I’m off to a terrible start with Plastic Free July, since we’ve been out to eat three days in a row. Because of COVID, there is still a lot of single-use plastic in circulation. Our collective need for single-use plastic creates a lot of waste, but it also creates a lot of demand for the component materials, one of which is natural gas.
“Storage experts are hoarders,” says Marie Kondo. My struggle through the Miscellaneous category continues as I organize and store consumable goods that still that I can’t donate but can’t bring myself to trash. Our storage space is currently limited by roof and attic work, making the process even more frustrating, but hopefully keeping me more honest about what has a place in my future.
The term “Sentimental Items” can apply to pretty much everything in my house, which means that as I continue to tackle “Miscellaneous,” I can also hone my skills on what Marie Kondo has referred to as the hardest category. This post examines why it’s so hard for us to part with things in general and why I hold on for (maybe) too long.
Miscellaneous items make up the largest category in Marie Kondo’s tidying plan, and from what I can tell, that basically means everything in our house. There was no way I would get through everything Miscellaneous in one week, but I really thought I’d accomplish more than just the bathroom closet. There will certainly be more work to come after this eight-week challenge is over.
No, Marie Kondo never said you should limit yourself to 30 books. She wants you to keep what makes you happy, and for me that was most of my books. Although I kept most of what I already had, it allowed me to reacquaint myself with my collection and inspired my husband to go through his books. He was a little more merciless than I.
On this, the second anniversary of Radical Moderate, we will be looking into the traditional second anniversary gift: cotton. It is one of the most widely produced textiles on earth, with farms spread across multiple countries. Unfortunately, it usually requires a lot of land, water, and chemicals to produce. This post will look into consumer options and how to make the most responsible wardrobe choices.
When making responsible purchases, it’s easier to factor in things we can see (e.g. packaging) over things we can’t, such as farming practices, cold storage, and transportation footprint. In doing research for this series, I’ve been learning how my own choices with respect to food purchases, while well-intentioned, were grossly misinformed, and how some choices count for a lot more than others.
As we approach November, we’re getting exposed to more and more BS in political campaigns. Fortunately, this is also the perfect time of year to make use of fertilizer to improve your lawn. This week we will look at the pros and cons of organic and inorganic fertilizers, focusing on one in particular that I’ve used on my lawn for years.
The vast majority of our clothes contain synthetic materials, i.e. plastics. If reducing plastic waste is your goal, limiting clothing containing synthetic fibers should be among your priorities. As with plastic materials in other parts of our lives, our approach with synthetic clothing should be (first) Reduce, (then) Reuse, and (last) recycle. This final post on Plastic-Free July suggests some options for responsible clothes shopping.
It is July once again, and I am reviving a challenge I gave myself this time last year: to participate in Plastic Free July. Of course, the global pandemic has led to a steep increase in single-use plastics and zero-contact transactions, making last year’s game plan effectively useless. This year I’ll see where I can make environmentally-friendly choices while still staying safe.