Tag: Better World

Composting Confessions

Posted on by keepinthesunlightblog@gmail.com

I’m kind of embarrassed to write this, because I really make a lot of efforts to remain eco-conscious in my life.  I know there are tons of ways to be “eco-friendly,” and, like anything, it is an ongoing journey.  It is definitely one that shouldn’t be part of the comparison game (even if that’s only happening in our own heads).  But, I’m just going to say it…I’ve never composted.

Well, not really.  I’ve tried.  I really have.  At least two different times I had a set-up that never quite worked out.  For some reason, in the past, I’ve always found the whole thing very mysterious and intimidating.  Silly, I know.  Another reason (not excuse, mind you, but a reason) is that in my 23 years since moving out of my childhood family’s home, I have moved 20 times.  That is an insane average!

But, it’s been nagging at me for years.  Reducing food waste is a huge way to help our sweet, precious, beautiful Earth.  And while I have worked on reducing food waste on the front side of things by cooking at home, buying only what we’ll use, freezing items to preserve them for future use, etc., I haven’t done much (until now) for the afterlife of unused food items.  I think there’s a mistaken belief that because it’s food it will just decompose in the trash.  But when food scraps are thrown into a plastic trash bag and grouped in a landfill, they aren’t given the conditions necessary for this very miraculous way of natural recycling back into the earth.  They take up a huge amount of landfill space and release methane, a very potent greenhouse gas, when they do break down.

So, I finally did it.  There is SO much information on composting, which is both helpful and, well, not.  It was hard to know what to choose.  And, as an over-thinker, I was weighing the plastic use of any composting container with its eventual long-term benefits.  I know there are natural compost piles and reused wood pallet containers, but since we have no backyard at the moment, and we’re living in a rental, these seemed unlikely for our situation.

Here is the idea (and a similar one) we ended up using.  I love that it uses rotating bins, since that has always been one of my biggest questions/concerns, especially with such often moves–How does the compost get a chance to break down if I’m constantly adding more scraps?  In this method, once the top bin is 3/4 full, it’s rotated to the middle where it can sit and do its magic.  And the middle bin comes up to the top for new scraps.  Eventually, the (now) middle bin gets dumped into the bottom for further composting magic, and then it goes (empty) back to the top position.  Etc.  It sounds ideal.

We’re about one week in, and I’m not kidding, I feel like a weight has been lifted.  I’ve carried this goal around for so long that it feels wonderful to be actually doing it.  I know the novelty will eventually wear off, but right now, adding to our kitchen composter (currently a large plastic container that was headed for recycling) and then dumping it in our compost bin is a serious point of pride and excitement around here.  [Update:  Now using this kitchen composter from the wonderful ZeroWasteCartel!]

I hope to post with some positive updates as this unfolds.  And hopefully, hopefully, I can help encourage some other reluctant composters out there.

 

(We just used a plastic lid we had saved (from a bin that didn’t make it) and then used a bungee cord to secure it on top.  We have it sitting in a small (somewhat) sheltered part under our porch where it has already survived some very windy days.)

Start Where You Are

Posted on by keepinthesunlightblog@gmail.com

Like any journey in life, the environmental/eco-conscious one is definitely one that must be approached with a Start-Where-You-Are mentality.  It’s easy to get overwhelmed in the eco-conscious world.  At least, for me it is.  I try to stop and remember all the cliche sayings —  One step at a time.  Little by little one travels far.  Small actions over time can make a big difference…  Start where you are.

The thing is, we’ve all come from very different backgrounds and households.  Some of us may have been introduced to clean and conscious living at a young age and some of us are just stepping on board.  But in this information age we live in, the amount environmental causes out there is staggering.  Once you start to become conscious of where your products come from and what their afterlife is, and it’s difficult to go back.  Suddenly you’re thinking about your food’s packaging and where your shoes will go once they’re worn out and how many steps it takes to get your magazines to you and the enormous amount of toothpaste tubes we, as humans, use.  This is not to say being eco-conscious means a life of giving these things up, just making smarter and more conscious choices.

But change can be tough.  Even when we want to change, our human nature gets defensive and resistant to the idea.  And since there’s SO much out there that needs to be changed, it sometimes seems easier to just keep the status quo and forget the whole thing.

But our actions DO matter.  And the little things will add up.  It might be tricky to know where to start, and it’s hard to take other people’s advice on this since nobody lives the same way or is starting from the same place.  But, I think if you can pause and close your eyes and think of something that’s been irking you, even the slightest bit.  Maybe you’ve started thinking about all those plastic water bottles you go through every month or the amount of packaging involved in getting fast food take-out.  Maybe you’re bugged by little, cheap, broken toys you end up throwing away or the amount of gas you end up using in your commute.  Whatever it might be, from extravagant vacations to small, plastic floss containers, we all have at least a little idea of an area we might be able to shift our actions for the better.

The comparison game is an easy one to get lost in and not one that belongs if we’re going to join together for this cause.  I would say that in my usual circles, I’m probably the most eco-conscious one.  But last year, when I started going to a local group’s meetings about reducing waste in the community, I suddenly found myself playing the comparison game.  And not in a I’m-doing-so-much-more kind of way, but in a I’m-not-doing-nearly-enough-as-these-people way.  Not that anyone in this very kind and inclusive group was putting out this vibe, it was just my own mind playing tricks with me.  While I could have been celebrating being around a group who was standing up for the change I want to see and learning from their wisdom, I was using it to put unneeded, extra pressure on myself instead.

Like anything in life, I think it’s important to pause and celebrate our own progress.  It might not be the same as our friends’ or even where our self-critical mind thinks we “should” be, but it’s key to look back and recognize our accomplishments.  To be proud of the efforts we’ve taken and the hurdles we’ve overcome.

…Which is not to say that our journey stops there.  If we are really going to help our planet, we all need to come together and continue making eco-conscious choices in our lives.  But, it’s ok to not know everything all at once.  To not dive in and be picture-perfect, zero-waste role models right from Day One.  Our actions can and will make a difference, even the small ones, from wherever we’re starting.

Programming with Purpose

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This is an amazing keynote talk my friend Ish gave in 2019 at Swiftfest Boston.  Swiftfest is a conference for iOS developers, but this isn’t a talk about formulas and code.  It’s a talk about Life and Goodness.  About breaking out of boundaries and fears and taking steps towards following our dreams.  It’s about enjoying life’s moments and not taking our loved ones for granted.  It’s about the actions we take that can change people’s lives.  And it’s about finding our purpose.

I know that in our rush society, people seem to want short snippets of videos and audio while they’re going about their days, so 25 minutes is an investment.  But–if I may–you owe it to yourself to watch this.  If you notice the tags below, this video covers just about everything.  (The original talk isn’t allowed to be posted, so I’m beyond grateful Ish has put this together.)

Ish has a way of speaking and thinking that puts people at ease and helps them tap into their true selves.  Even before I became close friends with him, he’d ask me how I was doing in such a sincere way, that I always stopped in my tracks to truly reflect and consider how I was, instead of resorting to the automatic, “Fine. And you?”.  He’s the guy people meet for the first time and feel like they’ve known forever.  People open up to him with stories and questions and conflicts and joys, because he really listens without judgement or assumption.  He helps people through their problems, not by giving advice, but by listening to what they say and holding the space for them to find their own conclusions.  I can say with absolute certainty, I would not be where I am today without him.

I realize I’ve digressed a bit, but I wanted to take a moment to share a little bit about Ish, because I am hoping it will inspire you to take a pause and watch this video.  A beautiful reminder about what is good in life and how we can help make it even better, just by being ourselves.

Clean Bathroom Theory

Posted on by keepinthesunlightblog@gmail.com

I’ve had this theory for awhile that I call the Clean Bathroom Theory.  Silly, right?

But, have you ever visited a dirty public restroom? Toilet paper on the floor, messy toilet seats, wet counters, paper towels that seemed to have missed their target. I shamelessly admit that I become a little more careless in bathrooms like these. If a scrap of that one-ply toilet paper should float to the floor as I attempt to yank it out of the dispenser, I may just leave it there. It’s already a disaster in there, right? What does that one scrap of paper matter?

On the other hand, when I visit a virtually spotless bathroom, I do my best to keep it that way. Uncharacteristically, I find myself wiping down the counter and sink after I’ve used them. I do a double-check to make sure everything looks great before I exit.

I think this is also illustrated so well in a study my friend recently heard about. With two people asking for money on the street, many passersby were more likely to give money to the gentleman dressed in a suit and tie who looked just recently down on his luck, rather than the gentleman in tattered clothes, who looked like he had been on the streets for quite some time. How curious. Perhaps people felt the tatter-clothed man was a “hopeless” case and the suit-and-tie man might just be okay again with that extra $5 in hand. Perhaps some people could more easily see a bit of themselves in the suit man and therefore felt more sympathetic towards him. Whatever the reason, I find it fascinating and saddening that the man who probably could have used even more help was more often ignored.

I think the “clean/dirty bathroom theory” carries over into so many parts of our lives. People in debt may think, “I’m already so far over my head, what does this one extra credit card purchase matter?” Students who have been labeled as “troublemakers” might see no reason why taking part in another trouble-making “incident” will make any difference at this point. When people hear about the toxins in their food or household products, they might just figure it’s a hopeless case to try to change things. And when people hear about the “sad state” of the environment, they seem to care even less. What does that extra styrofoam cup or extra car on the road matter, if everything is already so dismal?

Ugh! I find this attitude so frustrating and yet I can completely relate. It’s easy to do our parts when it seems like everything is almost there. It’s fun to donate to a cause when the thermometer poster is almost at the goal.  The tough part is when you’re looking at an enormous, almost impossible-looking mountain before you and really recognizing that each step gets you closer to where you want to be.

What I need to remember is that whether the bathroom is clean or dirty, whether the state of the environment is great or not, my actions and non-actions really DO make a difference. 

How can we get people listening to the seriousness of our sweet planet’s situation, while not overwhelming them into a state of apathy?

Small Actions, Big Difference

Posted on by keepinthesunlightblog@gmail.com

So, I love sharing upcycling ideas or reducing inspiration.  It’s always been a passion of mine, and I feel like our world needs a major shift this way…and soon.  But, I know what some of you may be thinking, because I am wondering the same things.  Are we really going to heal this planet by making gift tags out of cereal boxes or fixing broken zippers on our clothes??

But, when I stop and really think about it in my heart, I really DO believe these actions matter.  When we start treating our planet’s resources with respect and being more aware of our choices, we start to create change in our world.  So, by making gifts at home or upcycling our products or mending our clothes, we start to become more aware of the stuff in our lives—where it comes from, where it’s going, how to make the most of it.  And when we make these little projects and carry them around or have them in our homes or gift them to others, we have these subtle reminders everyday.  And it starts to change the way we think and the way we act and the way we vote.  The companies we choose to support or not to support.  Organizations we choose to donate to.  The essays and articles and videos we make to increase awareness.  All of these things DO matter. 

So, yes, we need HUGE changes in our world’s policies and standards.  Companies need to keep shifting in the direction of conscious and fair practices.  But, this is the job of many people in positions many of us don’t hold.  So, the best WE can do is to start with these small changes.  And just trust that by starting small, we will continue to make positive change in our world.