#6
Remember MMM #6, where we aimed at reducing the plastic portion of our groceries? Well, I didn’t quite feel like I nailed it, so I had another go at it this month. Check out the difference!

Last Month:



And This Month:


Not bad, right?! And the best part is, I think this is totally doable. I think I could maybe even improve it. So, success! Woo-hoo!

So what about you guys? Did any of you track your plastic again this month? And how did you do?





#7
For this month’s mission we went No-Poo! But this is also a long-term sort of mission, and many readers didn’t join in until after I wrote the follow-up article half way into the month.

For that reason, I’ve decided to extend the No-Poo mission another month. Thus, we won’t have a November mission, except to continue no-pooing and working on getting harsh chemicals out of our bathrooms!

So keep it up guys, and keep in touch. Let me know if it’s working or if you’re having issues. And don’t hesitate to ask questions!

Itty Bitty Bonzai is a collection of tiny tips and tricks for living a life more mindful. Small actions, collectively and compounded, become a powerful force of change.

#14

Alright guys, lets talk about coffee.

If you grab your joe on the go, remember to bring your own reusable mug. Millions of plastic and paper cups are trashed each year, and totally unnecessarily. For extra insurance, stow a lidded metal mug or glass jar in your glove box for emergency caffeine fixes. I even have a friend who habitually carries a ceramic cup in her purse, everywhere she goes!

If you brew at home, make sure your equipment is eco-friendly. For example coffee filters are bleached with a chemical called dioxin, an environmental toxin and carcinogen. Choose unbleached paper, cloth, or metal mesh coffee filters instead, to keep yourself and your planet dioxin free.

Regardless of whether you drink out or drink in, make sure your business is going to a company that shares your ethical priorities. Look for earth-friendly organic, eco-friendly ’shade grown’, and socially responsible fair trade coffees.

BONZAI!

On the first Monday of every month, we take on a ‘mission’ – a shift or habit or inspiration – to work on together. There’s strength (and support) in numbers! On the last Thursday of the month, we reconvene to see how far we’ve come.





This month’s mission was about our grocery habits, and trying to make some different choices. Specifically, we aimed to cut down on the amount of plastic we consumed in order to feed ourselves. This would manifest differently for everyone, but certainly each of us could be more mindful of our purchases.

For me, I found parts of this mission to be natural, and other parts to be difficult. For example I’d always bought my Earthbalance™ in a new tub, because my co-op only carries the non-organic in bulk. But this month I switched to bulk, by bringing my own pyrex tupperware. Ain’t it cute? Earthbalance™ uses non-GMO and pesticide free ingredients anyway, so organic isn’t totally necessary. And buying this way was so much cheaper! Like, really really cheaper!





But in other ways it was harder. I took a couple of trips and found it difficult not to use plastic packaged ‘convenience’ foods. And I feel like I tried all these new items this month, stuff I normally never buy! I really feel like I was so much worse this month than I could have been, damn it. Here’s my 30 Days Of Plastic, all laid out:





It may not be a lot for most people, but as far as I’m concerned it’s WAY too much for me. So I’m going to keep this challenge going another month. I’ll collect all my plastic again, and see if I can’t cut down even farther. I’ll make sure to let you guys know how it goes.

So tell me guys, how did this mission go for you? Do you consider yourself successful? Did you learn anything, or make any permanent changes? Let me know how it went!

“To me, photography is an art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting in an ordinary place . . . I’ve found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.”
~ Elliott Erwitt


It’s become my favorite part of the week, this Saturday morning farmers market. The bustle of the bazaar engages all of my senses, filling me with inspiration: the sights, the smells, the sounds, and oh the PEOPLE!

My darlings, I want to share these images with you, so that they may inspire you as my market always inspires me. Let me know what you think – I’m considering a recurring series.

Do I stand out in the crowd?

These artichoke flowers look like dayglow ocean creatures.

Mmmmmm falafel.

NOM NOM

On the first Monday of every month, we take on a ‘mission’ – a shift or habit or inspiration – to work on together. There’s strength (and support) in numbers! On the last Thursday of the month, we reconvene to see how far we’ve come.

#6

Are you aware of how much plastic passes through your kitchen? Me, I consider myself a pretty savvy shopper – I buy in bulk, I shop at co-ops and produce stands, and I rely primarily on whole, unprocessed foods. Still . . .

Somehow, each month, I’m filling up trash bags with discarded plastic. Margarine tubs. Yoghurt containers. Lids and pull tops and safety seals. Juice/smoothie bottles. Snack wrappers. Gallon jugs. CLAMSHELLS! (ooh I hate those non-recyclable monsters so much!). That’s a lot of plastic, and plastic is oil!

Of course, I’m sure you’re recycling all that plastic, right? But I’ll tell you what’s even better than recycling: never even using. If you can omit it in the first place, you’re leaps and bounds better than trying to re-use it. And so that’s our goal for this month: Reduce the Plastics in Our Groceries.

This Mission is not about perfection, because it would be damn near impossible – now – to eliminate plastic completely. But, this Mission IS about choices. We can’t all do everything, always (and nor should we try). But what we can do is be aware. We can move with intention. When faced with the option of ‘glass bottle X’ vs ‘plastic bottle Y’, we can make the mindful choice. We can alter our habits to suit our ambitions, oh yes we can.

Are you old enough to remember the 80’s, when styrofoam was everywhere? (I am!) It was everywhere! Styrofoam is so antiquated now, virtually non-existent and totally taboo. That’s because of consumer demand; a campaign by people just like us. We can eliminate plastic too, and end our dependency on petroleum. It starts out small to make a snowball . . .

[Here's the one exception: the bulk bin allowance. For the sake of this Mission, it's okay to use plastic bags for bulk/produce as long as you are re-using them. So no grabbing a brand new baggie, but yes bring your used plastic bags / plastic tupperwares, and fill them from the bins. Fair?]

So, my socially conscious, totally fabulous friends: do you choose to accept this Mission??

BONZAI!