Running the Numbers

Running the Numbers: An American Self-Portrait I came across this interesting art installation (saw it on Thought Kitchen) and just had to pass it along. Be sure to read the amazing and disturbing statistics with each photo set. You can think about these numbers in your head, but to see it laid out in photo form is crazy. 2.5 million plastic bottles used every hour? That's just mind-boggling.

Home Alternative Home

Home. Just saying that word makes you feel so warm and cozy. However, the definition of home is different for everyone. It seems that in America, we get so stuck in the "American Dream" mentality...more and more people are buying homes that they cannot afford and sometimes homes that they didn't "need" in the first place. It's common in other countries to save up until you can buy a house outright...taking whatever measures necessary to reach that goal (living with parents, etc). There is an article on the history of mortgages here. And another interesting little fact: the word mortgage is from the Old French language and translates roughly to "death pledge."While it's true that real estate can be a wonderful way to create personal wealth, owning a home is not essential to a happy life. In fact, I would argue that being free from a mortgage makes life VERY happy :) While it's not always possible to be completely free of a mortgage or a payment for housing of some sort, there are housing options that cost much less than a traditional home AND are more earth-friendly. Here are some of those options:

Straw Bale A straw bale home is insulated with straw bales. They can be beautiful and elegant...as well as efficient. I have always wanted to take a straw bale workshop...we had actually signed up to go to Dancing Rabbit for a week and do that, but it fell through. I have plans to go there someday and learn. I would love to build my own house as we can pay for it...and do the labor ourselves. More photos here...this one is particularly fun.

Cob Cob is a mixture of sand, clay, and straw. You are able to mold it to your liking...which allows for great creativity in your space. They are so whimsical and lovely with the rounded edges. I love the feel. Here is a cob house in Mayne Island, BC...I am in LOVE with it. Can it be any cuter? Her main website is here which includes more cob resources. Yurts I love yurts. I've always been attracted to the round shape and the fact that they can be put anywhere. They can be extremely basic and off the grid, or they can be decked out...to the height of luxury. Although they can be just one large room, they can also be separated into different areas and can also have a loft. Yurts have been around for a long time...and are still used in Mongolia today. There is just something about living in a yurt that thrills me. I love reading stories about those who are doing it.

• Yurt Magic
• Rainier Yurts
• Pacific Yurts
• Colorado Yurt Company

A "Tiny" House Tumbleweed houses are so stinking cute...how could you not want to live in one?! If you buy their pre-fab models, the cost is quite high, but if you just buy the plans and build it yourself, they range from $4,000-$14,000. The B-52 Bungalow rings in at 500 sq. feet. Sounds just perfect to me! Check out this great little documentary about a lady who sold her "big" house and moved into a "tiny" house.

Living in Community Ask any of my closest friends...and they will tell you that "Yes, Sara wants to go live in a commune. She's crazy". :) But seriously. I do. But not a "let's-all-run-around-naked-commune" in the sense that you may be thinking. I want to live in close COMMUNITY with other like-minded people (it is often referred to as an "intentional community"). I would love to share gardens, share playgrounds, and share meals a few times a week (vegetarian, of course). I would love a community where everyone could have their own living space (preferably a cob home like Kate's :) ) There would be a large area where cars were not allowed. Bikes would be the preferred mode of transportation...and everyone would work from home. There would be lots of music, drumming, and singing...and people who like to think and talk a lot (if you've ever been in camping ministry, it's kind of similar!). Ahhh...so fun to dream. I love to read Communities magazine, the Intentional Community website, and dream about living in communities like this or this. When we were visiting our friends in Boulder, we met some wonderful people who were sharing a home to help make it more affordable. There was a married couple with a child, and two single guys. I loved that they were thinking outside the box...combining their resources to achieve their goals. Eventually, they want to acquire land in southern Colorado and build a community.

Renting And of course, another option to buying a traditional home is to rent. We love renting right now. We have a teeny tiny little rent payment (like our square footage :) ), and we've never been happier...knowing that we're not "tied down" by a house and that we don't have to work endless hours to make a payment. Renting allows a certain level of freedom that many are attracted to. I know that there are lots of compelling arguments about why you should buy your own house and stop renting. I've heard them...so please don't try to convince me :) I'm not AGAINST owning a home. There is a wonderful feeling that comes with making it your own and putting down roots. I'm not saying that we won't ever own again. I just want people to really examine WHY they are buying a home...and to look at all the options that are out there. When we were renting before, we said "we should just buy so we can stop paying rent". So we qualified for a loan, and bought a house (the house you see at the top of this post). It was a beautiful home and we were happy there, for awhile...but it was too big (in our eyes). but it wasn't the best for us at that time. And it costs money to maintain a home. And just because you can "afford" a certain home does not mean you have to purchase all the way up to the loan limit. Be smart and buy a house because it's the right decision for you and your family...and not because your cousin, your brother, and your brother's friend's sister's uncle is doing it. Just think for yourself. And of course, wherever you decide to call home...make it YOUR HOME...whether you are going to be living there for 1 month or 30 years.

Other resources: Mortgage-Free!: Radical Strategies for Home Ownership More Dancing Rabbit photos The Farm...one of the first intentional communities

Photo credits: Straw bale: Flickr/cer!se Cob: Flickr/the_usr Yurt: Flickr/emdot Tiny House: Flickr/ Telstar Logistics Living in Community: Flickr/lalallallalala

Disposable

I've been thinking trashy thoughts again. I have re-read Garbage Land and I've been putting my trash can under scrutiny...and I recycle everything I can. However, instead of focusing on reducing TRASH, I want to start focusing on reducing intake of potential trash into my house and life. Where is it all coming from?

Disposables: For the most part, I have gotten rid of all of the disposable products in our house. The occasional bottled water creeps in, especially after we've been traveling. I hate bottled water, but it tastes so much better than nasty gas station water in the middle of Wyoming! I carry my trusty Klean Kanteen bottle everywhere (and one for Bella too) and we fill it up whenever we can. I am going to focus more on this and try not to get caught "waterless". And for those of you who are buying bottled water for use at home...STOP! It creates so much waste (even if you are recycling). Instead, invest in a water filter. If you're like me and just like to have something cold to grab from the fridge, fill up empty glass bottles with filtered water and keep them in there. Bozeman just announced that it's not recycling glass anymore, so all of my old root beer bottles are now water bottles. Wine bottles work great too and make an elegant water pitcher when company is over!

I am also guilty of one too many disposable coffee cups in the trash. I have a harder time remembering my stainless steel coffee mug when I go to my local cafe, but I'm getting better. Most shops have no problem putting your drink into your own cup...and some will even offer a discount. That's great, but the discount is just pathetic. It's usually around 10 cents. 10 cents! It's just not very motivating. Now, give me 50 cents off my coffee and I'll never forget my re-usable cup. Chains like Starbucks and Caribou usually don't offer a non-disposable option...but many local cafes do. You may have to ASK for a ceramic glass, however, as most will give you a disposable cup by default. It's mind boggling to me to think of how much coffee cup trash I have been personally responsible for in my lifetime (case in point...the above photo is my cup from Sunday!). Here are a few stats on disposable cups. And a great article about how Starbucks could have saved the world.

Packaging: Have you ever REALLY paid attention to the hideous amount of packaging you bring home when you go to the store? I did an inventory of my kitchen...in search of items that I can buy without a package. Check out your own kitchen and see where you can reduce. An easy first step is to not bring anything into your home that is "single serving" or "single use".

• Cereal...will only be purchased in bulk. This will avoid the box that so quickly crowds my little recycling bin.
• Granola bars...will be made from scratch. Matt takes a Clif bar with him to work everyday, so I will TRY to start making them from scratch to avoid the box and endless wrappers.
• Condiments and misc...such as ketchup, butter, mayo, etc. I can make ketchup, mayo, and mustard from scratch (they are much tastier too!). I will examine all options when shopping for these types of items.
• Milk...most of the time I buy soy or almond milk in cardboard containers. I can make my own nut milks at home and put them in reusable glass containers.
• Much of what I purchase is already in bulk...spices, grains, flour, tea, etc. and I already have containers at home for them.
• Other types of packaging...such as that for craft supplies, etc. can be avoided by striving to buy used. The thrift stores don't have any packaging!

Paper: There is so much paper! It's everywhere! Whenever I can, I use an electronic copy of a document and try to avoid printing at all costs. The invention of email/internet was a wonderful thing to save paper waste. Of course, if you print out your emails or articles online, that kind of defeats the purpose. Receipts drive me crazy. I rarely keep them (unless it's a large purchase or I know I might return it). If all retail establishments, fast food chains, etc. would implement a rule to ask if you want your receipt before they print it...just think of all the paper saved! Around the house, be sure to use both sides of the paper, re-use envelopes, etc. for craft projects, re-use padded envelopes for mailing, and shred paper to use for packing boxes. And of course, RECYCLE. However, just becuase you CAN recycle something doesn't mean you should use it. It's best to not use it in the first place. Especially with paper because it can only be recycled a limited number of times, unlike glass which can be recycled endlessly.

I found an interesting little clip detailing our country's trash addiction. It's 19 minutes long, but worth watching. See it here. It is based on the book "Gone Tomorrow: The Hidden Life of Garbage". Their website offers lots of statistics:

• Packaging comprises the single largest category of household waste, taking up 30% of all landfill space in the U.S.
• About 80% of U.S. products are used once and then thrown away.
• More than 60% of waste in U.S. landfills could be composted.
• Methane gas, which is always produced by trash rotting in landfills, is 21 times more heat trapping than carbon dioxide; garbage presents a major global warming threat.
• Garbage production in the U.S. has DOUBLED in the last 30 years.

I have always been interested in the concept of "Zero Waste". I am inspired by communities who have taken the initiative to make hard changes. EcoCycle describes this in more detail and has lots of links.

San Francisco has recently banned plastic bags AND has proposed banning Styrofoam take-out containers. Go San Francisco! That's my kind of town.

The trash problem in the U.S. seems so overwhelming, but people are taking notice and changes are slowly being made. If everyone makes small changes, it will add up to a big change! What will you do to REDUCE your trash today?