Personal Goals... have you formed any yet?

As I read--no, devoured--my copy of No Impact Man, I felt personal goals forming deep in my brain. It wasn't a conscious process, but it felt like an inevitable consequence of reading about Colin's experiences; so much of the life philosophies he pondered resonated with me.

Above all others, two major personal goals rose to the top for me:

1) Stop treating resources as disposable.
2) Make my diet more sustainable.

I've already posted about how I began making my own yogurt at home. (If you've yet to try it, you're missing out.) I also started making my own bread from scratch. Now, making yogurt is EASY! I discovered that making good bread is NOT! It seems that success or failure mainly lies in kneading the dough. There are TONS of different "ways" to knead bread dough and the truth is, none is better than another (many people will vehemently disagree with that). Do a youtube search on "how to knead bread." You'll get a thousand videos. Chose a technique you like the looks of and use it. The real trick--the difference between success and failure--is learning what the dough "feels like" when you've kneaded it long enough. Most of the youtube videos will tell you what to look for and what to feel for, but I will warn you that you will be very, VERY tempted to quit kneading before it actually happens. Why? Because your arms are going to feel like they're about to fall off and you'll curse having ever tried this. Don't quit!! It might take you 10 minutes before the dough "transforms," or (if you're weak like me) it might take you 20 minutes, but KEEP GOING!!

It took me several attempts before I got a light, nicely risen, delicious tasting loaf, but now that I've figured things out, I don't think my family is ever going back to store bought bread. I use the recipe for "Milk Bread" taken from the Joy of Cooking. If you don't give up in the kneading process, it will be so worth it to try this for yourself! You can brag that you successfully made a delicious, all natural, non-digestively-toxic loaf of bread.

Okay, my second goal was to stop treating resources as disposable. You'll see me with my nalgene bottle for my TAP water around school this fall. I am consciously abstaining from drinking the Poland Springs water that was trucked to Pingree. I have my metal fork, spoon, and knife tucked into my desk drawer at school for days when plastic utensils are put out at lunch. I might even add a plate, but haven't decided about that yet. I made a whole bunch of cloth napkins for my family so that we could stop using paper napkins and paper towels at home, and I have one tucked away with my metal utensils at school that I will TRY to use every day with my lunch. Here's a pic of my cloth napkins, by the way.

That's a piece of zuchinni bread in the background.

My point in writing about all of this relates to No Impact Man in this way: I've decided to try to change MYSELF, MY behaviors. Rather than trying to get everyone else to "do the right thing" as it were, I'm going to choose my own goals and try out some solutions for myself. I urge everyone who read this book and felt it resonate to do the same. Don't wait to see what other people are doing. Brainstorm your own solutions and try them on to see how they feel.

Beware of the BAG!!!

Here is a cool video about plastic bags. It is humorous, but the topic is no joke! Next time you go to the grocery store try to remember your reusable bags. By not using plastic bags, we can reduce so much waste with so little effort! The video is only 4 minutes and it has a lot of good information, so CHECK IT OUT!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLgh9h2ePYw

Going Green While Going Back to School

I know it's only August 9th, but as you begin to think about school supplies shopping and getting ready for the new year, think green! Here are some products that are going to help you save the planet and start the year off right! Check them out! http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/green-school-supplies-2010?click=getstarted

Bottle Boat

Usually when you think about plastic bottles in the ocean, you want to cringe, but yesterday a boat arrived in Sydney made out of over 12,000 plastic bottles! The crew of the boat made their journey across the Pacific to raise awareness about plastic waste in the ocean. The six member crew took the entire journey in 128 days. Check out this article about the adventure! http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100726/ap_on_re_as/as_australia_bottle_ship

Bottled VS. Tap

As the battle between bottled water and tap water continues, you want to stay as updated as possible. You want to make sure you are making the right decision next time you go for a drink. It is crazy to think that tap water is actually under stricter regulations than bottled water. This means that there is a better chance that you will drink contaminated bottled water while your tap water is cleaner and better for you. Here is a great article telling you all about this, and more.

Bottled Water VS. Tap Water: The Facts

Compost This!

One of the major ways to reduce waste in your household is to compost! At my house, my family just started to compost just last month. One of the problems we had was figuring out what was able to be composted and what was not. After doing some research, I discovered this website which helped a lot. If you are interested in starting a compost pile at your house, check it out!

http://www.compostthis.co.uk/

A Nation of Farmers By Sharon Astyk & Aaron Newton

Interesting read that states the world is past peak oil production and that food prices will soon increase due to the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides derived from petroleum. If we are to feed everyone, we will need to decentralize farming and go back to organic methods that worked for centuries. Vacant lots and backyard lawns will be tilled to bring people back to the soil. Interesting read. Check it out.