Zero Waste Travel Review 2019: Nashville, Pheonix

It’s been a lovely year for travel. We like to travel but we can’t always find the time. We have demanding jobs and cats. This means we don’t always get to stay as long as we would like to. This makes it hard to take the time to assess the city and it’s zero waste features and possibilities. But even a few days can give you an idea of how it is to travel zero waste. Here are my impressions of the 2 of the 4 major cities we visited this year.

There is a mix of old school spots, like the Nashville Biscuit House, and new more sustainable options in TN.

Nashville, TN
I’ve visited Nashville a few times previously but as we have family there, we usually stick close to home. This trip we got to visit with family and friends, but also ventured out a little more. There was a lot of plastic bags, styrofoam and plastic take out containers. Single use plastics and plastic packaging seems to be the rule with very little exception. When we went to restaurants of cafe, there was always disposable napkins. It was super hard to find vegetarian, let a long vegan options, but We did hear of a few new vegan places to try next time we are in town. A few places we visited had more eco friendly options and we saw a few places that let you use your own cup, or didn’t offer straws unless asked. We did happen upon a great zero waste shop, The Good Fill. And there were other signs of getting clued into a more sustainable lifestyle. Many people did carry their own grocery bags! There is a light rail that people can take in to the city center, but the entire time we were there I never saw it moving, let along in use. Driving is the main form of transportation and traffic was thick most of the time we were there.

Nashville seems to be a city on the edge of a possible sustainable revolution. But for now, the downside of waste seems to be catching up to other major cities, especially where to go containers, public transport, low cost zero waste alternatives, and normalizing non plastic options are concerned.

Overall, I think Nashville is a city to watch out for. Right now, it’s not anything too special where zero waste is concerned but it’s poised to turn an important corner. I feel like Nashville could use more zero waster citizens and tourist to keep it’s progress moving.

Being in the middle of the desert makes Phoenix unique.

Phoenix, AZ
This is probably the city I have visited the most out of all my travels this year. I’m always surprised by Phoenix. When I think of it, it is a waste land, a desert of similar looking houses and chain stores. But on this visit I took note on how many indy businesses there were, how many vegan options there were, as well as grocery shops with bulk sections and other low key resources for zero wasters. Disposable plastic is still the norm, but I saw many people carrying their own grocery bags, bringing their reusable cups and being more conscious about sustainable options. Phoenix is water conscious and so they are used to taking care of precious things, if they can make the mental leap to also care for reusables, it would go a long way. No one seemed to mind me bringing my own to go container, or to go cup but it was still an oddity. Hiking and out door activities are common there, so people are health conscious which can easily translate to being heath conscious for the planet. Driving is the only transport as far as I could tell, and traffic in the city can be pretty sticky. I was visiting and helping friends on this trip, so I didn’t do too much exploring, but I’m excited for the next visit to suss out more sustainable options and seeing how one can to be more zero waste in Arizona.

A downside of Phoenix zero waste is definitely awareness and communication. I saw resources in Phoenix that I had never seen before, like person who shreds documents and recycles the waste (he even reused any plastic bags that were brought in!) but generally no one is talking about reducing waste. Asking for “no straw” was still a novelty as was asking for other small things to reduce waste in restaurants or shops. People didn’t know how to react and were confused a lot of the time. A way to combat this would be for all those wanting to reduce waste and promote a low impact lifestyle to speak out more and make those conversations a more normal activity.

Overall, I think Phoenix has come a long way but has a longer road ahead.

These two cities had frustrating aspects for someone who wants to reduce their waste, forgo plastic and lead a more low impact life. But they also had exciting possibilities. I’ll be interested to revisit these cities and watch the progress that is made.

It was fun to think back to my travels this year and how they relate to zero waste. Each time I returned home, I was happy to be back in my comfort zone with my waste consumption but it also made me thnk of the changes I still need to work on and how my own city could improve.

Did you travel in 2019 with zero waste in mind? What were your observations?

Zero Waste Travel Review 2019: New Orleans and Denver

It’s been a lovely year for travel. We like to travel but we can’t always find the time. We have demanding jobs and demanding cats. This means we don’t always get to stay as long as we would like to when we do get to travel. It is some times hard to take the time to assess a city and it’s zero waste features and possibilities. But even a few days can give you an idea of how it is to travel zero waste. Here are my impressions of two of the four major cities we visited this year.

Jackson Square in the French Quarter on a cloudy day.

New Orleans, LA
NOLA is pretty much an anything goes kind of city. So it’s easy to ask for things in your own cup or bag, no one looks at you funny for bringing your own utensils or to go containers. There’s tons of cafes, restaurants, and shops that are easy to eat-in so as not to create waste. New Orleans is pretty environmentally conscious due to it’s precarious nature and history. When I was there in February, I noticed some places with paper straws, paper packaging, and other signs of awareness. There are a few places I have read about that are specifically geared towards zero waste, but I’ve never had the pleasure of visiting them. Hey! Cafe (where environmental activist and zero waster Rob Greenfield visited in 2017) and the New Orleans Food Co-op are definitely on my list for my next visit. There is a broad network of trolleys and buses, but it’s also easy to get around on foot as a visitor. I love New Orleans and think that it is definitely in my top ten cities that I would gladly move to.

Washington Square in The Marigny section of NOLA.

The downside of NOLA waste would definitely be the souvenirs, beads, and decoration waste mostly associated with Mardi Gras.

Overall, I think being zero waste in NOLA is pretty easy, as long as you stay conscious and avoid the really touristy things, like to go beverages in plastic cups, drive throughs and all the plastic trinkets. You can walk or take trolleys to explore the city. And feel comfortable that asking for no plastic is not the weirdest thing anyone has seen all day.

A vista near Buffalo Bill’s tomb outside of Denver.

Denver, CO
From what I had heard about the hippy dippy nature of Colorado (and I guess my preconceptions about all the pot smoking) I thought Denver would be very progressive. A “hippy” city. I was quite surprised with my observations. One of the first places that we went to get a bite to eat was billed as a veg and eco friendly. It seemed to be neither and didn’t herald a prosperous start. throughout our 3 day trip, I saw a lot of plastic, lots of straws, a lot a disposables. Some restaurants we visited, like Uncle Ramen, did have higher standards. Uncle uses disposable chopsticks and napkins but also makes sure these all go to composting. There were quite a few farm to table restaurants, used book shops, thrift and vintage shops that we found and really enjoyed. No one seemed to mind when I asked for things in my own cup and it was clear that water was a necessity in the hight elevation. We saw lot of reusable water bottles. Being a very health conscious and outdoorsy place, I’m sure there are a lot of resources for those activities, but we didn’t find them on this first visit. The main transport seemed to be driving but there was a light rail that went to the airport and the heart of the city.

The downside of Denver Waste seemed to be that it’s a very large and spread out city. It didn’t seem possibe to travel easily by public transport and walking was impossible. With that and the seemingly lack of awareness, it made it hard to feel comfortably zero waste. Many places still presented purchased items in plastic bags and the city streets had a lot of litter.

The Chatsfield Reservoir south of Denver.

Overall, Denver felt like a big dirty city to me. I felt that I mostly had to go out of my way for zero waste options. That is how it is in much of my day to day experience is, to be fair. But it surprised me bc of my preconceived notions about CO. After visiting Denver once, I would really like to see more, get a better feel for it and visit some of the surrounding cities that are supposedly more progressive (CO Springs, Boulder…etc…). But upon first visit it didn’t strike me as a place I could ever see myself living.

I definitely have a bias where these two cities are involved, as I LOVE New Orleans and already feel comfortable there. I did the minute I got there on my first visit. So it would be helpful to hear from my readers! Have you visited these cities? What were your thoughts on them from a zero waster or generally traveller?

We visited two other cities this year, stay tuned for the reviews on those places!

What My Capsule Wardrobe Has Taught Me About My Personal Style

I’ve been keeping a capsule wardrobe for about 10 seasons now . I don’t see anything that would make me stop keeping one. I can see a point in the future where I have pared down my clothes to the extent where I only have one capsule that encompasses everything I need. At the moment, I have way too many clothes for that.

There are many aspects of capsuling that I enjoy, but one that I have found the most helpful is how much it has taught me about my own style and the direction I want it to grow in. Here are some things that I have learned.

Plain and simple - I’m attracted to ruffles, to baubles, to puff sleeves, embellishments, fringe. I’ve probably bought clothing with these accents at some point, but I’ve hardly ever worn them. I find the clothes I like most are those that are simple, plain and easy to wear.

Well worn and loved - Once I started going thru all my clothes every few month, I saw how many of my clothes had holes, rips, bleach stains, or were thread bare. Many might want to get rid of these, but I found they were some of my favorites. I love when clothes tell the talle of how well they have been worn and loved.

Monochrome - I love to wear all the same color. Picking out all different hues of all the same color is something that seems to often happen when I’m getting dressed. Keeping a capsule wardrobe often means paring down your clothes to only the colors that you love and that go with everything. That often means you have a lot of the same colors no matter what the season.

Pattern mixing - I love wear like colors together but I also love patterns. And mixing them up is my favorite! I love the unexpectedness of this style. It adds some boldness to my otherwise tame wardrobe. Any pattern will so, but vintage and thrifted finds are usually my style.

One of the reasons that I started a capsule wardrobe was bc I felt that I had no personal style. But in doing so I found that I had merely lost touch with my style and was able to easily get back on track. One reason to keep a capsule wardrobe is to make it easier to get dressed each day knowing that everything you have fits in with your personal style. I was happy to reconnect with my style and feel confident that all my capsules will make me feel that way.

I highly recommend a capsule wardrobe if you’re feeling like you’ve lost your style, or are not sure what it is.

What are some of the elements of your style? If you have a capsule, how has it helped you identify your style?

MightyFix From Mighty Nest Subscription Review

Disclaimer: My product reviews are completely unsponsored and unsolicited. The opinions are my own from my own experiences. 

I found out about MightyNest and thier MightyFix through Reading My Tea Leaves When we first moved to Asbury Park. I don’t usually go in for subscriptions but this one caught my attention as it was based totally on sustainable items, fairly inexpensive, could be cancelled at any time. I also liked that you could choose exactly when and how often your package arrives. I signed up for the subscription box right away, but I really enjoyed that you could add anything from the site on to your delivery for free.

The first box arrived and had Bees Wrap! Bees Wrap, although not vegan, is a great alternative to plastic wrap! This was a perfect introdcutory items to send, I thought! Small, easy to use, but with big impact. The subscription also came with a recipe card. I ordered some walnut sponges with my order. The whole parcel was sustainably packed and plastic free.

I kept MightyFix for a little over a year and received so many useful items. Some of them I use consistently in everyday life. Here are some of the items that came in my mighty nest.

Bees Wrap
Cleaning towels
Felt dryer balls
Grocery produce bags
Fillable scrub brush
Compact cross shoulder bag
Silicon can toppers
Glass and silicon portion containers
Swedish "paper" towels
Bug Spray
Coconut lotion
Citrus deodorant cream 

Almost everything that I received was of a greater value than I paid each month. Almost all the items contained no plastic. The only exceptions were the beauty and body products. Each order came with a recipe and info card, and I often used my monthly subscription to add on sustainable orders from the main site.
After about about a year, I decided that I was getting too many items and using too few of them. I could have slowed the deliveries, chosen what I wanted to get in each delivery, or taken a break, but I chose to stop getting MightyFix.

I really enjoyed MightyFix and I think it was a great service for me at a time when I was learning about more sustainable and low waste items. I was able to get a package each month that I could use and learn from. After the year, I was getting items that were becoming redundant. I had also come to the point in my zero waste journey when I need far less things, not any more things even if they were inspiring.

I would highly recommend this subscription service. MightyFix would be good for those starting out on their sustainable journey, or a great transition to a more responsible version for those that love subscription boxes. One of the nicest features is that the subscriber can choose what they want to get, if they have a goal in mind. MightyFix would make a great gift, especially those new to a low impact lifestyle.

I would also highly recommend Might Nest as a place to shop for a wide variety of sustainable items for house, home, body, baby and pet. I get my compostable sponges, zero waste power laundry detergent and many other useful items here.

Have you tried MightyFix or Mighty Nest? What do you think? Do you know of any other sustainable subscription services?

6 More Months of Zero Waste: November and Your Zero Waste Kit

In 2017 I started my zero waste journey. Zero Waste is the goal, mindful practice is the action. When I use the term Zero Waste, that is my ultimate goal, but Less Waste would be a more accurate description of my evolving lifestyle.

If you’ve been following along, you’re well on your way to becoming more zero waste and low impact in 2019. We’ve taken a little break after July, hopefully keeping up with the practices we learned in the beginning of the year. Now that the year is coming to an end, it’s time to continue this journey. By keeping to a schedule of new things we can do each month, we are breaking down a seemingly impossible task, giving up single use plastic and greatly reducing our waste, in to easy to achieve steps. Here’s what the next six months look like:

November - Zero Waste Kit
December - No Gifts
January - Clothing and Fast Fashion
February - Mass Transit
March- Bathroom Make-over
April - Grow Your Own Food

For the first month back at our goals, let’s set ourselves up for success by creating a zero waste kit we can carry with us to help us in our goals.

The more commercial aspects of the Zero Waste movement might have you believe that you have to go out and buy a fancy, expensive, ready made zero waste kit. But I suggest that to truly reduce your waste, you utilize items you already have or second hand items. Everyone’s kit might be different, depending on what will best help them reduce waste and refuse single use plastics in day to day life.

In my kit, I like to keep a fork, a spoon (or a fork/spoon combo), a metal straw, chopsticks, a container for to go items, a water or coffee cup, a napkin, and one or more small bags. I keep all these items in a small canvas bag that I got as a wedding favor. The whole kit is easy to carry on it’s own, or can fit into my larger shoulder bag. I also often keep extra utensils, napkins and straws in my kit in case someone I’m with needs them.

Maybe you only need a few of these items, or maybe you need more than this. Your zero waste kit should be unique to you!

Keep your kit in your car, on your bike, in your purse or in your pocket, by your desk, or where ever it will help you the most.

Ask yourself some questions to help determine what you might need in your kit. What disposables or plastic items do you end up buying or using the most? When do you most often cave to getting these items. What are the times that you end up using plastic, and how can you prevent that?

Do you already have a zero waste kit? What’s in yours?

For those following along, here are what we’ve already done to reduce waste in 2019. For those new to this challenge take a look here to get some ideas for what else you can be doing!

January - Trash Audit
We separated and looked our trash to see what we are throwing away and what we can reduce.
February - Declutter Everything
We went thru what we have to declutter and reduce.
March - Switch to Paper
This month we moved to paper to get one step closer to reusables.
April - Compost
Composting is an easy way to reduce food waste and prevent it from reaching the landfill.
May - Meatless Monday
One of the best ways to improve the environment is to stop eating factory farmed meat and industrial fish. Small steps lead to big change so this month we gave up meat (or dairy or fish)
June - No Bottled Water
We gave up bottled water as an avenue to give up more disposable plastic in Plastic Free July.

Something Nice: A Dining Room Table

When we first moved to NJ, we din't buy very much furniture, but we did have to buy a few big ticket items that we didn't have in NYC. We bought a couch, bc we only had a love seat in Brooklyn, bc that's what the space could afford. We kept the love seat (it has a pull out bed that's actually pretty comfy). We bought a queen bed; With more space we decided to luxuriate a little bit! We bought a vintage desk, vintage display case, and vintage floor lamp. That's it. 

To me that seemed like a lot, but when I looked around our home, it was pretty sparsely furnished. 

The one item that we still really wanted in our home was a dining room table. With everything we bought, it was hard to find furniture we liked, fit our budget, and we felt good about buying. We buy second hand. For a table we had very specific concerns. We are hard on surfaces. We draw, sew, mold, cook, eat, sort shells, pet cats, cut fabric, write letters, repot plants, etc... and we needed a table that could hold up to everything we throw at it, but also looked nice. 

Or at least, looked nice until we inevantably destroyed it. 

Needless to say we lived with no table for a long time, almost two years. Until one day, my father called to say that he thought he had found us one! A little while later, he drove up with the perfect, mid-century modern table sticking out the back of his car! He had found it out for trash day in the retirement village that his mother lives in. A little worn, a little wobbly, a little dusty, we brought it in and it was perfect.

Now two years after that, we’ve accumulated a lot more furniture, but we still love our dining room table. We do all the activities and projects we thought we would do, plus more, every day.  We’ve had 6 cats use the table and now a roommate, too. We’ve hosted few dinners, but a very few. It’s usually a mess, often mid project, but we have started eating dinner at it each night again, and it’s a wonderful thing.

Zero Waste Travel | The Good Fill

One thing we love to do when we travel is visit the kind of shops and spaces tat we enjoy and see how they are different in each town or city. We always try to find thrift shops, toy shops (especially vintage toys), groceries, comic book shops and more. A new kind of place that we have started looking for is Zero Waste shops.

When we were in Nashville last week, our family told us about The Good Fill, in the Fatherland District of Five Points.

This was a very neat shop filled with zero waste supplies and refillable options. The stock was mostly focused on bathroom swaps like shampoo bars, shampoo in bulk, safety razors, dental floss, etc…

The shop is very tiny, nestled into an area where there are many such small shops. It carries a variety of items to help you shop in bulk, like cotton produce bags, food tins, keep cups, etc… The had cleaning supplies, and even some pet supplies.

While we were there, the shopkeepers were sorting out recycling that they collect. Hard to recycle items, like makeup cases, toothbrushes, and more are collected there. They also offer a discount for bringing an empty jar to donate for refills.

Like all the ZW shops I’ve been to, the items at The Good Fill were pretty pricey. This might be a constant problem in the ZW world, especially as it gains popularity, but I did feel this shop was trying to combat it to some extent. By providing other services and information and by allowing customers to bring their own bottles and bags to be filled The Good Fill is providing options for lower cost zero waste lifestyles.

I would highly recommend this shop to anyone looking to learn more about zero waste in the Nashville area. I was happy to support them on this trip and I plan to purchase from them again online.

Do you have a zero waste or package free shop in your area? Leave it in the comments!

Mad Cat Capsule | Autumn 2019 (October, November, December)

For Fall, I wanted to get back to a more traditional Capsule Wardrobe. I wanted to make sure to go thru most of my clothes, get rid of things I’m not going to use, and to pull out old favorites to wear for the next three months. I wanted to keep to a set number of items, include shoes.

In the past few capsules, I mainly used the same clothing, some of my all time favorites. For Fall, I wanted to bring out some new (old) items. When I first started making capsules, I would have everything ready by mid month but now it takes me longer and longer to finalize my capsule. Here’s what my capsule is looking like Mid October.

6 Jeans - Everlane blue (sustainable, ethical), everlane grey (sustainable, eithical), raw edge dark blue (thifted), engineer jeans (thrifted), wide leg black (thrifted, vintage), F21 teal (thrifted)

10 Sweaters - Teal (3+ years), rainbow (3+ years), dark grey (3+ years, hand me down), black holey (3+ years), black cardigan (5+ years), grey and blue (3+ years), grey lacy cardigan (thrifted, 10+ years), grey cashmear (vintage, thrifted), grey John cardi (vintage, hand me down), one undecided

6 Tanks - Teal (5+ years), grey (10+ years), black (10+ years), black strappy (10+ years), black cropped (15+ years), one undecided

12 T Shirts - Spiritualized (10+ years), Happy Bday Sandwhiches (ethical, thrifted, 9+ years), bones (10+years), grey aa (ethical, 10+ years), blue aa (eithical 10+ years), aa grey v neck (ethical. 10+ years), bahamas (thrifted 10+ years), japan (thrifted), ford (thrifted, vintage), hypercolor, blue forgotten boardwalk cat (supports local biz), one undecided

8 Long Sleeved Shirts - Grey turtle neck (thrifted), light green waffle (ethical, 10+ years), talula’s baseball T (supports local biz), denim henley (3+ years old), blue over shirt (found in bar), lavender over shirt (thrifted), grey waffle shirt (10+ years old), one undecided

4 Other Shirts - Felix the cat (thrifted), blue silk (thrifted, vintage), black Emily shirt (hand me down), white over shirt (thrifted, vintage, hand made)

4 Skirts - Black leather (thrifted, vintage), grey leather (thrifted, 10+ years), long black (8+ years), black velvet (thrifted, vintage)

4 pants - Bone leggings (10+ years), 3 undecided,

4 Dresses - Eileen Fisher silver (ethical, sustainable, thrifted), blue denim (thrifted), black and white floral (thrifted), one undecided

6 Shoes - Velcro Vans (3+ years), Emily boots 3+ years old), slip on vans (3+ years), two undecided

Bc this isn’t a complete capsule, the final number might change but it looks like 65 pieces. Almost all of them are slow fashion or approaching it. This might be my first capsule of which I can say that. I’m looking forward to using this capsule and getting back into making my capsules every 3 months.

How long does it take you to create each season’s capsule? Do you create four per year? Do you ‘Shop” your closet or stored clothes?

6 More Months of Zero Waste

In 2017 I started my zero waste journey. Zero Waste is the goal, mindful practice is the action. When I use the term Zero Waste, that is my ultimate goal, but Less Waste would be a more accurate description of my evolving lifestyle.

Starting in January and leading to Plastic Free July, we (readers of this blog and I) tried to become more zero waste. Zero waste is the goal, but creating less waste and having a lower impact on the destruction environment is the means by which we get there. Learning to set aside our own convenience and take personal responsibility for improving the world around us, for ourselves, for future generations, and for the planet, is the mental attitude needed to accomplish this goal. Each person’s journey is different and one can only start where they are and do what they can, but it’s now undeniable that each person should at least be trying. To help and inspire, I have chose to make our 6 Months of Zero Waste simple and easy to adapt to just about any lifestyle.

Here’s what the first 6 months looked like:

January - Trash Audit
We separated and looked our trash to see what we are throwing away and what we can reduce.
February - Declutter Everything
We went thru what we have to declutter and reduce.
March - Switch to Paper
This month we moved to paper to get one step closer to reusables.
April - Compost
Composting is an easy way to reduce food waste and prevent it from reaching the landfill.
May - Meatless Monday
One of the best ways to improve the environment is to stop eating factory farmed meat and industrial fish. Small steps lead to big change so this month we gave up meat (or dairy or fish)
June - No Bottled Water
We gave up bottled water as an avenue to give up more disposable plastic in Plastic Free July.

In July we participated in Plastic Free July where we used the month to give up as much disposable plastic as possible. Hopefully you were able to change your mindset with this exercise. Did it stick? Did PFJ change the way you look at disposable plastic? Maybe it did, maybe it didn’t, but just bc July is over, doesn’t mean we can’t keep thinking of how we use plastic and what we can do better.

Hopefully some plastic free habits that we learned January to July lingered in the following months and now were ready to take on some new challenges!

It’s time to look to the next 6 months:

October - Zero Waste Kit
November - Clothing and Fast Fashion
December - No Gifts
January - Bathroom Make-over
February - Mass Transit
March - Grow Your Own Food

Join us as we explore these topics and continue our journey to becoming more zero waste. Follow along in your own time, take what you can use, or share your progress and ideas in the comments below!

Mad Cat Capsule | Summer 2019 (July, August, September)

I have gotten to the place with my capsule wardrobe where I’m pretty tired of making them. I still really like having a capsule, but actually making it is tiresome. I certainly have enough clothes to make 10 or more capsules so making one only requires going through my stock. Even that has become quite overwhelming. Part of the reason to make a capsule is to have less options and pare down to only having clothes that you love. I love so many of my clothes that, while each time I go through my back stock I do let go of several items, there are so many that I cannot let go.

For my Summer wardrobe, I sort of wanted to go through every item of clothing, but I only made it about half way. Not only did I have enough clothes for my current capsule, but I was exhausted from looking through all the clothes. I gave up mid way and decided that most of the items that were in my Spring Capsule would work for Summer as well.

The result of which is that I never felt like Summer was a true capsule. Sure, I had a limited amount of clothes that I re-wore, instead of buying new or adding to my closet from the back stock of clothing I already own. I had this feeling a bit in Spring as well, Even though they were almost opposite conditions. In Spring I made the capsule a more fluid capsule, taking things freely from the back stock.

Instead of listing every items of my Summer Capsule, I’m sharing some of my key pieces, either those that I really enjoy or were the most worn.

For future capsules, I oscillate between the idea of only using my favorite pieces, most of which were in many of my capsule, and the idea of returning to my stock pile and creating a totally new wardrobe. I also have become aware that I require less items in my capsule over all. Having less items means that I might get a little more bored with my wardrobe and also that I use each piece more over the season.

What was your plan for your capsule this Season? Were you satisfied with it? What will you do differently next time?

I bought the tank tops at least 15-20 years ago. Still good and fun to wear!

A hand me down sweater that didn’t get much wear until Sept, but it’s getting wear now.

New favorite jeans, silk/linen thrifted pants (fully lined), perfect summer shorts now 10+ years old.

Misfits Market: A Review

Since first learning about “ugly fruit” boxes and subscriptions boxes for food that would otherwise end up in the landfill, I’ve been wanting to try one out. Supposedly, these subscriptions are helpful for food waste bc they take “ugly” or other types of fruit and veg that cannot or will not be used in supermarkets, and keep them from being thrown in the trash.

It’s definitely a neat idea. I’m sure that some of these subscription boxes do cut down on food that ends up in landfill to some extent but am not convinced that they are a sustainable option due to shipping, facility storage, and packaging required to take them from farmer to home.

There are many such subscription boxes available in many areas. It’s pretty easy to find them now, only a few years after they were invented. Misfits Market was suggested to me by a few friends and was the first such company I saw available in my area. I also liked the idea of Misfits Market bc they supply only organic foods.

It was easy to set up an account, choose a delivery schedule, and pay a reasonable price depending on the commitment level you choose. I chose to get a small box every two weeks. My first box arrived only a few days after I ordered. The first thing I noticed, while unboxing, was paper packaging for cushion, the next was plastic ice packs for cooling. I understand taht some fruit and veg might need to be kept cool during transport and these ice packs can be reused, or I hoped sent back to the company, perhaps?

But as I unpacked the produce, I found more and more plastic. Loose veggies were sealed in compostable and knotted plastic bags, a head of lettuce was in a plastic sheath, and some other lettuce was in a plastic clam shell. Almost all the fruit had stickers on them.

I wasn’t super pleased with packaging. The produce it’s self seemed in good condition, fresh and looked appetizing. I was was happy with the size box and delivery schedule I had chosen, as it look to be not too much to eat in 2 weeks. There was some fruit, some veg, and enough variety to use in many dishes or eat on their own.

I quickly wrote to Misfits Market to ask them to omit the plastic packaging from my next order, and got a completely impersonal, stock answer back. I replied letting them know I had hoped for an answer that actually answered my specific request. The follow up was vague, but at least more directed to my questions.

Although I had my trepidations, I continued my subscription. The second box had just about the amount of plastic as the first. Except that now the paper cushion now had plastic wrapped around it. It might take an order or two to complete my request, so I waited to pass judgement. The third box was slightly better: paper clam shells, no extra plastic beside the plastic wrapped cushion. But it still had plastic ice packs, stickers on fruit, etc…

After a fourth box, I cancelled my subscription. I couldn’t justify the amounts of plastic, and after one of the ice packs burst and leaked onto the contents I had had enough. I also found that I was not able to eat everything in the box. Although I had chosen the smallest box and at reasonable intervals, I ended up wasting a lot of food. Overall, Misfits Market was not for me.

Have your tried a “ugly” veggie box? What were your thoughts?

Mad Cat Garden | June

May was the first month we started working on and tracking out garden, but June was when we really got down to business. June saw us buying and plating more, making more beds, and seeing plants grow and change. The changes between the beginning and end of June were huge, but these photos and records are mainly from the beginning on the month.

June was extremely rainy. Many of the plats loved it! Our lilies returned and grew taller then me this year. They are not strictly part of the garden but a focus of June was to bring in pollinators with many flowers. The strawberries over wintered and started blossoming. We planted herbs and they thrived in the rain.

In out front bed, also our first bed, tomato volunteers started popping up like mad and we had to thin them out. Rather than just toss the extras, we planted them in small pots to give away, or replanted them in other areas. We made new beds in the back and planted lettuce, arugula, broccoli (one is pictured in the first photo), corn, beans, and cucumbers.

Many flowers helped attract bugs and bees. Our blueberries got off to a good start, enjoying the rain and producing lots of little soon to be bluebs.

Tom often helped by inspecting the catnip patches. In June we created three new beds and had a delivery of filtered soil dropped off to fill them. Although pricy, we found this to be a convenient and zero waste alternative to buying many bags of dirt. We are still contributing to our compost on a regular basis, but it’s not big enough to fill beds. We do use some compost to help enrich the soil.

By the end of June, the yard looked very different, but we’ll have to wait until July’s update to take a look!

How is your garden growing?

6 Months to Zero Waste: Welcome to Plastic Free July!!

In the first 6 months of 2019, we’ve been examining ways to reduce our waste and become more plastic free. Here are some of the things we’ve been working on:

January - Trash Audit
We separated and looked our trash to see what we are throwing away and what we can reduce.
February - Declutter Everything
We went thru what we have to declutter and reduce.
March - Switch to Paper
This month we moved to paper to get one step closer to reusables.
April - Compost
Composting is an easy way to reduce food waste and prevent it from reaching the landfill.
May - Meatless Monday
June - No Bottled Water.

All this has been leading up to now, when we can participate in Plastic Free July.

“Plastic Free July is a global movement that helps millions of people be part of the solution to plastic pollution – so we can have cleaner streets, oceans, and beautiful communities. Will you be part of Plastic Free July by choosing to refuse single-use plastics? Plastic Free July provides resources and ideas to help you (and millions of others around the world) reduce single-use plastic waste everyday at home, work, school, and even at your local café. Our movement has inspired over 120 million participants in 177 countries. You making a small change will collectively make a massive difference to our communities. You can choose to refuse single-use plastics in July (and beyond!). Best of all, being part of Plastic Free July will help you to find great alternatives that can become new habits forever.”

When I tell people I’m trying to become more zero waste and plastic free, they almost always ask, “so you have no plastic in your house??” or “but your glasses are plastic!” or some other pre formed concept that jumps into their head. Going plastic free is a gradual step and one that takes time. I have greatly reduced the amount of plastic in my home and daily life, but that stuff is everywhere!

Now, I’m not talking about my glasses, or the casing to my record player, or plastic used in hospital equipment, or cars, when I talk about going plastic free. Plastic is a miraculous and useful tool that’s helpful in many locations and situations.

But we have taken disposable plastic too far. We have put our own convenience over the safety and wellbeing of the planet, wildlife, and ultimately ourselves. The Plastic Free July challenge asks you to examine where you fit into this.

Plastic Free July is a great was to be more conscious of the plastic we consume and how we use it. Whether you give up all single use plastic, one type of single use plastic (perhaps the one you use the most?), or jus as a reminder to examine what plastic you do use (did someone say garbage audit??).

If you’re continuing on your plastic free and zero waste journey, participating in PFJ is a great step. How will you celebrate this year? What action will you take?

Bullet Journal Check In | New Book in June

I’ve started my new Bullet Journal book and I’m loving it! I love that each Bullet Journal is unique and customizable. And more that that, for me at least, each one takes on a little bit of a life of it’s own.

For my current bullet journal, I did end up buying a new new book to start in June. I went with a dot grid which I haven’t used in a while. The grid is huge compared to my last notebook! Bc of this, my approach to pages and layout are a little different.

I kept my main pages (the index, year at a glance, my monthly trackers and such) pretty much the same, but I’ve flipped my dailies and been really good about keeping up with a little bit of journalling each day!

My first attempts at writing out my monthly trackers went a little wonky, but now that I’m more used to this big grid, July is gonna go much smoother. Another thing I love about BuJo is that I’m never upset about making mistakes, bc the next month is a chance to improve!

Do you prefer a big dot grid for your journal? Do you keep a diary in your dailies?

What are your favorite aspects of Bullet Journalling?

6 Months to Zero Waste: No Bottled Water

In 2017 I started my zero waste journey. Zero Waste is the goal, mindful practice is the action. When I use the term Zero Waste, that is my ultimate goal, but Less Waste would be a more accurate description of my evolving lifestyle.

Since January, we’ve been taking some time each month for small ways we can reduce our waste and move towards a more zero waste lifestyle. Here are some things that we have tried in the last six month:

January - Trash Audit
We separated and looked our trash to see what we are throwing away and what we can reduce.
February - Declutter Everything
We went thru what we have to declutter and reduce.
March - Switch to Paper
This month we moved to paper to get one step closer to reusables.
April - Compost
Composting is an easy way to reduce food waste and prevent it from reaching the landfill.
May - Meatless Monday
June - No Bottled Water

Next month is Plastic Free July, so the last of our six months is a great time to start gearing up for a more drastic anti plastic challenge.
The perfect way to start is to give up some item of disposable plastic. Find one items that you use and stop using it. Hopefully in March we were able to give up plastic bag, so this month choose some other convenience, like bottled water, plastic straws, yogurt cups, plastic cutlery, or something else you use on a daily basis but might not think about.

By giving up one seemingly small item we can tangibly see how we can reduce our waste little by little. An important part of moving towards zero waste is moving away from the constant convenience of modern life. It doesn’t mean your life will get harder, but it hopefully will mean that your life becomes more mindful. This does take a mindset shift, a habit shift, and a being more prepared in daily life. Once we see how easy it is to live without our bottled water, it’s easy to start giving up other such items.

But how do you actually give up bottled water? Once you set your mind to it, it’s not so hard. A great thing to do is use a reusable water bottle. You can get in almost any grocery store, or better yet buy one second hand. But if you don’t have one yet, try refilling a disposable plastic bottle you already have, use a water fountain, instead of taking water to go stay where you are and use a cup or glass, bring a cup to work to use. Or simply go without until you get to a place where you can drink from non-disposables.

Next month we’ll take part in Plastic Free July and gain even more insights into what we can give up or change to be even more zero waste.

What disposable plastic item will you give up in June?

Something Nice : The Joy of Using Up

One of the great things about using what you have before buying new is that you see the whole life of an object. There is a certain joy to using something until it can’t be used any more. Each item’s like span is different.

Sometimes, like with these sneakers the joy of using up is also balanced with the sadness of saying goodbye. Once I felt the street more than the bottom of my shoes, I knew it was time to give these shoes up. Although I won’t wear them anymore, I’ll hold on to these until I find a place to recycle them.

What was the last items you used up?

6 Months to Zero Waste: Meatless Mondays in May

Last month we figured out how to compost to reduce our food waste. Another food related waste that we can start to combat is the to understand the huge impact the modern industrial meat has on the waste we create.

Some great ways to combat this kind of waste is to go totally vegan, only buy local meat from small farms, only grow your own food, fish for your sea food, etc… But a simple and good first step is to be more mindful of what meat, fish and dairy, you do consume.

It can be Monday, Wednesday, or whenever, but making sure to take one day a week to consciously be aware of what you’re eating and where it’s coming from. If you eat a lot of meat, take one day to be vegetarian, if you’re veg, take a day to be vegan. Eat local one day, eat raw, eat no processed foods, eat only from your garden, eat only foods not packaged in plastic… there are so many ways to be mindful of what you are eating and change your habits.

By simply changing how we think about what we eat, we can become more mindful of the waste our food creates, and become more mindful of how that waste effects our environment and planet.

Since January, we’ve been taking some time each month for small ways we can reduce our waste and move towards a more zero waste lifestyle.

In 2017 I started my zero waste journey. Zero Waste is the goal, mindful practice is the action. When I use the term Zero Waste, that is my ultimate goal, but Less Waste would be a more accurate description of my evolving lifestyle.

Here’s what we have done each month, so far. Feel free to follow a long, do everything all at once, or come up with your own monthly challenge.

January - Trash Audit
We separated and looked our trash to see what we are throwing away and what we can reduce.
February - Declutter Everything
We went thru what we have to declutter and reduce.
March - Switch to Paper
This month we moved to paper to get one step closer to reusables.
April - Compost
Composting is an easy way to reduce food waste and prevent it from reaching the landfill.
May - Meatless Monday
June - No Bottled Water

Where are you in your zero waste journey?

Meow Meow Tweet Deodorant Review

Disclaimer: My product reviews are completely unsponsored and unsolicited. The opinions are my own from my own experiences.

I’ve long been a fan of Meow Meow Tweet which I first heard about ages ago in Brooklyn. I really enjoy that they have always had minimal and recyclable, plastic free packaging. And with the coolest drawings!

When using up my old products, deodorant is one of the last of them I had to replace to be more zero waste. I love that MMT uses all natural, vegan ingredients, and has a lot of citrus fragrances.

We tried their Grapefruit Baking Soda Free cream deodorant, which is packaged in a glass bottle with a metal top. and comes in a paper box in the store. Despite still being all hand crafted, poured and packaged, you can find MMT in several big store, including Target. I really like that this deodorant is dry and creamy, goes on easily and doesn’t leave my hands feeling gross. I think this creamy works well and you only need a little pea sized amount to stay dry.

My husband can’t get used to the cream and doesn’t like it quite as much as I do. We both agree that the scent is nice, citrusy but not overpowering or too sweet.

I would definitely recommend this deodorant for those looking to switch over to a more sustainable, low waste, hand made, chemical free option.

Mad Cat Capsule | Spring 2019 (April, May, June)

Spring of 2019 sees the two year mark of my capsule wardrobes. Two full years of culling my clothes, dividing them into more manageable capsules, grouped by season. Two years of trying not to buy fast fashion and close to that of buying barely any new clothes at all. two years of being aware of the impact fast fashion has on our environment and economy. Two years of choosing to still buy certain things knowing they are fast fashion (the shoes that are most comfortable to me for instance) but also seeking out alternatives. Two years of getting back into thrifting, and enjoying the challenge of finding what I need that way, two years of researching sustainable fashion.

I feel like I have used the same method for picking my capsules more or less the entire time I’ve made them. I take all my clothes out, go thru them, put anything and everything I might want into a pile. I then cull that pile down to around 40 to 50 items.

Over the last few seasons I tracked how often I wore each item over the 3 month. It wasn’t many time for each piece. This got me thinking about how I can better utilize my capsule. I’ve forgone going thru all my clothes this time and used my last capsule and a few key pieces I picked up to start a more fluid Spring Capsule.

I waited to create this post to see if this spring would eventually be a complete capsule. So far that hasn’t happened. I’m only sharing what I’ve worn until now. I’m planning on making this capsule more like a long trial for my Summer Capsule.

I didn’t choose a color scheme, an inspiration item, or have any clear plan for the clothing I pulled for this capsule. But I like how the colors do come together and combine to make it a coherent capsule.

Looks like now, I’m at around 35 pieces. At least 30 of those are slow fashion. This doesn’t count shoes. I’m still picking pieces and adding them, and I’ve been taking items I don’t use away as well. I don’t have an exact goal with this capsule experiment, except the larger goal of always moving towards a more sustainable, more useful wardrobe.

What methods and experiments have you tried with your capsule wardrobe?

6 Month of Zero Waste: April was for Composting

Before working towards zero waste, I didn’t know that people were scared of composting. I grew up composting and never thought much of it. Once I started learning about zero waste, I realized that food waste is a huge problem but that most people don’t know much about composting and how that can help.

Many of us don’t think anything of tossing old food in the garbage. If it goes to landfill, whats the harm? Most people don’t think about what happens to our trash after it gets taken away off the curb. Once you start to think about zero waste, you realize that nothing that gets thrown our actually goes away. Doesn’t food just decompose? Landfills don’t allow anything within them to decompose or biodegrade in a healthy way. Bc modern landfills are so packed, food waste doesn’t decompose in the natural way, instead turning to methane gas which can be harmful to the environment.

An easy way to reduce our overall waste is to think abut our food waste. Once we start to examine what food we are throwing away we can start to reduce. This might mean that we buy less, buy unpackaged items, cook only what we need, change the way we eat, grow our own food, shop locally, or seasonally.

A good first step to looking at and reducing food waste is to compost instead of throwing away our unused or rotten food. So what is composting? Composting food is essentially letting food waste rot in a natural way and turn back into dirt. This dirt, or soil, can the be used in food gardens, plant gardens, indoor plants, community plots and gardens, etc…

To make compost, one simply had to find a place to put the rotting food until it turns into dirt. You can buy some fancy containers, or you can dig a hole in the back yard. If you live in a city or apartment, there’s usually a farmers market, or city initiative to take your food waste and make it into compost. Try seeking out community gardens in your area. If you do have a patch of land there are also a lot of resources to learn about composting.

My own compost is just a pile in the back yard. I throw all food waste in there excluding meat (not that we have much of that), dairy, and a few other non palatable food scraps.

January - Trash Audit
We separated and looked our trash to see what we are throwing away and what we can reduce.
February - Declutter Everything
We went thru what we have to declutter and reduce.
March - Switch to Paper
This month we moved to paper to get one step closer to reusables.
April - Compost
May - Meatless Monday
June - No Bottled Water

We’re still catching up on our 6 months of zero waste, leading up to Plastic Free July. The idea is simple, take a step every month to reduce our waste and disposable plastic consumption. You can follow along or choose your own steps, but remember to start where you are and do what you can. Even little steps are better than none.