SpartanGazette

KT: Cards and Gifts

2007-05-21T18:23:00.000-07:00

It's funny, mom, that you should mention cards. This year for your birthday I tried something new-- a photo I took this winter of a fairy door in Ann Arbor (http://www.urban-fairies.com/). I sent it as a post card ...Happy Birthday! The homemade cards do take a several hours to make- from coming up with an idea, gathering materials, to making the card. Probably the cards are more wasteful than storebought cards because they are made from several different materials. So the homemade cards address the anti-consumerism part of our compact, but maybe not the environmental part.

Here's a question for you, mom. You bought a card for a family member with cancer. I am trying to envision how a homemade get-well card for someone with cancer would be received? Or a sympathy card? Most of my cards are whimsical and are given for birthdays and happy occasions. I suppose you could create a card appropriate for a sadder occasion but this compact has made me realize what narrow limits there are on acceptable behaviors for such occasions.

You could forego the card altogether. If the sick recipient in question is closeby, non-card options could include a visit, or even helping out with gardening, running errands, etc. If the person is out of town, it gets a bit tricker. A phone call is always nice, if the person is well enough to receive it. Any other ideas?

Last week, a bunch of friends decided to go in on a gift for a laid-up member of our running group. I suggested buying her a food basket from a local specialty deli. Turns out some other runners had already stocked her up on food for the next several weeks. The next suggestion was to buy her a t-shirt from a running relay race she had to drop out of. Am I really going to say no? I am taking her place on the relay!

What about sympathy sentiments? Options to replace cards or flowers? You could always donate money to a charity in honor of the friend or family member (although that would still involve a card, no doubt). Plant a tree? Any other thoughts??

Ingrid: When You Care Enough to Send the Very Best

2007-05-21T18:22:00.001-07:00

I fell off the wagon a bit--only a little. I bought a card for my brother-in-law who has lung cancer. It was my intention to use up my supply of about 12 cards (no get wells in the batch) and then to make them like Kristin does. She sent me a little cloth mini-drape last year when I made her some drapes for her living room. When I lifted the little drape, she had embroidered "Thanks" underneath. How perfect is that? On my last birthday she made a sun and moon card with some stars and various bugs and flora glued on to commemorate my life and the people in it. And--she wrote a long poem to me on the back. You can't get much more meaningful than that. (I can't wait to see what she does for my birthday this week.)

But this card for my brother-in-law seemed so perfect. It was very funny. But it was kind. Just the tone I wanted to strike in the card I would have made him. But I hadn't thought enough about the card-making venture. Somehow it seems easier to make cheery birthday cards than a get well card. But I'm a writer. If it's too hard for me, how can I expect anyone else to do it? Okay, Kristin, some questions for you: What kinds of cards to you make? How do you make them? How much time does it take?

KT: Packaging Promises

2007-05-14T16:49:00.001-07:00

When I started the compact I decided to give up all take out meals and bottled drinks because I figured, as a rule, packaging was bulkier and more wasteful for carryout items, especially since many carryout meals are packaged in multiple or bulky containers even if you skip the wad of napkins and plastic utensils. But since I have started to pay closer attention to food packaging, I'm not sure that's a logical place to draw the line.

I have always stayed away from over-packaged grocery store items, like some dried soups that come in plastic bowls, shrink wrapped, and then wrapped in cardboard. And those little individual packages of raisins. But what about 6-ounce yogurt containers? And boxes of cookies with the plastic insert tray?

At the taco place near my office, you can get a to-go burrito wrapped in a square piece of tin foil (when you ask for no bag & no napkins), and at the deli around the corner, I can carry out a sandwich wrapped in a piece of deli tissue. I can’t imagine packaging any lighter than that. And restaurants (though no doubt wasteful in many ways) do order food in bulk.

I occasionally peruse the bulk section at the grocery store but today I took a close look. Dried fruit, cookies, nuts, cereal, flour, sugar, couscous, rice… these are all things I plan to start buying in bulk.

An interesting side note, Walmart is putting pressure on its vendors— 66,000 of them—to reduce the amount of packaging they use and has promised to become “packaging neutral” by 2025. Here is the link, from the NY Times published May 12, 2007.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/12/business/12package.html

Ingrid: Consumerism in Your Face

2007-05-13T06:29:00.000-07:00

I had 4 hours to while away in Traverse City, Michigan last week. I walked from the bus station up and down 8 blocks of Front Street. There, I encountered every kind of shop you can dream up--tee shirts, sporting goods, candy, kites, luggage, jewelry, shoes, toys, kitchenware, hats, art, picture frames, 2 coffee shops and a several restaurants. I glanced in the windows of the shops but resisted going inside. A few were tempting--half price sales, going out of business. A really jazzy lime jacket caught my eye. It was me. But I didn't bite. Because it wasn't me anymore. I had a cup of tea and a biscotti. I walked for another hour and a half and had a salad. I realized, as never before, that this is what cities are all about--consumption. In this stretch there wasn't even a green area with a bench where I could sit down and people watch. It was buy, buy, buy, up one street and down another. Traverse City is a nice enough town. I even considered living here once. But stuff is everywhere. Consumerism is in your face. It's not just Traverse City. It's almost any city in America. I don't want to wake up and look at Chico's. I want to wake up and look at the sun.

KT: New House: New Stuff?

2007-05-07T17:28:00.001-07:00

I am buying a house, and moving into it next month. How will I avoid purchasing new items? I haven’t yet decided. A used hot water heater is not likely to be as energy efficient as a new one. And what if I want to install a garbage disposal? A composter for the back yard? I suppose you can buy almost anything used but how energy efficient will it be, how well will it work and how will it look in my new home? And how much time will I have to spend to find these items?

Here’s another thought. Say I find a bookshelf or futon on Craig’s list. How do I pick it up? I drive a very small car and can probably accommodate a small chair at most. There are only so many favors you can ask friends with trucks. And renting a truck is a huge hassle. I suppose some of these items can be disassembled but how would this compare to buying something new that comes in a flat box, packed with special assembly tools? Or to getting it delivered from the store to my doorstep?

I will ponder these things in the coming month. In the meantime, I’ll peruse these recycle/freecycle sites, which allow people to share free stuff with others. It’s amazing what you see for free on these sites… TVs, a digital camera, refrigerators, and other large and small items. I am finding more and more evidence of a growing community that cares about overflowing landfills and all the waste that many people don’t think twice about. Here’s two Web sites, the first is actually a Yahoo group that you must join to get access to (the link is to a local Ann Arbor Web site). The second is an international freecycle organization with many local branches in the U.S.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AnnArbor_eCycle/
http://www.freecycle.org/

KT: One Month In

2007-05-02T17:44:00.000-07:00

It’s been one month since we started the compact. No new stuff, no take out, no store-bought gifts, no pump soap or paper towels. I guess this is where I ‘fess up. I fell off the wagon last week. I had some fairly new trail running shoes, which fit fine for walking around but by the time I realized that they are too short for running, it was too late to return them. A necessity? Nope. After all, I already own regular running shoes. But trail shoes protect your ankles and feet from roots and rocks and uneven terrain, and I was getting ready for a half marathon on a very rugged trail. In the end, I decided it would be better to go off my diet than risk twisting an ankle. I felt a pang of guilt, but then got over it pretty quickly. After all, it’s not the kind of thing you can find at a thrift store.

But then on Sunday when I was running the trail race, I couldn’t help but notice all the runners who were wearing regular running shoes (including people who were sailing past me). I didn’t see any of them twisting an ankle. Did I really need those specialty running shoes for safety? It’s debatable. Comfort? I still had blisters by the end of the race!

Aside from the trail running shoes I have been pretty diligent about following the compact. One month in, I still feel withdrawal pains pretty regularly. I miss take out terribly. I am a bachelor and don’t love cooking. I do love my local salad bar, the occasional take-out pizza, to-go burrito, and the soup stand across the street from my office (he serves the best lobster bisque in the city on Thursdays and Fridays). And all those beautiful deli items! I threw myself on the mercy of a Whole Foods deli employee a few weeks ago, but could not convince her to allow me to bring my own container for their heavenly sesame greens (due to the health code).

Bottled drinks are everywhere and I didn’t realize how often I buy them. I am not a regular soda drinker, but I enjoy one occasionally. Especially now that it’s getting warm outside. But the thing I miss most is mineral water. The bubbles! I have stuck to the compact on these things and my guess is that I have saved a lot of plastic and glass in the past 30 days.

May is another month and it will be interesting to see what challenges it poses for my mom and I!

Ingrid: Junk Mail

2007-05-01T05:43:00.000-07:00

I don't order a lot from mail order catalogs but I seem to collect them. And I waste time looking at them. If there's a Pottery Barn catalog stuck in there with the bills I can while away an hour poring over the jute rugs and seashell bedding. And I stick them under the sofa so I can look at them again and waste more time. The past two weeks I have divested myself from the 17--seventeen!--catalogs that were in my house. I called every one of their toll free numbers and asked them to take me off their mailing lists. At one time or another I have ordered from about half of these catalogs but the others just came unbidden. In my quest to rid myself of junk mail I learned that if you've ever ordered anything online, from a catalog, used a credit card, made a donation, or have a magazine subscription, your name goes on various marketing lists. Direct marketers rent, trade and sell these lists and guess what? You get on lots of other lists.

I also found out that in our quest to sell more to more and more customers we spend a lot of money and waste a lot of trees. In 2005 more than $5.6 billion was spent on production and distribution of 41.5 billion pieces of mail ads. The junk mail industry destroys 100 million trees every year. I knew it was time to cut my link to this tremendous waste of time and energy (both real and psychic). I googled "stop junk mail" and found a number of sites that told me step by step what to do. Besides, stopping mail order catalogs, I was told how to take my name off marketing list. I registered with the Direct Marketing Association (www.dmaconsumers.org) to get off mailing lists. It costs $1 and will have to be done every few years but should cut down drastically on the junk mail even though I'll still get local mailings, mail from professional associations and political solicitations.

Finally, from now on, whenever I order anything or donate money, I will request that my name not be sold to other marketers. If the transaction is via mail, I will enclose this message in large letters, "Please do not sell my name or address."

Ingrid: Recycling and swapping in the Sunshine State

2007-04-23T17:23:00.001-07:00

Here's the scoop on recycling in the sunshine state. Most places around here have curbside recycling but if you're like me and live in a condo complex, you're on your own. So I take my cardboard, newspapers, bottles, plastic (#1 and #2), junk mail (including phone books) and aluminum to the recycling center down the road every week. There is also one store--Publix--which recycles plastic bags. I try to avoid these by using cloth shopping bags but still get a few here and there. I patronize Publix for this reason. The last time I was at the recycling center I saw a huge clump of plastic bags left there by people who had used them to drop off cans and bottles. I asked the manager if they recycled the bags. He said no. I was about to load them in my car to take to Publix but my husband intervened. (We were on the way to church.) I'll get them next time. They do not take steel cans anywhere nearby. Too bad. I just read that used steel cans are being shipped to steel mills to be melted down and reformed into car bodies and framing. Another interesting fact: Over half the polyester carpets manufactured in the US is made from recycled plastic bottles.

As for toxic waste, the St. Petersburg area has well-publicized mobile collections for paint, batteries, hazardous chemicals, electronics, etc. But, like you with the electronics, I am just realizing there is more hazardous stuff out there than I realized. We just had our thermostat replaced and the repairman handed me the old one to dispose of. "Is it okay to throw this away?" I asked. "Well, it does have mercury in it," he said!!!! And if I hadn't asked him I would have thrown it in the trash just like every other customer probably does.

We also have a Swap Shop in St. Petersburg. You can take paint, cleaners, gardening products and other household products and leave them for other people to use FREE.

More good news. I just returned from a 10 day biking trip in the Outer Banks. All our dinners were in restaurants but most of our lunches were picnics put together by our bike tour leaders. The bike tour, Sojourn Bicycling, is very low impact. They do not use paper plates and disposable tableware but the real thing. They collect the plates and silverware, take it back to the inn and wash it for the next day. I recommend them highly. They are really sensitive to Mother Earth.

It's great when families recycle. I love to see little kids at the recyling center pitching the plastic bottles in the bins. It's even greater when big business joins the effort. Last year, Nielsen Media Research, one of the largest employers in the country, started a recycling program for their 3400 employees. Employees are now recycling over 120,000 pounds of cardboard a year, office paper, aluminum, plastic bottles, CD's, cell phones, packing materials, etc. They also use recycled content toilet paper and paper towels. I'm impressed!

KT: Recycling special items

2007-04-22T16:53:00.000-07:00

Ann Arbor seems to have a pretty decent curbside recycling program. Like a lot of people, I do an OK job at recycling the most obvious items like plastic containers with 1 or 2s on the bottom of the container, glass jars, metal cans, paper, cardboard and newspaper. But last week an e-mail came through with information about a weekend electronics and computer recycling drive at a local high school.

I had honestly never considered recycling electronics; in fact, I had just thrown out a broken CD player. I didn't have anything to recycle this weekend (probably because I had been throwing these items out), but it got me wondering about year-round recycling stations that accept these types of items. I looked into it by doing a Google search for "recycle electronics Ann Arbor," and it turns out that during business hours Monday through Friday a local recycling dropoff station recycles not only electronics, but many other items not accepted from curbside bins (http://www.recycleannarbor.org/recycling/recycling.htm).

Special items recycled at the dropoff station for no charge include cell phones, rechargable batteries and styrofoam (packing peanuts and egg cartons). They also recycle toxic items at no charge, including fluorescent light bulbs, pesticides and weed killers, paint thinners, solvents, varnishes, mercury thermometers, and other "home toxics."

The center charges a fee for recycling computer CPUs, monitors, and other computer equipment, printers, TVs, other electronics, motor oil, brake fluid, transmission fluid, antifreeze, batteries, oil filters and propane tanks. Fees range from $5 for printers, VCRs, stereos, and microwaves, to $50 for a big-screen TV. They also recycle car tires ($3 per tire) and truck tires ($15 per tire). What do you know about recycling these items in Florida, Ink?

KT: Race packets & t-shirts

2007-04-18T13:48:00.000-07:00

I love running and get a big kick out of running races. There are so many unique races in Michigan-- this winter I ran "The Winter Wolf" in Omer, the smallest town in Michigan, in six-degree weather, at night, with a headlamp, through the woods. "Wolves" jumped out at runners at various points along the way, and finishers enjoyed homemade chili (prepared by the race director's mom) and received hand-painted awards made from logs. I often make a vacation of races held out of town. Next month, I am signed up for a race in Ottawa; while we trot along the Rideau River we'll get an eyefull of the 100,000 tulips that are part of the May Ottawa tulip festival. Trail races, road races, summer races, winter races, I enjoy them all.

But after a while, the race tee-shirts add up. And not all of them are stylish. Do I really need another race t-shirt? Nope. But they keep giving them to me, along with "goodie bags" which contain samples of products and product information from race sponsors. My last goodie bag contained a sample of some energy bars, a sample of some special laundry soap "specially formulated" to wash running clothes (give me a break), a couple of other product samples and a bunch of flyers and ads about upcoming races, and running products. I ate one of the sample-sized energy bars and the rest of the stuff went into the trash.

One of my goals for the compact was to ask some local race directors if they woud be wiling to make "goodie bags" and tee-shirts optional for registering participants. While these items should be offered to those who want them, making them optional would reduce environmental impact and it would save the race money, along the time and labor of distributing these items that many people end up throwing away.

I asked my running coach who also directs local races here in Ann Arbor about adding a check-off box on the registration form, and she was very receptive to the idea. In fact she's going to incorporate "stuff optional" into her next race. She loves the idea because it's a win-win situation from an environmental and economic perspective. She hadn't heard of any races already putting such a policy in place, however, my guess is that some races must be going "stuff optional" at this point. Hopefully others will follow!

Ingrid: No Gifts, Buried Stuff

2007-04-12T10:28:00.000-07:00

My first "no gifts" challenge came yesterday when we received an e-mail from dear friends announcing the birth of a grandson. These are friends who instantly mailed gifts for each of our 3 grandchildren when they were born. I found an appropriate card from a small assortment I have on hand (purchased "pre-compact"). I wrote our congratulations and best wishes and briefly considered writing a note of explanation. Something like "As you see, there is no gift enclosed for Baby Brady due to my commitment to reducing the negative global impact of consumerism." Naw. Too pompous. Truth is, Baby Brady will receive an avalanche of gifts from friends like us and from a huge assortment of doting relatives. Our card and our congratulations are enough. And I feel just fine about it.

Another challenge arose in conjunction with my precious sling chair in which I hang upside down every day out on my porch. The stool I use to get into the chair is unstable, threatening to pitch me over the railing and 40 feet down. What I needed was a smaller, sturdier stool. K-Mart would have one. So would the Sunshine Hardware across the street. But no dice. No more dashes over to the Sunshine Hardware for me. I considered The Salvation Army, thrift shops, garage sales. But I might waste days and gallons of gas looking in those places. However my son and daughter-in-law live just down the street and have a big house crammed with stuff. I went over and nosed around in their garage. Sure enough, I found a small, sturdy folding table, just the right size.

When I asked if I could have it, my son agreed cheerfully. Because he didn't even know he had it! How much stuff do we all have buried under other stuff?

KT: Phosphates in dishwasher detergent

2007-04-08T16:56:00.001-07:00

One of my goals for the Compact was to switch to earth-friendly cleaning products. I had already been using earth-friendly all-purpose cleaner, glass cleaner and dish liquid. I figured that after switching to an environmentally friendly laundry soap (almost anything has to be better than what I use now-- Tide), I'd be pretty eco-friendly. To be honest, I hadn't even considered my auto dishwasher detergent until last week, after a friend forwarded a Chicago Tribune article (http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/health/chi-0704030813apr04,1,7974586.story?ctrack=1&cset=true) about how phosphates, contained in most major dishwasher detergents, are harmful to the environment.

Apparently, the phosphates, which end up in our lakes and rivers, aggressively promote the growth of algae, which suck up all the oxygen causing fish and other aquatic life to die. Here is a statistic from the Chicago Tribune article: Just one pound of man-made phosphates washed down the drain can stimulate the growth of 500 pounds of algae downstream.

According to the article, the highly-rated phosphate-free dishwasher detergent brands include Seventh Generation, Ecover Natural and Trader Joe's. I picked up some TJ's brand detergent and it works just as well as Cascade, which I was using before.

In case the link to the Chicago Tribune article does not work, you can search for it online "Banned in Chicago. . . but available in stores. Phosphates were outlawed in '71, but Daley isn't enforcing dad's law with dish detergents" The author is Michael Hawthorne, and it was published on April 4, 2007.

Ingrid: Florida produce

2007-04-05T11:34:00.000-07:00

I have been investigating my produce options down in Florida as well. You would think living down here that I would be awash in local produce. There are lots of oranges, grapefruit and strawberries but the produce stand across the street carries spinach and greens from California (hardly local). She says she sells local "whenever possible" but I think I'll try the Saturday market in downtown St. Pete. I used to shop there and stopped because of the drive (about 15 minutes). I'd love to find some greens that are local. Asparagus season is just over here so that's out but there are still lots of green beans and zucchini. My husband and I have given up grapes but he will never give up bananas.

KT: Michigan produce

2007-04-02T16:23:00.000-07:00

So today I checked to find out when I can expect to start buying my produce locally. As I suspected, it will be a while: very end of May, beginning of June. [Mom: what are you eating down in Florida? What do you plan to do when you get back up to Michigan?] Right now, the People's Food Co-op in Ann Arbor sells Michigan apples. Well, I guess I'll start with those. I do happen to love apples. I also telephoned farmers Paul and Anne at the Community Farm of Ann Arbor (http://www.communityfarmofaa.org/) who provide produce from their farm for the entire summer for a flat fee. The produce is delivered to the Ann Arbor farmer's market every saturday for pickup. It's a lot of produce (and over $900 for the season, which isn't bad all told but a lot to fork over all at once), so I'm planning to split it with a friend. Going to the farmer's market every Saturday, will also be a great habit- easy to pick up other locally produced items (honey, eggs, meat...).

KT: Why I'm doing this...

2007-04-01T17:45:00.000-07:00

Not long after the holidays (January, 2007), I read an article by Michael Pollen in the New York times called "Unhappy Meals" (http://www.michaelpollan.com/article.php?id=87) about the disconnectedness of American consumers from the food they eat. Pollen makes the point that our decisions about what to eat are not guided by cultural values and traditions, like in most other countries, but by the media, nutrition researchers, and how they act synergistically to shape our perceptions about what we should eat.

[ASIDE: This quote really resonated with me -- I'm a nutrition researcher myself-- about the pitfalls of trying to isolate single health-promoting components in food, as opposed to a whole-foods approach:

"It's also important to remind ourselves that what reductive science can manage to perceive well enough to isolate and study is subject to change, and that we have a tendency to assume that what we can see is all there is to see. When William Prout isolated the big three macronutrients, scientists figured they now understood food and what the body needs from it; when the vitamins were isolated a few decades later, scientists thought, O.K., now we really understand food and what the body needs to be healthy; today it's the polyphenols and carotenoids that seem all-important. But who knows what the hell else is going on deep in the soul of a carrot?"]

Pollen's article really started me thinking about the industrialization of our food and the price we pay for being so far removed from the food chain-- from a taste, health, environmental and economic standpoint. The article lead me to some other reading about the Slow Food movement (a reaction against Big Food and fast food that started in Italy but has spread across the world), which inspired me to make a small change in my own life-- I gave away my microwave. To be honest, this wasn't an enormous sacrafice; I hadn't exactly been living on microwave dinners. But I felt like I was, in a tiny way, taking a stand against Big and fast food.

After liberating myself from my microwave, I felt lighter and liked the idea of simplifying my life... I got rid of my TV, just to see how much I would miss it. I didn't. And my living room no longer had a television as it's centerpiece-- even when it was off, it had been the focus of the room (and now that space is filled with magazines and clutter, which isn't really a ton better, but conceptually it works for me).

My mom told me about the "The Compact," (see http://sfcompact.blogspot.com/) an agreement to buy nothing new except essentials, in an effort to confront consumerism and also to reduce environmental impact. She proclaimed that she planned to make her own compact and do it for a year. A year! I thought it was a great idea, but that was too big of a commitment for me. I talked her into trying it out for three months together. She agreed and here we are, on day 1.

Ingrid: Why I'm doing this...

2007-03-30T14:02:00.001-07:00

My biggest concern in making this commitment was the effect of consumerism on my grandchildren (ages 4 and 2) and on all children growing up in this country. We are bombarded by images to buy, to consume, by the notion that happiness equates with having ipods, laptops, cars, the right look, the right smell, the right clothing. But I have experienced for myself how desire for a pair of green shoes can take over my mind. Or how I can waste an hour poring over a J.Jill Catalog for things I don't need now and never will. Shopping as entertainment is an experience that cuts me off from real happiness, from real entertainment--playing with my grandchildren, watching sunrises and sunsets with my husband, doing yoga. The challenges of this compact with Kristin will be to give up shopping with my women friends--something we almost always do when we get together, especially when we travel. It is hard for me not to buy books and magazines but I hope this experience will send me to the library more often. Not having my hair cut for 3 months might be a real challenge too. It is unruly! I did buy a year's supply of my moisturizer just before Day 1. Making this commitment within my marriage is a challenge too. My husband does not share my commitment and thinks I'm more than a little weird. And there are some things he will never give up. He loves Kleenex! But after 41 years he's accepted my weirdness (and I've accepted his).