Project Little Green Life: A lookback and new goals!

I started my Project "Little Green Life" around February 2010 and I just wrote down what I changed since then and what I am still looking forward to explore.

- After some experimenting I found a recipe for a deodorant that really works for me in May and have been using it ever since.
Actually, the longer I've been using the natural deo, the more I am able to go longer times without any deo at all, with no noticeable bad smell. I would never have believed it, but it really seems to be true that the chemical deos make our body unable to regulate itself.

- I switched to using vinegar with water as a conditioner for my hair. It works like a charm! The only downside is that Trev has been complaining about my hair smelling vinegar-y, so I'm still experimenting.

- I use olive oil to replace handcream, bodylotion, and even to take off my make up. There's nothing better!

- I switched from using disposable rasors to making my own sugar waxing (halawa, recipes all over the internet)

- I use only vinegar, baking soda and water for cleaning

- The little dishwasher liquid I need I happily afford in ecofriendly quality.

- I switched to using washnuts and am very happy with them. I get them at the local organic store in a clothbag, fairtrade, and they cost me less to the load than organic laundry soap. Plus they make my laundry veeerry soft!

- I started using reusable bags for shopping and I generally don't buy my loose foods in plastic bags anymore (who needs a plastic bag to keep a few oranges together? Seriously!)

That's all the things that I have accomplished in these 10 months. Not bad. I took the earth-quiz again (on the wwf website) and if everybody would live like me we would need 2.2 planets. That is not yet perfect, but a good progress, thinking back of the 5.3 planets I was using at the beginning of 2010.

I have changed so much, learned so much and had so much fun!!

 

Now I want to continue the story and I already have a few things that I want to take care of in 2011.
The big words of 2011 are Plastic, Consumption, Food and Compost.

Big point number one is Plastic.
I have been thinking a lot about plastic ever since last summer, and it slowly dawned on me how deadly and wicked plastic can be. (If you are interested in the topic you should start with this interesting site: my plastic free life.) And since I got sensitised on the topic I also realised just how much plastic we use in our daily life. And often we don't really use it at all. We tear it away from somewhere to make our claim on what's inside and then it goes in the bin. Crazy!
So in 2011, I want to cut my use and consumption of plastic. That's not easy, but it's a challenge, and it will be fun. I am thinking more about how to do it, but I have a couple of things already on my mind that will give me directions:

- I am using organic shampoo at the moment, but it comes in a plastic bottle that I want to eliminate. I have tried to make my own shampoo but haven't been successful yet. So I want to either find a way to make it myself or find [environmental friendly, affordable and easy to obtain] shampoo in a non-plastic conatiner.

- One of the big plastic waste products in my household are all things to do with teeth: Toothbrushes, floss, toothpaste, gel. It's all plastic. I want to find non-plaste-alternatives!

- Cut down packaging. It's the biggest bugger uf them all. This will be one point in my program for my buying habits.


There we go right off to consumption. Even though I have been trying to live frugal during the last year, consumerism hasn't been easy to shake off. It's not like I have no sense of style or don't like wearing new clothes. Or like I'm not intrigued by electronic gadgets. Or like I really detest fastfood... mmmh! ^^

- Reduce reuse recycle.
- If you have to, buy second hand, recycled, organic, local.
- Buy non-plastic, minimally packaged.

Third on the list is food. I have been slowly changing my eating and buying habits, but I am not satisfied yet. There will be more experimenting, and my goals are to

- Buy mostly locally produced, organic and seasonal food.
- Only eat a minimum of pre-processed food

This will be a hard one on us, not because we eat junkfood a lot (we both like our bodies), but because we love foreign food, mostly asian and indian. And now go, find locally produced bio chilies >.<

The last big project on the list is one I'm very excited about. I have been thining about starting my own compost for a while, and I will try and realise that this spring. (I don't know how many people had to listen to me getting upset about Zürich not providing a public compost service!)
There is a method to do it in small amounts and with little smelling (chlick here). The only thing that has kept me from starting already is the worms. I don't know where to find them and if you order them in shops they are insanely expensive. But I'm on my way. You tell me if you have any tips, and I'll keep you posted about my progress, ok? Good deal! ;o)

picture sources: matternetwork.com, interior-house-decorate, dornob.com