Good Intentions

Sometimes the best of intentions don't always work out as planned, which can result in waste.  Earlier this week I picked a bunch of beans with the intention of processing them.  I picked and washed the beans and sterilized my jars in preparation to make a small batch of one of my favourite types of pickles - pickled beans - mmmm so yummy. I found one of my mother's old recipes in Home Canning Cook Book, which seemed simple enough. But as you know, plans don't always work out as expected.

Eli woke up early from her nap and was quite insistent that we get outside to play - what little child wants to sit in the kitchen in the heat of the midday summer?  I decided that the beans could wait until that evening.

But the evening came and went, and come Saturday morning, the beans were still sitting in the bucket on the counter where I left them on Tuesday afternoon looking quite shrivelled and dry. I tasted one to see if there was any use in pursuing my intention of making pickles.  It was dry. What a waste! A whole ice cream pail full of home grown beans was about to hit the compost pile because I was too "busy".  And then I had a thought!

I can't remember the variety of bean I have growing in my garden, but I got them (for free) at Seedy Saturday - a seed exchange organized by a local gardening group, usually held in early March. The group promotes local and sustainable food production and encourages conservation of non-hybrid plants through seed saving.  (Seeds of Diversity is a great resource for learning about seed saving). 


Seed saving, what a great idea! I proceeded to husk and place the beans on a drying rack.  Eli helped and within a few minutes of husking we should have enough seeds to grow beans in several gardens in the spring. 


Funny how sometimes bad things work out good.  I like to think of it as good karma ;)

Alternatives to Toilet Paper

It is hard to believe that we have managed to go four months without buying toilet paper, and have just recently run out.  It was something that I discussed with Trevor at the onset of this project - what are we going to do when we run out of toilet paper?  Soft plastics aren't recyclable in Kamloops and toilet paper comes packaged in a plastic bag. Trevor agreed to using cloth wipes, as long as he didn't have to wash them.

The time has come to make the switch and to be honest I am a bit excited about the whole idea of ditching another disposable product.  For the past few years I have been buying toilet paper made from recycled content, which is better than cutting down trees to wipe my you-know-what with, but still requires a lot of resources in its production.  Read this link if you want to know more about how toilet paper is made.

I spent a lot of my early twenties travelling the world.  I somehow managed to settle in Bangkok for a few years teaching English, and while I was there, the only time I used toilet paper was when I was in a fancy restaurant or hotel that provided it.  Bathrooms had either a spray nozzle or bucket of water and some sort of scoop next to the toilet. I never got a lesson in how to wipe my bum, but I assume that the nozzle or scoop is held with the right hand and the left hand is used to wipe.

Many people in our Western society would be appalled at the the rinse method of using the toilet.  But that is a matter of perspective, illustrated by the following story.

Last year our family took a holiday in Thailand.  Elianna was just a baby and still in diapers (as an aside, we did bring cloth diapers with us and washed them daily by hand).  I remember the looks of disgust the Thai women would give me when I changed Eli's poppy diapers using a wet cloth wipe.  When I asked what I was doing wrong, the Thai woman replied "she is still dirty".

If the Thais thought that it was disgusting to wipe a baby's bum with a wet wipe, I wonder how appalled they would be to know that most Western people wipe their bums with a dry piece of paper?

I grew quite accustomed to the rinse method while living in Thailand.  Anyone who uses a bidet would likely agree that it is much cleaner to use a little water - it certainly helps on those occasions when it feels like you have gone through half a roll of toilet paper and are still not clean.

When Eli was born I bought a spray nozzle for our toilet to avoid the dunk method of rinsing poppy diapers, which has served us well.  (The nozzle attaches easily to any toilet and you don't have to be a plumber to hook it up, simply screw an attachment onto the water supply.)  A little spray and a wipe with the cloth and my bum is as clean as a Thai's, and my hands as clean as a Westerner's! Win-win-win.

Garbage Update

Three months of garbage

Our garbage sits on top of the dryer in the hall and has been slowing filling since May 1st.  We use a clear bag so that its contents can be viewed. Every now and again I will sift through the bag and sort out any recyclable or compostable material that gets inadvertently put in the garbage.

I have been very generous about what I put in the compost.  A common mistake with backyard composting is not putting enough "brown" material into the pile.  "Brown" material are things that have a high carbon content, things like shredded paper, dried leaves, and wood chips.  I have been putting stickers, bandaid wrappers, wax paper cut into pieces, Sun Chip bags cut into pieces (they claim to be 100% recyclable), a take-out coffee cup cut into pieces, and any paper that is not recyclable that we acquire (like paper towels from the public washrooms or napkins from a restaurant).

Some waste is hard to control.  People give us garbage all the time, even people who know what we are doing. Whether it is my mother who kindly brings us the contents of her fridge when she goes away on vacation (in plastic bags), or my sister who buys Eli a gift that comes with plastic tags.

The most frustrating thing about living waste free is that we miss out on some of the good deals that come when you make bulk purchases.  I bought some cat food yesterday and the No Name brand that I have been buying in a 1 kg box for about $3.50 also comes in a 6 kg paper bag from $6.98.  Last month I bought the bag, unknowing that the paper bag is actually a composite of paper and plastic, which means that the bag isn't recyclable. Because of this, I opted to buy the 1 kg box and will grudgingly pay the higher price to avoid making waste.

Living waste free definitely comes at a cost - paying a higher price for our food (sort of like eating organic food, which a lot of it is anyway, but even organic food comes wrapped in garbage sometimes).  On the flip side, because we are very conscious about our waste, we tend not to let much food spoil.  (The little food that does spoil gets flushed down the toilet).

Most of the benefits are intangible - the great feeling that comes from living true to myself and my values.  Spending my time and energy doing what I believe in is extremely satisfying.  I won't lie - waste free living requires human effort - preparing shopping bags, washing bags, washing cloths, asking questions, seeking waste-free options - but these are all things that I enjoy doing because it gives me pleasure to know that my effort is for something bigger than myself.

So I will grin and bear the funny looks I get from waitresses when I package all the table waste from our meal out, pay twice the price for cat food, and continue bringing all my waste, recyclables, and compost home with me because it feels good.