@ Salekdarling – Well don’t forget, sometimes sleeping can be massively productive!

Good thought on the toilet brush – I haven’t had to replace ours yet so I hadn’t thought about it. I like the abrasive crochet idea! Maybe make a nice abrasive biodegradable head, and stick it onto a stainless steel pole? Or something else that is durable and sterilize-able and won’t need to be replaced. If you do that, please let me know! And I’m going to think about this more . . .

@ Stacey – LOVE this idea! A public transit, or at least a ‘car reduction’ MMM would be great. I’m adding to the list – thanks!

@ T – Thanks for the feedback! Luckily I have a bunch of home cleaning recipes lined up. Stay tuned!

@ Alis – Well, I do have my own powdered detergent recipe, but I’m thinking maybe that one doesn’t work for you? I know people with hard water and/or older machines have had trouble with it (although our machine is quite old and it works great for us). I am currently working on a liquid detergent recipe that will also work in hard water – hopefully I’ll have it perfected soon!

@ Allison – That is a huge beast to tackle, but such an important one. And luckily, it’s the kind of issue that *should* be addressed on the local level – which means anyone can do it! No Washington insider necessary!

I think the most effective approach would be direct-to-the-source. That means going to the school board with your concerns. Perhaps try to get a parents group together (bring it before the PTA? Is the PTA still around?) Start a movement in your area, gather support, put together a website for info and organize events.

The beauty with things like this is that they may start small on a local scale, but the actions of one district may inspire a change that spreads nationwide. From there you can impact federal guidelines for school lunches, which would be the ideal goal.

Sound impossible? Stuff like this happens all. the. time. Just start small and stay focused – that’s my best advice. And please let me know if there’s any way I can help!

@ Becca – Sounds like a really lovely weekend. I miss the beach!

@ MathTutor – Yay! And Oi! I’m so glad the laundry recipe is working for you. And nice and cheap for that college budget, too! =)

@ christy – Congrats on the productive weekend, and I’m so very jealous about your greenhouse and outside time! The weather here has been so pretty I just want to be out in the sun all the time.

Now, PLEASE tell me about this tempeh starter! How do you do it? Where do you get it? I’m intrigued!!

@ Jackie – I do have a flickr but I never go on there anymore. But that looks really awesome and I could use the inspiration! Not that I need another internet obsession, oh dear . . .

@ Julianne – This is an issue that I really intend to explore, but it seems very complicated to me and so I want to do it justice and do it right. I did do a related MMM a few months back, and you may find my experience (here and here) interesting to read (as a vegan eating local, which does in fact present a greater challenge).

I plan to read Just Food: Where Locavores Get It Wrong and How We Can Truly Eat Responsibly and review it for the site – I’m actually really looking forward to this!

From my limited understanding, I believe that there’s a lot of truth to the local-vore movement, but that it’s not so simple as it’s made out to be. There are times when importation is important and it is actually ‘greener’ to grow elsewhere and ship in. Like I said it’s a very complicated topic but it IS on my list – I promise!

@ Leah – Sugaring is a great idea for an MMM, I’m adding it! Thanks!

As for the re-usable feminine hygiene, I have written a bit on this and did a MMM a few months ago. My wrap-up is here.

@ Kerry – Thanks! I love to hear from long-time readers! But I’m not sure I totally understand what you’re asking. Are you looking for advice on building real-life communities? Like finding like-minded individuals in your town? That’s actually a good idea for an article, and one that hadn’t occurred to me before. Is that what you were wondering, or did I misunderstand?

I recently had to pitch my toilet brush. It made me cringe because it was gross and I also didn't like the idea of having to put it in the landfill. Unfortunately my area doesn't provide recycling for items like that. Do you know of any alternatives to scrub the toilet? I use baking soda and vinegar to clean it. Would it be possible to use only an abrasive washcloth? I have made crochet cotton washcloths that are quite abrasive.

Thanks hun!

Also, perhaps your readers would enjoy a post on feminine hygiene (i.e. reusable cloth, the Keeper/Diva cup, etc). I’ve explored this avenue a bit myself, but it’s so nice to have other peoples’ perspectives.