Recycled Style

"Using thrift store fabric and attention to detail, Shaun Deller makes wool and cotton hats that blend retro cycling flair with a sustainable materials ethic. What's not to love?"

Film by Daniel Sharp and provided by Nau - "...a small group of people, committed to the power of business as a force for change. Defined by what [they] love, and how [they] work and play, [they're] looking to do more than make clothes: [They're] seeking to redefine what it means to be successful."

Get your own Deller Gear here.

A Consumption Manifesto

Click for a "beacon in the smog".

Since now is a prime time for some serious consumption - I thought it the perfect opportunity to introduce Ask Umbra's Consumption Manifesto. Ask Umbra is an advice column on the Grist website - "gloom and doom with a sense of humor." They offer very informative environmental news all the while keeping it fresh and funny with they're clever (albeit corny at times) headlines and commentary.

Here is the manifesto:

Article One. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. This brilliant triad says it all. Reduce: Avoid buying what you don't need -- and when you do get that dishwasher/lawnmower/toilet, spend the money up front for an efficient model. Reuse: Buy used stuff, and wring the last drop of usefulness out of most everything you own. Recycle: Do it, but know that it's the last and least effective leg of the triad. (Ultimately, recycling simply results in the manufacture of more things.)

Article Two. Stay close to home. Work close to home to shorten your commute; eat food grown nearby; patronize local businesses; join local organizations. All of these will improve the look, shape, smell, and feel of your community.

Article Three. Internal combustion engines are polluting and their use should be minimized. Period.

Article Four. Watch what you eat. Whenever possible, avoid food grown with pesticides, in feedlots, or by agribusiness. It's an easy way to use your dollars to vote against the spread of toxins in our bodies, land, and water.

Article Five. Private industries have very little incentive to improve their environmental practices. Our consumption choices must encourage and support good behavior; our political choices must support government regulation.

Article Six. Support thoughtful innovations in manufacturing and production. Hint: Drilling for oil is no longer an innovation.

Article Seven. Prioritize. Think hardest when buying large objects; don't drive yourself mad fretting over the small ones. It's easy to be distracted by the paper bag puzzle, but an energy-sucking refrigerator is much more worthy of your attention. (Small electronics are an exception.)

Article Eight. Vote. Political engagement enables the spread of environmentally conscious policies. Without public action, thoughtful individuals are swimming upstream.

Article Nine. Don't feel guilty. It only makes you sad.

Article Ten. Enjoy what you have -- the things that are yours alone, and the things that belong to none of us. Both are nice, but the latter are precious. Those things that we cannot manufacture and should never own -- water, air, birds, trees -- are the foundation of life's pleasures. Without them, we're nothing. With us, there may be nothing left. It's our choice.

Click here to get Grist by email. You can get Daily Grist, Weekly Grist, Ask Umbra and more "green news to amuse."

Could You Do This?

Video provided by Nau.

So, what do you think of her dream house? Could you live so simply? If not that much, how much would you be willing to give up for a healthier planet? What could you live without?

Confessions of a Processed Food Eater (Gasp!)

See What Happened to These Tomatoes Plus More Pictures Here

There's something you've got to know about me...I eat some pretty lousy food. It's not that I don't like to cook - I happen to love it - it's just that I don't often enough. Today, for instance, I had boxed mac 'n cheese for lunch. Last night, I dined on ramen noodles. And yesterday's lunch was pizza hut. Now don't be too haste in thinking less of me. The mac 'n cheese was organic and after my ramen, I ate a juicy local peach sliced up and dripping cream. The truth is, I'm still learning and working at being a more responsible, eco-conscious eater, like many of you out there, and aspiring to be more like you who are already there.


Along with my poorer choices as of late, I also managed to bake local acorn squash for the first time (I know!), cook local corn, and can and roast some local tomatoes (also for the first time). See, I'm getting there; and one day, I'll be making better choices when meal time arrives. But I still might satisfy an occasional craving of ramen noodles from time to time. I happen to like them on occasion as long as they don't make up a weeks' worth of dinners, because I've been there too.


To read about my adventures in canning and to check out my other blog, visit Meadowlark Farms - there may not be a farm yet, but there's a farm girl learning the ropes of homesteading and sustainable living all in preparation for the blissful day when she can use them on the land. Come learn with me, and by all means, teach me what you know!

Have you taken the polls yet? Well get to it! It's located at the column to the right. Here's the related article.

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