Unpeace of mind

illustration by Martin Dasnoy

Is it because I'm a highly sensitive person that I get so anxious about everything? I don't understand how people can live without feeling constant guilt and anxiety when we know all that we know about the food we eat, the air we breathe, the water we drink... I've been trying to ignore all the alarming articles I've read about the crap we put in/on our bodies but it's not working. Not only I have chronic concern over environmental issues but I'm feeling more and more concerned about, well almost everything.

It seems that sugar, milk, meat, gluten, aspartame, eggs, non-organic fruits and veggies are threatening our health. Maybe sucking ice for the rest of our lives would be a good alternative.

But oh, wait, water is also dangerous.

Our microwaves, cell phones, teflon pans, bras and clothes could kill us. Cosmetics, deodorants, household cleaners, toothpastes are risky, too. And I'm not even talking about vaccination, birth control pill and other medication.

Buying at Walmart is wrong. Buying anything from China or from anyone who support Israel is wrong. Driving a car is wrong. Putting a plastic jar in the bin is wrong. Using anything disposable is wrong.

Having a husband who doesn't understand my worries and won't change his habits doesn't help. He says I'm thinking too much and that I'm paranoiac. On top of that, organic food, natural, local and ethical stuff costs way more than the crap so he's getting crazy when I buy something organic that costs three times more than its pesticized-shooted-optimized version.

I'm worried. For me, but also for my kids. Is there a way to just live our lives without feeling bad about every move we make? Can we even breathe without harming ourselves/others?

Am I taking all this too seriously? Why do I feel I'm the only one around who get really concerned about all these issues?

Now I understand why they say ignorance is bliss.

No Impact

Is that possible to lower our impact on the environment so much so that we could almost say we have no impact?

Colin Beavan aka No Impact Man tried to live with as little environmental impact as possible for one full year. He and his family bought nothing except locally grown food, travelled by foot or bike, unplugged from electricity and made no trash. The interesting part of it is that in the end, they discovered that not only they were doing something good for the planet but they were also living happier, healthier and richer.

He launched the No Impact Project to promote behavioral change, enable the public to experience their own No Impact Experiment and to engage people who are not already tree-hugging, bicycle-riding, canvas-bag-toting, eco-warriors.

I'm already doing quite a lot to live minimalistically and eco-consciously. The No Impact Project is something that is really calling me so I just signed up and am presently preparing to try the one-week carbon cleanse. I also made a list of steps I would like to take in the next weeks/months to lower my impact as much as possible. I'm not done yet but here's my list for now:

- Stop using:

• plastic bags - completely, including packaging bags (bread, etc.) That implies making my own bread, etc.;
• paper towels (rarely use them anyway), napkins (even in restaurant - will use a cloth that I take with me everywhere), tissues (I already sewed some nice little hankerchiefs) and toilet paper;
• disposable dishes, cups, pens and other things that I don't think about right now but that are made for single use;
• feminine hygiene disposable products;
• shampoo (make my own)
• toothpaste (make my own)
• House cleaning products (make my own)
• Dryer
• Car, if I can use my bike (if distance permits and I don't need a car trunk!)

- Stop buying as much as possible anything that has packaging (biggest challenge I think)

- Buy second-hand clothing, bags, shoes, etc. unless I need an item impossible to find in second hand store.

- Stop going shopping when I get bored.

- Stop buying stuff that comes from more than 250 miles away from my town.

That's a bunch of stops, I know. But I see it as more freedom than more limits. A stop here means more money, more time, more consciousness and I believe more happiness somewhere else.

Would you like to join me, so we could share our experience? I'm sure it would be very motivating to create a No Impact team! So? Are you in?

Going green

Small changes can make a big difference if we all make our effort. I'm trying to get rid of old habits and to replace them with good, green new ones.

You too can help the environment, and here are a few suggestions that I personally tried.

1. Replace paper towels with cloth towels 

You can find these nice UnPaper towels on Etsy. Not only it saves trees but it also helps reduce trash and chemicals in the environment.

2. Use eco friendly bags

 

Not only shopping bags, but also produce bags (the ones we put fruits and veggies in). I bought these reusable mesh bags a couple of months ago, they are just fantastic. Resistant and washable, they are perfect to replace grocery produce plastic bags. I get lots of comments when I shop, people asking me where I found these wonders!

3. Trade your disposable sponges for reusable scrubbies!

 

I talked about these scrubbies before, they still are a favorite item for dish washing. They are eternal (well, almost!), dish-washable, they scrub perfectly without scratching and again, they make less trash.

4. Re-use and upcycle

Whenever possible, I'm trying to give a second life to disposable items. It's a good creativity exercice and it can give surprising results. I'm upcycling bottles and glass objects a lot. I clean them and paint them, et voilà, original and useful new items!

5. Make your own cleaning products.

I'm making my own multi-use cleaning product with vinegar, soda and essential oil. I also tried making my own lundry soap with grated pure soap, washing soda and again, essential oils. It is very easy to make, cheap, efficient and.. green! You can find many sites with recipes for natural clening products on the net.

What about you? What do you do to make our world greener?