by Ann Bibby

A year ago my fiancé and I were attempting to pack my entire adult life plus my four year old daughter’s life’s accumulations into a 6 by 12 foot U-haul for our move from the Midwest to Alberta, Canada. For a solid month leading up to June 10, 2007, I sorted, purged and packed. The intake staff at the Goodwill knew me on sight and my niece was able to furnish her first post college apartment without ever setting foot in a store.

And despite the purging, I still own at this moment well more than 100 personal items. My daughter’s Barbie paraphernalia alone dwarfs my measly stash of stuff. Which leads me to wonder, could I pare down my life to a mere 100 possessions?

Could you? Read the rest of this entry »

Just today I was thinking about phthalates. Why? Because I attended a brown bag discussion called Toxic Tuesdays at our local library where staff from the Oregon Center for Environmental Health and a co-founder of Rachel’s Friends (think breast cancer prevention advocacy) discussed personal care products - mainly their (scary) ingredients and effects on human health.

Yikes is my general reaction. Turns out phthalates aren’t just limited to toys. Of course, they’re hard to avoid because they’re not labeled as phthalates. Why not? Because that would be far too clear, mamas, and in this country, the idea of a clearly written product label is about as likely as reasonably priced gas. But beyond the doom and gloom, I am glad to report that there’s actually some good news in all this! Read the rest of this entry »

I grew up on the east coast but married a gentle man and now live in the friendliest city ever (Portland, Oregon). So while I can thank the bus driver as well as the next person and hold the elevator door open for people miles away, I still have the potential to get REALLY ANGRY. Ever since I opened the newspaper on Saturday and saw the short article (in the Living section, already!) on Bisphenol A and - in a mini rage - tossed every Nalgene bottle I could find, I’ve been pissed. Why? So glad you asked.

1. Pissed that I unwittingly fed my babies breast milk in toxic bottles that may well cause cancer. In them.
2. Pissed that we’ve been drinking (oh so healthy) water out of toxic Nalgene bottles.
3. Pissed that every. single. can. of. food. in our pantry has an epoxy resin coating that is leaching crap into our food: beans, soups, mandarin oranges, and mini corns (god love ‘em). Who needs organic when you’re already dosing up on Epoxy, mamas? I mean, go ahead, toss in a little pesticide residue, what’s the diff?
4. Pissed that going to the store to buy a-n-y-t-h-i-n-g requires an advanced degree in toxicology or at the very least a few hours of extra time to research that I just. don’t. have. Is it too much to ask that I could, say, mosey up to the grocery store and leave with a bagful of items that won’t slowly kill me?
5. And SUPER PISSED that no-one seems to be doing much. And no, I don’t think the government should do all the heavy lifting for me, but in this case, I’m thinkin’ they need to be there, on the front lines, helping me avoid poisoning myself and my far more susceptible children.

OK, Phase I is over - anger. Time for Phase 2 - action. Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve been meaning to gloat since way back in April ‘07, when I did it for the first time. Buy nothing I didn’t need, that is. But I’m finally sharing my personal triumph because of an article I recently uncovered about buying only used stuff: Some simplify by saying bye to buying new. Inspired by the book Not Buying It: My Year Without Shopping, this (very admirable) woman quit buying anything new. Pretty cool, but the one MAJOR downside is that it takes time, a whole lotta time to find the good used stuff. And what parent has time to browse…all over town? Not this one.

So… instead of buying used stuff, we tried to buy no stuff. Eek. Not my preferred approach to life, but one my spartan husband aspires to. My husband had also been intrigued by the Buy Nothing authors. When asked if I were game, it took, oh, two seconds to say: You gotta be kidding. Me?

Read the rest of this entry »

In 1931 Scott Paper Company introduced the first paper towel roll>

Image source: Istockphoto

Growing up my mom did not use paper towels to the extent I do now. The ease of ripping a piece from the roll, wiping up a spill and disposing the paper into the trash can was something not to be ignored. The thought of whether or not a roll of paper towels was made from recycled materials or virgin wood pulp was not a concern. In the year 2008, the green movement is gaining momentum, and I am finally giving serious thought to my paper towel. Keep reading… Read the rest of this entry »

Today, as I sat in traffic I happened to notice something.  The plastic bag full o’ stuff from Target, that I was returning had a little message on it.  ‘10 Ways to Reuse Your Target Bag’.  Below the title was in fact, ten ways to reuse this bag if you decided not to put it in the plastic bag recycling bin after all.  

I was touched.  Really, I was.  I had not noticed this little list before and it made me feel all warm and fuzzy that Target was at least putting forth some effort to educate the public about reusing the multitudes of plastic bags we all acquire.  While I already use my bags for lining tiny trash cans, picking up dog “stuff” and as a lunch bag, I would not have thought to use it as a water balloon, kitty litter liner, or ice pack like Target suggests.  A toiletry tote bag? Who knew.  Aww, Target and here I thought you would rather me go inside your smartly decorated store and pick out one of your own spiffy designer travel totes.

I started thinking about all the ways I do use my plastic bags and what new ways I could. 

1. Padding in packages.  This is something my other used to do in my college care packages and I still do today.

2. Holding other plastic bags.

3.  Holding dirty laundry when on a trip.

4.  Using as a parachute for tiny toys.

5.  Covering plants in winter to protect them from frostbite.  My father did this as a landscaper in our own yard.

6.  Wrap up the packing materials that your raw meat comes in when you throw it away. It will reduce odor in your trashcan.

7.  To carry books to and from the library.

8.  As a gym bag- nicely totes those sweaty gym towels.

9.  A makeshift rain hat. 

10.  Put other recyclables in the bag to put out by the curb when your neighbor steals your plastic recycling bin. 

Once I began making this list in my head I realized something, big box stores are good for something, while what is on the inside may be mind-numbing and drool inducing, leading you to consume more and more stuff, their little plastic bags sure can make you think. 

I found a nice surprise at Target today: reusable bags! For a buck!

I found them in the dollar section in the front part of the store (do all Targets have this? I read something about how Targets in South Florida have had a ton of success with the dollar section). They are red, natch, and come all zippered up like a little cosmetic case. But when you unzip - poof! - a bag!

I scooped three up and may go back for more.

I’m impressed Target, I’m impressed!

I opened my mailbox the other day and was quickly annoyed.  No, it wasn’t my anger towards the amount of catalogs that clog that tiny metal box no matter what I do. It was the “letter” from the editor of Parents magazine that littered itself over the actual cover of the magazine.

This was not an actual letter. Oh no.  My subscription to the magazine was not about to expire either. It was a giant ad, a promotion if you will, disguised as a letter by the magazine for Arm & Hammer’s new line of laundry products.  Green, all-natural laundry products. Pffttt….

Is it just me or are there others out there who get mad when they see these new Eco-friendly products from large corporate giants stocking our store shelves?  I am incredibly skeptical of anything these giants do these days.  For years they have made chemically dependent products.  These companies have produced waste like nobodies business over so many years and promoted ‘naturally’ scented products that were just more chemicals on top of other chemicals and by-products.  Consumers ate it up despite the bold-faced lies.  I have a hard time swallowing it and thinking they have turned over a new leaf.

They still produce the same toxin chocked products but now they are offering ‘green’ ones as well. Great.  I guess I should be an optimist and see the light in this.  I should be happy that they have jumped on the green bandwagon and are now touting these new lines and making them more readily available to the consumer public.  Somehow though I’m not.  I see it as just another trend.  Not something they believe in.  Just another way to make another dollar. 

I’m offended by the “letter” used to by Arm & Hammer and Parents magazine to get my attention on a matter I see as long overdue.  Perhaps I’m too jaded.  I will stick with my products that are made by companies big or small that produce only earth-friendly products.  To me, those are the only people friendly products. Call me narrow-minded but part of my ‘going green’ lifestyle also includes giving my business to the little man, the local man and saying goodbye to the giant corporations who refuse to get with the times.  Are they finally hearing me?  Does anyone else feel this way or am I just the resident curmudgeon? 

This YouTube video is just a portion of this awesome film. It’s actually Chapter 5. But believe me, chapters 1-4 are also totally worth watching and if you go here, you can watch the whole thing from start to finish.

It’s about twenty minutes but it will be some of the most illuminating, eye-opening minutes you’ve ever spent watching any indie documentary. Show it to your kids and send the link to friends and family. Everyone in America should watch this film.

Don’t mind me.  I’m just the cantankerous old lady over here.  Think of me as a female Andy Rooney complete with my own, “I don’t know about you…” rant. So here I go.

I love reading the Sunday paper.  It is an activity I look forward to all week.  Especially the Metro section of the Post.  You know what I don’t love?  I don’t love when I read articles like this one.  Essentially, the article is about how busy our lives have become these days with work, family, work, and just life in general.  We don’t have the time to wait for the cable guy or ahem change the channel for our cat to watch Animal Planet (but only the non-traumatic shows) these days. It’s sad isn’t it?

I read this and I thought, WTF?! Really?  Too busy to buy a card for your family members?  We’re too busy to scrapbook our own lives? That is what really got me. We are outsourcing our hobbies.  I’m all for a little extra help like a nanny and yes, even a personal assistant if you can afford it, but where do you draw the line?  What happens when you stop living your life and start letting other people do it for you?

I wrote about this same topic at this time last year when I went to party with a bunch of old friends.  The talk turned to how many of us have cleaning companies clean our homes. We have dog walkers and sitters. We have our kids in daycare while we work.  Our groceries are delivered to our door and our prescriptions by mail.  Anything we want can be done for us with the simple click of the mouse or a call on the phone.  This is middle class life these days.  Yet we continually feel that we don’t have enough time for ourselves.   I guess that is where the outsourcing of hobbies comes in.  How is this possible?  Why can’t we stop and realize that other people are living our lives for us? Why can’t we see how sick this makes us as a society?

I don’t claim to have all the answers but I do know this.  As a country, America has the lowest vacation rateexcept for Mexico.   We spend more time in the bathroom per year than we do on vacation.  Which isn’t saying much since my recent public restrooms visits have almost always guaranteed that I am one stall away from an important call.  That is a whole other post unto itself.  What I can say is this.  We have let ourselves get out of control.  Is this a call to action?  Perhaps.  Maybe while we are reflecting this holiday season (in our work time commute while texting) we should all think about how we can scale back not just to help our wallets but our blood pressure, ourselves and our families. 

We got the dog to walk it ourselves and love it.  Not so someone else could.  If we can’t buy birthday cards for our own kids what kind of life are we partaking in? Not much of one. We are merely viewing it from afar.  That my friends is no way to live.