Costume Swap Day

Much of Zero Waste relies on planning ahead and being proactive: Taking your name off mailing lists before getting junk mail, saying "no" to the straw before it shows up in your drink at the cafe, or refusing the party favor, days before it gets handed out to your child. With the kids now back in school, we'll soon need to start thinking about Halloween. Last year, we used items from home and the thrift shop to dress up the kids. Max (pictured) was a grandma. We bought a secondhand dress, wig, glasses and purse for a few dollars during a thrift shop sale. I shortened the dress's hem to fit his...

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Salt packed anchovies

Every summer, I learn a few new things from my mom. While the kids learn french, I learn homemaking. I even dream that these new tricks will eventually "offset" the carbon emissions of my trip over time ;).Last year, my mom showed me how to salt pack (cure) anchovies. Under her direction, I proudly prepared my 1st jar of anchovies. A few weeks later, Scott was flying back to the US, the salt packed anchovies carefully wrapped in his undershirts, which I now understand to be a "no-no" for US customs. Once home, a nice surprise awaited him upon unzipping his suitcase ... You guessed it: The juice...

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How to Get Started

I recently wrote an article for Yes! Magazine, which included 10 tips for a Zero Waste Household. I thought I would share them with you. These tips happen to summarize the lifestyle perfectly and are a great (and much needed) "How to Get Started" for the blog. It's a good review for those of you who are already well down this path too.____________The zero in "zero waste" makes it sound scary and hard to achieve. It is actually not as as hard as it seems, and it is as simple as following these Five R's, in order:Refuse what you do not need.Reduce what you do need. Reuse by using reusables.Recycle...

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Progress!

I have had a very satisfying 10 days and I thought I'd share them with you. Over the past couple of weekends, we adopted a few sustainable ideas (I tweeted about them) that have been on my mind for a few years. Tackling them, feels so good.Homemade Vinegar:Since embarking on Zero Waste, I had tried and greatly failed at making fruit scrap vinegar (a cheap way to make it). I have therefore been solely relying on vinegars available in bulk. But when I tried my brother's yummy homemade wine vinegar this summer, I realized, that it was time for me to give it a try and make my own using a foolproof...

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Back to school. Finally!

OK. I am back and for real this time ;) The kids were off for three months this year (while our tax dollars renovated the local schools), but they returned to their routine this week, and so have I. Writing this, seated in the shade of the oaks bordering my sunny deck, with hummingbirds buzzing around, feels like a "stay-cation" now.With the start of a new academic year (and Max in Middle School!), September always feels like January's onset of a new calendar year. Off to a fresh new start: Supplies, Lunches and Activities are revised.SUPPLIESEach year, teachers request many un-recyclable items...

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