Organic...it's not just for food!

So loyal blog readers I am proud to announce that I've been going consume-less now for 8 months strong! I've gotten so used to it that I don't even realize I'm doing it half the time. Every now and then I catch myself thinking I should go buy some random item, but then I realize that I can't and I soon forget I even wanted it. I have however done my fair share of consuming for work, but that unfortunately I can't change. Organizing a bunch of summer camps for teenagers meant I was just going to have to buy some things. We are striving as an organization however to become more sustainable. We even bought biodegradable silverware for our last big event!

But on other notes I did want to share my growing love of organic products. I've always been a big fan of organic foods (I even tried my own little garden this year) but now I've explored a whole new world of organic products. We all have heard the benefits of organic, no harsh chemicals, less pollution in the farmlands and runoff, often higher quality products, it promotes biodiversity, creates healthier soil, etc. etc. Now these benefits can go beyond just the food we eat. For example, I have recently switched to an organic line of cosmetics called Organic Wear from Physicians Formula. It just makes sense that something you put on your face everyday shouldn't contain harsh chemicals. Now there is a difference between organic care products and just natural care products. When it comes to food it is usually the USDA that gives out the organic certification, however, USDA has no jurisdiction over cosmetics or beauty products only the agricultural ingredients in them. The USDA can certify ingredients as organic but usually not the entire product. It is a French organization called ECOCERT that certifies many of the non-food organic products including the Organic Wear line. Now there has been some debate in the world of organic health and beauty products lately over what is truly organic. For example, Dr. Bronners product line and the Organic Consumers Association filed a lawsuit in California this year against other brands using the word organic, when they do not contain %100 organic certified ingredients. There has also been some debate about ECOCERT as well, but for me Organic Wear is the only brand of makeup I can readily find that actually tries to use more natural and organic ingredients. So I figure even if these brands are not 100% organic they are trying to head in that direction and I can appreciate that. So I have switched over to the most "organic" shampoos, soaps, deodorants, and toothpaste brands I can find.

I've also been working to switch to non-toxic cleaners that are not petroleum based and recycled paper products. Once again I'm sure there is room to debate this issue as well, however, as I said before this is at least a step in the right direction. I've also been intrigued by the world of organic fabric. I own a few clothes made with organic cotton and I really like them (of course these were things I bought pre-2008). I'm also a big fan of the brand American Apparel which makes most of their clothing in downtown LA and has a "sweat shop free" policy. They also have a nice line of products made with organic cotton. And of course there's Patagonia a brand of outdoor clothing that has been on the forefront of environmental consciousness. They not only print all their advertisements on recycled paper, have LEED certified green buildings and make many products of out of organic cotton, but they also have a program where they collect their old and worn synthetic clothing products and recycle them into new clothes. Quite cool. Not that long ago I bought a nice used Patagonia day pack I found at this second hand sports store in Bozeman. One of the more interesting things I've discovered is organic furniture. I almost bought myself a second-hand futon that had a mattress made of organic cotton and wool, sadly the price tag ended up a little out of my budget. I did however, end up buying a second hand futon, so the recycling continues. By the way I'm proud to announce this is the first ever bed I've actually owned (given it is only a futon). I feel so grown up.

Well that concludes my look at the world of organic. Props to those retailers who are starting to think outside the box. Enough small steps in the right direction and we can all become more sustainable consumers.

Return from Slackerhood

So I do apologize, I realize it's been about 2 months since my last post. So to all my loyal readers (all 5 of you) I bring you a new post. As promised I want to give a shout out to Bree who has been anxiously awaiting a new post ;). I can proudly say I have continued my consume-less-ness now for over 5 months, and although I briefly considered calling 6 months good enough, I will continue on. And now I bring you a philosophical musing, (because this is what happens when I have a blank computer screen in front of me).

What I want out of life:
To be authentically happy
To love wholly
To encourage, inspire, and positively affect those whom I share life with
To connect with the human spirit to carry out something greater than myself

So there you have it and I'd like to point out that none of these things involve consuming.

Your Moment of Zen

The following is a nice quote from Duane Elgin's book on voluntary simplicity. I think it's very well put. Enjoy

"To live more voluntarily is to live more deliberately, intentionally, and purposefully—in short, it is to live more consciously. We cannot be deliberate when we are distracted from life. We cannot be intentional when we are not paying attention. We cannot be purposeful when we are not being present. Therefore, to act in a voluntary manner is to be aware of ourselves as we move through life. This requires that we not only pay attention to the actions we take in the outer world, but also that we pay attention to ourselves acting—our inner world. To the extent that we do not notice both inner and outer aspects of our passage through life, then our capacity for voluntary, deliberate, and purposeful action is commensurably diminished."

*Also note you can now receive consume-less 08 posts via email!*

Consumption Confessions

Well loyal readers I have some confessions to make. Three and a half months in to this new consume-less live style I have consumed a few new items...gasp! Ok so really in the grand scale, I've done really well, but did have a few slip ups. My most recent purchase is slightly debatable I could write it off as a health and hygiene type thing. Last week I moved into a new condo and out of my old house. My condo room came furnished and with a bed bigger than I've ever had before. Thus my sheets would not fit. I decided against making a search for used sheets so I bit the bullet and bought a new set. Like I said not really that big of a deal. My other little confessions are actually more indirect consumptions, but twice in the last month now I've received flowers as gifts and both times they came in glass vases. So I now own two new glass vases. I'm not a fan in general of flowers that come in vases already because then you just end up with this ridiculous collection of random vases that collect dust in a drawer somewhere. Don't get me wrong I love getting flowers! I guess too out of all things that are produced out there, glass vases probably aren't single handedly destroying the environment and they are recyclable. Really I shouldn't call these confessions, because I am quite proud that in four months this is all that I've consumed. As I look towards spring, I'm hoping to find some new ways to further reduce my impact. Right now I'm looking into possibly starting a garden and try growing some of my own basic produce. It would probably have to be a potted garden because I don't think my condo allows for beds to be made. I'm also toying with starting to compost, but I'm still working out the logistics of that one. And as always I'm still trying to work out ways to reduce my used of packaging material especially when it comes to food. Grocery stores are filled with so much excess plastic. Well that's it for now. Have a happy consume-less spring!

Coming out of the consume-less closet

So in my now two months of consume-less living and I've never once tried to hide my new lifestyle. Logical people don't usually blog about their secrets and I like to consider myself a logical person. Anyways, from time to time my consume-less-ness comes up and people hear about it for the first time. I'm always entertained by their reactions, they seem to follow a very distinct pattern. First, the person is usually shocked/confused wondering how in the world I could set a goal such as this. I always try to explain what I mean by going consume-less, but most people's minds start racing as soon as I say I'm not consuming and they stop actually listening to what I say. Once they finally start to listen again and realize things like I still eat, take showers, and use toilet paper they calm down a bit. Then the "what about" phase begins. This is where the person inevitably asks me a ton of questions all starting with "what about....". For example, what about gifts, what about soap, what about clothes....etc. etc. So I usually go through these questions for about 5 minutes before the person realizes that I'm not completely crazy and lowering ones environmental impact is not as hard as it first sounds. I also never go around proselytizing or preaching about living a consume-less lifestyle. As I've said many times, it was a personal decision to change my lifestyle and I don't go around judging those who consume the good old fashion American way. Well 2 months down 10 to go!

PS. I've included a picture of a baby polar bear I got from the no impact man blog. It has absolutely no relevance to my post I just thought it was ridiculously cute :)

The joys and dangers of thrift stores

Well I am now 37 days into this consume-less year and still going pretty strong. I apologize for my lack of posts lately, things got a little busy. Anyways, so far this new life style has not been too challenging. I think a lot of this has to do with my general dislike and laziness towards shopping. I don't think I've really been in any stores other than for groceries this year. Well, yesterday that changed, I decided to further investigate the Bozeman thrift store scene. After work I visited all 4 of these fine establishments. I've always liked thrift stores. They're kind of like a big treasure hunt, you never know what you'll find. So I set off with the intention of looking for some specific items: board games, pants that were not jeans, possibly a new remote, and to check out couch possibilities. For the record buying things at thrift stores is completely ok in my consume-less year because it is recycling already produced goods not buying something new. I didn't go crazy or anything, I only ended up with a pair of jeans and several shanks of yarn for future knitting projects (neither did I originally plan to buy). Interestingly, once I bought something I started to think of tons of other random things I suddenly really wanted, but absolutely don't need. I was very content, until I stepped into stores again and remembered how easy and addicting buying things is. We as Americans have a serious retail addiction and are notorious for impulse buying things we never needed and will hardly use. Just think about your last couple trips to a store like Target. I'm just as guilty as the next person. I can't even begin to count the many times I've gone into a store not really wanting or needing anything just to look around and once inside suddenly think I have to have half the stuff there. There's probably some psychological theory out there explaining this phenomena. It's one thing to use resources for something really crucial and necessary, but it's another thing entirely to consume just for the sake of consumption. It's so interesting to me to look at how societies progressed from markets where essential goods were sold and traded to giant super stores filled with low quality foreign mass produced junk that we just some how can't live without.

A Question of Power

I don't know if I made this clear or not in my original posting of the "rules" I was following for 2008, but I 'm still consuming power. My house is still on the grid and I use electricity daily. I would like to one day be able to live some where that used more alternative energy, but as a short term renter, that's pretty difficult. However, this had led me to a new issue...batteries. I hadn't thought about this one, until the batteries in my wireless mouse and electric toothbrush both died a few days apart. Technically batteries would fall in the energy category and be ok to buy in moderation. The more I started to think about it though, the more I realize how many batteries we as Americans use. Luckily it's become easier in recent years to properly dispose of batteries, however, they're still pretty toxic and create a lot of waste. I've been looking into green batteries (yes they have such a thing). They're rechargeable batteries that are supposed to be less toxic than regular disposable batteries. I still need to do a little more research on this. It's amazing though how much waste in America we produce from electronics which we so quickly dispose of and replace. In the mean time I will result to using my corded mouse and brushing my teeth the old fashion way.