Should I Choose the Carton or the Jug?

March 23, 2021

So many choices… how do I make the best decision? Shopping in our modern supermarkets, there is a packaging decision in every aisle. We want to make the choice that is the best for people and the planet, but how are we supposed to know? Milk: carton or plastic jug? Pasta: box or plastic bag? […]

A few thoughts about waste, awareness, and November.

November 9, 2020

Imagine your perfect 4th-Thursday-in-November holiday scenario. What does it look like? In the year 2020 (an election year, at that), the economy isn’t doing great and many people have lost their jobs due to a global pandemic. It’s unsafe to travel and gather in large groups. And we are in the midst of the biggest […]

Out the door with disposable diapers? And other questions answered by the pros.

July 2, 2020

Waste with babies! It can be overwhelming when you start to look at the increase in volume of waste in your garbage can when an infant joins the household: Diapers! Cleaning up after your baby Food waste and garbage associated with food packaging So much more… I am not a mother, so I can’t claim […]

Pre-owned Paradise: Deschutes County, Oregon!

December 9, 2019

Secondhand. Worn. Hand-me-downs. Nearly new. Old. There are a lot of words for shopping used. Whatever you call it, shopping used rather than new is an excellent way to help prevent waste! Better than I could ever have said it, Roundabout Home Consignments has a great description of why second hand is so great on […]

Single Use Plastics and their Impacts. Can we change it?

June 27, 2019

Plastics are a problem Is the image of a sea turtle with a single use straw up its nose or a beach completely blanketed in plastic trash burned into your brain like it is in mine? No need to stab the fallen. But seriously: plastic (especially the single use variety) is a problem. And sometimes […]

Potty Talk: Plastics in the bathroom

March 14, 2019

Everybody has an opinion and not everyone’s opinion is the same. I have the opinion that plastic is an amazingly versatile and useful substance. It is ubiquitous in our lives; but I am also under the opinion that we do not need to use it nearly as much as we do. I’m speaking specifically to […]

Your Old Clothes: Too hole-y, even for church? Or lots of life to live?

February 13, 2019

What do you do with your old clothes? There are lots of ways to make more space in your closet without throwing clothes in the trash. According to the Oregon DEQ, Americans throw away over 32 billion pounds of textiles a year, but over 90% of clothing and shoes are recyclable. Textile recovery is an […]

Presents that Require Presence

December 16, 2018

In a meeting recently I heard about a wonderful gift idea. A jar filled with 365 slips of paper, each with its own memory, given to a parent. It turns out, memory jars are really popular projects on Pinterest and have a variety of applications. What are other gift ideas like this, that are really […]

Black Friday Shoppers: This is the Least We Can Do.

November 21, 2018

In the past we’ve written about 10 things to do on Black Friday other than go shopping. 4 years ago REI started their #OptOutside campaign, and began closing its doors on Friday to make a pretty bold statement about using this day as an opportunity to choose being outdoors over our cultural push to just keep.buying.more.stuff. Almost every […]

Rethink Food Waste: Shop Smarter and technology

May 23, 2018

The age of technology means we have an utterly overwhelming supply of information at our fingertips. Sometimes it’s a bane, but often a blessing! I just found some food on the verge of going bad that needs to be used tonight. What should I do? 5 ways to reduce food waste with technology: Make a […]

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Category: Shopping