The holiday decorations are going up in Marshall; the Thanksgiving turkey has been reduced to a delicious broth; I've made a start on Christmas cards; now comes the Christmas shopping.
In the past I've relied on John's woodworking and Amazon to do most of the work but, nudged by my daughter-in-law in Atlanta's wish list, I'm investigating some Fair Trade, environmentally and socially active businesses. I was pleasantly surprised by many and slightly overwhelmed by others. So many choices -- cruelty-free, sustainable, vegan, woman or minority run, politically active-- I applaud the intentions, even as my head swims..
I'm trying to pay special attention to cutting back on plastic--all those sad pictures of sea creatures killed by eating/being trapped by plastic are haunting to me. But it's everywhere-- my toothbrush, my bottle of Dawn for washing dishes, the containers I freeze leftovers in-- the list is endless.
Ever since the early Seventies, I've used cloth napkins rather than paper, composted/fed to chickens food scraps, and tried to follow the maxim "Use it up; Wear it out; Make it do; Do without" -- well, at least the first three quarters of it.
But today, almost every decision is fraught with difficult choices. I'm just going to have to get better at this. I've taken my own shopping bags to the grocery for years. Now I've asked for reusable cloth produce bags for Christmas. I reuse the plastic bags as much as possible and when I finally dispose of them, I tie them in knots so they won't blow around at the landfill
Grocery shopping yesterday presented me with a new decision-making opportunity. I needed to buy eggs. (A possum got in our hen house and killed the rooster a few nights ago. The girls were traumatized and their egg output, already low due to the time of year, has dropped off.)
I definitely wanted cage free/free range eggs. Organic would be nice but not a deal breaker. And I wanted a cardboard carton, not foam, not see-through plastic.
I settled for cage free in cardboard -- all the other candidates were encased in plastic.
9 comments:
It is difficult, but we all have to do as much as we possibly can to reduce our carbon footprints. Like you we try our best for Josie, Violet, and all the little ones. And we look closely at every candidate before we vote.
I've been trying to cut down on plastic as well. Having made that decision, I opened my bathroom cabinet and stared in dismay. Every single thing in there was either made of plastic or encased in plastic. (Maybe not every single thing, but it sure felt like it!) It's really pretty hard to get plastic out of your life.
Our German exchange student has started an intagram - thinkbackstepforward - in which she is trying to live an entirely waste-free life. Many of her posts are about food, she's a vegan, but there are others about other aspects of her life.
Yes, a true conundrum. But doing it (living totally environmentally conscientious) as slow life style changes (like napkin use) over years of effort has just become more crisis oriented. I agree that the carbon footprints of major corporations and utilities must be changed before our small efforts will make much difference.
Well, I think you are off to a roaring start. I think you can overwhelm yourself trying to hit every base. Some is better than none. A lot is better than a little. But it's hard to do everything unless you plan to go, like Thoreau, into the woods and be a hermit and settle for foraging.
I applaud your efforts. While I dislike all the plastic, I still don't bring my own bags shopping. This is partly because we use the bags for our own trash. If I brought my own cloth bag tot he store, I think I would have to buy plastic bags for the garbage. Also, if I look inside the carrier bag, whatever its material, I see tons of plastic inside.
We buy eggs at Madison Natural Foods in Marshall. Usually they're locally sourced, but maybe not at this time of year. They come in pre-used cartons.
I've been working to reduce our "environmental footprint" for years, and have found many products worth the price of their sincere efforts.
I reviewed Stasher Reusable Silicone bags for my blog, and they got pretty high marks from me. Since you want some reusable produce bags too, you might want to read the post since I outline all kinds of reusable grocery shopping items. Since you're a subscriber, just click on one of my emails and you'll find the post under FOODIETOWN in the main menu - Kitchen Tips & Hacks. I love everything I bought! Hope this helps you this holiday season. https://ingredientsforafabulouslife.com
I love using Goldilocks waxed wraps -- the pattern choices are beautiful -- and it really works to protect food. The wraps are so beautiful they make great gifts. Canadian women run outfit makes them using beeswax, jobaba oil and cotton -- they last and last.
wonder if i can put a link here: https://goldilockswraps.com
Thanks for all the suggestions!
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