I have decided to write a review about
B.Y.O. Bags' mesh produce bags. These bags are American made in Minnesota. They are very beneficial and easy to use. I was introduced to the bags at my local co-op. Three bags, each a different size, are only $9.99. The price was wonderful. I purchased two sets of my own. I find that having three different sizes of the bags allows me to purchase larger produce than with some other cloth mesh bags available. The bags are colour coded. I have also found that my produce stays fresh longer than in plastic bags.
There are some downsides to the bags. I find that the bags have a habit of opening randomly when handled. I wish they had cord stoppers on them. I also find that it they get dirtied by a rotten vegetable, it is very difficult to remove the stain.
I do believe the benefits out weigh the cons. My trash amount has gone down by 2/3s and They are as light as a plastic bag at the store. I would definitely look into these bags.
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Here is the recipe for my homemade Vanilla Extract:
(bottle was purchased at Hobby Lobby)
slice two vanilla beans in half and then chop it up into 1.5" increments
place the beans inside the bottle
add the 400mL of vodka to the bottle with a funnel
Shake everyday and keep out of direct sunlight. Your extract should be useable within two weeks. Just continue to add more vodka and beans as you use the extract.
Today I went to Staples to pick up some dishwasher safe labels for my jars (for stable items such as flour, salt, etc.). While there I saw a package of 48 Marcal earth friendly rolls of toilet paper for only $24.99! Compared to Seventh Generation, the price was right. The toilet paper is 100% recycled paper. Each roll is wrapped in it's own paper, which can easily be recycled. The biggest downside is obvious, the plastic wrapping. I figure it is better than buying smaller amounts of toilet paper, which are also wrapped in plastic. I won't be buying any paper for quite a while. Since there are no places that sell Seventh Generation in bulk, I will continue to purchase my toilet paper from Staples. I know it sounds strange. hahaha
I would also like to mention that Hobby Lobby has all of their glass jars 50% off. I recently purchased 10+ jars for $34.00.
I have finally received the two components to set up my indoor compost bin. I purchased a "worm friendly habitat" and 1000 red worms. I set up the compost bin on Thursday, when these pictures were taken. The worms have begun to settle in. They definitely have enough food for quite a while.
This picture was taken Thursday and there is definitely more food and some more bedding in the bin now.
I'm hoping that having the compost bin will lower the amount of garbage I have going out.
I have also been making progress on my de-cluttering. I took a large bin and three grocery paper bags full of items to Goodwill today. I now need to work on de-cluttering the upstairs, go through all of my books and take the unused food to the food bank. Here are some photos of my progress so far.
cabinet number 1:
cabinet number 2:
One of the best things about a zero waste lifestyle is that almost every meal uses fresh ingredients. I am obviously working to rid of all of my packaged food. I think I'm doing an okay job so far. I am taking everything in my cabinets that I won't eat to the food pantry. I would rather it be used than thrown away.
Just as an update, my cockatiel Rosie is doing better. We are past the halfway point with the antibiotic. It has been difficult giving it to her, but it's working. I'm glad she's feeling better and eating more.
I have an iPhone 4s. As many of you know, it has a great camera on the phone. Since beginning this lifestyle, I have been using my iPhone to prevent the use of paper or stickers. I take photos of the item number and nutritional information on the bulk bin. This also allows me (who is a Weight Watcher) to know exactly what I'm eating and how much is in a serving.
This photo was taken from the bulk bin at my local co-op.
This photo was taken at the Iowa City Hyvee bulk section. I didn't realize that you actually have to weigh your selection at this store and get a sticker. I refuse to get the sticker, so I will just continue photographing the info and then deal with it at the checkout.
Taking photos instead of writing down all of the info has made my life much easier.
I have also been sewing more produce bags for at the market. I realized that while I like the coolhats.biz bags, I prefer my homemade ones more. They are sturdier, it's easy to put things in them and tie the string around the top of the bag to keep them shut. I have had issues with the other ones, where they will burst open randomly. This can be quite annoying. I will continue to use them though. Tonight I sewed 7 more bags. Four of the bags are for my mom, pictured below. I basically just go to a fabric store like Joann's and purchased several fat quarters in fabrics I like and sew them up. I will need to post how I sew them, they're really easy. I am a horrible sewer, but I can still make them.
I really do wish more grocery stores would have a bulk section. Where my parents live, there are no bulk sections, so they must buy things in packaging. I am hoping that they will start using the bags for produce at least. That should cut down on the number of plastic bags brought home. I need to look further into other solutions for them also. My mom has type 2 diabetes and I really believe that she could benefit from only bulk shopping. It does tend to limit your selections to healthier choices.
What would you guys do? The closest Whole Foods is an hour away and not worth it for weekly shopping.
This day didn't start out so well, I had to take my cockatiel to the vet because she has a sinus infection. Birds don't show illness unless it's serious. Luckily, I noticed small changes in her and found it early enough. She's going to be fine. =) The only problem now is I have a small plastic bottle of antibiotic for her, yep, plastic ugh. But she's worth it. I have the horrible task of giving her .10 ml in her mouth twice daily. It's hard with a bird, they squirm a lot and bite.
I have decided to talk about zero waste and having pets. Dealing with pets has been the biggest challenge for me so far. I have been trying to figure out how to cut down the trash that is created. If anyone has any suggestions, please leave them in the comment section.
I have a bird and once I set up my indoor compost bin, I can compost the newspaper I use on the bottom of her cage. Her organic diet (Harrison's Bird Food) does come in plastic lined paper bags, this is a little frustrating, but she only goes through a 1lb bag every 2 months. It is the best food on the market and I'm not willing to change. .
My dog on the other hand creates more garbage than my bird. I have a 43lb australian shepherd who eats a dry grain free diet (Wellness Core Reduced Fat). Granted the food has lessened his feces amount, but he still poops at least twice daily. I've decided that I am going to use the empty 26lb bags as garbage bags. It takes Mac 2.5 - 3 months to finish a bag, so I don't have them as trash very often. I am also planning on making homemade liver treats with chicken livers from the store.
On walks I use biodegradable bags (poopbags.com), which I buy in bulk. For picking up his feces in his potty area, it's too expensive to use the poop bags. I scoop it up and place it into a garbage bag. Soon I will change to a biodegradable garbage bag once I find them in bulk at a reasonable price.
When I arrived home from Cedar Rapids, a large box was waiting on my front porch. My jars finally arrived! They had been delayed over the weekend because of a train derailment in Montana. There aren't any places close to me that sell hermetic jars and the price was right.
They did arrive in styrofoam peanuts, but I will take them to a UPS shop to be reused.
Here they are after I took out the paper and put on their rubber gasket.
Here is my newly organized shopping items:
My bags (I sewed some more last night and the mesh ones are from coolhats.biz)
Here is a photo of my shopping supplies. I usually take 6-8 cloth bags, 3 jars,
one glass swing-top bottle and two reusable shopping totes. I use the smaller shopping totes because they are easier to carry. The current jars I am using for meat and cheese are shatterproof
acrylic jars. I also sometimes take my smaller glass Anchor Jars.
The colourful bags are ones I sewed using "fat quarters" I had in storage. I was going to send them to my quilting sister, but she didn't want them. I also used a
flour sack towel for my bread bag. I sewed two of them and use the other three for cleaning. The mesh bags were purchased from my local co-op and are from
www.coolhats.biz. You buy a set of three, each bag a different size for only $9.00. They work well for most produce. I bought a couple of sets for my parents and they love them. My dad claims the broccoli stay good longer.
I have 15 (5 of each size) Bormioli Jars being delivered Monday from
Specialty Bottle. I can't wait until they arrive!
I am quite surprised how the people who work at Hyvee and New Pioneer Co-op respect my wishes for my meat and cheese to be placed in jars. I have yet to have someone ask why or say no. I don't get strange looks either. You can take your own containers easily, they don't have to be glass jars, they can be plastic containers. The goal is to lessen the amount of garbage you bring home.
After beginning these steps, my garbage is already down! I have only filled one bag this week, this bag also includes items I am getting rid of for good. I will also be going through Mac's toys and my towels this week. They will be donated to my local Humane Society. They are more than willing to take older toys, even if they're slightly ripped.
Good luck to everyone attempting this lifestyle change like me@
Who am I?
Saturday, January 21, 2012
| Author:
Unknown
Hi! I'm Liz and I have started this blog mainly for myself. I want to archive what I am doing to help make my world a better place to live. Here are a few facts about myself:
- I live in Iowa (very cold!)
- I am an avid knitter (most gifts I give are wool hand knits such as socks or hats)
- I live with my 5.5 year old Australian Shepherd and 8 year old adopted Cockatiel
- I have a bachelors from the University of Iowa
- I am willing and wanting to give as close to a zero lifestyle I can a chance
- I am newly engaged to the love of my life
So, let's talk about zero waste. I have been following
Bea's zero waste lifestyle for quite a while. I was most recently inspired because I will be moving soon and need to cut down on the amount of "stuff" I have. I believe by going zero waste and cutting out unnecessary things, it will be easier to move me into a smaller place. I also am on a weight loss journey and eating fresher and healthier food also helps.
Here are some tips to start living a zero waste lifestyle (remember you don't have to do these things):
- go through EVERYTHING and donate unnecessary things
- clean out your pantries and refrigerator of all expired items
- begin to use up all foods in plastic or paper containers or bags
- try to recycle everything possible
- lower the amount of processed food you purchased
- begin to make house hold items and favourite foods at home
- learn to love your vegetables
- purchased either glass or plastic holding containers for foods
- make or purchase produce bags
- begin to purchase foods in bulk and/or free standing foods
- ignore and walk past prepackaged foods (they tend to be bad for your wallet as well as your body)
- purchase a reusable coffee mug and water bottle
- stop buying magazines! (ok this was a little hard for me since I like to rip recipes, etc out of magazines)
- wear your jeans for a week (seriously)
- use rags or microfiber towels instead of paper towels (this was the easiest thing to do!)
- use up all of your toxic cleaners or take them to a place where they can rid of them properly
Okay! Well, it's time for bed. I hope everyone has enjoyed this post. Tomorrow I will post about the changes I have made in my bathroom and show you my shopping kit!
This blog is all about my journey to become as zero waste as possible. You do not need to do what I do, this blog is only about the steps I am taking to lessen my carbon footprint.
Here are the steps I have taken so far:
- donated and am still donating un-wanted or needed items
- no longer use paper towels or napkins
- purchased and use reusable cotton cloth pads (for eye makeup removal)
- purchased microfiber clothes for cleaning
- purchased cloth napkins
- sewed my own produce and product bags:
- take my own totes, jars and produce bags to the store
- cooking at home
- make my own household cleaner
- transfered all bulk items to reusable jars (still working on using up everything not in a jar or donating it)
- made my own butter, orange juice, vanilla extract and jams
- also made my own tooth paste
Here are some photos and links to items I have purchased through etsy to help me:
Reusable cotton pads:
Cloth Napkins:
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