damn. plastic is nasty stuff. off-gassing, "leeching," petroleum based and wasteful. it may be ubiquitous but it's generally unnecessary. here are some less toxic alternatives. they may take more time, or a bit of cash at first, but they are definitely worth it.
-carry your own reusable water bottle. klean kanteens are a lightweight option.
-buy as much as you can from bulk bins. bring your own cotton bags (such as eco bags) for grains and beans. bring glass jars for honey, oil and shampoo bought by the ounce.
- use reusable bags for the vegetables you buy at the store or at a farmer's market. if you dampen eco bags before putting greens in, they'll stay fresh longer.
-use old glass jars for storing dry bulk foods, leftovers, water, ice tea, etc. consider microwavable glass containers for tupperware.
-as an alternative to ziploc bags, use wax paper bags. these can be found in most natural food stores.
-make your own bread and tortillas. or if you buy them fresh and local they often come in paper wrappers.
-consider making your own hummus, salsa, etc. over buying it prepared in plastic containers.
-composting and recycling automatically reduces the amount you'll have to throw out, reducing the number of trash bags you'll use. compostable bags are ridiculously expensive but then you shouldn't have to buy them very often.
more articles and facts:
-plastics in the marine environment
-san francisco passes resolution against plastic bags
-how green are green plastics?
-advocating for safer sex toys
not just a market niche.
sustainability is mindfulness. to live with an understanding of relationships. cause and effect. a knowledge of history and the power of possibility. sustainability is not a question of sacrifices. it is a matter of connections.
this site is a place for resources, essays and ideas. an intersection of the practical and political. it is a record of my trying. i hope it can also be a source of exchange.
this site is a place for resources, essays and ideas. an intersection of the practical and political. it is a record of my trying. i hope it can also be a source of exchange.
other projects.
links.
books.
- A Language Older than Words by Derrick Jensen
- Dam Nation: Dispatches from the Water Underground. Edited by Cleo Woelfle-Erskine
- Earth Democracy: Justice, Sustainability and Peace by Vandana Shiva
- Food Not Lawns by Heather C Flores
- From Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the way we make things by William McDonough & Michael Braungart
- Listening to the Land: Conversations about nature, culture and eros. Edited by Derrick Jensen
- Urban Wilds: Gardeners' Stories of the Struggle for Land and Justice. Edited by Cleo Woelfle-Erskine
contact.
aswecanblog@gmail.com
2 comments:
dear friend,
if i may, i like your blog, very concise and informative. from my perspective though, an even bigger framing needs to be articulated as i practice many of the "sustainable" activities listed here but find myself coming up against two seemingly insurmountable obstacles:
1) time
2) supportive networks
the first is simply an issue of balancing the time it would take to wash my own clothes vs. putting them in the washing machine vs. practicing an acoustic instrument vs. doing the dishes by hand, etc. i do all of the above sans washing my own clothes and not because i don't want to but because i lack the time from when i get home from the wage-slavery day job.
this is all to say, and i imagine you can relate, that for those passionately dedicated to a sustainable way of living, as long as we're participating in Western civilization (even this blog counts), we're bound to run into some contradictions.
for instance, i sold my car and ride a bike to work everyday - i pack my lunch instead of eating out but tupperware is considerably lighter and less fragile than glass.
see what i'm saying?
the second is a more perplexing issue as it doesn't take a genius to figure out that what would really make a change (not just assuage our own 1st world guilt) would be a cultural shift that challenges the basic premise of commodified relationships, hierarchy, and the like.
that is to say, how do we learn to approach each other with compassion , respect, and equality without actually doing it face to face? given that this here response itself is a mediated form of communication, one that is embraced readily by left/right politicos alike, would this count as me reaching out and making a connection? i'm not sure.
the larger demon in the room is a 10 letter word that begins with a "C" and how i wish folks like us would at the very least agree that it has to be actively dismantled (does disseminating DIY information on a blog count? certainly.)
in short, how i wish (i can wish, can't i?) the world social forum would at the very least have pointed out that private property is theft, that 40 hour work weeks need to go, that self-reliance, and the end of the police state (a redundancy) are high priorities if we are to truly live freely and sustainably.
so say it once, say it loud, i'm an anti-capitalist and i'm proud.
dear clandestino,
thank you so much for your feedback. i apologize for not responding sooner- i just saw your comment today- but i really appreciate what you wrote. i am also anti-capitalist and i agree with you that the larger frameworks- capitalism, corporate globalization, colonization- need to be addressed for significant change to occur. my idea for this blog was to provide accessible information about ways we can change our daily routines and habits to move more towards sustainability, the small changes that are also necessary from within these framework. i think that both kinds of activism are important though, and they can support and feed each other.
so thank you for reaching out. this kind of mediated conversation is different from face to face interactions, and many people do use this distance to be disrespectful on the web. but i think it is its own kind of communication, a new creature that can also be useful. (i just heard the argument last night that blogs and commenting and reviews, etc. mirror the dynamics of oral cultures.)
please feel free to email me too at aswecan@gmail.com
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