Reduce This!: the little things

So I haven't done one of these in a while because I am very busy with getting ready to move while still trying to keep my disgustingly mobile 7month old from killing herself....ok, and I forgot.

So this time I thought I would talk about some of the little things that we do here in studio apartment-ville to try and be environmentally conscious. Some of these things I have talked about before and some I haven't.

1. We use flushable diapers
2. We buy baby food in glass jars instead of plastic (this also has the added benefit of keeping those nasty plastic chemicals out of LM's food)
3. We buy most of LM's clothes used
4. We sell our used baby stuff (cribs, swings, etc.) on Craig's list instead of throwing it in the garbage.
5. We use biodegradeable/enviro safe dish soap, shower cleaner, baby wash, toothpaste, shampoo/conditioner, and laundry detergent.
6. We take short cool showers
7. We do not get magazines or catlogues (if we can help it) delivered to the house. We try to look at that stuff online.
8. We do not wash our clothes unless they are actually dirty.
9. We are using used Fresh Direct boxes to move instead of purchasing new ones
10. I no longer use razors. Husband mostly uses electric razor (no disposable) and the razor I used before is recyclable.
11. Uh, I can't think of any more. When we get to Portland there will also be composting and vermicomposting of food scraps and compostable diapers.

Learned something disturbing this weekend. Most common brand-name "tear-free" baby shampoos are tear free because they put anasthetic in the shampoo that numbs the eye, not because their ingredients are gentle enough to go in the eye without burning...ugh! Also, Aveeno is made by Johnson & Johnson which is proctor & gamble and they test on little bunnies. We use Burt's Bees now.

Also found out Kashi is made by Kellog's....f#%&ing corporations. I don't think Kellog's tests on bunnies, but it is possible that the cereal has bunnies in it.....

Reduce this - step 3

Ok so because I am sick (and so is LM) and that means that I hate my life right now this installment of Reduce This is going to be short and sweet. This week I am giving up shaving. This will save water, disposable razors, etc. I have a recyclable razor which are awesome, but you still have to throw away/replace the blade so I have decided to just let the leg hair (and arm pits) grow wild and free.... I guess if it grows there it belongs there right!?!

I will still be using the electric trimmer to tidy up the private areas since that gets uncomfortable when it is overgrown.

So that's it. I will think of something better for next time, promise!

Reduce This!
Step 3:

Water use reduction. So, the no toilet paper thing is going pretty well except that sometime I forget and accidentally grab toilet paper just out of habit...doh!! But slowly I am retraining my brain.

So now it is water reduction. This step will not include laundry (I am saving that for another week). Next week I don't know if there will be a new step since we will be on vacation and I will be busy visiting with family and frolicking around the Midwest, but I will try. So here's what this part of our water use reduction will entail: Short cool showers (5 min or less). Washing dishes in a tub (ie. not letting the water run while washing) and using water that is warm, but not hot. I have to buy a little tub for this and I am not sure where I am going to get one....hmmmm...I will figure it out.
At some future time we will deal with the laundry and the collecting of bath water for other things.

Reduce This!!!!

Hello all. Inspired by people like No Impact Man and the 90% reduction project, I have decided to take on a reduction project of my own. You can check out the 90% reduction guidlines to see the basic structure I will be following. I don't know if I will be able to do as much as they do, but I will do my best and that is better than nothing.

Step 1: Gas consumption - Check! We got this one covered. Living in NYC we don't own a car and we walk most places that we go. When we can't walk we take the train.

Step 2 (for me): Use less/no toilet paper.This tends to be one of the last steps for most people, but I am going to put it at the top because it seems easier to me than say, eating nothing but local food. I will still use toilet paper for #2 (sorry if this is too much info, but....too bad), but for pee I will be using a little squirt bottle (like the ones they give you after you have a baby) to wash after using the bathroom and then have a designated towel for drying that will be washed every couple of days. Given that husband only uses toilet paper for #2 as it is, we should cut our consumption by quite a bit....might save us some $$ too which is always good.

Next week I will post my next step....

Whatever you do, don't read this unless you like being utterly depressed and having daydreams of living hungry in the forest waiting for the hoards to come and steal all of your food...yikes. Oh great, now you went and read it didn't you....I told you it was a bad idea.