Do You Realize?

Home renovation and insomnia...

... do NOT go together like peanut butter & jelly. I should know. I'm currently experiencing both, enjoying neither.

Recently, the time finally presented itself that we had enough money to tackle some of the renovations we've been so desperately needing. Tops on the list were both upstairs bathrooms & carpeting.

Our carpeting, throughout the upstairs and on the stairs themselves, had reached a state of such squalor I was afraid to walk on it barefoot for fear of catching some rare and exotic bacterial infection. With 4 vomiting cats, 3 food-and-beverage-spilling kids, and 2 occasionally incontinent dogs, beige carpet was quite possibly the worst of all possible floor coverings for this family. It had to go. Somewhere but here. Unfortunately, that somewhere is a landfill.

It's possibly been two years since we've had two fully functioning upstairs bathrooms. First, the kids' bath developed an enormous leak which rather quickly led to a hole in the downstairs ceiling just below. We discontinued shower use in there and shared the master shower with the kids. We did this for a couple of months half a year while life generally got in the way of calling a plumber to check it out. Then our shower developed a leak which rather quickly led to a ginormous water stain on the downstairs ceiling just below. We finally called a plumber (since the kids' toilet had also begun to clog rather quickly and easily), whom we paid generously to tell us there was nothing wrong with the plumbing that would cause these leaks and for whom the toilet refused to clog. Another month or two passed of self-plumbing and sharing a shower amongst five people. A different plumber was summoned, who diagnosed and fixed the toilet problem. (Who, by the way, flushes a damn Popsicle stick, people? Really. Only in this family.) Unfortunately, he confirmed (after enlargening the hole in the downstairs ceiling) that the pipes seemed to be in working order, and that he believed the leaks to be water leaking through holes in the shower grout. So we bought some grout and effectively slapped a band-aid on an arterial bleed. Two showers again. For a very short while. Until the shower head broke behind our shower wall. Needless to say, the bathroom situation has been screaming to be rectified for a little while. Since the house was built in the eighties, when carpet and wallpaper in a bathroom and "garden/jacuzzi tubs" (deep, oval, and ugly with built-in steps) were all considered good ideas, new "stuff" was required of this remodel.

Since we wanted to leave as little environmental impact as possible, we I did a lot of research, which yielded mixed results.

Reclaimed hardwood floors offered neither the look nor the price we desired. Bamboo flooring wasn't sturdy enough for pet toenails and general furniture scraping. Eventually I came up with FSC-certified Brazilian cherry from EcoTimber. Our flooring guy was very helpful in getting this for us. We decided to use the engineered version, as it uses less overall wood. The usual worry with engineered hardwood flooring is that there is such a thin layer of finished hardwood, the floors cannot be refinished. This particular wood, however, has the thickest "working layer" he'd ever seen, though, and should take at least one refinishing, if necessary.

We wanted recycled glass tile to re-tile the showers. Until we discovered it was about $100 per square foot, installed. Even just the tile itself from another distributor was $75-$95. Instead we chose to use tile of non-recycled glass from a company that at least has some good environmental practices, like recycling of its rejected tile, its fly ash, and its water. I think I remember (at 5:14 a.m., after being up since 2:00) it also uses renewable resources for its plant's electricity. This tile was $14 per square foot.

We paid extra for Kohler fixtures, including their brand-newest handheld 1.75 gpm showerheads and sleek European dual-flush toilets. Bowing to the possible demands of any future buyers of the house, we got the BubbleMassage option on the bathtub, though we eschewed ugly jacuzzi-type whirlpool jets. I don't want my bathtub to look like a damn space ship.

That's everything going into this phase (I hope I get to squeeze a painter out of this, too, for walls & cabinets). Next we tackle countertops and sinks. We I want renewable resources used: Paperstone for the kids' bath, Vetrazzo recycled glass countertops in ours. Unfortunately, they, too, are ridiculously expensive. ($2000 freaking dollars for a not-even-five-foot countertop in the kids' bath? Between $2500 & $4000 for ours?) I'm debating waiting until we have the money for that, or going for US-sourced granite (since granite sourced from third world countries is quarried with abominable worker conditions). I know. It's non-renewable. It is one reason I agonize. It's what I do.

In two-and-a-half hours, the contractors are returning to make copious amounts of hideous noise, so that I won't be able to take a nap. I tossed and turned from 2:00-4:00, then got up to take an Ativan and write this. I'm just now getting a little sleepy, I think. Perfect timing, since I need to be up an hour before the contractors get here, don't you think?

Cleaner Body, Cleaner Products, Cleaner Conscience

It occurred to me in the shower yesterday that our toiletries are a perfect place to start making a difference for the Earth, for our health, and for our consciences. There are so many natural, organic, and cruelty-free products out there, it's not that hard to find one that you like, even at a price that won't necessarily break the bank. I thought I'd give you a rundown on the different products we use and why we like them.

First, let me explain what I'm looking for in products. I want the ingredients to be derived from natural and organic plants, not petroleum and chemicals. I want the products to smell yummy, not artificial and chemical-like. I want to know that the companies are making a difference with their actions outside of the market, not just manufacturing "green" to make more green money for their bottom line. Finally, I want to know that no bunny was harmed in the making of my product. (Read more about the horrors of Draize testing here.) Now, let's get clean!

We seem to like a lot of products by Alba Botanica. Our shower is filled with them, so you'll see their name a lot in this post. They meet all my criteria for a clean body and a clean conscience. Their products can be bought at Whole Foods or directly from their website, if you don't or won't shop Whole Foods. Many of these products can be bought online. One site I like is drugstore dot com.

The first thing I do is wash my face (well, after undressing, adjusting water temperature, and contemplating what that peach-colored slime on the tiles could possibly be). I do this with Kiss My Face Olive & Verbena soap. It smells divine, and I love that the brand new bars are perfectly rectangular; for some reason, that comforts me. It doesn't provide as big a sudsy punch as do other commercial soaps, but that's because it's missing the controversial ingredient sodium lauryl (or laureth) sulfate.

Next up, I shampoo and condition my hair. My current favorite is Alba's Gardenia Hydrating Hair Wash and Conditioner. I love the smell of gardenias, and shampooing my hair with it makes me envision being in the tropics (oh, how I'd like to be in the tropics!). It contains certified organic ingredients like aloe and kelp and kukui nut oil* and awapuhi. It lathers perfectly well, and it does not contain sodium lauryl or laureth sulfates, if you're cutting back on it for health reasons. It's also gentle enough to use every day, and there are other yummy fragrances to try if you don't dig gardenias. (Most dudes would object to smelling all flowery, I suspect.)

I also like Aveda's hair products, although no one else in the family will use them because they smell "gross" (read: natural). Eldest doesn't like minty smells, and a lot of Aveda's stuff has a minty undertone. I happen to love their Color Conserve, Rosemary Mint, and Shampure. Aveda also is one of the most socially and ecologically responsible companies around, from their use of organically farmed ingredients to their use of recycled packaging, from their support of indigenous communities all the way to their frequent buyer cards, which are made of cornstarch rather than plastic.

While my hair is conditioning, I wash my body. We have two different options to choose from, both from Alba. I love, love, LOVE the Honey Mango fragrance, but hubby prefers the Island Citrus. It's a little too citrus-y for my sniffer. It's plenty bubbly, thanks to sodium lauryl sulfoacetate (a safer sudsing agent than the  more sinister SLS, mostly due to the size of their molecules), and there's no icky residue left behind. (As for method of delivery, I gave up my petroleum puff just over a year ago in exchange for a cellulose sponge.)

Then, if I'm wearing shorts or a skirt that day & my legs are looking especially, um, European, I shave them. I use Alba Shaving foam. It takes a bit of getting used to, as it's nothing like traditional shave cream. It's more the consistency of those hand soaps that magically comes out as a foam. I use the Mango Vanilla fragrance, though there are others I haven't tried. The razor I use is from Preserve, who makes fantastic toothbrushes and razors from recycled plastic. (When you're finished, stuff several into one of their mailers and mail the used products back to them for further recycling.) 

Lest you menfolk think I'm neglecting you, fear not! I bring you tidings of great joy. Kenton Athletics makes sexy-smelling plant-based shower gels that can also be used as shampoo. One-stop scrubbing. Their formulas are pretty cool in that each one uses ingredients from the plants of a different region of the world, and they evoke the "correct" olfactory image, too.  Surf contains extracts of plants found in "coastal regions of the world's legendary surfing destinations" and makes you want to go to the beach; Mountain contains extracts of plants "native to rocky, mountainous regions" and makes you want to go camping; and Trail is made from extracts of plants and trees "indigenous to rich North American woodland regions, " making you want to pick up a hiking stick and compass. (The rare times I can convince Youngest that it's in his best interests (as well as the best interests of those in close proximity to him) to shower, he uses Surf.)

After-shower moisturizing comes in the form of Kiss My Face Honey & Calendula lotion or J/A/S/O/N Wild Yam Hand & Body Therapy (made with wild Mexican yams!). Kiss My Face is thinner (a true lotion), comes in a pump, and smells like beeswax, whereas J/A/S/O/N  (that is really freakin' annoying to type!) is more of a cream, dispensed from a squeeze tube.

Well, folks, there you have it. More information than you ever wanted to know about my showering routine. (Plus all the good information about great products that are good for your body and your karma!)

*If you want to see me get all dreamy-eyed and weak-kneed over any one substance (one that's non-alcoholic and non-dairy anyway), mention kukui nut oil. Srsly, I think it is Nectar of the Gods. I discovered it in Hawaii a few years ago when my stupid white self forgot sunscreen and crisped myself miserable. I was pointed in the direction of kukui nut oil rather than aloe for the burn, and, HOLYSHITBATMAN, that burn didn't peel and it didn't hurt anymore and I was IN LOVE. It's magic. I swear. It's great for sensitive skin, for eczema, for psoriasis, for general moisturizing, for breast enlargement. Well, okay, I made up the last one, but I'm willing to bet it might still be true!

Mama's got a new pair of shoes

Ummm... two pair, actually... and soon to be another.

Thanks a whole bunch (you choose the level of sarcasm) to my friend RedMolly for pointing out how absolutely fantabulously good-looking Simple Shoes' sneakers are. (Well, and Rolling Stone magazine, where I found a full-page ad which reminded me I was trying to avoid their website.)

So, not being much for delayed gratification, I looked up a brick-and-mortar that carried them. Knowing we had a psych appointment in Dallas, I planned to leave early & go by to check them out. I was sad, sad, sad to get to my first choice of shops & find out they only had clearance winter styles & that they don't really carry them regularly. My oldest son (aged thirteen) needed some summer footwear, so we headed over to a favorite shop, Heart & Sole, to check out some Birkenstocks (Since Big Boy Child (remember, aged thirteen) now fits into my husband's clothes, his Birks keep mysteriously ending up in places other than his closet.). Imagine my squealing delight when I discovered a small selection of Simple Shoes gracing their shelves!

I ended up with these Toe Foos (in Chocolate, only they're really more like Chocolate Lite, sort of the color of powdered hot cocoa mix) and these Coos Toes (complete with a fantastic tire tread sole), and Big Boy Child got some Toe Foos just like Mommy's (only his were bigger...). I still want some of their sneakers or more decorative sandals or one of each of their entire line. But this is a good start.

Making the World a Better Place--Part II

Do you remember my post about The Better World Shopping Guide? Well, it has a companion book, The Better World Handbook, which tells us, "You don't have to be an activist to make a difference in the world!" This is good news for me, since I don't have the courage, patience, or wherewithal to be a true activist. But I can take more responsibility for my living, and my family's living, and bring it more in line with our values, which is what this book guides us in doing.

It covers Seven Foundations for building a better world: Economic Fairness, Comprehensive Peace, Ecological Sustainability, Deep Democracy, Social Justice, Simple Living, and Revitalized Community. It then equips us to "live out your values by providing a wide range of simple but effective actions that you can take every day." Hey, I'm all about simple but effective.

I cannot say enough about this book, and I've only gotten through the first chapter and have started skipping  around other chapters in joyful glee. I think I will include a quote from it every day or two on my blog; it's just that inspiring.

The Trading Game

I've been thinking the past few days about choices. I'm thinking about how everything in life is a trade-off of some flavor or another. I could spout an endless supply of examples, but I'll spare you the inner workings of my mind for now; I'll just touch on a few.

To start with, my art suddenly presents me with an interesting dilemma. Most everyone who knows me knows how I've been trying to add some environmental friendliness and social justice to my family's lifestyle. I've been very careful of what is made of petroleum & reducing our consumption of it. Then, suddenly, I found my muse (whose been on a yearlong furlough) out in my garden. As I followed her back inside to my studio (I always feel somewhat an imposter saying that), I took a good look around, and an idea struck me like lead. An artist's arsenal of tools & potions contains quite a lot of petroleum and/or chemical solvents. I have brushes with artificial (read: petroleum-based) bristles, foam brushes with plastic handles, acrylic paints, oil pastels, watercolors (with plasticizers), acrylic mediums, plastic palettes... and the list marches on. Does this mean I must sacrifice my art at the altar of petroleum reduction?

I've also been following the blog of No Impact Man, a guy (in NYC) who is trying to live for one year reducing his (and his wife & toddler's) consumption to zero net impact on the earth. He has lots of support and admiration (including mine), but he's taking a heaping helping of criticism to go along with it (including mine). He wants no impact that is directly linked to him, so why can his maid still use a car and a vacuum but he feels it necessary to shun the subway? There are a million questions just like those that can (and have or will) be asked of this project. It's interesting to me to see his justifications for certain choices.

It's all a trade-off, you see. Paper or plastic? Local or organic? Personal health or environmental good? Environmentally friendly or socially just? Do I give my business to a company that unnecessarily tests on animals but that harbors an environment of racial or sexual discrimination? Do I get my gas from an oil company that has paid money to people who have killed local dissenters in a startling and exceptionally suspicious chain of events, or do I go to one that has created more environmental disasters (and refused to answer for them) than I can count on both hands?

At the end of the day, every decision we make is a choice between it and at least one alternative, whether it's a conscious decision or not. I'm just hoping that by the time I reach the end of days, my scales will be tipped a little more toward the side of, "I made the world a better place even if I used petroleum products in my artwork."

Smackdown at the O.D. (that's Office Depot) Corral...

I cannot believe I've forgotten to share this. Office Depot is hereby on my List of Businesses I'd Like to Expose As the Frauds They Are. And I'm going to... >insert evil cackle here<

Fade In. Day. Woman is walking into Office Depot. She is armed with a copying order and the terrible knowledge that some trees will die before this visit is over.

She swaggers through the double swinging (okay, they were sliding) doors to the joint & settles in at the do-it-yourself copy bar. As she's making the first 20 or so copies (out of 150+!), she decides to ask the barkeep if they serve recycled paper in this establishment.

The barkeep says, "Sure, ma'am. I think that's recycled that you're havin' already." She walks behind the bar and pulls out a ream of the paper they're serving... "Ummmm... well, it's not recycled that we're usin' today," she mumbles. Also behind her is a big wheeled cart overflowing with boxes of copy paper... and none of it's recycled. "Well, it looks like we're, ummm, out. You'll have to buy some if you want some."

"Okey-dokey, then," the copy-slinger says. She walks over & grabs herself a ream of recycled paper, which she notices on the price sign that it's more expensive. That's okay, she tells herself; it's worth it, and she can afford it.

She sits back down at the do-it-yourself copy bar, loaded up with recycled paper this time. She's sitting, minding her own business, eyeing the other customers in the joint, when she notices a Huge Fucking Sign behind the bar that proudly proclaims in Huge Fucking Letters for all to see, "We Serve Recycled Paper Every Day." (Actually it said, "We use recycled paper for your everyday copying needs. If you'd like another paper choice, we can accommodate your other copying needs," but I'm stickin' with the storyline, people.) The longer she sits and stares at that sign, and the longer she thinks about the barkeep making her buy her own recycled paper, the more agitated she gets.

After she's done buying 161 rounds at the do-it-yourself copy bar, she moves over to the cash box. She looks the barkeep in the eyes, heaves her bill onto the bartop, and says, "So. I'm thinking I shouldn't have to pay for this here recycled paper, since you have a Huge Fucking Sign with Huge Fucking Letters saying that you always serve it for free (no, I didn't curse, but I'm sticking with the storyline again, people)."

The barkeep turns around and reads the Huge Fucking Sign with Huge Fucking Letters as if she's never seen it before, already trying to figure out how to get out of this mess. She turns back and stammers, "Well... uh, we... that is... ummm... well,  we DO serve it, see... but we're just OUT, that's all... and the sign just means that we use it sometimes..."

"But it says every day."

"Well, ummm... well, you'll have to leave the rest of it here," (Really? I thought the copyslinger was going to get to walk out with a whole ream of it, FOR FREE!) she says. And then, for good measure, as if she's not the only idiot in the joint, "And it's going to still cost you $.06 per round." (Really? I thought the copyslinger was going to get the copies CHEAPER for using recycled paper!)

"That's totally fine. My point is, barkeep, that you shouldn't have this Huge Fucking Sign with Huge Fucking Letters that's telling a Huge Fucking Lie to your customers. Keep the change."

And that's my (totally true) story of The Smackdown at the Office Depot Corral. What a joke of an establishment. A totally unfunny joke.

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways...

Some women hear their biological clock tick-tick-ticking away when they reach my age. Me? I hear the drip-drip-dripping of the polar ice caps. And so, this is The Year of Living Greener for me (and my family by default). I have reached the point at which I think it's time to grow up & live a more environmentally responsible and socially just existence. I'm not taking enormous leaps & bounds in this direction; they're really more like baby steps. But steps they are, and anyone can do most of these, or at least some of them.

Here are as many ways as I can think of right now that I have changed my habits to show my love to Mother Earth & my neighbors around the world:

• Switched our electric provider to 100% renewable energy
• Exchanged 34 of our energy-wasting incandescents for efficient & money-saving CFLs
• Returned to my Aveda cruelty-free, plant-based haircare (why did I ever stray?)
• Begun using my own reusable shopping bags instead of evil plastic bags
• Traded chemical-ridden shower gels & lotions for their yummy (and effective) organic counterparts
• Switched my petroleum-based "loofah" for a natural cellulose sponge
• Adopted a new deodorant... baking soda!
• Pumping my gas from a more environmentally and socially acceptable gas company
• Begun a switch from our current TP to recycled (Kill trees to wipe our butts? Hello, Selfish, party of 5?)
• Switched to all-natural, non-toxic cleaning products
• Substituted Swheat new kitty litter for the strip-mined clay variety
• Eschewed mainstream, child-slave-labor chocolate in favor of delicious Fair Trade & organic brands
• Severed all ties with the evil that is Wal-Mart
• Begun buying local when possible, organic when not, "other" as last resort

There are more that I'm sure I haven't remembered, and more on the way, but I think it's pretty good start. C'mon, hop on my bandwagon; I've got plenty of room!

The Wearin' o' the Green

On St. Patty's Day, I thought it quite appropriate to address the green-ness of our clothing.

This is one of those issues that is so convoluted with all manner of companies trying to cash in some long green on the newly conscientious consumer's desire to do the right thing.

Being somewhat green in the green lifestyle, this is what I do know.

First, the most eco-friendly clothing out there is the clothing you already own. We have all become so very accustomed to our throw-away society that we are now insensitive to the higher cost (and I'm not talking just greenbacks here) of the clothing we wear. Keeping that in mind, however, the clothing you own becomes decidedly less green depending on how you launder it.

Dry cleaning is super-duper deadly in terms of the cocktail of chemicals they use to clean; most clothing labelled "Dry Clean Only" can, indeed, be handwashed & hung to dry, the greenest of all laundering practices. Other things to keep in mind are the efficiency of your laundering; do the largest load possible, with the coolest water setting possible. When you need to replace your machine, do it with a front-loading model, which are much more water- and energy-efficient than the old top-loaders.

Buy used clothing. Visit thrift stores, vintage clothing stores, consignment shops. There are more and more upscale consignment shops cropping up now than ever. Take advantage of these to find name-brand like-new clothing. I've not tried them out yet, but there are many people who are loving Freecycle and Craigslist. At the other end of the spectrum, don't forget to recycle your own clothing. Donate wearable items to the Goodwill. Items that are no longer wearable can be cut or ripped apart for rags, pet bedding, etc.

If you must buy new clothing, buy sturdy clothing of eco-responsible materials. Good choices are bamboo, organic cotton, and, in some cases, polyester (some companies are leaders in recycling plastic bottles to make polyester). Some mainstream companies are beginning to offer greener choices. Mark has two pair of these organic cotton Levi's. Purchasing sturdy clothing that will last many years will take a shift in mentality; if you can buy those jeans for $15, they probably aren't going to last 5 years, and they probably were NOT sewn by adults making minimum wage (read: they were sewn by 7-year-olds making $0.24 a day, but socially responsible companies will be another post for another day). If you just think about long-term rather than short-term monetary issues, paying $68 for a pair of sturdy jeans that will replace 2-3 pair of jeans that would wear out sooner makes a lot of sense.

Okay, I'm off to don my green St. Patty's day get-up. Hopefully, today's post will make you think about green in more terms than just their color.

It's in the bag... (or, an open letter to cashiers at retailers worldwide)

Dear cashier of esteemed establishment

:

I have recently begun to notice an enfuriating trend in retail stores like yours across America. As an environmentally-conscious citizen trying to lessen this country's dependency on foreign petroleum, most of the time I will ask that you not put my purchases into a plastic bag. I will either: (a) have brought my own sturdy, reusable shopping bags in which to place my fifteen items, or (b) be dextrous enough to carry three items in my hands out of the store, just as I carried them to your register.

If I ask you not to put my purchases into a plastic bag, please do not ask me if I am sure. If I wasn't absotively posilutely sure, I wouldn't have made the request in the first place.

If I ask you not to put my purchases into a plastic bag, please do not look at me as if I had grown a third arm or second head. I am perfectly sane, and even if I have grown a third arm, I would want that arm to have a reusable canvas bag thrown over it.

If I ask you not to put my purchases into a plastic bag, please do not assume I am retarded in any way. I am intelligent enough to know that plastic bags are choking our wildlife (and our kids, in some cases), and I am intelligent enough to know that I am saving your f#2&ing establishment money by not taking their bags!
Please figure these things out as well.

Thank you.

Making the world a better place...

...is so easy when you have this book!

The Better World Shopping Guide has turned me into a more empowered shopper. It has also had the added benefit of eliciting groans of protest from the teenagers when I remind them that Coca-Cola is far and away a more evil (and therefore unacceptable) choice than Pepsi. (Not that they don't like Pepsi, mind you. They just like to groan in protest about everything dictated to them from authoritative sources.)

The book's author, a professor of Ethics at UC, Davis, has taken all possible available data from the past 20 years on hundreds of companies; plugged them into a complicated database; and has come up with a simple, yet comprehensive, format for you & I to determine which of those companies deserve our dollars. These suggestions are based on each companies' records on 5 key issues: Human Rights, The Environment, Animal Protection, Community Involvement, and Social Justice.

For example, before I got my handy dandy Shopping Guide, I never thought to question why my chocolate bars are so cheap (except at the theater concession stands). The reason? Because up to 40% of the world's chocolate is currently produced using child slave labor! Yes, children are being lured or sold from Mali & then traded or sold to cacao plantations along the Ivory Coast, where they are denied school, forced to work for little or no compensation, and brutalized if they try to leave. (Try as they might, my kids didn't succeed in trying to convince me that this sounds like our house; I encourage them to go to school!)

In the name of research, I quickly ran out & bought chocolate bars of every kind from several fair-trade and organic companies (Endangered Species, Newman's Own, Dagoba, and Equal Exchange). I encourage you to do the same research yourselves. I won't post the results of our research, though I can proudly say that new jeans were NOT involved!