Why Can't I Quit You? Reducing the trash in my life

I am majorly inspired by the Zero Waste Home Blog, even if my cluttered, un-minimalist soul disagrees with their house's color scheme ;)

What I am doing to:

1. Reduce

• I'm paying attention to what I buy and what it comes in! I'm trying to buy less (do I really need that thing?) and to buy things in reusable, recyclable, or compostable containers.
• Somethings in life are free and trash. I've stopped my junk mail, and I say no to free packets and return pamphlets after reading.
• I'm trying to avoid plastic bags. I make plarn, but I can get plenty from friends and family who aren't trying to avoid them.
• I'm also avoiding the dollar store, if I can. Dollar stores are often aren’t cheaper per ounce and have SO much excess packaging.

2. Reuse

• I'm sticking to my usual repurpose, upcycle, and donate cycle. Goodwill is my friend.

3. Recycle

• I know my local rules and am sticking to them.

4. Sneaky Trash

• Straws at restaurants. Sometimes I can't stop the server from giving me one. This is harder than it seems it should be!
• Fast food is full of sneaky trash, so I'm avoiding it.
• Bring your own leftover box to restaurants. I haven’t tried this yet. 
• Bring mesh vegetable and bulk goods bags to the grocery store. I just bought some lingerie bags from the dollar store for this. I should have made my own or bought fair trade, organic ones but right now I'm all about the baby steps.
  
  
  
  
  Keep at it!
  One or twenty setbacks does not a failure make!
  
  
  Disclaimer:  It’s hard to “buy less” when you’re barely making ends meet. If you are living paycheck to paycheck, and all you can afford is fast food or things from the dollar store, please disregard my advice. Feel free to submit your own suggestions in the comments, though!

Change is Hard!

I really dislike all those articles about “X Easy Things You Can Do to Help/Save/Green the Environment!” Yes, everyone should be recycling, saving water, using less energy, but that’s the baseline. We need to go beyond our comfort zones. Not everyone can run away from consumerism and go live in an Earthship. I know I can’t (though I want to!). 

There’s a really great passage in No Impact Man where Colin describes how hard it is to change your habits, on a personal, national, and global scale: how every moment is a challenge the first few days and weeks. It takes about a month to change a habit. It’s usually a really hard, awkward month, too. But if you can stick with it, then the going gets easier. 

So my challenge, to you and to myself, is to pick a habit or two a month and change it. One of the major challenges is giving up. Even if--when--you backslide, you have to get back on the horse. It’s a brief setback, not a failure.

    My habits to change for this year are:

• Reducing the trash I produce
• Making and using cloth pads
• Buying all used or fair trade clothing
• Fair Trade Electronics
• Natural hair and skin care
• Starting an animal and wildlife rescue fund
• Getting started with passive solar
• Insulating the house

This month, I’m going to make and use cloth pads and reducing my trash. What are your goals? What are you going to pick first?