Lighten up changes

So, I've told you the results of one experiment. I have several more experiments running through my own version of R&D as I get the chance. And there is one project that will probably start being built today if the weather clears. (It rained ALL DAY yesterday, and it is too dark to see what the sky looks like now, so I'm not sure if HTH and his dad will be working on my project or on other things today.) These are fairly big things - each deserving of some time and attention in posts of their own - but not all lighten up changes have to be that way.

One of the key lighten up initiatives is something that I'm calling "conscious consumerism". Believe me, I know that sounds like an oxymoron around here. And it may be that the term will be too conflicted to work with, even after I explain. But, if it is, I'll just call it something else, then, I guess. (There is a great conversation between Alice and Humpty Dumpty about the definition of "glory" that is related to this but that is CLEARLY another story.) I'm open to suggestions.

In my world, conscious consumerism is almost the opposite of our American fascination with "disposable" things. In my head, it is all about the questions. When I'm making the shopping list, instead of just thinking about keeping the family provisioned and keeping within a rough budget, I have a whole new list of things to think about. Since the questions range from the "I just have to decide" type to the "I really have to research this to get an answer", I don't always have answers to every question before I shop. But, after several weeks of doing this, they are all part of my process now. So, here is one version of the list of questions that run through my head:

Do I really need this? Is this something that I need to buy new? Is there a version of this that will add less to my personal stack in the worldwide landfill - a more durable version that will last for a long time? Is there a local version of this - that didn't have to be shipped a jillion miles to get to me? Is there a version of this that was produced or provided in a manner that I find more agreeable - less petroleum, or with more appealing business practices, or is just a really elegant solution to a tricky problem, or from a shop that I feel personally connected to instead of a mega-impersonal-store?

So, with that in mind, there are some things I've just changed - with no experiment, no data gathering, and no fiddling around. And here are a couple of them.

I've finally added dryer balls to my life, after having seen them at Ommi's a year ago (or maybe more?) now. They replace dryer sheets - which go to the landfill, are just one more thing that has to be bought repeatedly AND coat the dryer lint filter with some crazy residue that can shorten the life of the machine if you don't wash it off regularly. They are also supposed to shorten the dry time by creating more separation between the clothes - allowing for better hot air circulation. With energy being largely petroleum AND expensive... Well, you know how I am about that.

I had researched these online and found them at one of the local "natural food" stores - where I get most of my produce during the winter - about a month ago. They went on sale week before last, so I bought them then - ya'll know I like clean, green AND cheap! The online reviews recommended anywhere from 4-6 to manage the static in family sized loads. I noticed that our darks - by far the largest load in a house with D2 in it! - were a little static-y this week, but not enough for me to go buy 2 more. We'll continue using the dryer sheets for our delicate load (my work clothes, Colin's "business man" shirts and D2's "dry on low heat or they'll shrink" things) until they run out. I don't plan to buy any after that.

Here is thing 2. You'll notice that my storage container area is now a mix of plastic and glass. The green pan on the right is HTH's new favorite marinade pan for anything that goes on the grill. His plastic ones (which you still see there stacked in the green glass) were getting grungy enough that we debating about bleaching them - which brings up questions about what the Recommended Daily Allowance is for Chlorine and how long it takes for it to leach out of plastic. Not a pleasant thought! So that was the first glass for plastic replacement we did. As our other plastics reach a similar place, I am also replacing them with glass - as you can see in the middle stack there. More durable, less petroleum, and, let's face it, a LOT cooler looking!

These, and a few other changes like them, are primarily reactions to my feelings on the rampant disposability that supposedly buys us more time and simplifies our lives. For a lot of reasons, that mindset weighs on me, so every time I make changes like this, I feel a bit lighter, even if it means that I have to question everything regularly!

There is a tricky bit to this. It is easy to get caught up in the conflict between "good" questions - durable wine glasses made from recycled glass but shipped from Spain or flimsier, not recycled, but local? - so I have to make decisions based on my current priorities. There are those that are farther along this path than I am - "you BOUGHT WINEGLASSES?!?!? and they were NEW?!?!?!?" - but I'm OK with my baby steps at this point. After all, the point is to lighten up, dude! - not to become even more intense!