Junk Mail, Snail Style

Now that most of the country has email, most snail mail can be considered 'junk' mail. I have been letting my mail pile up throughout the week just to see how much I actually accumulated. The results were astounding.  Half of my counter was covered with bills, magazines, advertising flyers and so much more.  Electronic mail is easy to reduce, all that you have to do is click unsubscribe at the bottom of the email and you will not see that chain of emails ever again.  Snail mail is a little different.  In order to take one more step in shrinking my ecological footprint I am questioning the norm of excess snail mail. 

Don't get me wrong, there is something exciting about going out to the mailbox to see what has been sent to you, but 9 times out of 10 it is garbage.  My goal is to eliminate those '9 times' and just leave the goodies like birthday cards, packages and letters (unfortunately, I don't think anyone still writes letters) so that every time you go to the mailbox the chances of it being something exciting are much higher.  It sounds silly, but it is the little things in life that mean the most.  

Step one - Bills and statements.  Most companies offer electronic bill pay and statements because it saves them paper and postage.  Take them up on that offer, you will save a 46cent stamp, a check and the chance of contracting disease from licking the envelope.  I have been against switching for the past few years. My husband has been on my case about it, but there is just something about writing out a check that....Well, that already sounds stupid.  So, this week I plan to go paperless with my statements and bills.  Just think, in stamps alone, that could be a savings of $50 a year. Action: This will require 20 minutes of visiting each website and selecting the paperless option.

Step two - Magazines. Somehow I have about five different magazines being sent to my house. We don't even read a quarter of them.  Action: This will take 15 minutes on the phone canceling the subscriptions that we don't read and another 5 minutes of gathering old magazines to donate to a local business or doctors office. 

Step three - Junk Mail. There is a website that helps you opt-out of junk mail. Catalog Choice is all about sustainability and allows you to take your name off of company mailing lists. It does take a little bit of time, but it is free. This will take care of most of the credit card offers, advertisements, etc. Action: This will take 5 minutes every time I come across junk mail from a new company. Just set up an account and start entering each of the companies information as the mail arrives. 

Step four - Enjoy. Enjoy the excitment of going to the mailbox again.  It might not be a bad idea to send a little positive energy into the universe by hand writing an actual letter yourself and surprising someone else when they open their mailbox! Who knows, you might get something back in return. Action: Hand write and send a letter.  Make someone smile. 

I will check back in a few months to let you know the difference that I have seen in my mailbox.  Until then, think green!

Win-Win

My first shipment arrived! Luna is now wearing Bum Genius cloth diapers 80% of the time. That will hopefully change to 100% when I get more diapers. Right now my $100 only got me seven sets, seventeen more to go to make life a little easier. Even though that seems like a big investment, these diapers are for all sizes so they will last her until she is potty trained and will be able to be reused for another child. This will be a HUGE SAVINGS to my pocket and the environment. It's a win-win if you ask me! Not to mention, they are EASY and she loves them! Thanks to everyone for all of the advice. 

On a side note, I recently was sent a text of a newspaper article on The Great Cloth Diaper Change Challenge (no lie) which  is being held on April 20th at 11:00am in efforts to beat the world record of the number of cloth diapers changed at one time.  See this site for locations near you, find it on Facebook or just enjoy knowing that there is such a thing!

14 Days and Counting

15 days ago I was living my 'norm' complacent and content. Since then, a fire has been lit inside me to challenge the basic ways of life in America. The idea came to me during an unrelated sermon the Sunday prior. In an attempt to make a change for my daughter's generation, I am on a mission guided by the reality in my own day to day life to 'challenge the norm'. I hope that my experiences resignate with others to question their own choices and live based on what they believe is moral, not what is 'normal' in soceity. With so many topics in mind to confront and no idea where to start, my journey has grown its own two legs and my path has been cleared for me.

So far, in the past two weeks:

1. I have cut my house hold waste by more than 75%.  I have taken up trash digging as an unwanted hobby and learned that after you recycle and compost there really isn't anything left to waste.   
2. I have learned to use my resources to find ways to recycle items not typically accepted (styrofoam, electronics, bags and wrappers).       
3. I have swithced my plastic trash bags to the +Seventh Generation brand which are better for the environment. 
4. I unloaded a lot of unwanted items on +Craigslist ad posting service to be reused by others.
5. I was given a set of three compost bins and two rain barrels from a friend. I have installed and started using them with the help of my sister, an environmental teacher in Pittsburgh.
6. I purchased a counter top compost container and a three tier recycling bin system to make life easier on my family.
7. I contacted the township to better understand how my town handles recycling and what actually ends up happening to the waste.
8. I made plans to visit the local recycling facility Recycling Services, Inc. in Pottstown, PA  to learn more about the process.
9. I decided to make the switch to Bum Genius cloth diapers which should be happening with in the next week when my shipment arrives. I have also purchased +Seventh Generation disposable diapers to tie me over until I receive them.    
10. I switched from plastic bags at th grocery store to reusable.
11. Lastly, but most importantly, I managed to get the support of my husband and step-daughter to help take the weight off of my shoulders.

A No Brainer: Reusable Grocery Bags

I don't know why I didn't make the switch sooner. I went grocery shopping Saturday and spent $200, $3.96 (+ tax) of which went towards four reusable shopping bags at Giant Food Store (displayed next to the plastic and paper at the end of the check out line).  All of my groceries fit easily in these four bags.  If I would have gone with my norm of plastic I would have had at least six more bags to carry (hanging uncomfortably up my arms cutting off my circulation all while praying that they didn't rip)!  Not only were the bags easier to use, they also held the groceries better than plastic on my ride home, they also did not tear! Plastic is a hassle!  In my opinion, plastic grocery bags are not convenient or smart in any way.  Honestly, make the switch, if not for the environment do it because it MAKES MORE SENSE and it is SO MUCH EASIER! I have to wonder if we are a society of convenience or we just really have a thing for plastic!

You can also find these bags on +Dr. Mercola's website for only $1.97. His bags are made from 100% recycled plastic bottles. He is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to living better.

If you don't decide to make the switch, there is a recycling container for your used plastic bags at most grocers.

Inconvenienced by the Convenient

Working on becoming a better consumer this past week has been challenging. It's amazing how my life had conformed around convenience and not what is ethical. Unfortunately, I think most Americans conform as I did.

I know the idea of wasting less does not seem astronomical, but you should try it. Once you are stuck in your ways it is very difficult to change your norm, or maybe it's just me. I question everything I do now. I managed to only toss 5% of what I would typically, but it took work. I had to pick through my full trash can twice to sort out the recyclable and compostables, both times were nauseating.

I also had to do my homework. I didn't realize how little I knew until I started sorting through my trash. I contacted the township to find out the do's and don't's of recycling. They were a huge help. I also downloaded a great app called WGW Recycle. It made it so easy, you type in what you want to recycle and it tells you exactly what to do with it. It even directs you to local recycling sites that take some of the things are typically not accepted.

Our fast paced society that demands convenience has made it so difficult to live life otherwise. Everything we eat, drink or buy is individually packaged to make things fast and easy. I have to quickly to make some process changes for my family and me or it will never work. What I learned from the app and the township was a start, but I have a whole lot more work to do to have an easy, streamlined system.

Cloth it is!

Through much deliberation I have decided to go with cloth diapers.  It was an easy decision after hearing the opinions from the many people that have used or are using cloth. There were only a few discouraging stories, but I will hope for the best.

I wish I didn't have such unsettling memories of cloth diapers growing up. I might have actually listened to my husband and made the switch sooner. I just remember being at the sitters after school. She had a baby and used cloth (20 years ago). The saftey pins, smell and unpredictability gave me a sour impression that I held onto.

I bought my first trial diaper, Bum Genius.  This brand won the vote hands down.  Funny, the only brands of diapers I knew before this were Huggies and Pampers!  They are much different than I remember.  Luna tried them out this afternoon.  Not only do they look super comfortable, they are easy and are also really cute!  As I was warned, the initial investment seems scary, but they pay themselves off quickly and actually end up to be less expensive in the long run. 

I have heard some controversy over how they are not much better for the environment because of the amount of water and detergent you use. I'd be interested to hear opinions on this. Like I said in the beginning, this is a journey for me. I don't claim to be an expert, I am just hoping to learn and make a difference.

Spring Cleaning

Motherhood, working fulltime, and a million other lame excuses have put my house in dire need of some attention. I am big on zero clutter and crazy about organizing so spring cleaning is like a holiday for me.  So, the 'holiday' that typically would take me a weekend will probably be extended a couple of weeks due to my new awareness of waste.

Spring cleaning and the 'American norm' usually results in a mound of full trash bags waiting on the curb for pick up. Fortunately for the earth and unfortunately for my time, I am challenging my norm and spring cleaning with hopes to make a smaller ecological footprint than years before.

So far, with a room and a half complete I have not thrown anything away. I posted an ad on +Craigslist ad posting service and thirty minutes later I had a truck load of my stuff hauled off to its new home. If you haven't used it, Craigslist is a great way to recycle your things and help people in need, "one woman's trash is another woman's treasure".  Don't commend me yet, I still have all of my other unwanted clutter awaiting its fate in boxes. Sorting will be the next task.

I am finding that if I want this to become a lifestyle for me and my family I am going to have to make it easier for us to 'Reduce, Reuse and Recycle' ("3R's" Luna's favorite song by Jack Johnson) or it is going to be an epic fail. 

The Beginning of a Journey

I am a new mother of a beautiful little girl named Luna Paisley.  As expected, since she came into this world six months ago, my life has changed drastically.  Not only is a typical day no longer a typical day, but I found myself constantly dissatisfied with normality in America.  Her well being is my responsibility.  That is a big job in itself, but given the state of our country it is even bigger than I imagined. 

This is not a democrat vs republican rant, I've had about enough of that.  In my opinion, the division of the parties has done more harm than good and we have been distracted from the true problems. It is more of an "I am tired of the direction that we have taken this country and I am going to stop being complacent and make a change."  I don't want my little girl to grow up blinded by the ways of society.  She deserves to be handed the truth in order to form her own decisions.  She shouldn't have to search for it.

Now, you may wonder the direction that this blog is going to go based on the above.  This is more of a journey to discover the truth behind the clutter created by society, greed and our complacency.  I plan to learn as I go and share what I uncover with you.  Do with it what you may.  I don't claim to have all the answers, but I feel that our freedom and right to pursue happiness has been compromised.  It seems that the pursuit of money and power within the country has become more important than the health and well being of 'its' people and 'its' people have voluntarily put on their blindfolds and followed the flock to the slaughterhouse to feed the greed.  It's a vicious cycle.   

So for her sake, mine and yours...I am questioning the norm.