing:
McKenzie’s Rice Flour Gluten Free 375g $1.38
Caster Sugar500g $0.97
Plain Flour 1kg $1.04
Butter 500g $2.61
Tinsel $1.48
Brown Paper $2.61
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TOTAL: $10.09
Bargain!!! Of course, I could’ve used organic materials which would have been greener….
Wrapped and waiting: In front of the tree waiting for Santa:
Living with the lightest carbon footprint sometimes clashes directly with the reality of living cheaply. We all know that alot of organic produce are significantly dearer than their non-organic counterparts.
A vegetarian couple, Christopher and Kerrie, decided to look at the dietary realities of low cost living, spending only $1 per day on food each with no handouts allowed. You can read about their journey here . I was shocked that they couldn’t afford store bought bread (having always been taught that it’s cheaper than making your own) or fresh fruit and vegetables. It’s an extremely interesting story that has recieved quite a bit of press such as this article in the New York Times.
