When I was doing my first month-long challenge in March, my Costco membership was up for renewal and I was debating whether I should renew. There is a huge difference between shopping bulk from the dry goods bulk bins and buying in bulk at Costco. Ultimately, I decided to keep my membership for now but… Continue reading Limiting your trash impact at Costco
Our home trash can remains mostly empty, so that is a good sign, even though the week overall had some hiccups. My planned menu for the week: Mediterranean platter with roasted caulflower, hummus, pita, fresh veggies, and olives. This was not a trash-free meal (pita bread bag recycled) but was designed to use up things… Continue reading October Unpackaged: Week 1
Since I did the original zero waste challenge in March, I have continued to make small changes to reduce trash, especially plastics. I got a reusable metal safety razor to use instead of disposables. I am about to switch to bar shampoo and conditioner, once our current stock runs out. I have kept using reusable… Continue reading October Unpackaged
I had a conversation a few weeks ago about someone who went on a trip to some Asian countries and returned feeling like nothing we can do on the individual level, like recycling or reducing household waste, really matters in the grand scheme of things. Looking at all the people still using plastic grocery bags… Continue reading We’re on our own
Bea Johnson has become sort of a modern guru of zero waste living. Her family has reduced their amount of trash to one jar full of trash per year. She wrote a book in 2013 about how her family changed their lifestyle to get to this point, and to share tips so others can learn… Continue reading Book Report Pt. 1: Back to the kitchen
Based on the goals I set out for myself at the start, this project was not as successful as I would have liked. A quick summary: Reduced household trash by about 2/3. We filled about 3/4 of one standard kitchen trash bag over the course of the month with the contents of the vacuum cleaner… Continue reading The first month: How I did and what’s next
I enjoy making things from scratch, so that’s an easy go-to for me to avoid packaging. But it can be time-consuming and, if you’re trying new recipes or things you haven’t made before, can result in failures. Case in point: my first attempt at making hoagie rolls. They’re still edible, so no waste this time.… Continue reading Day 26: Meal planning and prep
One of the ways people keep their waste down is by not buying new items for their homes, as much as possible. With that in mind, I took a trip to my favorite local thrift shop Saturday to try and find a soap dispenser for the bathroom. I’ve been buying hand soap that comes with… Continue reading Day 25: Bathroom Waste & the Thrift Store
We share our home with two rescued mutts. I wouldn’t trade my dogs for anything, but I also recognize that their lifestyle is not very good for the environment. They eat meat, their food and treats come in non-recyclable bags, they destroy toys (and sometimes things that aren’t toys), and then there’s the poop problem.… Continue reading Day 20: Dogs
One way to cut down on packaged products is to make more food from scratch. I have an amazing cookbook, “The Homemade Vegan Pantry,” that has been mostly collecting dust on my shelf for the last year. It has recipes for all kinds of staples, from ketchup to homemade vegan cheese. While it seems intimidating… Continue reading Day 19: From scratch
