Carol, you've made the biggest step(s). You are willing to change the way
you do things and feel good about doing it.
Carol wrote:
> Definition of sustainable. Now there's a tough one. To me it means not
> ever harming Mother Earth. I can't even come close to that right now, so I
> am trying to live as gently as I know how and to add to that knowledge on a
> daily basis.
I find it helpful to be very clear on what I mean by phrases like "not
harming Mother Earth", because it make it easier to evaluate what I am
doing or intend to do and it makes practical steps more obvious. The other
way to do it is to work on those things you can see and feel the ability to
do something about.
> I switched to only buying organic cotton sheets (unbleached or color-grown)
> about four years ago. Despite their high purchase price, I feel they are
> worth it for my health and the planet's. I am frugal enough in other
> expenditures to be able to budget for them. But if anybody knows where to
> get them more cheaply, please let me know!
Good for you. We have not made the switch to organic cotton sheets, though
most of our sheets are ten years old. Yes, they are expensive (so are
"regular" sheets, for that matter), but you have found a way to afford the
expensive eco-products. By cutting out unnecessary and probably
unsustainable products in your life, you can afford to spend your money on
other things. This is a valuable tool.
> We have curbside recycling of cans (both steel and aluminum) and glass, as
> well as plastic bottles, newspapers, magazines, cardboard, and mail, so that
> part is easy. In addition I take plastic tubs from stuff like margarine and
> organic tofu as well as bags made from number 2 and number 4 plastic to a
> local eco-supermarket to be recycled. Also, Oregon has a bottle and can law
> which requires the purchaser to pay a deposit on most beverage cans and
> bottles, so I return these to the eco-supermarket for a refund or for
> donation to a program that helps the homeless.
We have found a "next step" for recycling that works for us. We have been
trying to _reduce_ our recycling. Of course, not by just throwing things
away, but by buying things in reusable containers (occasional jars of pasts
sauce or small plastic tubs of salsa), buying in bulk (like peanut butter
and shampoo) or eliminating them altogether by changing the way we cook
(like canning and freezing, homemade snacks, sauces and soups) or do things
(like no purchased beverages except dry tea, no newspaper or magazine
subscriptions). This has reduced our (2 people) garbage (mostly plastic
wrappers from stuff we haven't made a change in like pasta and tortilla
chips - mostly things we could do with out the wrappers) to a grocery per
month. The rest is composted or reused and or eventually recycled (almost
no metal, no bottles, few jars, some plastic, some paper or cardboard that
is too unruly to use as sheet mulch).
I am currently debating the pros and cons of recycling paper (mostly junk
mail) and cardboard (mostly packaging and toilet paper rolls) versus
composting it. One side has it that the pulp is too precious to compost.
The other it that our soil could use the carbon and not all paper is
actually recycled. I need to find out what things actually are recycled;
this has always bothered me. If they don't actually recycle the stuff you
bring in, then it's just another path to the land fill. If it gets used
for useful products, then it might be a very precious material. Anyone
know more about this?
> While these choices are better for the planet than the way I lived in the
> past, they do not mean I have a sustainable lifestyle. They still use a lot
> of fossil fuel and contribute to pollution. However, my choices are kinder
> to Mother Earth than using the more common sheets made from
> pesticide-drenched cotton and non-biodegradable polyester that are colored
> with aniline dyes. And my choices are kinder than tossing all my garbage
> into a large plastic bag to be trucked clear across the state because all
> the local landfills were filled many, many years ago.
Just keep adding things that you feel good about doing, and maybe a tough
one now and then. They all add up.
> But it isn't enough of a change. I truly want to learn to be good for the
> earth. I want to live in a way that heals, not harms.
I find it useful to focus on production versus consumption. When you are
in control of the production of what you use, you are more likely to cause
less harm. When you don't actually make things yourself, you can buy them
from others (preferably locals) who are as concerned as you are about how
things are produced. Our latest attempt to simplify this process is to try
to buy as little as possible and when we do buy we try to buy things made
within about 50 miles of where we live and that are made by people at least
trying to make a difference. As more and more people produce good stuff in
good ways, there will be a stronger network (community / local economy) in
which we can participate. I am currently trying to find a job that would
be a link in such a network / community / local economy, so that my income
is part of the loop.
Live, Love, Learn, Laugh!
Eric Storm
