This month we’ve made it our mission to finally find alternatives for some of the less conspicuous, but nevertheless wasteful, objects in our lives. For example, this whole idea was inspired by my desire to replace my paper coffee filters with something I could reuse. And just last week, I picked up a seriously awesome hemp filter that I’m loving! Other people suggested I switch to a French press or cold brew system, both great options.

There are a million ways that you can tweak your life to lessen your imprint on this Earth. The great thing about “going green” is that it’s a journey, not a destination, and we’re all walking on this path together. Each of us makes our little changes, at our own pace and as our life allows. And working together, keeping each other motivated, all those little alterations add up to an enormous impact!

Here are some other ideas:


Plastic Sandwich Bags
Make your own!
or
Buy pre-made to support a crafter


Plastic Tupperware
Dudes, it’s all about the repurposed glass jars.
or
Fancy glass! (this company uses recycled glass and manufactures in America, w00t!)


Kitchen Sponges
Make your own!
or
Grow your own? (!)


Plastic Water Bottles
I say, just re-use a glass mason jar. Easy and CHEAP!
But,
Maybe you like something fancy? There’s a million billion options out there in glass, steel, and more. I couldn’t possibly list them all. However, I love glass and these are adorable!!!


“Java Jackets” For Hot Drinks
Make your own!


Menstrual Pads
Make your own!
or
Buy pre-made to support a crafter


Tampons
Switch to Diva (or other menstrual cup)


Paper Towels As Napkins
Make your own!
or
Buy pre-made to support a crafter


Paper Towels As Cleaning Rags
Dudes, just cut up an old bath towel!
or
Buy pre-made to support a crafter


Plastic Take-Out Utensils
Replace with reusable


Take-Out Chopsticks
Replace with reusable


Take-Out Food Containers
Bring your own from home. Like these! Just tell the restaurant ahead of time, when you place your order. If this sounds crazy, just think about how far we’ve come with cloth grocery bags. Be a pioneer!


Plastic Straws
Replace with reusable


Wrapping Paper
Use newspaper, brown paper bags (you can draw or write on it for decoration), pieces of fabric, or a cloth bag.


Toilet Paper
Make your own cloth reusables! Sound crazy? I know, I know. Read this on how to get set up.


Single-Portion Foods
Stop buying those big bags full of tiny bags of chips or trail mix or whatever. Buy in bulk and pack it up yourself in reusable containers. Stop buying the individual yogurts or the single-serving soy milks. Buy the biggest container (or make your own!) and portion it out at home. Make your own trail mix. Make your own granola. Make your own Larabars. Buy loose leaf tea. You get the picture!

~~~

Clearly, this is by no means a comprehensive list, but it’s a great jumping off point. Got something to add? Leave it in the comments!

Also, check out ReUseIt.com. Oh my god I want, like, everything there. Hippy heaven!

I do most of my produce shopping at the Farmer’s Market, and secondarily at the local market or co-op. But the truth is, I live 5 blocks from a Trader Joe’s, and sometimes it’s just super convenient to pop over there for an emergency onion or whatever.

In this way, over time I’ve amassed a collection of those coarse plastic produce bags, the ones that usually house garlic and such. You know the type? These ones:



And I have been saving them, oh yes, because I saw in my little mind’s eye the perfect way to put that plastic back into action. So easy. So simple. So effective! The wiry plastic and diamond pattern lends itself so well to the project, it’s almost like it was meant to be. Meant to be: a Scrubbie.




1) Collect a number of plastic produce bags.

2) Stuff all of them into one of them. The Trader Joe’s organic garlic comes in a little yellow bag that’s just about the size of a sponge, and I had a whole bunch of those. So I stuffed one of them full, and then used the others to make a couple of “layers” of exterior. Not necessary, but I think it helps keep everything together.

3) Sew up the seem. I used dental floss! I didn’t even use a needle, though it would have been a lot faster if I had.

4) Fin.

See how easy??!



Enjoy!

Watering
This year I planted all my many sprouts inside of homemade newspaper seed pots. I adore this little DIY project because it upcycles old newspaper and it means I don’t have to buy any additional paraphernalia. However, there is one downside to my beloved paper planters: the leakage.

I discovered this during my first year using them. Every time I watered, I’d end up with a sloppy mess spilling out the bottoms. My answer back then was to line up my seedlings on baking trays, but I knew this wasn’t a permanent solution.

Why is there a spice jar amidst the sprouts?

Please meet my new watering can! I know it sounds strange, but bear with me here. It’s actually a perfect hack.

The problem with normal watering is that it’s too hard to control the stream. You end up with a gush of water in one location, that quickly soaks through and out the bottom. But with a spice jar fitted with its little hole-y lid, the water flow is slowed to a sprinkle – just like a miniature watering can!



It’s the perfect upcycled compliment to the perfect upcycled seed pot. Free solutions are the best solutions, don’t you think? I’ve been using this method with my potting table in my living room, and haven’t had a single drop overflow onto the floor yet!

~~~

I may have been overzealous with my seed sowing . . .

Thinning
As my seedlings grow I’m filled with a mixture of pride and sadness. I’m so proud of their achievements (drink up that water little root nest! lean towards that light little leaflets! grow little guys grow!), but I’m dreading the inevitable. The thinning out, wherein I am forced to kill the vast majority of them. Shakespeare himself never conceived of such tragedy.

One is the loneliest number. Grow big so you can play with your pals in the planter!

But it’s all part of the process, and so I do my duty as the harbinger of death. I always look for the largest sprout that’s closest to the center of the pot. This gives the little guy the best chance of survival. Thinning is always a risk – if you select the wrong sprout and it dies, then you’re just out of luck. So choose wisely!

My hand, she is a bloody battlefield.

I’ve mostly been thinning tomatoes and squashes, which unfortunately go straight to the compost. But remember, many varieties can (and should!) be eaten. Sunflowers, spinach, beets, lettuces and other tender greens, and all the brassicas like broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbages, kale and other dark greens – these are all contenders for a little spin in the blender. They make a mean green smoothie!

~~~

These little dudes have doubled in size since I took this picture. Time to head out!

Moving
Spring is buzzing along and some of my babies are already big enough to transition outside. This is just a friendly reminder not to shock your seedlings with a sudden move. You’ll need to harden off to slowly to accustom them to the great outdoors.

~~~

Another friendly reminder: keep a close watch out for seedling thieves!

I’ve written my share of reviews in my day, and most of them have been raves. I guess I’ve gotten lucky! But long-time readers are probably wondering – when’s the inevitable flop? Where’s the dud, the critique and the criticism? (Well, there was Mr. Pollan.) And for you my friends, I must say . . . maybe next time? Sorry.

I love these straws! They are practical as hell, which tickles my pragmatic bone, but they’re also ridiculously adorable, which hits my whimsy sweet spot. I love them so much, they made #8 on my 30 Things I Love At 30 list! I love them so much, that even though I got a few for free, I’ll still be buying a matching set so I can serve fancy-pants drinks to my friends! Really, I love these straws. Here’s some more reasons why:

Each Glass Dharma straw is made by hand and made in America. WORD. They use borosilicate glass, which is non-porous (ie sanitary), hypo-allergenic, and is particularly resistant to thermal expansion (so, strong). Glass is safer than plastic! Plastic straws leech toxins into your food, especially when heated. Glass straws are both dishwasher and microwave safe. And finally, they have a lifetime guarantee! If your straw ever breaks, just send it back and they will replace it. I love a company that stands so firmly behind its product.

The shorty dot looks slick in a lowball of home-brew kombucha.

I was gifted a variety of sizes and I’ve enjoyed using each of them in different applications.

The “Decorative Dots” shorty in 7mm/6.25″ (that’s diameter/length). This one is so cute! I’ve used it to sass up my daily kombucha, but really I think it would do its best duty decorating a stiffer drink. I imagine I’ll get a full set of these to serve at future cocktail parties. The different colors are a great way to track your glass, too!

The “Simple Elegance” in 14mm/9″ (that’s diameter/length). This is a straight up straw, no messing around (shown in top pic). Long, unembellished, and boasting a monster diameter of 14mm. I use this one for my thicker smoothies, but it’s advertised as a boba straw. Yum, now I need to get me some bubble tea . . .

The “Decorative Dots” in 12mm/9″ (that’s diameter/length). This is my favorite! Just pure perfection, it’s nice and long and it’s wide enough to handle a hearty smoothie. But it’s also got this sweet little dazzler, the colored glass dots to fancy it up on top. It’s like jewelry for your juice – so fun!

The “Beautiful Bends” in 12mm/9″ (that’s diameter/length). Another great option for shakes and smoothies, the bendy takes on that familiar straw shape. I actually prefer this in more ‘watery’, standard-type drinks. I think the bend lends itself well to juice, iced tea, and other traditional drink-’em-fast bevvies.

The long (“standard”) dot in a hot pink berry protein shake – I like to color coordinate my drink/straw because I am a huge geek.

In all, these straws sort of epitomize my approach to life. They’re the quintessential “Socially Conscious, Totally Fabulous”, and thus have earned a permanent home in my kitchen!

Want to try them out in your kitchen, too? The awesome folks at Glass Dharma are offering one of my readers a $25 gift certificate to their online store. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post, telling me what your favorite beverage is. I want to know what your new straw will be swimming in!

Want another chance to win? Tweet a link to this contest and then link to your tweet in a new comment here.

Want a third chance to win? Link to this contest on Facebook and then leave a link to it in a new comment here.

Contest closes at midnight pst on Friday, 28 January.

The ever-so-slight angling of the big bendy beauty.

So to be clear, you need to leave a new, different comment for each entry. Yes? Okay, go!

Last week I posted a tutorial for baby knee pads, but what about us big kids?! A couple of readers requested my method for homemade leg and arm warmers, and I’m more than happy to oblige.

Here’s the thing: It’s so easy! To make leg warmers, you start with an old sweater (thrift store!), like this:



And then you cut off the sleeves, like this:



Aaaand, that’s it! As you can see in the top picture, the way you wear them will depend on the original sweater. You can even use a jacket, like I did with the camo, but you’ll need to use safety pins to keep them up (pin them tight over the top of your calf). The ones I made for this tutorial ended up very long – ooh la la!

~ ~ ~

Hand warmers are just as easy! Start with a pair of socks. For longies, cut off just the toes and then snip a *small* hole in the heal.



And it looks like this:



For shorties, snip below the heel instead, like this:



Then it’s just a matter of making a thumb hole in the right spot (use your hand as a guide). These are the type I tend to wear all winter:



If you want to get really fancy, you can take a pair of longies and turn them into actual gloves. Just slit down and sew up a tube for each finger. I did this with the pair I made for Damian!




Sometimes, it really just is that simple. Hope you enjoy!

In other words, my little man is mobile. And while it’s so amazing to watch his discovery process, I couldn’t help but worry over his tender wee knees! I tried to tell myself I was an overly-paranoid new mommy, but a distinct patter emerged that confirmed my concerns. He modified his crawling style whenever he was on hard surfaces. Unacceptable!

A little ingenuity and a couple of old socks later, and snazzy new knee pads were born. These are so easy guys, and they sure beat the $5-$25 (!!!) going rate on Amazon. You’ll need :

- 2 pairs old socks (that’s 2 pairs, not 2 socks)
- scissors

And it goes like this :


1. Don’t throw away those worn out old socks with the blown out heels. I’d been saving these guys in my sewing box for months . . . I knew they’d be perfect for something some day!


2. Cut off the ‘tube’.


3. Take your 2 tubes and slide one inside the other. You’ll do this twice, one for each pair of socks, to end up with two leg warmers that are each two tubes thick. Is that totally confusing?


For softer surfaces (like our upstairs carpet shown here) you can use them as is, just the tube-within-a-tube. They make great little leg warmers for around the house. Diaper changes are so much easier in leg warmers as opposed to pants! If your little one is young/skinny, turn the tubes elastic side up. For rolly-pollies like Mr Waits, keep them elastic side down.


For harder surfaces, fold the tube into itself once more, to get a shorter knee pad that’s now 4 layers thick. It’s surprisingly durable, won’t slip around, and allows your brave explorer to cruise the floor bruise-free. Wait’s tested, Waits approved!





No more worrying, moms. Let ‘em at it!

And it also means we’re coming up quick on planting season. Even if you’re not seeing it out your own front window, I assure you it’s coming . . . and soon!

Last year I offered a green alternative to plastic seed pots, with a recycled newspaper version. This year I present a new twist on the same concept – this time using your spent toilet paper rolls!

And once again, it’s just so easy. Like so:

Begin with your TP roll. You’ll need one per plant.

Cut! You’ll want a series of cuts around one edge, maybe 1.5 inches apiece. I did 5-6 cuts per roll.

It’ll look like this.

Fold down the tabs to make a nice flat bottom. No need to fasten or anything fancy – it should stay put on it’s own. Fill with potting soil and proceed with starting your seeds as normal.







When you’re ready to transplant, just unfold the bottom tabs and then cut the cardboard away. So start collecting those TP rolls! (and don’t forget to recycle or compost them once you’re done)

Don’t you love how the green DIY method is also always the most efficient, most practical method? I love that!!

#17

So the holidays are over and you’ve got a pile of greetings and gift cards, on display and collecting dust in a corner of the living room. But they’ve got to come down eventually, and unfortunately most will find their way into the rubbish bin.

Of course you, diligent Bonzai readers, would never trash that precious card stock, I’m sure. We’re all recyclers here, are we not?

But what about doing one better? Instead of tossing them in with the newspapers and tomato tins, why not hold on to them for later use? Simply remove that pretty (and valuable) front! (leaving the back, inscribed with your relative’s well wishes, to recycle) Now you have a brand new post card, a clever thank-you note, or a lovely gift tag!

You can also wrap a gift in simple brown paper (re-use a paper grocery bag), then tape the recycled card front to it, to add a festive image.

So save your holiday cards for the next years festivities! But don’t forget to save other cards throughout the year – this works equally well for Valentines, birthdays, and beyond!

BONZAI!

After investing a minimal amount of energy into the setup, I finally ‘sat down’ to give it a try. With a little apprehension and a little bit of doubt, I did what I needed to do (NOT doo-doo, haha) . . . and then reached for the cloth.

Okay, the second I actually did it I was like, “wait, really?” It was a similar feeling as when I switched to cloth pads. As in, WHAT THE HECK TOOK ME SO LONG??

May I be blunt?
1) Cotton *feels* a lot better than scratchy paper.
2) It’s really a relatively dry affair, if you know what I mean. There’s very little that’s actually transfered to the cloth. There’s no associated odor and cleaning them is just not an issue.

So all in all, I think this is one of the easiest, one of the most successful missions to date. I don’t know what I was so afraid of, and there’s no way I won’t keep doing this. I encourage you all to give it a try!

BONZAI!

If you’d like to learn more about why one would want to do such a thing, you can get the background story at this month’s Mission post. Now, you can go about getting started in one of two ways: buy them or make them. Since one of the major themes of this exercise is reduction, I opted for the DIY approach. A couple of my husbands old softened tee shirts was all it took!





An old sheet, flannel PJs, dish towels or bath towels – pretty much anything can stand in here. No sewing required! I just cut the fabric into strips the width of regular TP. Then, cut them into lengths so that when they’re folded in half they’ll make a perfect square.





From there you just need a place to store ‘em and to stash ‘em, close to the scene of the crime. I picked up this lovely secondhand basket at the thrift store, and found the perfect plain plastic waste bin for catching wipes. An empty drawer would also work great for storing the clean ones. I considered getting the biggest, tackiest vintage cookie jar i could find for used wipes. Ha!





There are really a million variations here. Highly customizable. Now as far as actually *using* them, that’s a whole other story.

We’ll revisit that at the end of the month.