Eco, Etc.

Just a quickie post to cover a mishmash of things, mostly enviro-related...


Last week I watched the fabulous documentary, "No Impact Man" about a family that attempts to spend a year living in Manhattan without making an environmental impact. It was funny, cool and totally inspiring. The special features were also awesome. 


As enviro-friendly as Jim n' I try to be, it really got me thinking in broader terms. There's a lot more stuff that we could easily go without... not that I have any intentions of giving up t.p. 


I plan to write a letter to let this family know how awesome I think they are for trying to do something so crazy and bold... especially after hearing about some of the hate mail they got. Sheesh! It's only an experiment, people!! Some folks get so unbelievably defensive when they think that their lifestyles are being challenged. I guess it's much easier to write a nasty letter than to be a little introspective and consider one or two small habits that could possibly change. 


I'd also like to give special kudos to the wife who seemed to be making the biggest sacrifices with this experiment, and probably found the most liberating happiness as a result.




Earlier the same day that we watched this documentary, I had read an article about a guy who has lived without money since 2008. 


Part of the article reads, "Living in a trailer given to him for free by someone on freecycle.org, Boyle cooks food which he either grows himself, barters for or forages from the land. He bathes in a solar shower, uses a compost toilet and even makes his own paper. Despite his challenging lifestyle, Boyle has no plans to return to civilzation. He says the time he has spent away from money has been the happiest of his life."


Fascinating! I wonder how long he'll be able to live like that? I guess at some point in our history, we all lived off the land, and yet now it seems so foreign and impossible. I don't think I could do it, (Ha! "Don't think".... I should say I know that I couldn't do it! I wouldn't survive! I mean, have you seen my garden!? *LOL*) But I certainly admire the few people who can and do! 


This article then got me curious about Freecycle. I've heard of it before, but assumed that there wouldn't be something like this set up in Kelowna. Well, I was wrong. There is! So I applied for a membership (you have to apply so they can ensure that you're not a spammer or something), and finally found out today that I had been accepted. Actually, I had been accepted a few days ago, but I had to create a Yahoo account to apply, and never bothered checking my Inbox until this afternoon....


So today I had my first freecycling experience. Someone was looking for craft supplies for her Brownie's troop. Well, I have a HUUUUGE box of beads and jewelry-making supplies (like necklace clasps, wires, etc.) that I inherited from Jim's Grandma Alvina. I always had the best of intentions to use them, but I'm much more of a painter than a jewelry-maker. I did however make my niece Shayla a pretty necklace last year... but I don't really foresee any other jewelry making moments in the near future. So, I contacted the lady who'll be stopping by for the big box tomorrow.


I also went through the rest of my craft supplies and am giving her a ton of acrylic craft paints, (I've started investing in a better quality grade for myself), a big box of oil pastels that have never been used (I don't know why I ever bought them... I prefer the chalk pastels), and a million pencil crayons. I'm sure those crafty little Brownies will get way more use out of those things than I ever will! 


So yeah, I'm kinda excited to be a freecycle geek. As I continue to purge, I'll start putting some of my own stuff up for grabs. Like kitchen supplies, board games, camping crap, the desk in our spare bedroom.... the possibilities are endless! ;)