Sunday confessional - Week 3

It has been 7 days since my last confessional and I haven't spent anything except for food and a bottle of wine. The wine isn't exactly essential, but after reading In Defense of Food, I'm gonna argue that it's a medical necessity. Well, maybe not.

I got my two books from the library and that has sated my interest in buying something. My daughter is asking for new dresses as she's outgrown last year's spring/summer dresses but we didn't find any at the second-hand store, so no purchases there. I have been drooling over a food mill but will wait and most likely the desire will pass.

Other than that, I've gotten into the groove of not purchasing crap I don't really need. I can't say that my husband is following suit, but I have little control over that.

How was your week?

Eco Hottie of the Week #4

Whew! It's been a few weeks and now it's time to get back on track. This week's eco-hottie is a "regular" person, but I'd say there's nothing regular about him.

Who: Guillermo Payet

What: Founder of LocalHarvest

Why: Although I must admit, I have certain prejudices against LocalHarvest only because it directly competes with my project Puget Sound Fresh on a local level (okay, so it's not exactly my project, but I've worked on it for seven years). Anyway a little competition is good, no? But I digress. El Sr. Payet muy guapo es el fundador del sitio web que promueve comprando alimento de granjas locales.

LocalHarvest is America's #1 organic and local food website. They maintain a public nationwide directory of small farms, farmers markets, and other local food sources.

Their search engine helps people find products from family farms, local sources of sustainably grown food, and encourages them to establish direct contact with small farms in their local area. Their online store helps small farms develop markets for some of their products beyond their local area.

Quotable: "I wash my hair with handmade soap. Sometimes I even brush my teeth with it. I like to keep chemicals away from my body."

"I've had girlfriends who wear a pair of jeans once and wash them immediately. I'm like 'You're polluting the water and wasting electricity.'"

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Who knew that imports from Peru could be so tasty? No carbon food miles here!

If you would like to nominate someone as an Eco Hottie, email me.

Busting Brita's balls

Fake Plastique Fish has taken on a new effort to force responsibility back on Brita for recycling their enormously wasteful water filter cartridges. I'm pretty sure I haven't discussed water filters on my blog since I don't really use them.

I'm more of a tap water gal, even though we have filtered water through our refrigerator. Either way, I'm appalled at the fact that Brita doesn't have a recycling program in the U.S. yet they have one in Europe. This is a point that has always ground my crackers and I'm surprised I never got around to bitching, I mean, blogging about it before.

Anyway, Brita is the #1 water filter in the U.S. and Canada and I'm sure between both countries we blow through tons of water filters that head directly to the landfill to ooze out their chemical goodness.

For those of you who do use water filters, I urge you to reconsider whether or not this is truly necessary. Have you had your water tested? Does it taste bad enough to warrant so much waste? Either way, git on over to the Take Back the Filter site to sign the petition.

Ms. Plastique has also set up a way for you to send her your used filters. It is my understanding that at this time she is only accepting filters from Brita. I'm not suggesting that you switch since you'll have to do something with your old system, but this is a start.

If you're feeling adventurous, you can try to refill the disposable filter. I don't know how easy or safe this is, but thought I'd let you check it out for yourself. I, personally, wouldn't feel comfortable doing this, but that's just me.

This sounds like a great time for a poll! Or two.

DivaCup Challenge 2008

It's been almost a year since the first DivaCup Challenge started. I love, love, love my DivaCup and cannot imagine going back to disposables.

To be honest, I was completely abhorred by the idea of this little piece of silicone at first, but once I took the plunge (so to speak) I was immediately enamored. I only hope that other women will try it for themselves. It's been totally life changing. And I don't say that about just anything.

At this time, about 43% of the almost 500 people that answered my latest poll used the DivaCup or the Keeper. The total for reusable menstrual products is 57%. First of all, I must say I am astounded that the percentage is as high as it is. It is probably due to the crunchiness of my readers, but even still. That's wonderful! Consider the savings to the environment, the sewage treatment plants, the landfills and to your bodies!

If I had any influence on the number of DivaCups being used I would be quite pleased, yet I'm not sure if I can take much credit in these numbers. Either way, I hope to increase that number even more if I can.

As such, I'm holding another DivaCup Challenge and giveaway for those who do not want to risk spending the money on something they are not sure about. But I'm not giving away just one DivaCup but five.

What's the catch? Well, to sign up to win a DivaCup you must pledge to use it for 3 months regardless of whether or not you win one. (For those of you participating in the Buy Nothing Challenge, since this replaces a whole bunch of disposable "necessities", it's an acceptable purchase.)

The challenge starts May 2008 to coincide with the Extreme Eco Challenge for those trying to eliminate their usage of paper products. To join the challenge, sign up in the comments. To enter the giveaway, you must have signed up by April 25th.

Affiliate links
Here's the DivaCup I use. Aside from loss or mystery melts, it should (honestly) last a lifetime:
DivaCup Medical Grade Silicone Cup

Extreme Eco Throwdown

Last month I ran a poll regarding what people were willing to give up in order to be able to afford increased prices in food, energy, oil, etc. We are definitely looking at tightening the belt in many ways as food and energy prices climb.

One common comment on the post was people saying they couldn't do such and such or that it wasn't realistic. Well, since I like to push your buttons, I want to show you that, in many cases, it's not a case of not being able to do something, but not wanting to do it.

I want you to try to do something you otherwise thought would be impossible. In order to help you commit to this I'm running a new challenge. It's not until May, so you have a few weeks to prepare yourselves, both mentally and otherwise. You can choose to do one or more of the following suggested changes for a week or for the whole month.

For those of you who want to try a variety of things, you can do a different one each week or keep adding a new one per week. In any case, you have to go cold turkey on it. No halvsies, partial attempts or whatnot. What you do get, however, is a day of rest each week (if you want).

Here are the challenges. They get increasingly harder the higher the number:

1. No plastic - Don't buy or consume anything (purchases, food, etc.) that is encased in plastic. I don't care if it's recyclable. If you want to go all the way, this will include your shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant, etc. In other words, when in doubt, ask yourself, WWFPFD?

2. No paper products - This encompasses the obvious: no newspapers, paper towels, toilet paper, pads or tampons, paper plates, paper or coffee cups.

3. No driving - This one is pretty straightforward. Check out your public transit and bus routes, get yourself a monthly bus pass, get your bike tuned up or dust off those walking/running shoes.

4. Local food only - Depending on where you live, this may be fairly easy or quite difficult. For those of you with plenty of farmers markets to choose from and tons of different foods coming into season, it won't be too hard. Local bakery items (unless Sara Lee is local to you), local organic or sustainable dairy products, eggs, meats and wineries and breweries are all acceptable. Don't be afraid to forage for those dandelions!

5. No garbage output - You should only be producing waste that is compostable and it should go into your compost pile or your municipal food waste pickup.

6. No excessive water usage - Now, I'm not expecting you to dehydrate yourselves. What this one is about is conserving water. That means, very little water for showering, bathing, washing. Try to use the least amount of gallons of water you can. Pretend like there is a severe water shortage. Drink as much as you need to, just imagine you have to retrieve all your water in buckets from a stream 1 mile away.

7. No electricity - For some of you this may be easier if you rely on gas for heating and cooking. But for the most case, this will give you an idea what it will be like to not rely on power for a period of time. If you only want to try this one out for a day or a week, that's fine. It will be like a self-imposed power outage. For those of you who want to do this one, but don't want to clear out your fridge/freezer, you can leave it running - I'm not expecting you to go off the grid.

Are you crazy enough to try this one? Remember, you can take one day off per week. Think about it and if you're up for it, sign up by leaving a comment with which changes you are thinking about making and I'll add you to the sidebar. Like the Buy Nothing Challenge, I'll be having weekly check-ins to see how people are surviving.

Let it all hang out

No, I'm not talking about going commando, I'm talking about National Hanging Out Day on April 19th. Promoted by Project Laundry List, NHOD is an effort to get people to hang their clothes out on a line rather than using their clothes dryers.

For some, hanging laundry out to dry poses a big challenge. Clotheslines are banned or restricted by many of the roughly 300,000 homeowners’ associations that set rules for about 60 million people. The very act of hanging clothes out to dry becomes one of subversion, with people sneaking around in their yards and trying to hide their illicit lines. It's really a pity when you look at some stats:

Electric dryers use five to ten percent of residential electricity in the United States

There are 88 million dryers in America, and if everyone converted to lines 1/2 the year it could reduce residential output of CO2 by 3.3%.

Clothes last longer when air dried

Indoor racks can humidify your home in dry winter weather

Clothes dryer fires account for about 15,600 structure fires, 15 deaths, and 400 injuries annually



For those of you who don't believe you have enough space to dry your clothes inside, consider the fact that very few Parisians and Europeans living in densely populated cities rely on clothes dryers - they line dry their clothes.

Sunday confessional - Week 2

Okay people, I have not spent. It has been 7 days since my last confessional.

I actually didn't buy anything this week except for essential food items. Well, that and a few cappuccinos during the week with my husband on his last day of work and while at the cancer center. But other than those, that's it!

Because of the scheduling of all my husband's appointments gearing up to his stem cell transplant, I didn't end up going to the Seattle Green Festival. Since it was 76 and sunny yesterday (the first time since last September) I chose to spend the day with my family at the park and playing with my kids. Oh, well. At least I wasn't tempted to buy anything.

How are you doing? What did you end up buying?

Head shavin' update

While this donation drive is going on, I'll be regaling you with pictures of the bald and the beautiful.

Anyway, for those of you trying to donate to get me to Shave my Head and are having problems with the donation site, you can now donate via my blog.

See the donation button on the right navbar...

What's the difference? Well, if you donate from this blog, I'll be acting as the middle man, but I don't charge any handling fees (the donation site charges a certain percentage for handling).

How does it work? I've set up a separate account in PayPal, so after May 10th I'll directly donate the money to the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation. I'll update the counter here and on the donation site so there's a running total in both places.

Also, if you want to send me a check instead, drop me an email at crunchychickenblog@gmail.com.

Thanks to everyone who had such a hard time trying to donate yesterday. Please let me know if you run into any problems again.

Cleanin' up Questionnaire

Last summer I asked a few questions about personal cleaning habits, mostly out of curiosity but also because there is such a huge focus in our culture on bathing and bath products and sterilizing everything.

One thing that stuck in my mind the other day was the commercial from the late 1970s for Mitchum anti-perspirant. The ad's tagline was "so effective, you can even skip a day." Back then, the concept of not showering everyday wasn't such a big deal.

Well, there's no way in hell you'd see the same sort of ad campaign today. What has changed in the last 30 years that people are so averse to appearing not up to "standards"? That is: showering, shaving, shampooing and getting all gussied up every. single. day?

Here's a new questionnaire for you.

What are your personal cleaning habits?

1. How often do you shower/bathe?
2. How often do you wash your hair?
3. How often do you brush your teeth?
4. How often do you floss?
5. How often do you get your hair cut?
6. Do you use "natural" products or conventional ones?
7. Have any of these habits changed as you've tried to live a greener lifestyle? If so, which ones and how?

Green Festival + free ticket giveaway!

I'm planning on attending the Green Festival this weekend, which just so happens to be coming to Seattle this year. It is the nation's largest green living event and is a two-day deal that features tons of great speakers (more than 125 renowned authors, leaders and educators), how-to workshops as well as more than 300 eco-friendly businesses.

I'll be meeting up with John de Graaf, author of Affluenza and filmmaker extraordinaire, on Saturday. On Sunday, I'm planning on going to the viewing of King Corn, which is followed by discussion with the filmmakers and local experts on food and agriculture.

The hard part will be planning what else I want to go to. Beyond that, the rest of the time I'll be drooling over representatives from supercool vendors and magazines. Did I mention that I get in free?

So, expect a whirlwind of reporting from me next week on the array of things I explore.

Anyone else planning on coming? If you are going to be there, let us all know which presentations you will be attending in case people want to meet up and be all friendly like. I'll be the one carrying around a Crunchy Chicken tote bag. If I can find the damn thing.

The first person who emails me after 12:00 p.m. PST Wednesday 4/9/08 gets a free admission ticket to the Seattle Green Fest.

Protection of a different sort

Not quite convinced yet to try a DivaCup? Still unsure of using cloth menstrual pads?

Well, you're in luck. There's a new kind of environmentally friendly feminine protection that's now available. Check it out!

Affluenza book discussion (chapters 22 - 25)

Here is the discussion post for the sixth installment of the Affluenza, The All-Consuming Epidemic book club.

Chapter 22. Bed rest - One of the first steps in curing yourself of affluenza is to do an assessment of your finances. Many people don't know how to manage their money. In other words, spending their paycheck in an intelligent way that creates savings rather than debt. It's a skill that seems to have been lost in the last few generations.

For those who are not living paycheck to paycheck, paying close attention to their finances may result in being able to achieve financial independence years earlier. For those on a low-income it can be the difference between putting money in the bank versus stressing about their monthly bills.

What do you do or have you done to control your finances? Do you keep a spreadsheet of your expenses or use a computer program like Quicken or Money? Does keeping close tabs on your finances prevent you from overspending?

Chapter 23. Aspirin and chicken soup - This chapter mentions several study programs that focus on the premise that simplifying one's life is easier when you have the support and encouragement of others. Instead of the pressure to consume as we are constantly bombarded with by media and advertising, groups that follow Voluntary Simplicity and Choices for Sustainable Living provide the benefit of that support.

Have you read books like Voluntary Simplicity, Simple Prosperity, or Your Money or Your Life; have you browsed websites like The Simple Living Network or joined challenges like the Buy Nothing Challenge? How helpful have they been in helping you achieve your goals of spending less and saving more? Do you prefer reading books or joining in with a group? What sort of groups or tools would help support your financial goals that you haven't been able to find?

Chapter 24. Fresh air - In 2003, thirty-four percent of Americans ranked shopping as their favorite activity. I just want you to let that sink in.

The idea that the more money you make, the less you need to know or have contact with nature is a misnomer. In fact, the more contact with nature you have, the less money you'll need, or want to make. This chapter advises getting out into the fresh air to help cure your affluenza.

For the most part, outdoor activities can be rather inexpensive unless you get caught up in buying tons of expensive gear (do you really need all that stuff to enjoy camping, hiking or other activities?). Plus, the more you feel in touch with the outdoors, the more you'll want to protect it.

Having that connection with nature changes your attitude in a number of ways. Have you experienced a time when going outside has rejuvenated you? Even if it's just spending some time weeding the yard after a long winter? How does that feeling compare to the exhilaration (or stress) of shopping?

Chapter 25. The right medicine - Buying to save the Earth is not a new concept but it seems to have taken on a new focus lately. We see so many new products out almost weekly sporting how "green" they are. We've all heard of greenwashing, but can you really save the environment by buying?

Surely, if you must purchase a new item or appliance, it makes sense to choose the one with the least impact (whether that be carbon output or less energy expensive) or the one that is organic, sustainable, fair-trade, etc.

When you do buy something, how much time and research do you put into making sure that the product you are buying is the best for the environment? Is it an afterthought? How much does cost affect your decision making?

Simple Prosperity winners!

The two winners of Dave Wann's new book, Simple Prosperity are:

1. tk
2. kadnkadnk

Congratulations to you both and thanks for submitting questions!

Winners - please email me with your contact info at crunchychickenblog@gmail.com.

Dave Wann Q & A

I submitted six of your questions to Dave Wann, one of the authors of the book we are reading in our book club, Affluenza. Here are the six questions I selected, including Dave's answers. Enjoy!

1. What can parents specifically do to help their kids value simplicity and NOT develop the attitude that all that glitters is gold?
Kids need to be mentored, just like wolf cubs or baby birds. To learn how to make it on their own, they first need to feel safe and connected – with parents, peers, ideas, teachers, nature, adventures, ways to be creative and expressive, ways to feel confident. They don’t want to feel like an obligation, they want to feel valued. So the best way for parents to help is make time for them, even if that means earning/spending less. What parents get in return is priceless.

If kids see their parents getting really involved in something, whether it’s car mechanics, cooking, or kayaking, they’ll learn to seek a similar joy in being engaged and connected, possibly the best antidote of all to affluenza. I think one of my best moments as a parent was to see early on that my daughter had a real connection to playing soccer. I wasn’t a soccer nut myself, but I knew one thing -- to get the most out of the sport, she needed to be free of hesitation. "Be the player who wants the ball to come to her," I urged. I’ll never forget the intensity and focus she brought, every time she played.

Choosing a school that celebrates experiential learning and outdoor exploration is a real gift to our kids. To outgrow the story that’s told on TV and given shape in many of our daily activities, kids need to understand that "there’s more to life than increasing its speed," as Gandhi observed. By being exposed to nature, kids gradually learn a much wider story than Play Stations and Disney movies. Again, they absorb what they see. If parents are gardeners or nature photographers, outdoor experiences may become moments of magic. Most of the world’s biologists and natural scientists were led to nature by mentors, and many artists and musicians were inspired by personal heroes, too.

It’s true that peers influence our kids with the "code of cool," but a child who’s received an immunization of connection will eventually move beyond that to create the real cool. I remember seeing friends become immersed in drawing or history or some other nerdy subject in Junior High and reacting to that as "uncool." But by the time I was in college, I realized that finding your own way no matter what others thought was freedom.


2. I believe there is much that individuals can do to "inoculate" against Affluenza. However, what would you suggest is the best course of action to get our government "on board" with the idea that over-consumption is unhealthy?
To get government on board, we need to be part of the government, not only writing persistent letters and emails to representatives but running for city council and state legislature ourselves. We need to insist that our elected officials state clearly what steps they’ll take to create a cultural tidal wave to wash away obsolete ideas, such as "the environment is inside the economy." (Read Collapse, and The World Without Us). Governmental decisions are heavily biased toward propping up the economy, but the end result is too often a "quantity of life" approach that distracts and insulates us from the real wealth.

We need to ask, together, What do PEOPLE need, especially our kids? What does NATURE need? As Dana Meadows poignantly phrased it, "Since the Earth is finite and we’ll have to stop expanding some time, should we do it before or after the world’s biological diversity is gone?"

Mainstream economists and politicians often behave like a family that mindlessly burns da Vinci or Matisse masterpieces to stay warm when they could be opening the blinds and letting the sun in! Beneath the economic bottom line is the ecological bottom line that’s often ignored by our well-funded leaders. Fortunately, there are at least 50 million "cultural creatives" in America committed to preserving and regenerating the environment; to promoting civil rights, gender rights, universal health and literacy, global peace, and other core issues. And there are many more waiting in the wings for this cultural revolution to set them free – a little like the dancing Munchkins singing "Ding Dong the witch is dead."

In short, we are quickly coming back to our senses; changing the metrics for evaluating national success. Instead of wealth and "hellness," we may soon be measuring health and wellness, in humans as well as the environment. In groups of eight and ten, let’s pay informed visits to our Congressional representatives. I will if you will.


3. How can we as a nation replace the consumer-driven society with that of a sustainable society when big business has such a huge influence over governmental policies?
Even big business is at the mercy of resource realities that lie beneath the bottom line of conventional accounting. For example, Wal-Mart (as of last year, 2% of the U.S. economy) is racing to make its truck fleet more efficient, because the cost of diesel fuel is skyrocketing; its distribution empire is looking far less dominant. Oil companies are investing heavily in research on renewable energy, and even America’s "big three" vehicle manufacturers are slowly waking up. (Hybrid vehicles can be a transition technology, enabling Americans to rethink transportation. Gradually, we can replace a lot of fossil fuel consumption with human energy fueled by food and with remodeled communities that provide what we need.) If our loyalties shift back to our communities and regions, small businesses can challenge the corporate Monsters, forcing them to compete in terms of compassion, efficiency, and quality, just as thinkers like Paul Hawken, David Korten, and Rianne Eisler have advocated for years.

As opposed to "getting government off our backs," let’s harness the incredible momentum the federal government can achieve, as we did in World War II. Let’s encourage our leaders to think about the word “success” in a different light. Maybe success is best defined as "leaving the system intact by taking only the interest, never the principle."

Specifically, we need a progressive Farm Bill that gives incentives for agriculture that is sustainable and successful overall; a Carbon Tax that rewards a swift transition to renewable energy; a universal Health Care program that enables employees to break their addiction to corporate benefit packages (what’s left of them); Time to Care legislation that mandates European standards for sick leave, vacation, unwanted overtime, and family leave; a Producer Responsibility law that mandates that manufacturers must take back the products they make at the end of their useful lives. We need Bottle Bills in all 50 states, not just eleven; we need an Office of Technology Assessment like we used to have, to give guidance to the direction we want technology to take.

We need to sever the leash that keeps government meekly under the control of big business, insisting, for example, that EPA regulate CO2 as a pollutant, as the U.S. Supreme Court has already directed. We need the federal government to step up and do what more than 700 American cities have already done: implement a plan to radically reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We need to change direction, quickly, and only strong cultural and political leadership can accomplish that.


4. You talk in your book a little about what our country and world may face in the coming years and how simplicity will help us address some of those concerns. You sound very optimistic about the future, even though you also acknowledge that climate change and oil depletion will shape that future. I very much agree that simplicity will help us postpone or prevent some problems and will help us make the transition to a new kind of world. But sometimes I panic still. Do you? What keeps you so optimistic?
I believe in human instinct, and that we will learn to use all the equipment we have, including a cerebrum that’s still largely empty, and waiting. (22% of the energy in our bodies goes into our brains, and this is where we will either make it or break it.) I believe we can rise to our species’ highest potential, and I’m hopeful (though not always optimistic) that we will become increasingly humane as well as humble -- realizing at last that "survival of the fittest" is old-brain thinking; that "survival of those who fit" is more like it. Think how much better it will feel to instinctually change direction, migrating to a new era, and washing off the grease and oil of the technologically infantile Industrial Revolution!

We’re becoming much more adept at using culture to moderate and override genetic programming, in the process continuing our trial-and-error evolution. For example, our instinct is to protect our territory, but that territory has now become the planet itself – desperately in need of protection from us! We can use our territorial instincts to see our territory in a new light: Earth as a Sacred Garden. Though we instinctually glut ourselves with fats and sugars, in case times become lean, culture now instructs us to back off -- there are now far too many available, at subsidized, fast food prices. We should focus on what our bodies are designed to eat: slow-burn carbohydrates, fruits, vegetables, and a little meat. Our intestines, for example, are more like a deer than a tiger.

Much of our biological energy is genetically programmed to ensure procreation, but now "anthrologic" demands restraint. Our numbers must decline, and it would be humanity’s greatest achievement to date to reduce our numbers deliberately, like a cat climbing backwards down a tree. Surely there’s a genetic "off button" that will provide birth control without any side effects. Similarly, our genes may tell us to attract mates with excessive displays of material goods and machismo, but culture is beginning to tell us that aesthetic and intellectual displays may be just as compelling.

So the big picture of anthropology gives me some degree of hope, and part of that is the human trait of spiritual practice. By temperament, I’m closest to Buddhism as a religion, because I admire its goals of guiding human behavior toward moderation, compassion, and humility. But I think we can find a way to purge the "good and evil" aspect of other religions with so many followers, focusing instead on the collective power of hope and prayer. We are a future-creating species; we inhabit the places we have imagined. With the continuing ascent of the empathetic, imaginative side of the human brain, we may well find our way to a more peaceful, balanced existence. I’m imagining that we will.


5. What is the best way to make my family and friends understand about the personal step to consume less without making me sound like a self-righteous yuppie? Living by example and saying nothing to judge one way or the other might be effective in keeping negative opinions down, but actively spreading the word could be more effective. Will people listen or will they only follow someone who lives the example and doesn't try to convince anyone how to live?
No, I think we have to speak our convictions, but it may help to use a little humor. I love the Woody Allen quote, "More than at any other time in history, mankind faces a crossroads. One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness, the other to total extinction. Let us pray we have the wisdom to choose correctly."

People have different styles and different skills; my way of speaking out is in books, articles and films, and my delivery has made a slow transition from shrill, guilt-tripping environmentalist in my younger years to suggestion giver who just prefers to "keep it simple." Since my self-image is more wrapped up in what I learn rather than what I earn, and since I have several passions (playing music, gardening, a love of great art) to keep me busy, I try to show by example that "time affluence" is worth just as much as monetary affluence. When I left the 9 to 5 world behind, I knew I was taking a chance, but I also know this: I’ve avoided a lot of stress, a lot of commuting, a lot of boring afternoons at staff meetings or filling out quarterly self-evaluation forms.

Dennis Kucinich was quoted recently saying, "Status should be based on service, not on possessions." Those of us who sense big changes ahead are in fact doing a service to experiment with different ways of being. It helps that we know for a fact that the world of stuff doesn’t do it for us. I’ve had my radio on a lot more recently than in the past, because I’m sort of in training for next year, when I intend to take a break from TV. When the country goes digital, I’m going to say, "no thanks." With the convergence of the Internet with other media, and the ability to rent movies, I really don’t think I’ll be missing much! Maybe some of my friends and neighbors will decide they want to try that, too, so that many more perfectly good minds can be free of the static and more capable of helping in the transition.

There are changes coming, and they can take us to a deeper understanding of ourselves, a more direct way of accessing people and things that make us truly happy. I think calmness, humor, and gladness to get out of bed each day are the best ways to help others think about consuming less. It’s a skill everyone will need to learn. As poet Gary Snyder advises in the poem, For the Children, "Stay together, Learn the Flowers, Go Light."


6. How do you find that living in cohousing has affected your perspective on simplicity and green living? Do you find that your cohousing compatriots are on board with it all? I'm moving into cohousing at the end of the summer and am eager to develop a simple, sustainable, green community and would love any input.
I’ve been very satisfied with the extended-family feel of cohousing. It’s not wildly different than what we’re already used to, since everyone has his/her own private space, and the ability to be just as private as Americans are supposed to be. But there’s also this great opportunity to help each other grow and develop, at our own speed. There’s a base-level support that helps a person remain buoyant even in challenging times. A person is less likely to feel lonesome in cohousing, especially if the neighborhood learns to create traditions and community culture. For example, this month we had a house concert featuring traveling musician Peter Mayer. We made little tickets and pre-sold the concert to make sure Pete’s travels were profitable. We had our traditional St. Paddy’s Day dinner, corned beef and cabbage stew; we had a second "progressive dinner" later that week that always forces everyone to clean up their houses; and we had a "Meet the Artist" night, where some very fine talent was on display and we learned from each other about aspirations, techniques, and why we create. Next week, a neighbor will show slides of his adventures on the Tibetan side of Mt. Everest.

No, we aren’t as eco-friendly as we’d like to be. We’ve had a challenge going to see if we can be the group of people that makes it perfectly normal to bring cloth bags to our local grocery store. But the other day a neighbor confessed that she had taken her cloth bags out to the car after going to the grocery, and transferred her groceries into them so she wouldn’t be seen carrying food in seabird nooses. Several homes have solar panels on them, and several neighbors drive hybrids, but I think our greenest characteristic is that we meet many of our needs right in the neighborhood, filling up that empty place inside ourselves that used to get sucked to the mall.

Cohousing is really just the mainstream stepping forward with some new ideas and as well as a very OLD idea: that humanity is a very social species for whom the most valuable currency of all is Trust. To get a deeper look, read Reinventing Community: Stories from the Walkways of Cohousing, a book of stories I collected from all over the country about daily life in cohousing. And have a look through the website www.cohousing.org.

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Thanks, Dave, for taking the time to answer the reader's questions!

Tomorrow will be another installment of the Affluenza book club plus I'll be announcing who the two winners of Simple Prosperity are tomorrow.

Sunday confessional - Week 1

Forgive me people, for I have spent. It has been 6 days since my last confessional.

This week has been going reasonably well. It started off on a low-note wherein I asked my husband to pick up some materials for cleaning the house windows. I've been meaning to do this for months and they are so disgusting you can't see out of them. I really don't want to spend the money to have someone professionally clean them and am looking forward to doing it myself. So, pole, scrubber and squeegee were the first and last non-essential items purchased this week.

We did spend money on going to the Pacific Science Center since it was spring break for the kids. I'm okay with spending money on experiences instead of stuff because my husband will be out of commission for the next 4 months or so. We also went to The Museum of Flight (no cost - we have a membership). Telling the kids ahead of time that we weren't getting anything at the museum stores headed off a whole lot of whining. Although, I must admit I did feel guilty for not getting them what they wanted for some strange reason. Why must I doubt myself?

To assuage some other purchasing desires, I put a hold on two books and two kid's CDs at the public library. It will probably be a while before I get them, but at least the impulse will have passed and if I have lost interest by then, I haven't spent any money. I did spend about $100 less today for this week's grocery shopping. It helps that I left everyone else at home.

One of the things coming up on other people's blogs about Buy Nothing Month was in regards to eating out. Now, I have to admit that it is more expensive, but it could be argued that it isn't more wasteful. It just depends on what your goals of this challenge are - to waste less or to save money. If you are doing both, them eating out will pose a problem. If you are just trying to reduce your environmental impact, well then, in some cases it's allowed. Use your own discretion.

Over here at the Crunchy household, I'm allowing eating out once a week at my husband's choice. He starts the work-up for his stem cell transplant this week. Shortly, he won't be able to eat anything, so we're getting it in while we can. If any of you want to trade in your mucous membranes for eating out, I'll be glad to arrange some sort of trade. Anyone? No? I don't blame you.

Anyway, that's the scoop from the challenge over here. How are things going for you? Go ahead and spill it... I won't make you do any Hail Marys.

[Note: If you don't see yerself in the sidebar, let me know and I'll add you.]

Paying for the convenience

I'm not sure whether this will pass the City Council this year, but Seattle mayor Greg Nickels has proposed a 20 cent fee for all disposable bags (paper or plastic) at grocery, convenience and drug stores. If approved, the charge would go into effect on January 1st.

Retailers would keep five cents of the fee to cover the cost of implementing the charge and small businesses that gross less than $1 million a year can keep the entire fee. At this time, the fee would not apply to produce bags or other small bags. Apparently, Seattle residents go through 360 million disposable bags a year, or 600 bags per person.

Nickels also has proposed banning plastic and foam food containers. The proposed ban on foam containers used by the food service industry would include such items as plates, trays, "clamshells" and hot and cold beverage cups used at restaurants, delicatessens, fast food outlets and coffee shops, and meat trays and egg cartons used at grocery stores. The legislation would also require that by July 1, 2010, all food service businesses currently using disposable plastic or plastic-coated paper products to convert to packaging that is compostable or locally recyclable.

The two proposals are part of the city's "zero-waste" strategy to increase recycling and reduce trash. Although plastic bags aren't outright banned (like they are in San Francisco) it's likely that people will switch to reusable so they don't have to pay the fee. It's about time.

Which do you think is better? Charging a nominal fee or outright banning disposable bags?

Appliance freedom

A few months back I mentioned that our semi-brand new microwave crapped out on us. Well, it finally completely kicked the bucket at the end of January and we've been living microwave free since then.

At first, I didn't realize how much we depended on it and it felt like we were going to be in dire straights without it. A lot of the foods we make for the kids are often heated up in the microwave. Well, as a result, they are eating a lot less of that type of food which is probably a good thing and the ones we kept are easily prepared on the stovetop or in the oven. While I miss it occasionally, it's good to know that we have completely adapted to life without it.

Which leads me to believe that we get so accustomed to using or depending on certain appliances we get the impression that we couldn't live without it. It's been about a year since Greenpa opened my eyes to the idea of living without a refrigerator. Up until that point in time I would have told you he's nuts.

I'll still tell you he's nuts, but this was a concept that had never crossed my mind. Now, the idea seems rather normal to me, although I wouldn't go without my fridge unless I had to. I can hear the tsk-tsking from Greenpa from a thousand miles away.

This is turning into another poll week, but I might as well run with it! This one is multiple choice.

All natural Bush

Not to create a psychologically damaging association between President Bush and well, let me explain.

I ran across an ad this morning (thanks to Google adsense) extolling the virtues of coloring your hair. Hair coloring is a bit of a hot button topic among environmentalists and compactors, since they tend to be made out of harsh chemicals and they really provide zero functional purpose besides enhancing(?) one's appearance. Of course, there are some products that claim to be more natural than others, but the end result either way is that you have chemicals, packaging and other waste associated with coloring your hair. And you have to maintain the color.

Now, let me first admit that I get my hair highlighted. It's not something I do frequently (twice a year), but it does create a lot of waste. Perhaps I could switch to some concoction of lemon and chamomile, but I imagine that the results would not be the same. I suspect when I go gray, I'll have a whole new set of issues to work through.

What does this have to do with President Bush? He obviously doesn't color his hair since he's mostly gray and he hasn't gone the route of Ronald Reagan yet. However, speaking of politicians and gray hair, in an article from 2007, The War Over Going Gray, the author points out that of the 16 female U.S. Senators, not a single one has visible gray hair, though they range in age from 46 to 74. Of the 70 female members of the House, only seven have gray hair. In fact, we have almost no high-profile, female, gray-haired role models. (I highly recommend that you read the article in its entirety.)

But what about the ad you ask? Well, it was for dying an altogether different sort of Bush:

"Betty(TM) products are specially formulated color dyes for the hair down there to naturally match your hair above, cover gray or just for fun!"

They even sell a hot pink version in their "Fun!" line so you can spruce up your beaver for special occasions. Is your Betty ready? Ummm. No, thank you. Not at this time.

I'm sure there are plenty of women who are quite pleased that such a product exists, so that the carpet matches the drapes, but this seems even more superficial than head hair coloring. For the most part, few people will see your pubic hair, unless you like hanging out in the showers at the public pool or have a different sort of profession. And if you or your partner have such issues about the color of your pubic hair, well, I really think there are other problems going on.

What's the environmental answer to a mismatched muff? Well, the obvious choice is to just go au naturel. If the color of your carpet bothers you (because it's gray or doesn't match your head), then I suppose you could do some serious bush wacking and just shave off the whole lot. Do you really need to pamper your pubes?

All this, of course, leads me to a poll. Because how often does pubic hair come up on this blog? Okay, don't answer that question. Answer this question instead (multiple choice):

Buried alive! Preserving garbage for the future

I've been mulling over something that I wanted to get your opinion on.

When I'm sorting through my garbage determining what I can recycle and what has to be thrown out because we don't have the technology or system to deal with those types of materials (many kinds of plastics, aluminum foil, etc.) I fantasize about the garbage going into the landfill to be recovered one day. I believe it's plausible that future generations will have better technology to deal with reusing many of the materials we can't today (or don't because of cost).

Now, call this wishful thinking and perhaps I'm trying to assuage some of the guilt of throwing out those old shampoo bottles or other things we had been given as gifts or just end up buying and using without paying attention to the packaging. But what about the possibility of retrieving these things if and when it gets to the point where new materials aren't likely to be made?

One of the things that strikes me is that when we run out of the cheap barrels of oil that we've relied on for the last fifty-plus years for making plastic, will it become cheaper to try to mine landfills for materials rather than make new ones out of a scarce resource? It may be cheaper to dig through the garbage rather than source new veins of metals and other materials.

If this is a possibility, does it make sense to bury like waste so if this does occur, future generations won't have to scrounge through heaps of food scraps, dirty diapers (although there might be something usable there) and other debris to get at the plastic waste or electronic waste they are mining? In other words, bury similar materials together (all styrofoam here, all e-waste there, etc.).

Of course, I am not suggesting that we not be absolutely careful about what we are using and throwing away, but there does exist a tremendous amount of electronic waste in the form of cell phones, computers, TVs, CFL bulbs, etc. that are chock full of hazardous but potentially valuable metals and other materials. The same thing goes for other types of waste, too.

Does this just further push the problem onto future generations while costing the current ones more for disposal since there would need to be separate containment facilities for each type of material? Or since we can't properly dispose of them anyway, should we charge users more for their disposal and containment?

What do you think?

Dick Cheney goes green

Well, after all this time making fun of Darth Cheney and his huge negative impact on environmental issues, it looks like he is crossing over from the dark side. This morning's New York Times reports that Dick has decided to jump on the green bandwagon and start lowering his carbon footprint.

As vice-president, I've seen firsthand how important it is to preserve the Earth for our children and grandchildren. One of the resounding actions I want to accomplish during the rest of this term is to make a positive change in that direction. And that positive change starts with me. Lynne and I are looking into solar panels, potential geo-thermal heating and Lynn has her eye on a Tango...

Perhaps Dick is a little concerned that Lynne is going to be swept off her feet by George Clooney and his tiny Tango. While I'm a little dubious over the sincerity of his statements, we'll have to wait and see.

Dick also stated that he regrets voting against the Clean Water Act and air pollution sanctions in the 1980s and wishes he had started working toward a cleaner environment while he still had the chance. While he may not quite be ready to hang up his snowmobile, it's a step in the right direction.

Anyway, I guess there's hope yet for the planet.