Living Life: Sustainably

Hello again! As a quick recap, please refer back to the first two parts of my three-part series: Mindfulness and Minimalism. This last bit is putting it all together in a way that works for you and your family in the long haul. It's not a diet or a fad, it's a lifestyle change!

According to Wikipedia, "Sustainable living is a lifestyle that attempts to reduce an individual's or society's use of the Earth's natural resources and personal resources."

I've been a "tree hugger" for as long as I can remember. When I was around 10 to 12 years old I made homemade pins to pass out and attempted to organize my neighborhood kids to pick up trash along the ditches of my country road. Each year for Earth Day I make a New Year resolution--yes, one that I actually follow through with! 

To give some ideas, these are things I've done in the past: 

• Bought a clothesline 
• Transitioned to only using cloth grocery bags
• Stopped buying paper products and requested cloth napkins for Christmas

I don't think we can reverse the current climate change but at least you can prepare for the upcoming ice age, right? Haha! The point is to change your habits permanently and create new, better, SUSTAINABLE habits that will save you money and help reduce your carbon footprint.

Here are my suggestions:

• Totally eliminate all disposable plastic (i.e. grocery bags, ziplock baggies, eating utensils, straws, etc.) For ideas for alternate food storage options (including glass or stainless steel straws, I never would have thought of that!) check out this website.

• Totally eliminate all disposable paper goods (i.e. napkins, paper towels, etc.) The one issue I have with this is cleaning up animal messes, but you get used to it. I suppose the same would go for cloth diapers, but I don't have any kids so no personal experience with those (yet).

• On that note, if you REALLY want to reuse, I have friends who swear by reusable menstrual pads or cups (although I haven't taken it to this level myself just yet). Check out diva cups or glad rags for more information.

• Totally eliminate shopping at the mall. Purchase from local shops, handmade items (like on Etsy), or used and thrift items. I haven't purchased off the rack clothing since a pair of jean shorts cost me $40--that was my final straw about two or three years ago!
  
• Reduce your gas and electric usage: 
• ALWAYS unplug EVERYTHING! (Microwave, washer/dryer...sometimes we even unplug our refrigerator overnight as it's the loudest monster you've ever heard in your life and we can't sleep.) 
• Better yet, don't even use your dryer, except maybe in the winter (unless you're hard core), and hang clothes outside on a line or inside on a drying rack. I have one that looks like this.

• Be aware of the every day products that add chemicals to your body (and waste, pollution, etc.). We recently switched to all natural and organic hygiene products, including soap, make up, deodorant, mouthwash, toothpaste, etc. 
• I'm OBSESSED with Dr. Bronner's Castile soaps (can also be used for laundry, shampoo and toothpaste--I've never tried it for my teeth). I highly recommend the lavender scent, it will change your life!

• Finally, become a one car household. Although this is extreme, we have been doing it since May 2011 and we are still married! There are lots of things to consider and it is often very challenging to balance the schedule, BUT now that I'm used to it, I do enjoy the quality time together and even though we now have the money available, I'm in no particular rush to purchase a second (used) vehicle.
• There are a LOT of blogs talking about this rising money-saving choice. Money Saving Mom blog reports they saved $1,500 per year. 
• Even if you have two vehicles, increase the time you spend on foot (exercise is always a good thing), carpooling or taking public transport.

Amanda Masters is a pediatric occupational therapist, tree hugger and hippy-in-training.

Trashy!

My new monster recycling bin. Pictured next to the old one.

Tulsa is changing to a new trash program and my neighborhood just got our new garbage and recycling bins. With the new program our twice weekly pickup is changing to a once weekly pickup, but recycling is now included instead of being an addition added for a fee. 

It amazes me how divided our community has been over the decision to revise our trash program. Personally I was excited about the changes, especially the addition of recycling at no additional cost. I was surprised when I got my new bins and realized that the new recycling bin is half the size of my car! We were able to choose from three sizes for our garbage bins (with each size meaning a price difference in our billing), but the recycling bins were one size for everybody and it barely fits in my garage.

One article I read in the Tulsa World said that Tulsa's trash program was last updated back in the 70s. Recycling for at-home pickup wasn't even an option until a few years ago and its only in the past several months that we've been able to put aluminum cans or cardboard (among other items) in our recycling bins.

The arguments and complaints about the new program made me realize that how far behind some other cities Tulsa is. A few years ago I visited Seattle. They not only have public recycling bins next to all trash cans but also public compost bins! Yet in Tulsa people will throw something in the trash even if a recycling bin is two feet away. I hope that having recycling as a designated part of our regular program will encourage more Tulsans to recycle and help our city move forward.

Today was the first day I used the new bins. I do think there are a few kinks to work out, but overall I'm liking the new program. My only problem now is what to do with my old garbage cans. No one in Tulsa needs them anymore!

Tea Anyone?

I own a coffee pot, but it's stored in one of the cabinets over the fridge. The ones where you keep things you never use. The only time it gets taken out is when I have company who depend on their morning coffee.

I'll drink tea year-round though.

During my recent visit to Colorado my friend Amy and I visited the Celestial Seasonings plant for a tour. Check out these cool teapots they had on display.

They had some neat tea cups too. Although we didn't use them for our tea samples, of course. I learned a few cool things about the company while there.

One thing was that the cups for the tea samples were regular mugs so that they could be washed and reused (rather than disposable cups). Another way they help save the environment is by not putting the string on the tea bag, apparently leaving off that little string saves several thousand trees a year.

Also, several of Celestial Seasonings products are not actually tea, it doesn't have the tannins that are in tea. Most of the teas sold by Celestial Seasonings are actually herbal mixtures. Apparently there is a law in the U.S. that prohibits calling something tea unless it is actual tea. That's why it says caffeine free herbal tea on the package.

Cool fact: One of the main ingredients in several of the teas is hibiscus. Like the ones on the tree I have that I mentioned in this post.

Enjoying our tea!

There were no pictures during the tour, but my favorite part was the Mint Room. The smell was so strong that my congestion cleared right up. Our guide also said that you could get a similar result by tossing a bag of their peppermint tea on the shower floor. Their Mint Magic tea makes a good air freshener in the car.

 

Celestial Seasonings mascot,
the Sleepytime Bear.

The tour was a lot of fun, I loved getting to try the sample teas--there were probably about 15 cold or hot teas that we could try before the tour. Then there were so many options in the gift shop afterward available for purchase. They also had tea baths with different herbs, I didn't buy one because they were pricey and you have to brew them BEFORE you added them to the bath. Sounded like too much work. But I liked the idea.

Are you a tea devotee? Or do you crave coffee?

An Invitation to Relax

Ollie enjoying the sofa. Don't the new cushions just make
it look like you can sink into the couch and relax?

The new cushion covers are here! They arrived Thursday afternoon, just in time for me to update my couch's look before my book club gals came over.

My initial thoughts:

The section on the right is slightly
heavier than the one on the left.

1. I love, love, LOVE the pattern. Saffron Marigold hand prints all it's fabrics inch by inch, so if you look closely enough you can see subtle differences in different sections of the fabric.
2. The cushion covers are a little loose. I may try washing them to see if they shrink a bit. I'm slightly worried that the dye will run and mess up the pattern though. Maybe I'll try calling their customer service number to ask first. The cushions do have washing instructions attached, it says to machine wash with cold water, but with dyes you need to be careful.
3. The shams seem very well-made, but since the fabric is cotton I'm a little concerned about how they will hold up under regular use. Not that I'm particularly hard on my belongings, but the couch is one place that gets used every day.

You can read more about Saffron Marigold and my thoughts about the couch's old look here. I included the before picture of the sofa. The cushions were so flat and the uniform blue wasn't very inviting. I did keep a couple of the throw pillows (I made them when I moved into my first apartment), but I flipped them over since the fabric backing meshes better with the new cushions.

Before pic

 Steps to an Updated Look
I knew I hated how flat the old cushions were, so I had a couple of options.

• Restuff the cushions. My only problems with this option were that I had never done it before (not a big concern since I'm sure I could have figured it out quickly) and that I didn't particularly like the color scheme of the cushions.
• Buy new cushions. I still had a few choices once I decided to go with this option. I could get throw pillow that were large enough to serve as the sofa's back. Or I could buy regular pillows and find covers for them, I went with this option.

I bought regular Euro-size pillows at Bed, Bath & Beyond several months ago. I think I spent about $50 on four of them. I had more trouble finding a place to buy the cushion covers (or shams). Most of the ones I liked were part of a bedroom set or were just too expensive (the ones I liked at Pottery Barn were $50 each). I could have easily gone and bought fabric to make the shams myself, but the way my projects have been progressing lately I would have gotten rid of the sofa before my pillow covers were finished.

I came across Saffron Marigold by chance, but I loved their designs and what they stood for. I think it is important to support small businesses, especially those that give back to their community or work to take care of their employees.

The package that my shams came in included the receipt in a recycled paper envelope and a brochure about Saffron Marigold. And of course the shams. Here's a close up of the new cushion cover before I put it on the pillow:

Isn't it lovely. I'm so glad I went ahead and bought the shams. I think they help transform my living room into a space that I'll be happier spending time in.

A New Year Update

I ordered the cushion covers for my new sofa cushions!

I got my living room sofa for free when my grandparents sold the family cabin, and for the most part it's great. It's comfy and it folds out into a double bed. However, the cushions for the back of the sofa are about an inch thick. And they don't match my decor.

Current couch cushions.

My solution was to go buy Euro size pillows (the ones that are about 27"x27"), so I've had those for a few months now. However, usually you buy shams to go with them. Without the shams they're just a plain white pillow. When I began searching for shams I found some I loved at Saffron Marigold, but I wasn't quite ready to shell out $100 for an "extra" purchase.

I've had Saffron Marigold listed in my "Websites I Love" section for a while now. I love that their fabrics are printed by artisan owned studios in India using eco-friendly fabric dyes. Plus the owners say they are "fully committed to arts and crafts revival and fair trade as a means to safeguard traditional crafts, create employment, and promote economic self-sufficiency." For that reason they work with artisans who love and are proud of what they do and pay fair wages to the artisans they employ. Pretty cool, huh?

Anyway, I haven't gotten the cushion covers yet, but I wanted to share about Saffron Marigold because they are having a sale this week! From now until January 2 all of their merchandise is up to 30% off. The shams I wanted were about $20 cheaper than usual, so I used some Christmas money to order them.

I will (of course) let you know what I think once they come in and I'll share some pics of how the sofa looks with the new cushions.

Sustainable

Earlier this week the TYPros Sustainability crew held a short lesson on Winterizing Your Home. I’ve been a member of TYPros for almost three years, but I have actually attended very few of their events. This one, however, appealed to me because it was relevant and I thought it would make a good blog post.

Short Rabbit Trail

Before I talk about what I learned let me talk a minute about the location. The meeting was held in 119 Downtown, a building that will eventually be home to those with a desire for downtown living and a budget allowing for posh apartment space. While there we got to tour one of the units.

Now, I love the design and the open feel. The kitchen might be a little small, but did you see the size of that pantry/laundry room?! It continues around the corner to the left. Wish I had one of those in my house! Plus two bathrooms, huge closets and good-size bedrooms. Awesome.

Of course, I’m not looking for an apartment. Even if I was I don’t think I would live downtown, just not my style. I hate trying to park there and I hate the one-way streets and corner traffic lights. It’s ok if I'm just coming through for a couple hours, but I can’t imagine dealing with that on a daily basis. That said, the employee at the parking garage across from 119 Downtown is awesome. Super friendly and very helpful. If you’re ever needing to park near 6^th and Cincinnati I highly recommend going there.
 

Back to the Topic at Hand

There were two speakers at the meeting and to be honest neither really spoke about winterizing your home, though I felt the topics they did cover pretty interesting. They mainly spoke about ways to make your home energy efficient. While there are several steps to this process the main thing I came away with is making sure your insulation is 100% effective. In the video below, Jason Fisher with ICF International covers a few common insulation problems. There are a lot more ways to mess up insulation installation than I realized.

Jason and the second speaker, Lisa Puyear, also spoke about the programs PSO offers homeowners to help make their home more energy efficient. Among those is a rebate on a new A/C unit if you replace your old one with a new energy-efficient one, the Cool Saver program and Home Performance and Quest Audits.

What I Learned
I feel like I should probably do more research about updating old A/C units. I think mine is about 10 years old, and I know this summer it struggled to cool the house when the temperatures got really high. 

I'm also curious about the Home Performance Audit. Jason said the difference between the two audits is that the Quest Audit is just a walk through where the auditor will go through your house and point out obvious problem areas. Windows, poorly sealed doors, etc. Things that for the most part are already on my to-do list. The Home Performance Audit is where they bring the equipment that he refers to in the video and really help you fix any leaking ducts, poorly insulated walls and so on. 

The problem is that everything costs money. It saves money too, but I don't have a lot of cash to put down on the front end.

Have any of you had a home efficiency audit? What are some ways you make your home more energy efficient?