Go local to lose the holiday loco

I’m not sure how it can be November already, and already everywhere I turn I see the glossy Christmas ads and hear about Black Friday.

            If you know anything about me, you can probably guess that I’m not a fan of Black Friday and in fact refuse to shop on that day. From my eco-friendly perspective, the extreme consume-consume-consume mentality that our culture fosters leaves in its wake a tremendous amount of waste.  After Christmas, garbage cans will overflow with wrapping, with boxes, with plastic shrinkwrap, and the discards that are ‘so last year.’       

            Will anyone be the happier for it? 

            There is also that ‘waste’ that is less obvious—the time spent driving to and from the stores, the gas used to get there, the time spent looking and in line, and likely a huge amount of money spent on things that aren’t wanted or needed.

            I don’t like a lot of stuff, and clutter makes me twitchy. However, I live in a house with five other people, so I have had to learn to deal somewhat. More ‘stuff’ to deal with = not fun for Mom. Last year we got our kids art lessons, along with a few clothes and a few toys and books.

It was a great balance. No one was overwhelmed by heaps of stuff, we paid cash all the way, and we supported local businesses.  And of course, I recycled all the packaging and wrapping (I use newspaper, kraft paper and aluminum foil. I also like to use cute fabric bags—even better!).

            This year I plan to do the same. It’s a conscious decision to turn away from the marketing, from the greedy culture that always wants the next big thing. I’ll shop the independent stores, eat at the independent restaurants, and support the local artisans. They are numerous here in and around our town, and as an independent artist myself I was so grateful that people bought gifts from me. I can’t think of a better way to spend my holiday dollars.

Fron lips to landfill 364 days a year...

The night before Earth Day I learned that Starbucks has a yearly campaign to give a free fill-up of coffee or tea to anyone who brings in their own reusable mug on Earth Day.


In the words of Shania Twain: that don’t impress me much.

It sounds good, at first. But a closer look and some critical thinking makes it obvious that Bucks isn’t as green as they claim, and in fact this is a great example of greenwashing, when a company tries to appear more eco-friendly than they really are.

Let’s start with the paper cups, which are bleached. Not good. Why don’t they use unbleached cups? And if you think the paper cup is recyclable? Think again.

The cup goes from your lips to the landfill. It’s got a plastic coating, making the recycling process much harder (and the plastic coating nixes its compostability.) Supply creates demand though, and if Starbucks collected the cups for recycling—numbering around three billion a YEAR—recycling centers would respond.

And? There are compostable paper cups in green coffee shops RIGHT NOW…but not in Starbucks.

Coffee shops truly trying to be green will promote reusable mugs and cups. Do Starbucks employees ever ask ‘for here or to go?’ and serve ‘for here’ customers drinks in ceramic mugs?

I’ve never seen that happen.

Bucks also touts on their website that they give 10 cents off customers drinks when they bring their own mug. Even though ten cents is lame, how many people know about the ten cents off? If Bucks really wants to make an environmental change, where are the signs reminding customers to bring their reusable mug or to get their drink in a ‘for here’ mug?

Admittedly, I rarely step inside a Starbucks, but I’ve never seen such a sign.

Clearly, paper throwaway cups are the standard, which is totally backwards. And if you do bring your own mug, baristas often forget that you did and put your drink in a paper cup anyway. Or, they measure your Cinnamon Dolce in a paper cup before pouring into your reusable cup. Both defeat the purpose. Palm to forehead.

Back to Earth Day and the Starbucks free drink promo. Seems like a way to get all warm and fuzzy, like you’re actually helping the Earth by driving to Bucks for a free cup o’joe. It’s a good gimmick, but little more than that.

‘Give your stuff away’ day coming up in May

I’m not ashamed to admit it—I’m a trash picker. My poor, embarrassed family has witnessed me pulling good stuff out of other people’s trash on the sly and climbing into dumpsters. “It’s for the good of the earth,” I say.

I was looking through the archives of last spring’s columns that I wrote, specifically I was looking for the one about making a new Springtime tradition in Noblesville—Curb Shopping—modeled after the New England origins where towns and villages designate a weekend or two each spring for residents to set unwanted but perfectly useable items at the curb. Then you take a stroll through the neighborhood and come home with some new treasures.

What’s great about this is that items are recycled and not cluttering up landfills and wasting resources. And, they’re free.

It’s good for the pocketbook and the Earth. And, no one needs to risk their life climbing into a dumpster to salvage them.

I got great response from that column. One reader said she regularly sets her kid’s toys out that they have outgrown in a big box with a FREE sign. Another reader said he put out a couch that wasn’t needed. It was gone in two hours.

I put out a call to help organize one of these neighborhood swaps and was met with great enthusiasm. But after my column ran, I learned that we don’t have to reinvent the wheel. There’s already an organization spreading the word all over the nation for this great cause. The day is called Give Your Stuff Away Day and it happens the second Saturday in May, which is May 14 this year.

The website is www.giveyourstuffaway.com and it’s got all of the info you need to know to participate in this. My hope is that this will really catch on and become a re-established tradition. So while you’re doing some spring cleaning this month, set aside items that you don’t want or need and put them out on that day.

PS—as I’m writing this column, a friend ironically posts a photo on facebook of a gorgeous dresser in a dumpster downtown. It’s missing some drawers, but it’s way too good to be thrown away. Put things like that beside the dumpster. Someone wants it. Do them a favor and save them from having to dumpster dive.

Some reader responses—keep ‘em coming

I’m writing this column in the midst of ‘Icepocalypse,’ or ‘Icephoon’ or whatever-you-call-it, hoping the power stays on long enough to finish this and my other writing deadlines. Hopefully it will be on the way to becoming a distant memory by the time you read this.

I’ve gotten some great comments on several of my recent columns, and as always I appreciate and enjoy dialogue with you.

One reader wrote in response to my ‘Six Items or Less’ clothing challenge column two weeks ago that he was disappointed I wasn’t taking part, because “if anyone can do it you can.” He went on to say, “my niece asked me a few weeks ago why I have the same few pullovers/shirts on every time she sees me. I told her the less I have, the less I have to think about what to put on!”

Maybe I will participate after all, but I’ll wimp out and do it in the spring or summer for my own sake, since right now I wear about six items at once in my c-c-cold house where the thermostat sits at a cool 65 degrees.

Another reader said that she is taking on the challenge this month because it’s a short month (good thinking!) and she’ll let me know how it goes.

In response to my ‘foam free’ world dream, a reader commented that the wax-lined paper cups are just as bad, if not worse, than polystyrene cups. I don’t necessarily disagree, which is why the best solution is to bring your own travel mug to the coffee shop.

And if you forget your own mug or make an unexpected coffee stop? Most people don’t know this, but Noble Coffee and Starbucks will serve you your drink in a real mug if you ask. That’s so much better than foam or paper cups.

Going green seems to be the road less traveled

I feel like an eco-freak a lot of the time. Sometimes it’s pretty easy to forget when I’m in my own little world here. My little world is an oasis, an environmentally friendly oasis. I feel kinda good, like I’m making some sort of difference: recycling everything I can, reducing and reusing, collecting wine corks that would otherwise be thrown away, and on and on.

Eco-consciousness colors everything I do.

And then I get a jolt. Recently I went on a trip and was acutely aware of waste at every turn—from the large, bleached paper napkins the size of hand towels to the auto flush toilets that trigger three times per trip on average. At least they’re low-flow, right? And then there were the pretty much non-existent recycling options. It’s enough to make me crazy!

I felt so guilty at every turn, from the jet fuel spewing over the landscape on the flights to the fifty-six seat charter bus for our meager tour party of seventeen. The bus idled during the times we weren’t on the road. You know I’m anti-idling. Twist the knife again!

I did what I could. I asked for a real mug instead of the typical polystyrene cup when we stopped at the local coffee shop. I wiped my hands on my pants in the restroom as opposed to paper towel usage when there weren’t auto hand dryers, and I declined maid service during our hotel stay because we didn’t need daily fresh towels and sheets.

I brought my own stainless steel water bottle and travel mug along with me, so that also helped assuage my guilt a tiny bit.

And I wondered. What did the hotel do with the heaps of extra food left after the breakfast buffet? The perfectly good scrambled eggs, potatoes, and bacon didn’t go into the dumpster, did they?

I saw all this waste and I felt like an island. An eco-freak island. Does anybody else care, I wondered? I know there are other eco-freaks out there, where are you? Treading lightly on the Earth, inasmuch as we can, should be a priority. If your complaint is that it’s too hard, the only way it will get easier is to practice it daily and together.

dreaming of a 'foam free' world

I had this vivid dream recently in which I visited my alma mater and decided to eat in my old dining hall in this beautiful, classic, historic dorm. I was dismayed to find the wooden dining tables covered with bleached white paper tablecloths. The white china plates, real glasses and silverware that I remembered languished on shelves in favor of polystyrene (foam) plates and cups and plastic utensils. There was no clink of silverware on plates. No thud of glasses being set on tables. Just the quiet, annoying scraping of plastic on foam. Yuck.
I asked who was in charge and (this part is fuzzy) got his name. “Why spend all this money and create all this waste when you’ve got the real deal right here?” I’d tell him, gesturing toward the shelves of dishes. But somehow I woke up and never got to talk to him. Darn.

In the real world, I avoid No. 6 plastic polystyrene, aka Styrofoam™, at all costs. My kids will tell you that when they get the rare Chick-fil-A treat, drinks aren’t included in the deal because, “Mom hates Styrofoam™!”

Avoidance isn’t easy. On the rare occasion when we go to restaurants and order kids drinks, they come in a foam cup unless I remember to ask for real cups. And then there’s the food takeout. You ask for a box, and a foam clamshell appears. Thwarted again.

So, what’s wrong with polystyrene? Everything. It’s petroleum derived, hazardous to make, difficult to recycle, and will eventually end up in the landfill and never break down.

Someone I know spearheaded efforts to rid their college campus of polystyrene. Their campus is now 100 percent “foam free.” He was happy to detail to me their efforts to make it happen, and I’m adding it to my list of “causes” I’d love to have a part in changing. I would love to see our local coffee shops and restaurants commit to finding alternatives to polystyrene. It can be done!

In the meantime, what’s the solution, besides avoiding it? (A). Save it and make a unique (and buoyant!) sculpture. (B). Drop it off at Arthouse Noblesville, 195 S. 10th St. where it will be recycled in art classes. Or (C). visit www.earth911.com and type “polystyrene” in the search box and your zip for Indy locations that will recycle it. Unfortunately, Noblesville doesn’t recycle No. 6 at this time.

Have yourself an eco-friendly Christmas

I’m looking at the calendar and I see that there are only (gasp!) eighteen shopping days left till Christmas.


I may start to panic at some point, but nah, not yet, because I’m keeping it simple. That is always my goal, but it does take conscious effort to not be swayed by savvy marketing and incessant whispers of more, more, more!

But wait. Doing, buying, and having less is the goal, so that’s what I’m trying to keep in mind. One of the books I read this year was The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard, (www.storyofstuff.com) which breaks down our over consumption and its resulting effect on us and our planet.

Considering that landfill waste increases considerably after Thanksgiving, here are some earth friendly thoughts for a holiday season that treads more lightly on the Earth.

1. How will your consumption affect your enjoyment of the season? Will buying new ornaments/snowman sweaters/reindeer antlers for every family member really enhance your holiday? Can your kids still have a happy Christmas without a Pillow Pet™?

2. When out shopping, bring your own bags. Having reusable bags that you can tuck in your purse or coat pocket makes it easy, and they hold so much more. Take your reusable mug, too, for the inevitable coffee shop stop.

3. Buy green, buy local, buy used, buy handmade, buy sustainable. Check out www.etsy.com for artisan wares.

4. Consider gifting not just ‘stuff’ but experiences. How about music lessons, art lessons, theater tickets, sporting event tickets, museum memberships?

5. Use less wrapping and packaging. Reuse gift wrap, or wrap in kraft paper, which can be reused and then recycled, and reuse those gift bags that we all collect.

6. After the holidays, recycle your real Christmas tree (more on that in another column).

My Green Gift Guide

See the Current in Noblesville story here.

Reusable straws? What a str-awesome idea

Reusable water canteens? Check. Reusable grocery bags? Check. Reusable glass straws? Check. Yes, the latest in my eco friendly discoveries is glass straws. Sounds intriguing, doesn’t it? I haven’t bought plastic straws for years, in part because I can’t stand contributing more to the ‘use it once and throw it away’ collective when there are other options, plus plastic straws leach toxins, so when I learned about these glass straws I had to try them out.
I’m so glad I did. My family loves them. When my kids have friends over, they always make sure to offer them a drink ‘with a glass straw!’. And my oldest likes to pack a straw in her lunch too. Bonus, it makes drinking water, which is fairly boring, way more fun.

Strawesome makes a wide variety of straws, from smoothie to regular, clear to colored, as well as a variety of lengths. The straws are guaranteed against breakage (they’re made of borosilicate glass, the same glass that Pyrex is made of), and are handmade in the US.

The straws range in price from $6 for a ‘baby’ six inch straw, up to $13 for a 10 inch decorative bent straw. You’ll never need to buy straws again, so that’s a pretty good deal. Strawesome (http://www.strawesome.com/) also makes custom straws, which are great for unique gifts or party favors You’d better believe that all my kids want to give glass straws as presents to their friends now. And I want to give them to my friends, too. I think we just might do that.

As a special for Current in Noblesville readers, Strawesome is giving one free 8" regular plain straw with each order of $25 or more (one free straw per order). The coupon code is JUN10FS. Hurry--offer expires June 14, 2010.

Ditch the dryer and do some line drying this year

Ahhh, do you love the smell of line dried clothes and sheets? There’s nothing like it. I think of my childhood and sleeping on my sweet smelling sheets that smelled like sunshine, and I can’t wait to do some line drying this spring in my backyard. We strung up a clothesline at our old house but still haven’t done it here (at our ‘new’ old house). There just doesn’t seem to be a good spot to put one up, and I’m dreaming of yards and yards of clothesline to pin up our garb. Anyway, this year we’ll make it happen!
So why line dry when throwing clothes in a dryer is so easy? Well, line drying is free, and clothes dryers are the second largest electricity sucking appliance (refrigerators are number one). What a great way to make a big impact on energy usage (or lack of) by ditching the dryer.

I also feel it’s a conscious move toward reclaiming a piece of a simpler life and simpler pleasures. Much like kneading bread can be meditative and restorative, so can line drying clothes.

Is that enough? Yes, I know, there are restrictive homeowner covenants in most subdivisions and many HOA’s outright ban clotheslines, but I have to say I would put one up anyway (and hey, it’s not like you’d rig it up in the front yard!). I like being subversive, personally, and I rather enjoy questioning the status quo. Not to mention, I’m all for people’s rights to line dry their clothes outside no matter where they live.

I’m looking forward to harnessing the power of the sun and wind and kicking back in my yard to watch my family’s clothes flapping in the warm breeze—it’s green and it’s free.

Cleaner & Greener

                                          Spruce up the home the eco-friendly way

By Krista Bocko
Current Publishing

With spring just around the corner, you may be thinking about sprucing up your living space, airing out, clearing out, cleaning and painting

Ahh, spring cleaning and fix-up. It feels so good after a winter of letting everything slide, doesn’t it?

The earth might feel a little better if you use earth-friendly products to do the job, too.

Tracey Hiner of local TraceyClean can help with the cleaning products. Her company makes “green” cleaning products. When you’re done cleaning, your home smells great -- fresh and clean.

Paint is another key to freshening up a room or furniture. When looking for a relatively inexpensive and easy way to transform a room, paint can be answer. There are now low-to-no VOC (volatile organic compound) paints on the market, making it an earth- and health-friendly proposition as well.

Why use green products? Well, for one reason, they might make it easier to breathe when you are cleaning and painting.

The essential oils Hiner uses have antibacterial properties, so they are effective like commercial cleaners, but not harmful to you, your pets or the environment.

Hiner said she started making and selling green cleaning products after growing weary of
“big companies not caring or taking responsibility to stop producing dangerous products, and with companies advertising products as natural, green, or nontoxic when they may not be.”

Her line of products includes all- purpose, glass, and surface cleaners, to name a few. She makes deliveries around Hamilton County. Check the list of retail locations, including the Harvest Fresh Market in Carmel, for her products at http://www.traceycleannaturalproducts.com/.

What’s really helped her business grow, she said, is public awareness of the dangers of cleaning products.

“Once people become more concerned about being eco-friendly, they want more information about all aspects on how to “green” their lifestyle, from food to cleaning products to recycling,” she said.

And painting.

Most paints contain organic solvents which can release organic compounds while you are using them, and, to some degree, when they are stored. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are emitted as gases, some of which may have short- and long-term adverse health effects. Key signs or symptoms associated with exposure to VOCs include conjunctival irritation, nose and throat discomfort, headache, allergic skin reaction, dyspnea, declines in serum cholinesterase levels, nausea, emesis, epistaxis, fatigue and dizziness.

There are some paints with little or no volatile organic compounds. They include:

Mythic Paint product is non-toxic, with absolutely no VOC’s in paint or colorant. Its dealership in Indianapolis is located at 5225 W. 74th St. 

Olympic and Valspar make low-no VOC paint and are available at Lowe’s in Noblesville.

Sherwin Williams Harmony brand is available at Sherwin-Williams stores in Carmel, Westfield and Noblesville.

Porter Paints in Carmel, Fishers, Noblesville, Westfield and Cicero and Home Depot in Carmel and Noblesville also offer low-no VOC paint.

Remember, if you make the switch to low-no VOC paints, don’t simply toss the unwanted products in the garbage can. These are toxic household wastes and must be properly disposed. The Hamilton County Hazardous Waste Center, located near the fairgrounds at 1717 Pleasant St. in Noblesville is the place to dispose of all environmentally unsafe products.

TraceyClean readers special

As a special for new customers through this article, Tracey is offering a 10 percent discount on purchases through March 30. Enter NOBMAR in the promotion code to receive your discount. Delivery is $2.99 anywhere in Hamilton County.

Love Mother Earth this Holiday Season (November 17, 2009)

I am always striving to do better in treading lightly on the Earth, so with that in mind I wanted to share some ideas for making this season greener and simpler.

1. Have a willingness to change your shopping, decorating, and celebrating habits. Do you always wish the holidays were simpler and less hassle? So does everyone else. If we want to get more out of Christmas/Hanukah/New Year’s, let’s do less.

2. With that in mind, consider giving fewer gifts to family and friends. My husband and I strive to give each of our children a few really meaningful gifts. Usually this consists of something to wear, something to read, and something to play with. We try to find a balance that strikes the chord of just enough.

3. Shop local when you can. And by local, I don’t mean a chain in town. I mean a real independent shop. I’m partial to the downtown courthouse square myself. Go spend some time browsing the shops and get a cup of coffee at Noble Coffee & Tea (bring your own travel mug) or a homemade ding dong at Logan Street Marketplace.

4. Shop secondhand stores. Why? Items are less expensive, recycled, and your purchase benefits good organizations. Don’t forget craigslist and eBay, and for new gifts that support artisans, try etsy (www.etsy.com).

5. Buy fewer plastic/battery operated/insanely packaged toys and gadgets. Recycle cardboard boxes and plastic packaging.

6. Bring your own reusable bags when shopping.

7. Wrap presents in kraft paper (can be recycled), re-used gift bags, fabric bags, or not at all. You could hide the unwrapped presents and leave 3 clues as to where it’s hidden.

I hope these ideas help you—visit my blog at www.cachetwrites.com for more ideas and to leave your own comments!

**more thoughts--instead of a regular gift exchange at large family gatherings, have a silly exchange.  At last year's family gathering, I instructed each participant to bring 2 prettily wrapped presents that are cheap but preferably useful, some examples would be: a pack of pens, washcloths, a bag of peanuts, etc.  Then we went around in a circle and each person could choose one from the pile or steal one.  On it went till everyone had 2 presents.  It was a hoot.  This could of course be modified to everyone bringing a secondhand item, either one they bought at Goodwill or one they brought from home.  Another idea would be the stipulation that everyone bring something they created themselves (or that someone else made).

Speaking of family gatherings and other parties--use real dishes.  Most people have a dishwasher, so it's really not a big deal to put them in the dishwasher.   Sooo much less trash is generated this way.  Use cloth napkins, too.

Consider a family membership to an area museum as a gift.  Conner Prairie is excellent (and so close).

Commit as a family to tread more lightly on the earth.  Brainstorm together.  Ideas--Recycle more . Walk or bike more places.  Drive less.  Buy used as much as possible. Wear clothes several times before washing/re-use towels.  Buy or make your own natural cleaning products. 

Either skip the christmas cards, or send out postcards instead.  Either way, you'll be saving paper AND money on stamps!

I'm sure I will think of more!