Introduction from Jen

Hello All! I am so happy to have been invited to contribute to this blog, I think it is an incredibly worthwhile and inspirational project!

A few words about me: while I am not officially signed on to buy nothing but necessities this year, my family's current philosophical and financial states have caused us to do some radical reevaluating of our priorities over the past year. We've found that yeah, we actually can do a lot with a little. Less may just be the new more. I am also keenly aware that what we in this culture may view as a fairly radical shift in our consumption is still over-the-top for many.

By trade, I am an attorney specializing in animal and environmental law. In practice, I am on a little kid sabbatical and currently my days are spent mainly with my young son (though I do some legal work from time to time). As Michelle kindly pointed out, I am also smack in the middle of a multi-year project wherein I cook/bake my way through and review a set of three vegan cookbooks. I also enjoy the usual retro-hipster stuff, sewing, knitting, keeping it real, etc. I enjoy living in large cities but our family has recently relocated to a small town in the Pacific Northwest, so I am also getting reaquainted with small town life. Additionally, we are also in the midst of a significant budgetary makeover and so frugal is my new middle name. So my posts will really run the gamut, but I hope you'll find them precious gems of delightful inspiration and insight.

Cheers!

How Green is Your Canditate?

Since the state caucuses have gotten into full swing, I decided to post the link to Grist.org on the right. Click on it to find out where the candidates stand on key environmental issues! Not...that...I'm...partial...to...any...candidate...

If you're too lazy to navigate through Grist's Election '08 coverage, here are the candidates' positions in a handy chart form.

"Voluntourism"

I saw this article today on MSNBC on the concept of "voluntourism." Voluntourism.org describes it as "A seamlessly integrated combination of voluntary service to a destination and the best, traditional elements of travel—arts, culture, geography, and history—in that destination." And apparently there's quite a few companies that specialize in organizing these trips. Next time you're planning a vacation, take a look at their site!

What's Sucking Up All My Electricity?

Here's the best energy calculator EVER, courtesy of Nova Scotia Power. They also have great tips on saving on your heating bill plus quick/easy/free tips on increasing your energy efficiency.

The energy calculator is a little exhausting (Power Saws has its own section- maybe it's a Canadian thing) but it gives you a great picture of how your bill is divided among your appliances and also is great for comparisons.

For instance you can see that an old cathode ray tube monitor uses 228% more energy than an LCD monitor, but an LCD TV uses about 133% more energy than a CRT TV. Plasma TVs are the worst- they use 221% more power than CRTs. So it's also a great way to make your future appliance/electronics purchasing decisions more environmentally conscious!

Mmmm... Polybutene

Molly forwarded me a newsletter from Teens for Safe Cosmetics last week and it made me take a look at the this super shiny Victoria's Secret lip gloss I've been using (I got it free with a purchase a while back). First ingredient? Polybutene. Normally I read the ingredients list of anything that lists them-- bodywash, shampoo, toothpaste, and of course, food. So I was a little surprised to find an ingredient I've never seen before. I did a little Googling and found this from Answers.com:

(organic chemistry) A polymer of isobutene, (CH3)2CCH2; made in varying chain lengths to give a wide range of properties from oily to solid; used as a lube-oil additive, in adhesives, and in rubber products.

...and apparently VS lip gloss. I'm not saying it's dangerous or poisonous in any way, and I'll probably keep using my lip gloss. As I understand it, polybutene refers to a large class of chemicals covering a wide range of uses (Google search indicates it is in adhesives and home plumbing also). But I did come across this page from the Pesticide Action Network's Pesticides Database listing one use of one type of polybutene as a rodenticide.

T minus zero: THE AGREEMENT

This Agreement (“the Agreement”) sets forth the obligations of any party (“party” or “parties”) choosing to sign below.

WHEREAS parties desire to lessen their environmental footprints and live more sustainably,

WHEREAS parties recognize that current consumption patterns are not in the interest of sustainability and diminish the ability of the planet to provide for other people, other creatures, and future generations of both,

WHEREAS parties wish to conserve both financial and natural resources,

WHEREAS parties recognize that labor conditions and environmental standards in developing nations are not always respectful of human rights and human health,

Parties hereby agree to the following:

1. Material Goods:

(a) Parties agree to refrain from the purchase of material goods.
(b) Categorical exclusions:

i. business expenses, as defined in 26 U.S.C. 162(a).
ii. pet supplies, limited to pet food and cat litter, and UV bulbs for the turtle,
iii. goods purchased for safety reasons,
iv. gasoline and fuel,
v. gifts for people who are not a party to this agreement,
vi. goods related to alleviating a medical condition,
vii. toiletries related to hygiene(i.e. not cosmetic),
viii. items related to not increasing the population of our delicate planet,
ix. items purchased to sanitize and/or clean- detergents, sponges, brushes, etc.

2. Food and Entertainment:

(a) Michelle will limit her purchase of food prepared at a restaurant to one breakfast (starting before 11:00am) OR lunch (starting between 11:00am and 3:00pm), and one dinner (starting after 3:00pm) per week.
(b) Parties will not eat at any restaurant which has locations outside of the state in which they are physically located.
(c) Parties will refrain from seeing movies at a movie theater, but video rentals are allowed.
(d) Parties may participate in (b) or (c) above if invited by a non-party and changing non-party’s plans would inconvenience others.

3. Groceries:

(a) Parties are limited to 1 (one) grocery trip per week by fossil-fuel transportation. Grocery trips by foot or bike are not limited.
(b) Parties may only purchase items grown and made in the United States of America.
(c) Parties may only purchase items from a grocery list written down prior to the grocery trip.

4. Replacing broken/worn goods: Parties may only replace the following items:

(a) computers,
(b) hand blender,
(c) lighting fixtures,
(d) toaster oven,
(e) cell phones,
(f) watches,
(g) cars.

5. Transportation: Parties agree not to use a car for trips less than 2 miles (as determined by Google Maps), excluding:

(a) trips to transport cargo that cannot be carried by hand,
(b) trips during inclement weather ONLY when items are being transported and cannot get wet,
(c) medical emergencies,
(d) moving the car on street cleaning nights.

6. Travel/Vacations:

(a) Parties agree to take in consideration environmental impacts when making choices about travel.
(b) Parties agree to incorporate a public service aspect to all vacation travel (i.e. travel not for the purpose of seeing relatives or specific occasions like weddings).

7. Water and fuel usage: Parties will take steps to minimize water and fuel usage, including but not limited to:

(a) Parties will limit showers to 10 minutes.
(b) Parties will set the thermostat at a maximum of 58 during the winter. Parties agree not to get air conditioning as long as they are living in Maine.
(c) Parties will set the hot water heater at a maximum of 110 degrees Fahrenheit.

8. Garbage and Waste: Parties agree to

(a) buy food and toiletries with minimal packaging,
(b) compost food waste,
(c) and recycle any items accepted by the city of Portland.

9. Force Majeure: If parties’ goods are destroyed by natural disaster, fire (not caused by a party committing arson), or any act from a third party, parties may replace destroyed items only. Parties will hopefully not destroy other party’s goods out of spite.

10. This Agreement may be amended by the consent of all parties only.

11. Term of Agreement: These terms are in effect January 1, 2008 through December 31, 2008.


Signed,

Michelle T (electronically signed) 1/1/08
Elliott T (electronically signed) 1/1/08


Amendment 1 (1/1/08): Section 3(b) is amended to read: "(b) Parties may only purchase items grown and made in the United States of America, or failing that, Parties may only purchase items grown and made outside of the US if items are organically grown."

Last Shopping Trip, Part 3

Ok, for our final, last shopping trip we went to Freeport. I was looking for a ski jacket, and Michelle was given a gift card to L.L. Bean. After not finding anything that fit at Patagonia, we went to North Face and got a $300 jacket for $60! Though they won't honor the warranty. It was made in Vietnam.

At Bean Michelle got a couple of sweaters. While Bean has built their company on the image of Maine, they don't hide that much of their clothing is now made in China (see photo). Though some of their things are still made here.



Then, late last night, Michelle bought a sweater rack online.

So now we begin our no shopping year. Details to follow.