From the Kindle

Awhile back Pete won a kindle. Today I am taking it for a test drive on the train. I am actually writing this blog on the kindle.

From an environmental standpoint this little machine helps to save the paper that goes into making books. From an economic standpoint the books purchased are cheaper once you pay for the kindle. From an enthusiasm standpoint I am blogging from the train and dont have to pay for service.

On the other handyou cant lend your friend your favorite book. You cant keep your books on a shelf in your living room. And you cant write in the margins and post it note your favorite parts.

The kindle does not replace books. But it does help pass the time on the MBTA.

A Summary of Summer

All of the sudden the summer is over. I am not quite sure when this happened, but yesterday it was pretty chilly outside, and it hit me that is was fall. I haven't posted must since we moved into our new apartment in July. But a lot has happened since then.

• We managed to build our Ikea furniture, and fill all of those shelves and ingenious space.
• We went to the beach
• Pete killed multiple centipedes in our apartment, and I learned to get over that they sometimes shared our space.
• I learned how to ignite the pilot light on our ancient stove.
• We continued to buy foods made from whole ingredients, although, I have to admit, we had our share of potato chips and burgers at some great summer barbecues.
• I learned the pros and cons of traveling for work.
• Pete learned how to break into our apartment when I locked him out.
• I bought a natural shampoo and conditioner that doesn't make my hair greasy
• I got lost in Boston at least twice.
• We both realized the importance of the little things and were reminded of the big things during some tough times.
• We also learned the importance of long lasting friendships during some great times.
• My mom took me to Higgins Beach where my Great Grandparents used to live.
• My sister made grilled Pizza (it is an amazing thing).
• We did our best to unplug our electronics when we were not home and we finally purchased no one but two microwaves, against my better judgement...although so far I have used it more than Pete has.
• I developed a budget and have stuck with it for half a week so far.
• Pete blew his budget buying me flowers and taking me to dinner, and then getting his car towed...oops.
• I taught the girls how to make homemade raviolis.
• We started watching The Event, and wished it was actually Lost instead of just pretending to be Lost.
  
• We walked all over the city on sunny Saturday afternoons
• We fell in love with Boston

We didn't always live up The E Standard. Sometimes we failed miserably. It is a lot harder to uphold The E Standard. But we tried our best this summer, and had a lot of fun doing so. I will keep at it and let you know how I do in the fall.

Is Ikea Okay?

Now that we are in our new apartment, Pete and I have noticed that we have a lot more stuff then we do shelves and cabinets. So we think about the options to remedy the situation and land on a trip to Ikea. The problem with this is there is some guilt....we bought brand new things from a huge department store who certainly makes a large impact on the environment. On the other hand, we bought a decent amount of items, that exactly matched our needs and did not make a very big hole in our pocket. On top of that we were able to get this all done fairily quickly, because everything we needed was in one place.

My dilemma...was Ikea the right choice? Environment over Economics.....E vs. E

I could employ the tie breaker method, was I enthusiastic about it? This would make it two Es against one. But I do not know if that is the right way to go about it.....

How do I decide what falls in line with my Standard and what doesn't without letting myself off the hook all the time?

Taco Bell and Greasy Hair

I have noticed that I do not have a very consistent life. My pendulum swings way out to the left and then all the way to the right, until I am finally settled into the middle only for something else to give it a big push again. I was getting settled before we moved. I cooked on Sunday's so I wouldn't eat take out, walked to the grocery store so I wouldn't cause pollution, and started using as many sustainable products as possible. Just when I thought I had my new life down, we up rooted all my plans and headed for our new place, giving my pendulum a big push.

It has been one week since I have moved into my new apartment. Filled with all of the good intentions in the world I packed up my baking soda and bread tin and set off to live my E Standard Life. Funny thing about setting a standard for yourself, all the sudden it is extremely enticing to break the rules. Like a adolescent teenager, I found I was purposely putting myself in all of the wrong situations. Mowing on taco bell and and blasting my AC, I was certainly not the poster child for sustainability. to top it all off, our oven broke (no home cooked meals) and my baking soda shower was making my hair greasy.

My inner pendulum was swinging out of control. But I have to admit, this wasn't because it was too difficult to maintain a an E standard of living while moving, it was because it was much more fun to let it swing back and forth a little and be a little lazy. Of course, my goal is to live up to the standard that I set for myself and so although Ifailed this test, I am giving myself another shot.

Now, I am back on track. We are almost fully moved and Pete even fixed the stove (without it blowing up!). I walked to get my groceries the other day and plan to make a yummy dish with the giant zucchinis from Mr. Buteras's garden.

Coming Clean and Getting Clean: The Joys of Baking Soda

To start my sustainable cleanliness project I began with my hair. First off, I have really thick, long, hair and I spend most of my time in the morning trying to wrangle it into some sort of professional looking do. Like most people I use shampoo and conditioner in the morning to get my hair clean and manageable. Being the cheap-o that I am, I buy the most inexpensive brand...it is not organic, all natural, or even close to being biodegradable. Each bottle has around 16 ingredients and most of it goes straight down the drain.

My shampoo and conditioner do not live up to The E Standard and so I search for an alternative. There are many all natural organic products out there. But nothing was as cheap as my less than $2 a bottle brand. However, one product proved to be both economically friendly and complete environmentally compatible…Baking Soda!

Here is what I do…..

1. Get hair wet

2. Sprinkle a small pile in hand

3. Work through hair

4. Wash out

It will not lather, it will not smell like a botanical garden, and you will not have a shower orgasm from using it, but it will clean your air. And, because it is not stripping your hair of natural oils and tangling it up with all that lather, I find that I don’t even need conditioner as much.

(For an equally sustainable conditioner, use a small amount of apple cider vinegar and work through hair, use sparingly, and wash out – the smell subsides)

In addition to making a great shampoo, I also found that I can use baking soda to brush my teeth (just put a little on the toothbrush) and wash my face (makes a great exfoliate and works well with mild acne such as mine).

It is also great at washing fruit, getting scum off of dishes, deodorizing laundry, and many more things…

Arm and Hammer breaks down all of Baking Sodas many uses on their website http://www.armhammer.com/myhome/. Be advised they suggest using baking soda with your shampoo, I say ditch the shampoo and stick with the good stuff.

Coming Clean and Getting Clean: Introduction

Alright, you have caught me. I don't really live a sustainable life yet and I have come to realize that old habits die slow. A few weeks ago I was in the shower, where I do my best thinking, and it dawned on me that it takes a lot of products to get me clean. I mean I have two products for my hair, hand soap, body wash, face wash, toothpaste, deodorant, and moisturizer. Then once I get out of the shower after being practically chemically sterilized, I put on cover up, blush, eye shadow and lipstick. And, if I am to walk outside, I need an extra layer of sunscreen and bug spray.

That means I put on about 12-14 different products every time I get ready in the morning, each containing countless chemicals which go down the drain and into our water and air systems. It also means that I am contributing to the waste produced by the packaging and shipping of each of these products, not to mention the hole it has burned in my wallet (CVS rewards card or not).

This seems like a bit much to get ready for the day. Am I really that dirty? In light of this sudsy revelation I am starting a new series called Coming Clean and Getting Clean. This series will describe my attempt to navigate the world of sustainable cleanliness as I put my hygiene routine up to The E Standard.

Things to Look Forward to:

1. The Joys of Baking Soda
2. Using Vinegar without smelling like Vinegar
3. Minty Fresh...in all the right places
4. Mind your own beeswax
5. Breakfast Face