Zero Waste Home essential: Motivation

One should be motivated to embrace the Zero Waste lifestyle simply out of goodness of heart. But our weak human nature is often tempted to put selfish needs ahead of conservation. Motivation is key to staying on track. My kids' future is what got me started, but it's too abstract to keep me motivated on a day to day basis. Visualization is what keeps me (I am a visual kinda gal) and the kids going. For example, when I am tempted to purchase plastic, I picture our oil reserves decreasing* and the guts of the birds below increasing...(*According to Ed Humes, author of Garbology, "10 percent...

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Seasonal Recipe: Spaghetti Squash

Where I live, pasta is one of the food staples that is hardest to find in bulk (one of my pet peeves). The closest bulk store with a pasta bin is 25 minutes away, and if I am in that area, I stop by to get some, but the opportunity does not present itself very often. So in the winter, when we run out, we turn to spaghetti squash as a great - and healthier alternative. This is a simple recipe that has had a lot of success at home.Cut the squash in half and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until a knife can easily be inserted through the skin.Scoop outIn the meantime, prepare a pasta sauce...

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Fashion Friday: Shorts in Winter

Today is Fashion Friday on the blog! This week I winterized my one pair of shorts -to California weather standards;)How Zero Waste is my outfit?Shorts: Purchased from a thrift store 4 years ago. They were a boy's pair of dress pants that Ishortened ;)Black thermal, Animal print scarf, Sunglasses and Boots: Purchased as-is from the thrift store within  the past 3 years (I have waterproofed my boots for the rain - How-to in my book!)Black tights and leather jacket: Purchased new within the past 3 years (before I made the vow to only buy secondhand). As you know, I don't like to mention...

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The Beauty of Zero Waste: Buying Coffee

Some of you felt that I flaunted the availability of bulk in my area when I introduced this series a couple of weeks ago. "This post just seems a little out of everyone's league and for the ones that buy [packaged products] for lack of other options, it may leave them feeling guilty or at a loss", said Jolie. This blog is not meant to flaunt my ways, point the finger at yours, or make you feel guilty or bad about yourself, your way of shopping, your access to bulk or lack of it!...But maybe I did not explain the point of this series clearly enough. This series simply aims at demonstrating...

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How-To: Darning

Darning was, with canning, one of those old fashioned techniques that intimidated me; it just sounded hard. It's only after our family evolved into a Zero Waste household and our toes started peeking through socks that I decided to give it a go. I was amazed to find out how straightforward and forgiving darning really is.  If you've never tried it, follow this simple tutorial, and you won't need to collect worn-out socks for dusting again (how many do you really need anyways?), but keep them where they belong: On your feet!What you need: A garment with a hole, a large needle threaded...

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Fashion Friday: White blazer and Leather skirt

It's Fashion Friday!First, let me apologize to those of you who have subscribed to the blog via email. There was a glitch and a two year-old post was sent out yesterday -although I would not mind going to The Green Awards and winning one again;)This week, I am sharing with you an outfit that I wore to a Mardi Gras party on Tuesday.How Zero Waste is my outfit?Everything was purchased secondhand. But here is a run down of the prices (my favorite part).Blazer: $9.99 + $75 tailoringSkirt: $.99Tank top: $4Booties: $6.99Purse: $2Glasses: $2Necklace: $1.99People often ask me if I ever get tempted to...

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Zero Waste Essential: The Mending Reflex

Repairs are an essential part of our lifestyle. Things are bound to break or get damaged in one way or another, but mending can extend the useful of our necessities. In our prior life, all the examples below would have ended up in the landfill. Today, our "landfill reflex" has turned into a mending one. Whether it involves scrubbing, sewing, gluing, darning or nailing, there is almost always a solution for a break or damage - and boy does it save money!Here are examples of my recent projects:Scrubbing: I thought my slipper was ruined when I found a smear of dried up paint on the calf after a wall...

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Seasonal Recipe: Cream of Sunchoke

When we belonged to a CSA, our weekly box always came with a new recipe. Sometimes that recipe accompanied a new produce item. That's how I introduced sunchokes to my family. Also called Jerusalem artichoke, sunroot or topinambour, the root is a bit like a potato but sweeter and nuttier. Prepared as a soup in the middle of winter, it's a hit with my family. (Recipe is an adaptation of the one that I received from Eatwell Farm)2 Tbsp butter2 cloves of garlic, minced1/4 of an onion, sliced1 lb. Jerusalem artichokes, washed and slicedWaterBones1 cup milksalt & pepperherb of your choice,...

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Mini-Wardrobe Fave: The White Blouse

Today is Fashion Friday with a Mini-Wardrobe Fave post. A white blouse is a known must-have for any capsule wardrobe, but I always considered it to be too preppy for my personal style. This season I however decided to welcome it into my closet and give it a try. Here are 13 of the ways that I can wear it:Under my black cashmere sweaterwith my leather minitopped with my white blazerunderneath my LBDwith my grey shorts and heels for a partywith my black trousersunder my leather jackettied over my brown dressunderneath my overcoat, paired with an animal print scarfwith a belt -and Max's red...

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The Beauty of Zero Waste: Liquid Body Care Products

The Zero Waste lifestyle has brought tremendous beauty into my life. So much of it that I could not envision going back to filling my home with packaging, or shopping the packaged aisles!In this series, I will highlight the beauty of Zero Waste through photographs. Each time, I will provide a side-by-side comparison of a common method with its Zero Waste counterpart.First, we'll look at bulk shopping. I find refilling my containers and buying loose to be aesthetically superior to shopping the packaged aisles, for four reasons:Bulk is tactile: Refilling your own bag with such loose items as...

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Seasonal Recipe: Fennel Casserole

One of my favorite dishes growing up, was my mom's fennel casserole. Yet, I thought about making it for my family only recently when I found some locally grown bulbs. My mom included ham (the traditional way of making it), but to accommodate our vegetarian weeknights, I omitted it. The verdict? The kids loved it and asked for seconds (after all, what doesn't taste good in bechamel?) It has become a family favorite - for the taste buds and the wallet ;)Rinse and quarter 2 fennel bulbsIn a large skillet, over medium heat, melt 1 tbsp butter and add the fennelCover with milk, season salt pepper and...

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