Make It Last: Celery

Having not done a post in the "Make It Last" category for some time (7 years!), I decided now was the right moment to mention a make-it-last kitchen hack I learned recently from one of my simple living mentors. 

I have always been frustrated by how quickly celery goes down in the fridge. Limp is lame. 

Now that celery is insanely expensive, there is even more reason to store it so it stays crispy and fresh for a long time. 

I didn't know I have been doing it wrong until recently when I read a simple suggestion that I immediately tried to great effect. First, I had to get my celery out of plastic.

The (new to me) storage method is simple: after your celery bunch is delivered via armoured car, wrap it in aluminum foil. 

I have had a roll of tinfoil for years, because we don't use it very often, so it was good to have an actual use for it. 

After the celery is used up, I flatten the foil so I can reuse it next time I have saved enough money to get more stalks. 

This method is simple, it keeps the celery crispy, reduces food waste, and will save you money, or at least help you avoid having to eat rubbery stalks.

On a final note, have you noticed how over the years things you don't need like TVs have gotten cheaper, while things you do need, like food, have gotten more expensive?

All the more reason to store your food to make it last, and keep as much as possible out of the garbage.

Up to 1/3 of global food production is lost to waste every year.

Beyond Recycling: Toward Zero Waste

There is a reason recycling is the most promoted and well known of the many environmental Rs. It does not affect consumption. Recycling is system friendly.

We can never talk seriously about anything that will reduce consumption. Never. Even if it means saving the planet. That is why they only pay lip service to the other Rs: refuse, reduce, repair, and reuse - these will all reduce consumption.

Rethink is my favourite rebel R that gets little to no fanfare in places where ConsumerThink is the only state sanctioned mindset. 

Billions of dollars are spent every year to make sure we think the right way, and buy the right things. And then you use recycling as a (system friendly) way to help consumers feel like they are doing something meaningful - saving the environment!

Considering the dire straights we find ourselves in, I have to think we are beyond (for the time being) recycling. We have to rethink our whole way of life. 

The current system is set up for a liner waste stream - crap in, crap out. Do more of that every year, or the economy will collapse. We know continuing this will eventually collapse planetary systems, but they don't want us to stop. 

Never mind the planet, what will happen to profits?

Recycling is not enough in a system that requires more resource extraction, production, and consumption than the year before in order to function. 

Along with infinite growth comes infinite waste. Both are choking the life out of our planet, and are currently washing up on the beaches of the collective consciousness.   

Our economies never bothered to make themselves into nature-imitating circular, closed loop systems, and this has been their undoing. The linear waste stream leads to collapse if followed to the end.

At this stage it makes more sense to move some of the more unloved Rs to the forefront of our consumer craniums. A zero waste world is possible.

However, we currently don't have a closed loop in which recycling would be an integral part. Far from it. 

“The smallest loops also create the highest social benefits because they are labour intensive. They use very few material and energy resources, and as they are decentralized, they benefit regional economies by providing local employment.”

- Walter Stahel

In recent years, many of the nations where we used to send our (dirty) recycling materials to be reprocessed far away by low wage labour, are saying "NO" to further imports of the results of our prodigious consumption habits.

In Canada's case, the nations are sending several of the containers of recycling/rubbish back to Canada so we can, perhaps, deal with our own stuff right here where it was generated.

Until we have a zero waste system where no waste is produced, I will continue recycling while concentrating on the other Rs that are most likely to lead to a lower consumption lifestyle, and eventually, a complete system change. 

A closed loop system where recycling is a common sense and seamless part of waste free living, is where we want to get. The other R's are the way to get there.

Rethink, Refuse, Reduce, Repair, Reuse. And then Recycle. 

Repair Cafe: Can We Fix It?

The worst case of planned obsolescence I have heard of concerns computer printers that have a "pre-programmed failure date" that shuts the device down after so many copies, or when a competitors ink cartridge is used.

Worst case, that is, until hearing that a popular cell phone company intentionally slowed their old phones down so that people would think they needed a new handset. Many people replaced their phones not knowing that all they needed was a new battery.

There is a rising swell of people that are sick and tired of the intentional throw-away economy. They want quality things that can be repaired, and that will last a long time.

A proactive response to all the cheap, made-to-fail crap is The Repair Café. Its objectives are to reduce waste, maintain repair skills, and strengthen social cohesion.

It was initiated by Martine Postma when she organized the first Repair Café in Amsterdam, on October 18, 2009. Fast forward to today, and there are over 1500 repair cafes around the world.

The following is from the Repair Cafe International website:

Repair Cafés are free meeting places and they’re all about repairing things (together). In the place where a Repair Café is located, you’ll find tools and materials to help you make any repairs you need, on clothes, furniture, electrical appliances, bicycles, crockery, appliances, toys, et cetera. 

You’ll also find expert volunteers, with repair skills in all kinds of fields. 

Visitors bring their broken items from home. Together with the specialists they start making their repairs in the Repair Café. It’s an ongoing learning process. 

If you have nothing to repair, you can enjoy a cup of tea or coffee. Or you can lend a hand with someone else’s repair job. 

You can also get inspired at the reading table – by leafing through books on repairs and DIY.

Any time something breaks, the first question should be, "Can we fix it?" Too often companies do not sell replacement parts, or give owners access to repair manuals, making repairs difficult.

The Right To Repair Movement is actively taking on this form of forced obsolescence, and demanding that rules change so that owners can fix the things they have paid for without corporate malfeasance.

Repair Cafes encourage people to "Fix It" before carelessly throwing out and buying new replacements. Not repairing when we can means perpetuating the cycle of disposability while supporting unscrupulous manufacturers.

Is there a Repair Cafe near you. Check the map here.

Or perhaps you would like to initiate a Repair Cafe in your own community. See here.

Welcome to the Repair Revolution. Fix it, don't nix it.

Frugal Flipper: Fail Or Fab?

My frugal challenge: How could I re-purpose this broken kitchen flipper?

Sometimes in my desire to be economical, I go too far and experience what I call a frugal fail. It's all good, as long as no one gets hurt, and waste is eliminated.

However, in one case, I did get hurt. It happened when my kitchen flipper broke and the handle came off. 

I decided to keep using it. 

In dangerously hot pans. 

It reflects my dedication to the cause. Or brain damage.

After a few skin contacts with hot frying pans, I decided that there was a good reason flippers had long handles. In this case, acquiring a flipper with a handle was warranted.

When it comes to pushing the limits of frugality, if you don't know how far is too far, then how do you know how far you can take it? Because I want to take it as far as I possibly can. Preferably without hurting myself in the process. 

As it turns out, because I still wasn't ready to dispose of my handle-less flipper, I did find a use for my broken kitchen implement. 

This fraction of a flipper is quite perfect re-purposed as a dough cutter, and I use it every time I bake bread.

I guess I turned my frugal fail into frugal fabulous. And it only hurt a little bit.

10 Things On My "Buy It For Life" List

I will probably never have to shop for leather hiking boots again.

When you have to buy something, choosing the quality and durable alternative means you may never have to buy that thing again. For those of us that don't like shopping much, that is a very attractive situation.

One of the best ways to make things last is to acquire quality things. It may cost more to begin with, but over the long run they outlast their cheaper counterparts. Also good would be buying items that you can repair if needed, which will also make things last a long time.

Good quality items, along with gentle use and proper maintenance, could conceivably last several lifetimes. A good set of hand tools, or a cast iron frying pan fall into this category.

Other items may not technically last a lifetime, but in a world of disposable this, and throw away that, having something that lasts a long time deserves an honorary inclusion. Sturdy clothing would fall under this category.

Here are 10 practical and durable items on my "Buy It For Life" list:

1. Cast iron frying pan - we are using one handed down through 3 generations.
2. Wood cutting board - cared for properly, it can last a lifetime
3. Binoculars - essential bird watching tool that if cared for will bring birds into focus for many years.
4. Sturdy furniture - cheap furniture is not worth buying. I prefer older, second hand sturdy stuff.
5. Pots and pans - don't let them sit empty on a hot burner and everything will be fine.
6. Stainless steel thermal mug - indestructible items that keep liquids hot or cold longer.
7. Basic tools/garden tools - buy good stuff and enjoy a lifetime of gardening
8. double-edged safety razor - bomb proof, and the blades are waaay cheaper than modern razors.
9. Guitar - WIlly Nelson has had his guitar for over 45 years.
10. Leather hiking boots - my first pair lasted decades, and the next will probably be my last.

These frugal choices are the opposite of the throw-away economy. They reduce waste, and save money in the long run. Plus, old things take on a personality, character, and beauty of their own, as in the Japanese tradition of wabi-sabi.

I have found that it is usually better to look for things like longevity, energy efficiency, repairability, and low total cost of ownership when making a purchase, instead of just what is least expensive. 

The frugal choice may not be the cheapest choice, but instead the more expensive option that may never have to be bought again. 

What are some things on your "Buy It For Life" list? 

Welcome To NBA And The Post-Consumer Age

This isn't a blog - its an on-line support group for people who have broke free from the clutches of the Cult of Consumerism, and those who have been affected by this cult bent on ecocide for fun and profit.

You will not be shamed, belittled, or put down here for longing for, and living, a post-consumer existence. What you will find is support for your quest to live a simpler life with less stuff, and more living.

"Welcome. Please come in, sit down, state your name, and if you are comfortable, share your post-consumer story/ideas with us. You are in a safe space here."

On this blog can be found a group of post-consumers learning to de-materialize. Call it de-programming, or in this case deconsumerizing. We are supporting each other through the process of unlearning being a passive vessel for corporations to fill with superfluous goods, services and entertainments.

Generally, NBA readers/support group members are activating their own agenda rather than the oppressive and limiting "work-buy-repeat-die" script laid out for us at birth. We are reclaiming our freedom to choose simple lives that are easier on us and the Earth.

Together we are helping create Charles Eisenstein’s “world where our human gifts go toward the benefit of all, and where our daily activities contribute to the healing of the biosphere and the well-being of other people.”

How did we get to our current state of consumer madness? How did the cult attract so many devotees to its dark halls? A piece I found in the Adbuster web site chronicles our brief trajectory that has brought us to the brink of global collapse:

“We were high on the thrill of early capitalism. We loved the cars, the airplanes, the endless aisles of mega marts teeming with mass-produced goodies. We loved the validation that each new purchase brought. 

And then came the technology: the flat screens, MacBooks, iPhones and XBoxes. Every technological breakthrough made us feel more connected, more human, and more whole. 

But then the economy collapsed and we began to tumble… suddenly we weren’t so sure anymore. The line between necessity and luxury - once blurred beyond distinction - came into sudden, violent focus. 

What pleasure is there in a 50-inch plasma TV if you don’t have a wall to hang it on? What joy does a brand new automobile bring if climate change looms large on the horizon? 

The wisdom of credit, and the attendant practice of living well beyond our means, suddenly hit home. 

And now, as belts tighten and paradigms crumble, we are beginning to hear the first whispers of a post-consumer era… the dawning of a post-materialist age.”

We are certainly hearing the whispers (and yells, shouts, pleads, and rants) of a post-consumer era on this blog over the past (almost) 10 years.  I like to think of NBA as a partial record of the dawning of the post-consumer age that we all know must come soon. Or sooner.

Together we are forging ahead, supporting each other, and creating "the more beautiful world our hearts know is possible".

Join our support group for ex-members of the Cult of Consumerism, or those affected by consumerism. Come on it, there is room for everyone.

Welcome to NBA, and the post-consumer age.

Make It Last: Bar Soap

Much smaller than a fresh bar, but still lots of hand washes left.

You can live life as if nothing is sacred. I prefer to live considering everything sacred. All life, all matter, everything. This world view allows me to see value and purpose in everything that surrounds me. Even itty bitty flakes of soap.

Sometimes it is difficult to know what to do with bar soap as it shrinks in size. There have been times in my wasteful past that I might have thrown little remnants of soap in the garbage. Then I started to weld little soaps on to a fresh bar, with varied and often frustrating results.

I made self-soaping pot scrubbers fashioned from saved up soap bits and mesh produce bags. A small bit of soap would still sometimes be wasted.

In my perpetual quest to simplify, I gave some thought to coming up with a more straight forward solution to making bar soap last.

The smallest soap flake I have ever made - one more hand wash here. Maybe two.

I have been trying an experiment to see how small I could get a bar of soap. Could I use an entire bar right out of existence? Apparently I can. In the process, I created the smallest bar of soap in the world. I need a magnifying glass just to find it.

Why not just throw it away? Because that tiny flake of soap is better than no soap at all. Using it all up in this way honours the soap, the ingredients of the soap, and everyone that had to work to get the soap to me.

 It is all that, and more. I do it because everything is sacred. Even tiny flakes of soap. Perhaps especially tiny flakes of soap. You know what they say about cleanliness.

Reduce Waste In One Easy Step

The results of our cultural addiction to buying more than we need can be found in trucks like these.

What are the easiest ways to reduce waste? I asked my search engine that question to see what kinds of things would be suggested. I can think of one very easy way, perhaps even the best way. But it was missing from most of the information that I checked out.

There were definitely some very good suggestions. The following were some of the ways that were suggested to reduce waste on the sites I looked at:

• Buy items made of recycled content, and use and reuse them as much as you can.
• Buy in bulk.
• Buy things with less packaging.
• Buy rechargeable batteries.
• Buy a hybrid car.
• Buy for durability, not disposability.
• Buy used.

You can see what these all have in common. Buying, buying, buying. What if we dramatically reduced how much we buy?

Altering our buying habits can help, but reducing how much we buy is a more effective strategy. Preventing waste production, rather than reduction through the production and purchasing of slightly different, "greener" things is the way to go.

Taking the prevention route has many advantages.

• Reduces the need for procuring new raw materials. Mining and resource extraction to meet consumer demand is degrading ecosystems everywhere.
• Saves energy, and therefore reduces green house gases.
• Helps save the environment for future generations. Our kids and grandkids are going to have to live somewhere. 
• Reduces the amount of money you have to spend. Maybe you can work less. Or save more.
• Cuts the amount of waste recycled or sent to landfills and incinerators.
• Ensures that the things you do have will be used to their fullest extent.

Waste reduction in one easy step. Stop buying so much stuff. How hard can that be?

Low Consumption - Low Waste

You always see the "horn of plenty", but never the"horn of waste" in its shadow.

High consumption lifestyles are high waste lifestyles. Overconsumption is laying waste to everything around us.

In 2008 the US produced 389.5 million tons of waste. If we didn't find places to hide it all we would be drowning in the flotsam and jetsam tossed off the exclusive cruise ship Consumer Paradise. That garbage represents an earthquake of consumption followed by a tsunami of waste.

69% of American garbage was hid in landfills, 24% was recycled and composted, and 7% vaporized in waste-to-energy projects. 

One thing I enjoy about a low consumption lifestyle is that it is also a low waste lifestyle.  Not much comes in, not much goes out. Surprisingly, nothing is lacking.

In my new home in Nova Scotia I am more able to get a feel for our household waste management than ever before. Since moving from British Columbia last summer we have enjoyed an excellent system even though we live in a rural area.

Now we have green waste pickup as well as recycling and garbage pick up. Since we don't currently have a garden and compost up and running, the green bin pickup is nice. It is a shame to see organics being landfilled where they won't break down for years while slowly releasing methane, or "landfill farts".

Now we have an opportunity to see exactly how much actual garbage we produce since it is separate from all the other waste streams. What we are discovering is that we produce a very small amount of garbage.

Our next goal is to get our own compost going so it does not need to be trucked away.

Nature does not waste. Neither should we. The best way to avoid high waste production is to refuse, cut consumption and enjoy a better life the planet might actually be able to support.

5 Rules For Low-Impact Living

Low impact, self-built, no mortgage, natural homes remove support from
the corrupted banking/real estate system.

1. Use only your fair share of the planet's resources.

- even if you can afford to consume more than your fair share

- even if you "work hard" and "deserve" to consume more

- even if you think you are "special", because you aren't

2. Create as little waste as you can - manage it yourself.

- the best way to avoid dealing with waste is to avoid producing it in the first place

- the best way to avoid producing it is to consume less overall

- turn waste products into resources

- compost in the yard and use it to enrich your garden soil

3. Cooperate and share resources, including local green energy production.

- not everyone on the block needs to own a lawn mower, or garden tools, or a drill, or many of the things that we use every day

- local community-owned green energy production will keep the lights on after unsustainable grids go down

- bring food to a neighbour

- start a cooperative, support others in your area

4. Grow as much of your food as possible.

- it is amazing how much food can be grown/raised in a small area

- community gardens are a great way to share land and knowledge

- eat a local diet year round

5. Learn to love the challenge of living ever more simply.

- contrary to what we have been taught, living with less according to the limits of nature is not only right, but can also be a lot of FUN.

Donate Stuff And Lower Your Carbon Footprint

… is good for the environment.

I would rather give things away than sell them. It is so much easier and stress free. Therefore our local thrift shops are the recipients of a lot of our stuff.

In doing research on various agencies accepting donations, Linda came across the following information about how giving to thrift shops diverts things from the waste stream and lowers your carbon footprint.

"When you donate to us you help the environment by responsibly processing your clean, gently used possessions for reuse through our thrift stores. 

Each year, our program diverts more than 48 million kilograms of clothing, household items and electronics from Canadian landfills. 

This translates into a savings of 876 million kWh of energy while reducing our donors’ carbon footprint by 120 million kilograms of CO2 emissions.  

This is equivalent to driving a car 43,000 times around the globe or saving 8.6 million trees."

Wealth Means Waste

Municipal solid waste (MSW) production, kg per person per day, World Bank 2012.

Wealth is synonymous with waste. If you want to know how much waste a country produces, all you really need to know is how wealthy it is. In an emerging global phenomena, increasing wealth means increasing consumption and increasing waste production.

The affluent produce a lot of effluent. They produce a lot of solid waste, too.

Solid Waste Wisdom

• Developed countries produce more waste per capita because they have higher levels of consumption. 
• These countries consume more than 60% of the world industrial raw materials, but only comprise 22% of the world's population. 
• Per capita waste generation in developed countries increased by 14% since 1990, and 35% since 1980.
• USA, the wealthiest nation, unsurprisingly tops the list for the production of rubbish, with 4.5 pounds (2.04 kg) of MSW per person per day, fifty five percent of which is contributed as residential garbage. 
• Urban residents produce twice as much waste as their rural counterparts.

- Source

"Income level and urbanization are highly correlated and as disposable incomes and living standards increase, consumption of goods and services correspondingly increases, as does the amount of waste generated."

Our flagrant waste goes against the basic laws of ecology. It is no surprise that humans are the only species on earth that produce toxic waste products that can not be used.

Basic Laws of Ecology

1. Everything is connected to everything else.
2. Everything must go somewhere.
3. Nothing comes from nothing.
4. Nature knows best (therefore mimic nature)

Barry Commoner, who wrote the four laws of ecology, warned that any major human-induced change in a natural system would likely be detrimental to that system, and ultimately to humans. He thought that following nature would lead us in the right direction.

In nature there is no final waste - the waste produced in one ecological process is recycled in another.  Any "waste" product from one thing is rebranded as a "resource" when it is used by something else.

To mimic nature we have to "close the loop" and develop cyclical manufacturing processes. This involves the redesign of resource life cycles so that 100% of materials in products can be recovered and reused. The process adopted is one similar to the way that waste products (resources) are reused in nature.

Another obvious and important way to approach zero waste is to reduce consumption. It does not matter how much money we have in the bank - we still can not afford to consume and waste like we have been.

"Waste is worse than loss. The time is coming when every person who lays claim to ability will keep the question of waste before him constantly. The scope of thrift is limitless." 

- Thomas A. Edison

Take Care Of The Crumbs

Slicing homemade bread. And look at all those yummy crumbs!

I try not to waste anything, right down to the last bread crumb. I figure that the more you waste, the more you have to spend. For most of us, spending more means working more. It's not efficient or natural.

I generally assume that most people are like me in that they would like to be in the work state less and be in their natural state more. Indeed, a recent survey provides global evidence for this.

In the survey, only 13% of people reported enjoying their work. That was an improvement over 2010 when a whopping 11% of workers reported being meaningfully involved in their activities on the job.

Congratulations if you are included in this exclusive and fortunate group of people that enjoys their paid labour. If you find yourself in the other group, I recommend you start saving bread crumbs.

I have a jar in my cupboard in which I save the crumbs that fall on the counter when I slice our loaves of homemade bread. They may just be crumbs, but they are still technically 'food'.

I have a hard time throwing away food. It's not efficient. People pay good money to buy bread crumbs at the grocery store, so obviously they are a valuable resource. Therefore, I will not waste them.

In the name of efficiency, waste should be eliminated from the kitchen and all other areas of life as much as possible. Nature wastes nothing, and neither should we.

"Take care of the bread crumbs," I say, "and the meals will take care of themselves."

Not Wasting Anything

REDUCE is the best method for eliminating waste.

The long version of the name of our blog could be: Not Buying Anything, Not Wasting Anything. The two are inescapably linked in a cycle of buying and disposing, buying and disposing...

Therefore, one of the best ways to reduce the amount of waste produced is to reduce consumption. However, this is not something that you will ever see promoted in the mainstream.

The consumer world is a wasteful world. Why? Because there is profit in waste, from selling disposable crap, to collecting and burying it when it is unwanted or unusable. Indeed, most of what we buy becomes waste within six weeks of purchase.

Breakdown of average household waste.

Even after cutting consumption and addressing the problem of waste at its origin, we can still do more to eliminate waste from our lives.

Living more gently upon this planet means getting as close to zero waste as possible. Any system that expects less, like conspicuous consumerism, violates the general laws of nature and is doomed to fail.

Waste is death. That is why there is no waste in nature, and that is why I am reducing consumption, and trying my best to not waste anything of what I do buy. My Junk Drawer is alive and well and saves me from time to time with valuable, re-usable resources that can be put to re-use in creative ways.

A great deal of food waste occurs in the home.

Ways to Not Waste Anything (or at least waste less)

1. Cut your consumption. Reduce, reduce, reduce.
2. Say no to disposable, single use items, and anything plastic.
3. Use it up, wear it out, or do without.
4. Compost kitchen scraps.
5. Say no to products with excessive packaging (processed foods, fast food, consumer products, etc.). Ask Customer Service if you can leave packaging in the store after purchase. If you can't, leave without buying.
6. Cook with whole foods (that usually have minimal packaging).
7. Use food more efficiently - eat what needs to be eaten first to prevent spoilage.
8. Buy what you need to get the job done, and no more. 
9. Avoid "luxury" anything.
10. Make a game of living harmoniously within the cycles of nature - leave the linear and wasteful ways of "buy and throw away" consumerism behind, because there is no "away".

Plastic Bags, Sea Turtles, and Going Zero Waste

It's hard to believe that prior to the 1980s there were no plastic bags hanging from tree limbs or blowing artfully in gentle breezes. A scant 3 decades later and the planet is smothering under a tidal wave of the shopper's best friend - filmy, sturdy, and convenient plastic bags.

Between 500 billion and a trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide each year. It seems like 50% of this problem plastic ends up flapping in trees. Another 48% probably ends up in the plastic slick in the middle of the North Pacific.

When these bags are eaten by sea turtles who mistake them for jelly fish, it endangers their lives. Most bags break down into tiny, toxic specks that eventually make it into the food chain. Hey, aren't we at the top of the food chain?

I figure that about 1% of plastic bags are reused and landfilled, and 1% are recycled (it costs more to recycle plastic bags than make new ones). Many grocery stores, though, have quit offering plastic bags altogether in a move in the right direction. It isn't a question of "paper or plastic" any more, because both are unnecessary. Using reusable bags is the way to go.

But in true human fashion, my most pressing conundrum is not dying sea turtles or plastic merchants propagating oil wars. I have been successful in getting off plastic bags. So staunch has been my refusal of the silky sacks that my giant bag of bags has dwindled to nothing.

And there is the conundrum. What will I use to take the trash out? I think the plastic in the food chain is affecting my thinking already because I can't remember how we did things in the Pre-plastic Era.

Using newspaper to create a liner for the garbage can is one way I thought I might replace plastic. The newspaper would be more biodegradable and keep the can clean. But what I decided would be best is to go zero waste. Recycle everything I can and collect food waste for composting.

I am changing my plastic habits and reducing the amount of waste I produce. Very little is coming into my home so it shouldn't be that hard to make sure nothing leaves it destined for the landfill. That should keep the sea turtles happy, and ultimately, what makes sea turtles happy will make us happy.