Goals - Week 5:
- Precycle - bring less non-recyclable plastic into my home
- Buy less, make more (without being stinky)
- Save money!
Stretch goal: make this for everyone I know so they'll try it! (recipe after the jump)
Goals - Week 4:
- Look for ways to make my coffee habit more environmentally friendly
- Make less trash
- Repurpose more
I hope to have a new upcycling project to share with you soon. But today it's going the way most of my projects go:
1. Damn, that's a great idea! My version will be even easier.
2. I have everything I need except nails. Hmmm, I'll use screws.
3. But the drill isn't charged. That's ok, I should probably sand and stain first.
3. I just broke part of what would have made this awesome. Fine. Dammit. I'll rethink.
4. While I think, I'll just pull the nails out of the pallet wood.
5. OMG, why is it SO hard to pull nails out of pallet wood!!!??? Yes, that's my foot in the picture.
Really. Is it just me or are pallets constructed to withstand the apocalypse?
Goals - Week 3:
- Upcycle a non-recyclable item
- Repair or repurpose old clothes
- Buy less, make less trash and create more :)
Goals - Week 2:
- Really pay attention to how much I throw away #thereisnoaway
- Decrease landfill waste
- Notice how fast the recycling fills up
Stretch goal: Composting - achievable if I figure out a sensible solution for a single urban apartment dweller.
If you missed it, here's the post explaining the whole "trimming my waste" thing.
Goals - Week 1:
- Precycle: reduce the amount of packaging I bring into my home, even if it's recyclable
- Reduce exposure to chemicals in cosmetics. Because no one seems to be regulating them or explaining them very well. See Stink! ... you won't like what you
smellhear - Support small, local businesses making products using simple ingredients
Stretch goal: DIY soap or body wash.
Happy 2016! I'm a week late but hey ... better late than never right? In fact, that's sorta the sentiment behind the new series I'm kicking off this week. Better something than nothing. Better to start than wait for the perfect time and place to start. Right?
So here's the plan: for the next 51 weeks, I'm going to share with you all the small changes I've made (and will make) to "trim my waste". And by "waste" I mean everything from actual trash (and recycling) to the unworn items in my closet, the energy suckers in my home and an array of other wasteful habits and behaviors. Why? Because I've been arguing for years that upcycling is my low-pressure way to change mindsets. A gentle prod in the direction of more conscious, conscientious consumption.
The seasons are turning and I'm about to spend 24 hours traveling. This will be my last post for the year and I wanted to share Molly Costello's beautiful Solstice Moon and her thoughts on connectedness. Molly lives on the north side of Chicago and spends a lot of her creative time working alongside neighborhood youth to develop green initiatives that encompass social justice, prosperity, sustainability and community.