SSS #3: It's In the Bag!

We're back under the blue roof with our next Small SMART Step: carrying your own bags to the store!

When I first moved to this area fifteen years ago, bringing your own bags to the store was viewed as extremely odd.  If I passed another shopper carrying his/her own bags, it almost always led to a smile, knowing that we had something in common.

Today, that has changed tremendously.  Each superstore in our area sells their own particular brand of bag.  I do have a few of these.  In particular, I do like the ones my grocery store sells which are insulated.  Very ice-cream friendly!

Carrying your own bags to the store is a great illustration for what are now known as the Three Rs:  reduce, reuse, recycle.   

Our society made the switch to plastic grocery bags rather easily, because it was easy to convince the public of the good of using a bag that could be recycled.  Many stores also provided boxes where you could return your bags to the store to be recycled.  Using plastic that could be recycled was a great first step, but the past 10-15 years have shown that we are ready to move beyond that.

The other two steps, reuse and reduce, take a little more thought.  Making the switch to cloth grocery bags involves reducing the demand for plastic when you refuse to take the plastic bag.  When you bring your bags each time you visit a store, you will reuse them many, many times. 

I have to admit, Fred was originally the leader in our cloth-toting relationship.  Especially when I was teaching, I would stop by the store on the way home---without my cloth bags.  My intention to bring bags to the store was good, but I had poor follow-through.  Later, when I was carrying babies into the store in the middle of winter, it seemed like a burden to think of carrying one more thing.  I admit, it wasn't until Jewel was about four years old that I became really serious about taking my own bags to the store.  How could I show that I was serious about making a difference if I wasn't willing to take this step?  (Plus, it helped that Jewel could be in charge of the bags, helping take them to the car, making sure I didn't forget them on our way in.)

Here's what I have learned along the journey:

• I carry twelve bags to the store each week.  Why so many?  Many bags make light work.  If I take only a few bags, my groceries may fit, but they'll be too heavy and awkward to carry. 
• Not all baggers appreciate or know the intricacies of packing cloth grocery bags.  And I'm a picky consumer.  So I've learned to give specific directions, such as "I brought more bags than you will need.  Please pack them light."  I also remember to line my items up on the conveyor in the order I want them bagged.  Anything that needs to stay cold goes first, then any boxes/jars, then any household cleaning items.  I also very politely take a stand against poor bagging, and explain (if needed) why I prefer my lettuce to be at the top of the bag.
• Carrying cloth bags isn't an "all or nothing" proposition.  (Here's your Small, SMART Step!)  Not everyone has 12 cloth bags to carry to the store.  But cloth bags have become more popular in recent years, and I'm willing to bet most households have two or three sitting around.  Next time you make a trip to the store, bring those two or three bags along.  In that small action, you will have reduced the demand for plastic, while reusing something you already own.
• Make it simple!  Tuba Boy and I have simplified the bag relationship even further.  After we come home and unpack the groceries, the bags immediately return to a position close to the front door.  During the days that follow, we remember to return them to the trunk of the car.  Thus, we never arrive at the store without our bags.  Here's a shot of our entryway.  Our bags are neatly folded inside my favorite bag from the Environmental Defense Fund, with the image of our Earth gracing the front.

(And I will admit, our entry rarely looks that neat.  Shoes were aligned for that shot!)

So...how many of you already carry your own bags to the store?

Thanks for joining me on the journey!
Grace
xxoo

Food & Friends

Are my children future producers?
Future consumers?
Both?

My Facebook entry this afternoon consisted of the following:

• "More than ever, I'm perceiving the need for an independent, possibly online, local/organic food advocacy network, possibly as part of a larger group geared toward sustainable living. Mostly thinking B. county. Does something like this already exist, and I just can't find it? Who would be in a good position (or would want to tackle) a compilation like this? Hmmm..."

My husband and I have talked about this for a long time, possibly ten years now.  Our city used to have a group that died out almost 15 years ago called the "Natural Living Group".  That name doesn't fit what I am envisioning, but I'm willing to bet that food was one of the issues they tackled.

For a little while now, small changes have been happening.  And I'm thinking the time is ripe for an independent food network.

Just yesterday, two of my friends (who don't yet know each other) posted on their blogs about their steps on the food journey.  I absolutely love that they come from two different backgrounds, yet they are seeking the same thing:  safe, healthy food for their families.

Deb, over at Happy Camper, recently had the opportunity to watch Food, Inc.  She also has a very young son.  Her perspective is that of someone who gardens, but wants to go even further to finding local (possibly organic) meat sources.

My friend Jenny can be found at Life at Goodness Grows Farm, a blog that includes her family's experiences as small farming meat producers.  She recently posted describing a factory farm system, contrasting that with her three years' experience raising layers and broilers.  Jenny also includes links to resources that she has found useful around the farm. 

Is it a coincidence that my friends posted (in different ways) about the same topic on the same day?  Possibly.  But I see this as a local indicator that the climate is changing, that people are becoming more aware about the food they choose to eat. 

Jenny just posted a link to my Facebook thread for a site based in Pittsburgh, http://yumpittsburgh.com/.  This is very much along the lines of what I was thinking, only for our area.  Another website I know of is http://farmtotablepa.com/.  Again, more geared towards consumers in the city. 

I know that "local" is often defined as being produced within 100 miles; however, I know that we have closer resources that few people are aware of.  One website where you can search by zip code is http://localharvest.org/.  I checked that one tonight, and it was updated in January, 2010.

Those of you who have experience, please weigh in.  I know that many of you support your local farms and markets.  Some of you ARE the farms and markets.  Please comment, if you can, on any of the following: 

• As consumers, how do the farms/market in your area manage publicity?
• As producers, do you advertise or rely on word-of-mouth?   
• Where should the average consumer search for information?

Thanks, as always, for joining me on the journey!
xxoo

I Guess I Should Explain

I really should explain.  Otherwise, it won't make sense at all.

For those of you who have been visiting my blog for some time, you'll remember that from the beginning I made the choice to be fairly transparent about who I am.  I never expected this blog to be anything but a journal for my friends and family.  Therefore, no need to conceal my identity.  ;)

And this is a little odd for me, because I like to think the best about everyone I meet. I truly believe that most people have good intentions. I believe in things like Random Acts of Kindness and paying it forward. And I believe in transparency in relationships.

Having said that, this blog has been visited by more people than I ever could have imagined, from countries all over the world.  That's exciting; I love thinking that what we are doing on our little piece of property might be helpful to another person.  In another way, I'm starting to feel responsible for privacy.  Not for myself and my husband, so much.  I've started to think more about my children and their right to privacy.

So yesterday, I explained this to my son and daughter.  Young Girl was very excited to choose a "Super Secret Spy Name", as she called it.  She would like to be called Jewel.  She tried to get her brother to choose the name "Batman".  I encouraged Young Boy to choose a name that said something about what he likes.  He chose "Tuba Boy".  (It's a long story, having to do with Veggie Tales.)

I was content to let it go at that, but Jewel was insistent that her mom and dad have Super Secret Spy Names too.  For her father, she chose "Fred", which has been my nickname for him since we met in 1993. 

For me, she chose "Grace".  I have no idea why.  I am not particularly graceful, nor am I always gracious.  I will attribute it to Romans 12:9, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

So there you go, the pen name process is complete.  Thanks in advance for understanding.

Ever on the journey,
Grace     (How weird is that?)

Look Beyond the Snow

My family and I have really enjoyed the heaps of snow this winter. However, the calendar says that this Wednesday is Ash Wednesday. So, whether we like the snow or not, the truth is that it won't be with us for much longer. The weather will begin to warm up and things will begin to change. So, as I stand and stare at objects under a thick blanket of white, I'm trying to be mindful and look beyond the snow.

Compost containers, waiting to thaw in the spring temperatures. Full of rich, organic matter that will help the garden beds take off running.




My terrace garden, waiting for seedlings. Home to 60-some second-year strawberry plants. Can't you picture all the white blossoms to arrive in May?




And a special treat, long before the garden comes to life:



No, these trees aren't marked for the chainsaw! About a month ago, Fred and I walked the property surrounding our house to mark 8-10 of our most promising maple trees.

In another month, the weather will have changed. The daylight will be with us just that much longer. The snow will be mushy and wet, not cold and powdery. Temperatures will crest above 40 degrees F during the day, only to dip below freezing at night. It will be a time of taps and buckets, of reverently receiving that which sustains the trees, all for the simple joy of refining it into maple syrup.

Can't you taste it now? Me too. So I'll wait a few more weeks. For now, I'll look beyond the snow.

"10 Outrageous Homes" (again!)

A friend sent me a link this morning that I'd like to pass along. If you are a fan of straw bale construction, you'll want to take a minute and visit this slideshow of ten beautiful homes. I found the spiral house in Denmark to be especially interesting.

http://realestate.msn.com/slideshow.aspx?cp-documentid=23420141&GT1=35000

Enjoy!

(*My apologies for anyone who visited earlier. The link was not correct, but it has been fixed!)

Knight in Shining Armor

Okay, maybe not shining armor. Maybe in Carhartt's...

...and astride an awesome John Deere!



All kidding aside, I was amazed to see this enormous snowblower tossing snow out of my driveway faster than a two-year-old can shovel sand out of a sandbox.

Amazed, and utterly grateful.

When I moved out to our rural neighborhood two years ago, we knew a few of the families in the area. One in particular, Mr. G., pulled his tractor in the driveway so my daughter could get a better look. As we visited over the next half hour, he mentioned several times how he thought the neighborhood was very friendly and that we would like living here. He couldn't have been more right.

More times than we can count, we have been the recipients of kindness. We have been invited to neighborhood picnics & potlucks. Neighbors invited us to go trick or treating with them so they could "introduce us around." I've been pulled out of a ditch more than once. And this latest kindness, being plowed out of 18 inches of snow, just confirmed what I already knew---these people win, hands-down, when it comes to Random Acts of Kindness.

My father calls them "the salt of the earth."

I consider myself blessed to count them among my friends.

Snow and Solar Gain

We woke yesterday to eighteen fresh inches of beauty.



Many posts ago I made the promise to tell you what we would choose to do differently if we were to build Haven again.

Here's the first thing I would consider changing:



Now, not the steel roof itself. I love the steel roof! I still adore the color I chose. (Which is good, since it will last a long, long time!) What I might modify is the cut we made in the roof along the front of the house.

Living in PA, we need every spare ray of sunshine to come inside our house (in the winter) for reasons of warmth and sanity. So we made the cut in the roof to allow the sunlight to travel in through the top row of windows.

However, it may have been a mistake to cut in as far as we did. In the winter, the roof warms up slightly, and the snow slides right off in one gigantic avalanche, resulting in a mountain of snow right in front of the French doors. (Note: we don't really use the French doors in winter. It's more just the point that we don't want snow piling up against any part of the house.)

But, coming back to our original reasons for cutting the roofline, if we had extended the front roof to match the overhang that surrounds the rest of the house, I wouldn't be blessed with this:

Gorgeous sunshine and deep windowsills! Could there be any better place to curl up and read? (Or sleep, if you are our cat!) I guess sunshine and passive solar win out, especially when I have a wonderful husband who is willing to move mountains for me!

For those of you who have some, enjoy the snow. Maple season is just around the corner.

The Half-Hearted Laundress

In my previous post I admitted that I dislike hanging laundry out in the cold months.

In the summer, I like to hang laundry. I like the way it smells. I like the fact that it reduces the amount of energy I use.

Having said that, I don't like being cold. Hanging wet laundry outside in the winter is cold. Not much can change that.

And so, I am hoping to one day own this little gadget:



From the website at Cast in Style:

"SAVE on Spiralling fuel costs and HELP the Enviroment…
Our 6 lath Victorian Kitchen Maid® Pulley clothes airer can help you negate the rising cost of your energy bills. Hoisted up to the ceiling it dries up to 45kg of washing by using the naturally warm rising air which becomes trapped in the ceiling space of your home. By using a Kitchen Maid® Pulley clothes airer instead of a tumble dryer you could save yourself more then the cost of an airer in a year. Not only can you save yourself a considerable amount of money you can also help the environment by reducing your carbon footprint. Your tumble dryer contributes to 0.15 Tonnes of carbon emissions a year!!"

Actually, I think I would like to own two! I can see them now, hanging way up high near the ceiling, bringing moisture to the winter air. Hmmm...



(I wrote this post around lunchtime---just after I had gone outside to hang laundry in 20-ish degree temperatures. I went back outside to take everything down around 4:30 when it began to snow. I definitely need/want these indoor pulley hangers!)