Day 17: Dinner With a Side of Politics

Last night the BF and I met at Nature Mart to pick up some needed additional bulk goods. We got pasta, cereal flakes, raisins, almonds and oat bran. They were out of unsulfured molasses and olive oil so I'll go back next Tuesday or Wednesday to pick those up.

Afterwards, since we really haven't eaten out since this whole blog began (which is a seriously long time for us) we decided to go eat at Tropicalia Brazilian Grill. Despite having a very limited vegetarian selection, I would recommend this place to anyone I know.

As a side note, I was vegetarian for about 15 years and have slowly moved into being a flexitarian. That means I don't usually eat meat at home, but will totally eat limited amounts of meat at restaurants, friend's houses, etc...

I was ravenous and ate all of my braised pork with fresh veggies and tomatoes over fried polenta. My BF ordered the huge Salad Brasileira with steak and was only able to eat about 1/2 of it.

Oh no! What do we do? Do we leave it and waste all that good food? Do we take the plastic take out container? Wait! I have my upcycled milk jug lunch container with me! SWEET!

It worked perfectly, but I do have to admit that I felt a bit embarrassed about pulling it out of my bag, filling it up and stashing it away again. What is that about? My answer came in a bit of a political going off...

What does it say when we are so willing to throw away something as highly manufactured and designed as a plastic take out container? Think about it.

• the oil has to be drilled, refined and made into plastic
• someone has to design, and test the package
• the package has to be manufactured on a special machine
• it has to be packaged in bulk and shipped out to the restaurant

That's a lot of work for something most of us are just going to throw away. If all that work has no value, what work is valued?

If we buy a head of lettuce for $1, do we value the fact that each head is hand harvested? (Did you even know that? Lots of our food is hand picked.)

If we buy a pair of $5 shoes from any number of stores, do we value the fact that it probably took at least 10 different people to make those shoes?

Do we value the amount of gas that was used to ship our cheep goods here from all across the globe?

How are a $5 shoe and a $1 head of lettuce even possible then? Through exploitation of workers, through exploitation of the earth. You know it, I know it, but it's worth thinking about again, especially when your ego is taking a hit for being frugal.

Day 16: Waste Tally

Transportation

• walk to train to carpool with two people
• carpool with two people to train to home

Solid Waste

Reuse

Recycle

• junk mail (grrr!--anyone know how to stop recieving those store flyers?)

Compost

• 1 tea bag wrapper
• 1 tea bag

Trash

• average amount of TP

Day 16: No Impact Man

Last night we watched No Impact Man. It's a pretty good little film about one guy in New York City who, with his wife and child, try to live no impact for a year. They start out by cutting their trash to zero (they consider recycling the same as trash). They remove all chemical cleaners, and body products from their home, including the wife's makeup and birth control, and at about six months, they shut off their electricity and live by sun and candle light.

This is a pretty extreme way to go, and he admits it, but it's so great to see someone in another hugely wasteful urban environment that has tried a similar experiment. Despite a number of failures they encounter and a few cheats they employ, I think it was a worthwhile year.

Check out the trailer:

I guess sometimes you don't appreciate the simplicity of things until you really have to do without.

Day 15: Waste Tally

Transportation

• Dropped off at work
• Carpool with one other person to train to walk

Solid Waste
Reuse
Recycle

• 1 tin can
• 1 small tin can
• 2 pages of newsprint
  

Compost
Trash

• a small ball of packing tape
  
• average amount of TP (10 squares)
  

Day 13 / 14 Waste Tally

Transportation

• Drove: home to work to Agoura Hills (41 miles)

Solid Waste

Reuse

• paper ice cream pint

Recycle

• outer plastic from fig newtons
• inner plastic from fig newtons

Compost

Trash

• 1 waxed butter wrapper
• average amount of TP

Day 13: Saturday is Project Day

I'm getting all kinds of domestic up in here. I woke up about 8a and was struck with a wild hair to make chocolate.

Let me just say to all of you that have this idea yourselves one day: I had to wash each dish at least twice, if not three times to get all the butter and coco mess off. BUT, I found a cool use for some of those plastic lids. Chocolate molds! Yeah, check it out.


Isn't recycling delicious?

Day 11 / 12: Waste Tally

Transportation

• Drive: home to work and back (54 miles)

• walk to train to carpool with 1 person
• carpool with one person to train to walk

Solid Waste
Reuse
Recycle

• 2 plastic portion cups from CRAVE
• 1 glass wine bottle

Compost

• 1 teabag

Trash

• plum sized ball of tape
• average amount of TP