Get out the good china!

Living rich by living simply:

Recently, in a FB group, Jacob posted this:

I asked him if I could share it with you, because I loved the message. What items do you think you might not need? What items are collecting dust that might be used?

Earth Day Q&A with The Reuser

#EarthDay2016

Yesterday, I got the hare brained idea to do a FB Live video about Earth Day! Yay!

Here is the video with some show notes:



1st Question:
What would you tell a green-newbie about where to start? What are a few easy ways to begin reducing waste?

My answer: start with a durable bottle and bags to start, then you can attempt other habits, like durable/reusable to-go container, napkins, utensils, etc.
DO NOT do it all at once! It takes me years sometimes to fully create/solidify a habit.
2:00: I mention Liberty Bottleworks (my favorite bottles!-the link will take you to the Amazon listing for the bottle shown in the video and is an affiliate link*.)
3:00 I mention collapsible to-go containers. Here is an affiliate link* to an Amazon listing for a collapsible bento box.

2nd Question:
6:30 I often get asked "But I'm only one person, are my efforts going to make a difference?", I'd love to hear your answer to that!

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has. -Margaret Mead

My TEDx talk

3rd Question:
Can you give the group some suggestions how they can encourage change in others without coming off condescending and like a jerk? I struggle with this I've made many changes for the better in my own life and would like to see those changes in others around me.
A: Starting with yourself is great! People won’t change unless they’re ready. You do you and let that influence those around you!

At 9:00 I talk about "hidden benefits" and mention Glass Dharma straws.*

Final Question: Who are you wearing?
11:30 My haulternative video with Little Did You Know.

If you like what Andrea got, you should consider my ProThrifting services!















*Affiliate links help me to make a small percentage of your purchases for helping you to find great products. This in turn helps me to serve you more fresh content!

WASTE alert- Amazon's new Dash button

What does Amazon's latest buy-everything-within-reach method look like?

These little buttons are the Lorax's worst dream realized. Plastic, a battery and a wifi connection to facilitate one single action-reordering one product. What about when they stop working? How many people will take the time to recycle them properly? (Answer: no one because good recycling programs are based on *enough volume* of a given product that has *enough value* to actually be recycled...so, yeah, no....) Not to mention that recycling is not really all it's cracked up to be, anyway, even if you *could* recycle these puppies! Which you can't.

People are up in arms about the K-cups? Dash buttons are far worse, in my opinion. At least with the K-cups, I can make the argument that they *might* be saving coffee from being wasted, which, when looked at from a lifecycle view, is actually a really good thing. But these little buttons made of multiple materials? Nope. I can't think of any redeeming quality, as far as the planet and its limited resources are concerned.

To me, these represent everything that is wrong with consumerism, laziness and our addiction to convenience. I just can't think of a single nice thing to say about these.

How often are you buying detergent? You might be
using more than you need. In fact, if you see this
and think to yourself: "You know, I could really
use that." you are almost certainly using more detergent
than you need to. Which means you could be saving money
by cutting back a bit. #JustSayin'...

Ok, maybe one thing. Someone has already figured out a way to hack these little babies to help track data on his little baby. That's kind of cool. But, that's all I got.

#Green2016 Challenge!

Take 1 of 5 pledges and reduce your waste. Do something sweet for the planet for Valentine's Day.

If you are on Facebook and don't follow The Reuser; Go. Do it. This is primarily where I post stuff these days, but I realized I should probably let you know about the #Green2016 Challenge. I'll post all the pledges here as well, but the basic premise is: you pick 1 of 5 pledges, post it to your favorite social media site (social media is how we communicate our norms to people these days so posting about waste reduction behaviors can be really powerful and can inspire others!) and then spend the first 2 weeks of February doing your best to stick to your commitment. We don't expect perfection (The Reuser has tried and failed many times before she tries and succeeds!) but we do expect you to do your best! 

PurJuly 2015 Day 1

So, day 1 and I'm already cheating. (I actually did this purge Sunday night...my excuse for breaking my own rules is that July is shaping up to be CRAZY busy for me...and I make the rules, so I can break them!)

Cabinet: Before

Anyway, if you're following along on the FB event, you'll know that this is the "After" of the banner photo. This was the cabinet that had gotten so outta hand, that it was opening itself back up after I closed it. Soooo many glass jars, lids, etc, etc....

All the contents laid out

Anyway, here's what got purged outta this cabinet:

The canning supplies went back with
their brethren in the garage, the jars
 and tins will be given away or recycled/trashed
 and the mixing bowls will go to
my nephew who is moving out on his own. 

And here's how the cabinet looks now:

I actually think I could purge a bit more,
but, for now, I'll take this as a victory.

 Bonus tip: Did you know some peanut butter and mayo lids fit canning jars? You can see this in the foreground of the last photo. What items do you reuse in your home?

PurJuly 2015

Train of thought: My arms are flabby...must look into one of those 30 day arm challenges...those are sorta fun...*Google Image arm challenge*....Suns Out, Guns Out, that looks like just what I need...What's this? Conquer the Clutter? I've been wanting to do that, too....40 bags in 40 days, huh?...well, I don't really follow Lent, obviously....but, I could revive the PurJuly Challenge. I've been thinking about doing it anyway....*Posts on FB asking if anyone is interested*....whoa! There's a ton of interest....*Thinks about it for the next 24 hours solid*

So, that's how PurJuly was revived! I tried the PurJuly Challenge awhile ago, (Whoa...just figured out it was 4 years ago...) but didn't really stick with it. What I did do was pretty awesome, though. So, without further ado, here is the PurJuly Challenge for 2015:

1. For every day of July, you must *make an effort* to spend 30 minutes tidying, sorting, organizing, etc *1* spot in your house. If you'd like, fill out your name in the PurJuly area planning doc and start filling in your 31 spots.
2. That's about it for rules. I know that guilt is a poor motivator and since that's not really how I roll, I want this to work for you. Think about a goal that you've set for yourself in the past. What "rules" did you put on yourself to get there? Use those. We're all different and have different motivators. For some, it's competition (that's so NOT me...) Whatever works for you-use it!
3. If you want to take pictures and send them through to me, that would be awesome. You could also be awesome and fill out data on your purged items using this tracking form. Or not. Whatever works.

If you are going to be posting pictures for the PurJuly Challenge, please tag them with #PurJuly so we can create a tagboard later on. The pics on this post are some of the terrible areas that I'm posting so that I will be forced to see this through.... Scary!

If you need a little motivation, I'll be posting various blogs and resources throughout the challenge, but for now, check out this one that one of my good friends and colleagues, Erin, posted when I was asking on FB if anyone was interested in this.

Scary? Hell, yes. Needed? Again, hell, yes. Do I think I'll actually stick with this and post every day in July? Probably not. Do I care? Not really. It's the thought (and effort-however imperfect) that count. Come be imperfect with me? (and perhaps a tiny bit tidier/less stressed/calmer?)

Wow. I'm truly touched!

I recently gave my presentation entitled "Recycling doesn't matter....and what to do about it" to a class at Clark College. My friend/colleague Erin has had me present to her class a few times now. After my presentation, she asked her students: "What was your favorite part of Terra's talk? Which idea or suggestion did you like of hers the best or are you most likely/excited to implement in your own life?"

Here are a few of the answers:

I'm so happy that I could be inspiration for positive behavior changes. These words are precious to me. Thank you, Erin! Thank you to the students in her class for the participation and willingness to listen to this crazy gal who is super passionate about lightening the load we're putting on this planet in a nonjudgemental and encouraging way!

If you have a group that you think could benefit from this presentation, please email me. I love this work!

Making Spirits Bright

Worried about finishing off that holiday shopping list?

Want to help someone in need this holiday season? 

Spend some time with the family and make a wreath?

The good news is you can do all of this in one day!

There are 3 events that you absolutely must mark on your calendar. The best news is that they're all in the same location and at the same time! 

Next Saturday, December 13th, 2014

First, you'll want to bring your holiday shopping list to the 5th Annual Check 'Em Off, Green Holiday Gift Event. With over 60 vendors, you will be able to check everyone off your list in a "green" way here. 

Secondly, if you want to have a part in helping Northwest Battle Buddies get a service dog for a veteran in our local community, you can bring bags of unwanted clothing/textiles to Check 'Em off, Green. (Each bag is worth about $2 to the organization and will get you a raffle ticket!)

For even more holiday cheer, stop by the Christmas at the Fort Festivities. 

What a great way to spend the day! 

Four-minute, no-sew modesty skirt

Spandex may be a privilege but everyone has the right to be comfortable.

So, some of you know that I quit my "day job" back in November and have started my own business promoting sustainable consumption. Some of you also know that I've been working a part time job to help make ends meet in the mean time. That position consists of organizing and running clothing collection events. What's appropriate attire for this position? I should probably wear jeans, but then I have to unload the clothing (sometimes 10,000+ lbs!) later that day. My compromise has been to wear spandex/yoga pants but then also wear one of my 2 Sweet Spot Skirts over the top. It makes me more comfortable (and probably everyone else at the event) while still giving me enough flexibility for the unloading workout that is entailed at the end of the event.

Fast forward to last Friday when I hadn't done my laundry in awhile. What to do? I had a somewhat brilliant (if I do say so myself...) idea. I cut the bottom of a too-big t-shirt off, flipped it upside down and added some elastic. Voila!

While it's true this wasn't nearly as cute or well made as a Sweet Spot Skirt, it served the purpose well and was super quick/easy. I might even make a few more.

It's easy to reuse the original hem by
slicing a small hole and threading
the elastic through there. The new "bottom"
 of the skirt will roll and doesn't need hemming.

After I wore it for the event, I went ahead and replaced the safety pin that was holding the elastic with actual sewing (this could be done by hand, but of course my sewing machine was much faster.)

Here's the original T.
I simply cut it off under the armpits,
flipped it over, and threaded some elastic
 through the original hem.

Reusable bag tips

I was chatting with some of my favorite people from Glass Dharma this morning and realized that I've never really done a post about how I taught myself the habit of taking reusable bags into the store with me. Maybe these will be helpful to you, too!