I found this article on the internet and knew I’d have to share it on Green Renters. I am an enthusiastic cook who is at times, prone to burning things. Especially when toasting spices or trying to make toffee and I get distracted by something else…

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I was interested when a friend of mine Gauri started a blog on how she would cease from shopping for non-essentials for a year. We all know that shopping and buying things we don’t need are big problems when it comes to reducing our environmental footprint. She kindly consented to an interview for Green Renters.

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I was really excited to find out about the new Take Out With Out Campaign, directed at reducing the use of unnecessary plastics and packaging with take out food. They have the very sensible creed:

ReFuse Unnecessary Stuff

When taking out, refuse the unnecessary packaging! Think about the spoons, forks, straws, and napkins that you get served (why do they give you enough for a family of 20 when eating alone?). Ask yourself before accepting all these items, “Do I really need all of this?”, “Am I going to be eating this right away?” (If so, why take the bag or the napkins)… just enjoy your muffin – and be neat so the napkin isn’t needed!

ReTakeYour Own Reusables

Bring your own reusables (BYOR) and you won’t need to use the can – garbage, that is. You can bring your own containers, straws, cutlery, mugs, bottles, and even your own bag – It’s so easy to find and use!

ReConsiderYour Habits

It’s easy to fall into a routine, so why not choose to create a new one? Reconsider and readjust your habits and adopt healthier eating strategies – it might be challenging at first – but it will save you time, money, your health, and our world. The bonus? You’ll feel like an eco-hero and will inspire others around you to follow suit.

It’s a great little campaign which includes posters and wallet sized tips you can download, an interesting blog and a list of restaurants which support the cause. I usually bring my own bags where I go, and still often have to state more than once “I don’t need a bag thanks”, and I think this is a great extension of the BYO bag idea, taking it up a notch. We’ve seen it happen with the reusable coffee cups such as the Keep Cups we reviewed last last year and I think this is the next step. It would be great if restaurants and cafes supported the enterprise by offering a small discount to those who BYO their own containers etc since they are saving on packaging.

1. Stay home and celebrate
Seriously, I ‘ve always suspected that NYE is the night for people who don’t go out any other night of year.

As green planet suggests

if you stay home and host your own ring-in-the-new shindig, you’ll save transportation emissions—and, of course, money. You’ll also be able to better control the environmental impact of your night, from sending out email invitations to preventing the food and paper waste that comes from bars and restaurants.

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As a renter I don’t really see the point of store bought Christmas trees. They’re synthetic and kinda ugly and we have no where to store them inbetween Christmases (like most rental properties, storage cupboards are lacking). I don’t see in the point of a cut tree, and the potted variety seem to die off in the summer heat anyway.

I also should mention that we don’t really have the space for a big Christmas tree, our living room is quite small!

So I was excited to see these photos of DIY christmas trees using household objects…

The first three are from here. The ladder looks great and I like it as it doesn’t take up too much space. The second photograph is of an old drying rack, I think something similar could definitely be made with an old clothes horse!

Simple but effective!

The harddisk Christmas tree is a hilarious use discarded discs, whether cd’s, or computer disks!

And the pinecone tree is great for traditionalists who want the pinecone smell

I like the idea of making a junk mail Christmas tree out of all the junk mail that seems to arrive in the letter box, even with a ‘no advertising’ sticker.

I successfully managed to avoid Melbourne Cup shennanigans and did loads of stuff at home. I finally had  time to do some batch cooking. I’m a strong believer in batch cooking. It allows you to cook in bulk and freeze in smaller portions, saving money and food wastage. I cooked up a heap of brown rice, dahl and mexican beans.

Chris picked a heap of produce from our garden so I sorted it out into cooking, salad and beans!Amazing stuff when it’s from your very own garden.

For breaky I had a potato (cooked in the microwave with the brown rice) with mexican beans and avocado.

I paid a visit to the rather good Radical Grocery Store in Sydney Road, Brunswick. I was pleased at the wide range of products but a little disappointed how many products aren’t available in ‘mainstream’ supermarkets.  I guess it shows how hard it is to run a ethical company and compete with all the big producers, let along get your products stocked!

Not everything was super cheap, but it would be no different to doing all your shopping at a gourmet deli or some such. Further, I’m trying to eat lots of fresh wholefoods rather than only vegan alternatives of carnivore products so it’s not like I’m relying on speciality shops for the bulk of my meals. Far from it.

I picked up some quinoa, chai tea, vegan cheese, vegan schnitzel (Chris loves these)  and a rather splendid Funky pie. Funky pies are a vegan pie making company in Sydney that sell their products all around Australia.

The pie was really yummy:

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’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!

Further to Chris’ article on living in small spaces, I came across the website of David Michael Bruno and his 100 Thing Challenge. In November 2008, David pledged to live for one year with only 100 personal items. All other items had to be thrown away/donated/gifted. If he buys one thing he has to remove another.

I’m an extremely poor de-clutterer like most crafters, so I am somewhat aghast at such a concept but also secretly envious. Crafting (mostly) with a recycled/upcycled ethos means I am constantly sourcing materials from charity shops, other crafters, haberdashery… So I challenged myself last year to craft for a month without buying any materials to add my craft. It was actually quite hard in some respects. In some ways I realised how I had been preferencing the urge to shop over the urge to create. Consumerism seems so much safer than creativity. No risk or making a mistake or being judged for your efforts. I had in the past surrounded myself with vintage and recycled goods as a testament to my aesthetic.

That said, we are moving house soon, so I find myself in a position of having to declutter. It’s another challenge! Argh!