Talkin' Trash

ch ch changes

sarah-cynthia-silvia-stout — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 02:20:33 GMT

We're starting again-hardcore no garbage for one month. My friend Kally is going to do it with us for one week. We were interviewed and photographed by the Globe and Mail, so you should look for the article on Saturday. Also I am trying to move the whole blog over to wordpress where it will be easier to navigate as well as leave comments. I'm having a bit of technical difficulty so if anyone wants to help, that would be awesome! The new site is nomoregarbage.wordpress.com There's not a lot there so far,but you can check it out and more is coming ASAP

Whether yellow or brown, use the bucket to flush it!

sarah-cynthia-silvia-stout — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 14:04:02 GMT

For a housewarming gift, my lovely friend Blair made us a beautiful little felted piece that says "if it's yellow, let it mellow. If it's brown, flush it down." This used to be our rule in the bathroom until Kyle told me about his german friend who kept his bath water and used it to flush the toilet with. I liked the idea so much that we implemented it immediatly (and i think Kyle instantly regretted having shared the antecdote!) The only problem is that I am a bit of a clean freak and if you leave the water in the tub, the tub gets very dirty. We now have a large tupperware container (i mean large, I could fit into it all scrunched up) and a big bucket and a small bucket. The system is this: 1.Put the plug in when you are having a shower 2. When you finish use the big bucket to scoop the water in the tupperware 3. After using the toilet, use the big bucket to "water bomb" the bowl of the toilet and everything will flush down 4. Put a small bucket full of water in the toilet so that there is water sitting for the next time 5. Use a towel to wipe up the water you have inevitable spilt on the floor *****Alternately 3. Use the small bucket to scoop for the tupper ware and fill the big bucket to Water bomb the toilet. This way you won't splash water on the floor. Follow step four but skip five. *** If the tupperware is already full, and it is nearing time to clean the tub anyway, you can leave the water in the tub, however; if the tub is sparkly clean and the tupperware is full, just fill the buckets and then pull the plug *****If you shave a large beard, or your head, or excessive body hair while in the shower, just pull the plug and then wipe the tub down with a rag and some vinegar. It's too much to embroider or felt onto a plaque and almost too much to remember! We did leave our housewarming gift on display because it was so beautiful, but many people follow the instructions and it means i have to clean the toilet every day because it stains! So, we hid the beautiful sign and for the most most, let guests just flush with the handle unless they ask us. I may just make another plaque the says " "Whether brown or yellow, don't let it mellow. Use the bucket to Flush-it!"

Break Through

sarah-cynthia-silvia-stout — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 17:10:20 GMT

One of my biggest struggles with this project has been plastic. When we are trying not to produce garbage, we still end up with plastic-wrapping from CD's or tapes, straws, a small piece of plastic on the top of a bottle etc. At one point because of buying bulk in reused plastic bags, we ran out of plastic bags and had to ask friends for some of their collection. It was an awe inspriring moment actually. Despite our little victories and our great efforts, we can't seem to kick plastic out of our lives altogther. We still use tupperware and reused yogurt containers for storage and we still use bags (our collection is once again reproducing rapidly). But, something amazing has happened. A good friend rscued some material out of the garbage at work and brought it to me. He thought I could use it for painting on. It is bright green nylon type fabric, like rain pants are made of. It is cut in to long strips that would make perfect banners. There is a lot of it. I used some of it to winterize our wicker couch on the balcony and then a brain wave hit. I can make bags out of it to put our food in so we don't need plastic. I could put flour, sugar, nuts, beans etc. and wash and reuse them forever. Probably some of the material actually is a type of plastic, but still I am excited. I think I will make them as gifts for friends too. You could put a swim suit in it, or your lunch (so it doesn't leak all over your back pack), or what ever. Thank you Fissah for the refuse rescue! If you need Christmas or solstice gift ideas here's some: -pay me to make the non plastic baggies :) -make hankies for friends (Kyle got a home made hanky as a gift from a work mate last night-it was an awesome gift!) -buy toy veggies made from organic cotton http://www.walkingsticktoys.com (see picture) -go to http://www.idealbite.com or http://www.thegreenloop.com for more ideas - make cards from magazines, reused wrappings, fruit stickers etc. Believe it or not they are beautiful and well received. -order from a local artist like Daryl www.Darylvocat.com For vegan friends, he has an awesome "vegans taste better" t-shirt with cute underpants on it.

Green Eyes

sarah-cynthia-silvia-stout — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 14:11:37 GMT

In September 2005, I started working at a historic museum. The job has provided me with information that helps me in reducing my garbage production, and I am quite happy there. Part of my position involves dressing like Victorian servant and giving tours of the house. My glasses are not at all Victorian,so I take them off and work blurry-eyed. As soon as I got the job, I started thinking about contact lenses and trying to find out information about the environmental effects of contact lenses compared to glasses. I searched and searched and found nothing. Fast forward to this year on my birthday- a good friend contacted other friends and family to collect a "get Sarah new glasses fund" as my glasses have been on their last legs (arms?) for almost two years, since I fell off my bicycle and cracked the frames. I finally had time, and money (thanks to the fantastic gift) to make an optometrist appointment last week. I found one very close to my house: M Daalderop OD 986 St Clair Ave W, Toronto, ON (0.25 miles away) 416-654-6443 I think he may be retiring soon, which is unfortunate, because I like him so much. He did a great job, was very good at explaining things to me, kept the needs of his patients in mind, and not only answered my environmental questions but told me I made his day for asking them! I got to my appointment early, and was reading in the waiting room when a woman about my parents age came in with her father. He was very old and dependent. Wren the doctor finished with his patient, the woman and her father were called. As soon as they went, the receptionist apologized profusely and explained that she wouldn't usually let someone butt in like that, but the man had eyelashes stuck in his eye and it wouldn't;t take long to remove them. I told her it was fine and I wasn't;t worried ( I mean really who would complain about a 90 year old man going in front of them?). She told me that I was a sweet heart and many people had complained in the past. When Dr. Calderon came out, he also apologized to me and we went through the same song and dance. I didn't think the apologies were called for, but I was impressed that the recognized me a valuable customer. So, i did all the eye tests and discovered I do need a new prescription because my astigmatism has gotten worse. I asked if that meant I could have contacts, and he explained that used to be the case, but now there are special disposable contacts for a astigmatism. After he explained how they work, I asked if they were only available in the disposable format and he said yes. In my very non eloquent way I said " well what happens to them after-I know they are not very big, but are there any options other than going to the land fill and will they leak harmful chemicals?" He paused and looked at me before asking " Are you asking me about the ecological effects?" and I said "Yes". He replied, rather astonishedly " I have been an eye doctor for 25 years and no one has ever asked me about this, but I think about it all the time. Thank you for asking" and then he launched into a well thought out and precise answer. I was also shocked because I'm used to people looking at me like I'm an alien and saying they have no idea. Anyhow I decided to go with the contacts. The disposable ones actually end up being more earth friendly than the permanent kind because of chemicals and the amount of solution needed. I also learned some dangerous info about John Fleur shoes. I have been really wanting tall boots and have been looking around for sweat shop free-also scouring the second hand stores. I went to the Fleuvog website http://www.fluevog.com and discovered that they have very morally sound labour practices. Good for the world, bad for my wallet, as Fleuvogs cost about $300 and I love them. Fortunatly I am satiated for the time being with boots I got for free at Friday night's clothing swap. Yaaaaay!

Puttin it all together

sarah-cynthia-silvia-stout — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 19:31:45 GMT

Yesterday, I went on a "Leaf" Tree Tour. Leaf is an amazing organization dedicated to preserving the urban forest. http://www.leaftoronto.org/ I had replied to a call for submissions for environmental art, and they invited me to attend the tour. I learned that I really don't know much about trees, and neither do most people, to the detriment of the trees. It was a fantastic tour. I think the highlight for me was when the guide picked up the corner of the "mulch" the tree was planted in and it was actually a rubber matt. You can buy them at garden centres so that it looks like you have mulch but you don't have to do the work of really keeping mulch. They are marketed as eco-conscious because they are made from recycled materials, but as our guide Todd said so eloquently "Much gives the tree precious minerals and nutrients and a rubber matt does not." I was talking to some people about the no garbage project and getting excited again. I am soon switching this blog to word press where it will be easier to navigate. You will be able to search by subjects, so that you don't have to go through 112 entries to find out how to keep racoons out of your garden or what not. I have already come up against two road blocks though: the little plastic piece that comes off of the reusable milk bottles, and stickers from fruit and veg. Maybe it is impossible to totally eliminate garbage, unless you are on a farm. I wonder what I can make from little plastic circles and fruit stickers.... maybe a beautiful broach?

Too cold for the penguins

sarah-cynthia-silvia-stout — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 19:17:51 GMT

Last week when I went to the organic market in high park, I was told that it was their last day of business for the winter. I was very surprised, as they had previously said they would be open all year. When I asked why, the cashier told me in was becasue their refrigdgerators don't work in really cold weather. On my bike ride home, I thought "???!!!!!????" (that's a direct quote from my mind) Why do you need refridgerators when it is that cold? Why not just use the natural cold to store things?

I scored

sarah-cynthia-silvia-stout — Sun, 26 Nov 2006 23:58:26 GMT

The other day I was asked to do a card making workshop. It was great fun. I got the idea mainly from Amira and Kyle, but for the past year or so I have been making collage cards out of second hand materials, including old design magazines. I often use the plastic from windowed envelopes ( because you can't recycle it and it's almost imposssible not to get them in the mail) to make a little window in the card. It's really fun and people love them. It takes a long tiem though- sometimes up to two hours for one card. I'm also a bit concerned about the glue. We use glue stick or spray glue, neither of which it particularly environmentally conscious., but they work so well and flour and water glue is so lumpy! I thought I had much more to say, but I'm so tired that it has all flown out of my brain. I've been working non stop and saving money so that I can dedicate a few months (January to April) to art and music. I consider this project an art project as well and Kyle and I are planning to start again, hard core style on January 17th. By that time I should have a better web site for it that is easier to navigate and more public. I might try to get a camera crew, or we'll just document it ourselves. We will need to collect video tapes to use, as new ones would create garbage. Anyone have old ones we can tape over? Yesterday, I had the day off so Kyle and I planned atrip to Home Depot. On the way to the bus stop we discovered a lovely new vintage store. Yes,I said on the way to the bus stop, which means it's about 2 blocks from our house! It's called " I scored". It's on the corner or Alberta and St.Clair, just slightly more on Alberta, one store south of St.Clair on the East Side of the Street. It is beautiful, resonable priced and has some amazing things. I bought a top without trying it on and will have to go back and exchange it tomorrow. I bought the top because it looks like the background to this page, but unfortunatly it doesn't look good on me. No problem really because there was alot there that I really liked and I can't wait to go back. The counter is made up of coloured stones, the walls are pale green and it has really great stuff. Oh and did I mention, it's just up the street from me?! I'm soooo excited. Yaaaaaaay reused clothes. Speaking of which, we are having another clothing swap on December 1st. Email me if you are interested (girls only).

EarthRangers

sarah-cynthia-silvia-stout — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 02:08:00 GMT

I have some good friends coming to visit and the male half of the couple is all excited to come and save his poo in a bucket! Ha ha ha. It's actually the water you save in the bucket in order to flush the poo, but what ever, at least he's enthusiastic. I applied for an environmental job that I'm really excited about . The position is education program co-ordinator at Earthrangers. www.earthrangers.ca You should check out the website because it's chalk full of amazing resources. The only two cons of the situation( as in pros and cons) are that it is in Woodbridge and it starts out contractual so at first there are no benifits. If I had a car, it wouldn't be so bad to get to Woodbridge, but there's no way I'm getting a car in order to commute to an environmental agency. It's so oxy moronic that the oxy falls off! Also, I've been working my buns off to save up money for the slow slow winter, and if I don't get a slow slow winter,I don't get to slow down. But, I do really want the job. It was great to be able to put all the little things I do in the cover letter. It made me feel kind of proud instead of wierd and difficult. My web site design course is going well and I'm just trying to decide what to work on first-this project or the pure joy challenge or Push Buttons. Jeez I have a lot on my plate. Speaking of plates, I sort of take for granted that when I go to a restaurant I will get a real plate, and these week my eyes have really been opened to the fact that there are many popular eat-in restaurants that only have disposeble containers and cutlery. It seems so strange to me. Oh we got rid of the moth problem. Kyle washed everything including the cupboards with natural bleach (hydrogen peroxide) and it seems to have worked. yaaaaay Kyle! My winter jacket is ready and I wore it today. I had a friend replace the lining (it looks great) and then I took it to the Eco drycleaners. It looks great. It cost about the same as a new one would have but I feel good about keeping my old one, so there is no waste. I thought there was a solar powered dry cleaner in the beaches, but it's actually just a laundromatt-still very cool though. http://www.mondial-energy.com/beachsolarlaundromat.htm The eco Cleaners is in Mount Pleasant. There are many called eco cleaners or envirocleaners, but it's just a name. This one is actually making an effort to be eco friendly. http://www.nowtoronto.com/issues/2005-02-24/goods_ecoholic.php That's it from me. I'm exhausted!

Belated Halloween Info- remember for next year.

sarah-cynthia-silvia-stout — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 14:41:13 GMT

Happy Halloween and Happy Birthday to me! We didn't have a garbage free or sugar free Halloween, but I did find organic fair trade candy. I looked all over town before going to my favorite and closest health food store, Etherea. Why didn't I go there first!!!! Anyhow, no one else seemed to have even heard of fair trade or organic halloween candy except Organics on Bloor who had hand made chocolate lollys for $4 a pop. Trick or treat my ass! Of course David from Etherea ( 1151 Davenport Rd.) had lots organic/fairtrade candy featured and all reasonably priced. In fact we worked it out and it was the same cost as mainstream candy. I got Endangered Species chocolates and Organic fruit drops and lollipops (the brand name is simply " organic candy co.") We only got 2 trick or treaters because I wouldn't put the pumpkins out. We worked really hard on carving them and I didn't want them to get smashed. Next year we will have to do one we don't care about to put out. Also I bought organic pumpkins too early and they turned mushy and oozy before we could carve them. So Kyle had to run out at the last minute and get regular pumpins to carve. I had an amazing birthday and was totally spoiled rotten. Thank you so much to everyone! Amira and Kyle and Natasha painted me up with water colour pencil crayons so I could be the tattooed lady-hopefully I'll have pics soon.

Food Irradiation

sarah-cynthia-silvia-stout — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 14:18:35 GMT

Sorry this is long overdue! I have been insanely busy!!! On October 21st, I called my brother, Donald for his birthday and he told me about a lecture he had been to. Donald has his doctrate in...actual I'm not sure what, either science or computers or both. Anyhow he is one heck of a smart guy and is very good at explaining things to me. He is also very into healthy and environmentally sound living. So, he was telling me about this lecture on food irradiation that he recently attended and of course I asked "what is food irradiation?" OH MY GOD! I wasn't prepared for the answer. Basically for the past 30 years, most produce that comes over the border gets treated with nuclear radiation to kill bacteria and bugs and also stop the produce from being able to regenerate-this is why all of us to have tried to sprout avacodo seeds have had no luck at all. This includes organic produce. Of course there are links between this proccess and the uprise of cancer. I tried to find out more info but no one seems to know anything. I was surprised at how many activists and organic gurus had no idea it was going on. Instead of finding information I just succeeded in spreading the little information I did know and horrifying people. Oh yes, I am always such a ball of sunshine! The info on food irradiation is not really hidden, if you know exactly what to look for but it is also a far cry from public knowldege. Here's a few sites I found that give more info. Of course all the government sites say its proven to be totally safe, but to me putting the words "safe" and "nuclear" together is oxy moronic! http://www.cbc.ca/consumers/market/files/food/irradiation/canada.html http://www.organicconsumers.org/irradlink.html http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/securit/irridation/index_e.html

LATE!

sarah-cynthia-silvia-stout — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 01:32:38 GMT

#1 There is this amazing TRASH festival going on right now. I've already missed most of it. In fact, I noticed a call for submissions, a few months ago and e-mailed the director. My e-mail bounced back to me and I never took it any further. oh why oh why am I so lazy? This would have been perfect! http://www.alphabet-city.org/trash-festival.html There are some upcoming evetns that I would like to attend, but alas, I am working. #2 The second thing that is late is my period. I did a test today and........no Baby! But I do have garbage- a stick with my pee on it and a shiny silver bag. I sold my soul for peace of mind! Actually I have been getting further and further away from no garbage. The other day, I went to Lush with the intent of putting products in my own bags and I just gave in and got their packaging. It seemed so daunting to give the bags and accept the looks and explain my whole project, even though they are usually really positive about it. I just wanted to buy my stuff and leave like a normal person. I wish it just was more accepted to refuse packaging. It's hard work sometimes.

no bag, punk!

sarah-cynthia-silvia-stout — Sat, 07 Oct 2006 05:14:07 GMT

So I think it's even harder to be an environmentalist in Edmonton Alberta. Mom and I went shopping today so I brought cloth and plastic bags with me. At the Good Will, where I found some awesome and cheap finds, the woman was really defensive when she'd noticed I had put all my stuff in my own bag. She said " I was going to give you a bag. I just had to ring it in first". I said "oh I know, but I didn't want one. That's why I brought my own." and I smiled. She looked very confused. Then we went to a green house near mom and dad's to get some spinach and strawberries. They were both already in bags, so I told the young guy at the cash that I didn't want t a bag. I had used up all the ones I brought though so I had planned to just carry to the prebagged items to the car. He said "I'm going to give you one anyway". I said " but I don't want one and you're killing a tree.". He quipped "oh no, plastic isn't made from trees, and we've got lots of them. It will be much easier to carry". As if a bag of spinach and strawberries would be diificult withough another bag around them! I muttered something about depleting our resourses. He handed me the bag and then half handed me the reciept before taking it back and saying sarcastically "Should I not give you this, since it is made of trees" I said .' Well if I don't take it, you will throw it in the garbage, so just give it to me!" and left. UUUUG kids these days! At least I used 4 of my own bags. The other thing was, at the Good Will, there were no price tags, just signs saying how much each diiferent type of item was. I thought that was a great idea, but for some reason they still put the little plastic tabs that would usually attach the price tags, on the clothes. Oh and I've totally blown my relsolve to have no sugar to my birthday. Mom and I made a yummy carrot cake with pianpples and maple syrup to sweeten it, but I still ate chocolates and pumkin pie and last night I had cookies and black forest cake. This is not going well at all!!!!

Garbage vacation

sarah-cynthia-silvia-stout — Fri, 06 Oct 2006 05:23:00 GMT

I am in Edmonton right now. I dropped everything and flew here to see my ailing grandmother, who is actually in Vermillion ( a small town about 3 hours away). On the flight I didn't eat anything because it was all packaged. It was Ok though because I somehow managed to get on the plane with my own food , despite the signs saying it wasn't allowed. When we went to Vermillion, we stopped at Sammy's cafe for icecream. My uncle Eddie goes ther every afternoon. I got a milk shake which came in a paper cup with a plastic lid with a straw.( yah yah, so much for my no sugar until muy birthday too!). I've gotten so used to city wide composting that I often use a napkin now instead of my hanky (bad bad), so I had lots of garbage. I also had a peach pit and a moldy peach, but I couldn't stand to put that in a landfill so I threw it out the window of the car. At least birds can eat it and it will have a chance of biodegrading. Then I was staying with an old family friend that I haven't seen in at least ten years. I didn't ask about composting because I just assuked there wouldn't eb any, so I thrw my tea bag in the garbage, but then we got to talking about her big garden and I realised that Lynda did compost! So at least I got to compost for the rest of the day. I went for a run in the morning out in a field near the agriculture schoo. I never thought I'd say this, but I far prefer the smell of horseshit to smoggy city stench.

Household Goods

sarah-cynthia-silvia-stout — Sun, 24 Sep 2006 20:17:29 GMT

A few weeks ago, when Kyle was making some delicious borsht, he peeked into the bathroom to ask me(who was lounging in the tub) if it would be alright for him to buy a new blender, since we still hadn't found a used one. I gave me Ok and we got a $15 handheld blender to blend things like borsht. It had a bit of packaging and likely some questionable labour practices involved in the making of it. I meant to check up on the company, but haven't yet. I did find an almost new blender on craig's list and we know have a kitchen blender too! I also found an iron on craigs list, so I don't feel so bad. It's kind of strange how for me, buying second hand is better, but really I'm still not doing anything for those people getting 3 cents an hour in a factory somewhere. I'm not supporting the industry that does that to them, but I'm also not supporting them. Hmmmmm, it is helping with reducing waste though, and reusing and community building.

and the little one says "roll over, roll over"

sarah-cynthia-silvia-stout — Wed, 20 Sep 2006 12:59:00 GMT

This is kind of a general update on my life. I've started running again and everytime I run past one group of construction workers (who move around the neighborhood), one yells, "You go, Girl!" It's nice to have a cheering squad. Although, I think they are responsible for the trees in our neighborhood all being chopped down and that really depresses me. It's kind of a metephor for the impact humans have on nature, I think. They paved and built over/around nature, then they jack hammered the pavement for 2 days, which caused the trees to be damaged and one of them lost a branch. Because the trees were weakend, they were then considered a hazard and chopped down. The street looks bare and sad now, there are big stumps everywhere. I failed on my no sugar until my birthday task. Last Friday (Sept 15) I had some chocolate chip cookies. I was at a staff meeting and I managed to pass them up 6 times, as they went round and round the circle. After the meeting, I was working the desk and the cookies were open right in front of me! After an hour, I caved. It was really too bad because then I went to the clothing swap and Tomoko had purchased delicious sugar free cookies for me-made with Stevia. The clothing swap went well-it was quite small again, but fun. I got rid of lots of stuff and I obtained 3 "new" things, one of which was hand made by a friend-cool. Yesterday, I discovered that I hadn't been paid for any work I did at a particular art school since February. They had changed to direct deposit at that time, but never direct deposited into my account. Because I never got a paystub or any idea of when I was supposed to be paid, I hadn't really noticed. But a few weeks ago, one of the instructors hired me to model and I started thinking "you know, I don't think I have ever been paid", so I found out exactly when we were supposed to be and I checked my account the day after. Surprise, no deposit! I called the finance department and they said they had lost all my info and didn't know who I was. So I went in and filled it all out again and insisted on a cheque instead of direct deposit. I should be getting a cheque for over $500 next week. Yaaaaay! Perhaps I can get the new glasses after all. I discovered a cheese store in Kensington "Cheese Magic" that carries a few flavours of organic cheese. they also seem, maybe impressed that I bring my own bag to put the cheese in. It's kind of hard to tell because I think they are usually stoned there. I really like it though (that just adds to the charm), it's a good place. It would be on my list of environmentalist friendly businesses. Oh and Amira passed on a helpful website. I think I have it listed very very early in this blog, but it's good to be reminded. www.lesstoxicguide.ca I haven't eaten any free-range, hugged chicken eggs yet, as I've gotten busy on Thursdays and haven't made it back to the market. I also didn't get my milk or cream in the reusable bottle, because Dave forgot to order it-this week I'll get it and post an update. oooooo exciting!

Another one bites the dust

sarah-cynthia-silvia-stout — Wed, 13 Sep 2006 12:28:27 GMT

Yesterday I had a job interview. I decided to iron my skirt right before I left and then take the subway instead of my bike, so I could stand the whole way and get there with a wrinkle-free skirt. The only problem was that our iron, which we bought at Salvation Army a few years ago, mainly because of it's olive green colour and the fact that it was from the 60's, has breathed it's last breath. For a while, it's been only sort of working and I had to jiggle the cord, but this time when I did that, there were sparks! So, I quickly spritzed my skirt with water and smoothed it out with my hands. Now we need a new iron. I'm not sure how to get one that works well and is packageless. I guess I'll post on Craig's List for another used one. Yesterday I found glasses that I love and the man at the shop assured me there was no sweat-shop labour involved in the making of the frames. They are going to cost $500 all said and done. They look so nice. When he put them on me and I looked in the mirror, I thought " wow, who's that pretty woman?" I think I need to keep looking though because that is more money than we have.

No more tree

sarah-cynthia-silvia-stout — Tue, 12 Sep 2006 23:36:03 GMT

Sunday night, I had to leave band practice because I had a migraine. I woke up Monday, hoping to go for a run, but the migraine hadn't left, so I went back to bed. It sounded like someone was right over my head with a chainsaw, but things always sound magnified with a migraine so I assumed it was down the street somewhere. Actually, it was basically right over my head. Out bed is in the very top of the house and the City workers were cutting down a tree in front of/on top of the house. I couldn't believe that it was happening when I had a migraine. When every little sound feels like a chainsaw in your ear, what does a chainsaw in your ear (and then a grinder) feel like? Anyhow I was so cut up in the irony of the situation, that I didn't really realise what it meant. It means no more beautiful tree in the front yard. No squirrels, raccoons or birdies for Gris Gris to watch out the window, no dancing patterns from the wind in the leaves on the living room wall, no shade in the summer, and no forewarning, just gone! I'm so sad. On a happy note, I found bagels with no packaging for Kyle- at My Market Bakery in Kensington. I

Is Any Body Out There?

sarah-cynthia-silvia-stout — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 13:12:28 GMT

I feel like I'm learning so much with my garbage/ fairtrade project and I want other people to have access to the information. I have posted on search engines and requested that sites I like link to my page, but I don't know if any one actually reads this. I know some of my friends and family do. Thanks so much guys! But, if only they are reading, I am kind of preaching to the choir. Any suggestions?

People Lie

sarah-cynthia-silvia-stout — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 13:07:03 GMT

And thank goodness for that. It's not exactly that they lie on purpose, but it seems that, as humans, we assume if something isn't in our range of understanding then it doesn't exist. A few days ago the man at John Vince foods vehemently told me that it wasn't worth while for anyone to carry organic cream because they had to put in an order of at least 30 and they wouldn't sell because it was too expensive. He said it would be over $8 for half a litre. At Etherea Natural Foods (1151 Davenport Rd.), Dave is not only ordering me organic cream that will cost only $2.00, but it also comes in a reusable glass bottle! I pay a deposit of $1.75 which I get back when I return the bottle and I'm getting low fat milk in a bottle too! Yaaaay Harmony foods! http://www.harmonyorganic.on.ca Also the guy at the organic market in High Park told me there were no free range eggs in Ontario, but, yesterday at Dufferin Grove Park Organic Market (every Thursday from 3pm-7pm), I found some. They even have photo's of the people hugging the chickens! Really! Oooo oooo also at Dufferin Grove Park, there were guys selling chocolate made from cocoa beans that they helped to pick in Mexico. They were yummy. They are not certified fair trade, yet, but they pay higher than fair trade wage and teach the farmers how to make a sustainable living. Families work together so there is “child labour”, but that's how it works in Mexico.They don't have a website yet, but they are called ChocoSol:horizontal Traders and Chocolatiers. It is Micheal Sacoo and Graham Corbet and you can contact them at chocosol01@yahoo.ca. I got sugar free chocolate and cinnoman drink mix. Mmmmmmm. At another booth, I also got a yummy brownie, made with maple syrup instead of sugar. I forgot to ask if the chocolate was fairtrade. It's looking like I may never have to eat sugar again! The night before last I was looking at some of the pages of links and I came across Woody Harrelson's sight. http://www.voiceyourself.org He's a bit cheesy sometimes, but does a whole lot of good! He is definelty someone I respect and admire. He listed a clothing shop that is my newest favorite: www.rawganique.com I always said that if I was wealthy I would not blow my money on expensive designer clothes, but now I know I would. I would buy all my clothes at rawganique. I actually thought of getting people to give me pledges to make 0 garbage for one month and with the money I could buy the organic audry coat! http://www.rawganique.com/Womenswear.htm Kyle bought a bike pump, called Dominate Air made by axiom. www.axiomgear.com It works quite well, but he didn't read the cardboard package when he bought it and it actually lists as one of it's virtues ”Non Recycled plastic- composite plastic carefully formulated from 100% virgin materials to ensure reliable and accurate moulding, a guaranteed airtight seal, and dramatically increased resistance against breakage.” I am definitely going to write them a letter and encourage you to as well. That's not an asset and it's a load of crap! If I had read that first, I would not have bought it. I suppose I didn't buy it anyway. It reminds me of two incidents. The first was years ago, when I was just learning about the evils of WalMart, but still guiltily shopping there from time to time. I was looking through the shoes when an announcement came on that said something like “ At WalMart we do anything to get you the lowest prices. We have factories all over the world in order to bring you the lowest possible price.” I was mortified to hear them bragging about their horrible labour practices. I kept thinking about what that simple statement meant- poor labour conditions, exploiting desperate people, children working in delapidated factories-yuck! That was the last time I went there. The second incident was last year, when I was encouraged by Greenpeace to write a letter to Kimberly Clarkson, one of the biggest toilet paper manufacturers, urging them to stop cutting down old growth forests. They (Kimberly Clarkson) sent me a letter back saying they could not use recycled paper because it wasn't soft enough! I was flabbergasted. First of all, I use toilet paper made from 100% recycled materials (and don't worry they don't actually recycle used toilet paper). It's like regular toilet paper. It's not scratchy or anything. I also specifically go to grassroots to buy that brand because it's only packaging is recycled paper-no plastic.( It's called April Soft and it;s made by Atlantic) I can't believe people would really sacrifice the well being of the earth for soft toilet paper! I don't even have an exclamation strong enough for that. “Jesus Fuck” comes close, but I don't want to be offensive, so insert your own super strong exclamatory adjective here ____________________! Just so you know, I am taking a web design course starting in October, so in the future I may have my own web page where you can search for things by category and you can click on a word or picture to go to a link instead of having to read through my blog to find the links in the brackets.

tortillias, moths and more!

sarah-cynthia-silvia-stout — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 22:12:17 GMT

I forgot to let you know that a few days ago I finally made my own tortillias. I've been wanting to for a long time because they are a staple in Kyle's diet and the major cause of our multiplying bag problem. Now that I eat them too, I decided to get cracking. It also helps that I have time off work. I used this recipe. http://www.dianaskitchen.com/page/bread/tortilla.htm My first tortillia was too thick and my next few were crispy instead of soft and pliable. Then Kyle came home and told me the secret to tortillia success. There are two actually. The first is to not overcook them-just keep them in the pan long enough so they are not raw. The second is to put them in a sealed plastic bag as soon as they are done. Even some of the crispy ones softened up. They are still not perfect though- you can't really roll them up, so we've been using them to make pizzas on. I also used butter instead of shortening because I couldn't find soy-free shortening. I'm not sure if I should try the same recipe again, with my new knowledge as well as expertise in rolling the dough out thinner, or if I should try a different one. I have two more. May be I'll try the one with oil. The problem is that it's really labour intensive! It takes a super long time-there's no way I could keep up with the household demand. Hmmmmm Also because of buying bulk, we have a moth epidemic. The eggs come in the rice and oats, etc and then they hatch and we have moths everywhere (very small ones not big butterfly-ish things). I have actually been killing them. I feel horrible, but there's no other way I can think of. I realized if they were bigger, I wouldn't be able to do it. I can't kill flies or bees. I catch them and release them outside. Wee moths and fruit flies, I can somehow manage to blink out of existence with only minimal guilt. Strange..... Last week I changed my closet over to fall and winter stuff and I got rid of a garbage bag full of clothes. Actually, the bag is still in the closet waiting for the clothing swap. Yesterday and today I found myself wandering in to second hand shops, searching for some new apparel and not finding anything I liked. I feel like I'm in a weird space where everything I'm looking for doesn't exist. Which is a good seque into the next thing I wanted to talk about. I went into a bulk food store on Ossington and Dupont because I had read they sell a lot of fair trade and organic products. All the shelves above the bulk goods are lined with packaged fair trade and organic stuff. I asked the cashier if the bulk chocolate was fair trade and she said she didn't know, but there was fair trade chocolate right there ( I knew that as I had a white chocolate bar on the counter for my sister). I explained that I wanted it without the packaging because I was trying to not make garbage and that I would prefer the chai tea without packaging as well, at which point she gave me a look that I really couldn't interpret. It wasn't entirely unfriendly, but it was a mixture of " I don't care", " What planet are you from?" and " I just want to go home now". I didn't ask any other questions.

stumped again

sarah-cynthia-silvia-stout — Mon, 04 Sep 2006 20:44:16 GMT

It amazes me that with so many things for sale in this world, what I want to buy doesn't exsist! Now that I'm consuming dairy, sometimes Kyle wakes up in the morning without cream for his coffee. I decided to go get some organic cream today, and discovered that no on has it. First of all I went all the way to Lawblaws to discover they are closed for labour day, as is my favorite organic store, Etherea. So I stopped at 2 more organic stores, one of who said they had it, but they didn't and the other whom gave me a big lecture about how it's too expensive to stock. It's easy to get organic milk though. I suppose I can get that for me and just a small amount of non organic cream for Kyle. I really would rather not have non organic cream in the house. also is there some kind of lable that says how the cows are being treated? Is there free range milk and cream? I found a site about dairy regulations in Canada but I don't have the time to really spend with it now, and it's quite hard to read. http://www.dairyinfo.gc.ca/cdicdrcan.htm I also discovered that regular cream has carageenen in it (basically vegtable based vaseline that is used in many different products as a binder). Yuck I wonder if the organic does too, although if the cashier at John Vince is telling the truth, I may not be able to afford organic. He said it would be a bout $9 for a small carton! I can find any thing on the internet, but I did find that there is organic icecream and yogurt and the Dufferin Grove Park Farmers market which is open Thurdays from 3:30pm-7pm. Maybe I can go this Thursday. Yesterday I was looking for Free Range eggs and were told they didn't exsist. What I usually buy are Free-Run eggs and there is a difference. Free Run chickens don't live in little boxes all of the time. Hopefully they're general living conditons are better and they get to go outside and run aroud for a certain amount of time everyday. Free Range chickens could do what ever they wanted all the time. I think it was easier to be vegan! What I really want is a nearby organic farmer that I can purchase my dairy and eggs from and visit their farm. I know there are visits to the farm that Front Door Organics gets many of their products from and also may be the farmers market will be of help! If you are, or know of any organic farmers who treat their animals ethically, please let me know!

The Corporation

sarah-cynthia-silvia-stout — Mon, 04 Sep 2006 15:52:00 GMT

It seems that this blog is turning out to be more about fair trade than about garbage right now. I decided not to do the hardcore no garbage thing in September, although I haven't made any garbage so far! Kyle said he would do it in January and I really find it easier with support so I think I will wait for him. A few days ago, we watched The Corporation. At first it wasn't anything I didn't know, then there was stuff so terrible, I just kept yelling at the screen "what's the solution, what can I do???!!!" and then turning to Kyle to ask if he wanted to turn it off. Anyhow they did offer some solutions and watching the movie just fueled me even more to only by fair trade items. It's quite difficult, though I found some awesome sites with links. The two things I haven't found are: 1) A Canadian version of American Apparel sans the misogynistic owner. I really like the style of their clothes. It's fun and funky and sweatshop free but they treat women so badly. 2) Eye Glasses that are fair trade and also at least somewhat environmentally friendly. I haven't found anything that even mentions labour or environmental practices, so I think I will just have to go into shops and ask. Likely, the people won't know, but I'll keep asking, managers, distributors etc. I think I want glasses for my reward for not eating sugar. I don't even think I want a cake any more. Maybe just a fair trade chocolate bar. My glasses broke again. To be precise, the little piece of pen lid that Kyle glued in to keep them from sliding off my face came off again. I may just see if I can get the arms replaced, but I do need a new prescription too. I have an old pair of vintage frames that used to be my friend Alicia's. I might just use those. Kyle doesn't like them, though, which I don't really think should matter, but may be it means they are not very flattering on me, so I'll have to think about it. Yesterday, I went to the organic market in High Park on my way to work. I had forgotten that I spent most of my money on a cab home the night before. I went dancing to 50's music(so fun!) and I missed the last subway home. As a result, I had all my purchases rung in and then realized I only had $7. My stuff came to $12.17. I asked if I could put some things back and the guy said no, it was on him. They are so nice there, but I know they can't afford to do that, so I am going back next weekend with my $5.17. It's such a refreshing change that he would do that though. That's the nice thing about dealing on a more grassroots level, with markets and such. We also get organic produce delivered to us by Front Door Organics and we have had similar situations with them. We were trying to leave tips but they just kept added up as credits for us, until finally we had almost $30 in credit and I had to write them a letter saying " It's a tip, please take it!" It's so different from dealing with someone like Bell who consistently makes mistakes that cost us money. Actually I got my last Bell bill, after canceling my service and it's a credit, but there is no cheque or anything and I will call them, but I'm pretty positive they'll tell me I have to come back to them to get my money. Bah!!!!!! Anyhow here are lists of links for sweatshop free and organic stuff. http://www.veganpeace.com/sweatshops/categories/clothing.htm They have categories for just about everything, except eye glasses. One of the things I was looking for was men's underwear and I found it here: http://www.justiceclothing.com/thereis/justice/lw20300.html I also found that www.justshirts.com is really reasonably priced and if our band does reconvene in a year, I will buy stuff for band merch there. I also may buy some hoodies.

quick news

sarah-cynthia-silvia-stout — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 20:04:20 GMT

It's my 3rd day of no sugar. I'm really doing it. I like having a goal again. I keep changing my mind on what I want my reward to be. I have such a long wish list: electric violin, 50's dresses, vocal processor, computer with sound capabilities, a hair cut (possibly at Aveda organic salon), new glasses, boots from Mooshoes etc, etc. We'll see. It's exciting to have a goal. I want my choclate cake to be made with fair trade chocolate and perhaps maple syrup instead of sugar. May be just the cake should be my reward-it's getting pretty fancy. If you are in Toronto and a girl, we are having another clothing swap on September 15th. E-mail me for info.

Might as well face it, I'm addicted to sugar

sarah-cynthia-silvia-stout — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 23:04:31 GMT

Since the end of my elimination diet, I haven't been avoiding sugar, which means I eat it a lot. I've been trying unsuccessfully to stop, so I decided to set a goal. I'm really good at reaching goals and then I can use my sticker system ( a sticker in my day book for each day I go sugar free. The goal is this : no sugar til my birthday- October 31. The reward will be a great big chocolate and caramel cake with ice cream and one of the dresses I've been drooling over on daddy-o's. http://www.daddyos.com/retro/j03.html http://www.daddyos.com/retro/j02.html http://www.daddyos.com/retro/ja2.html Speaking of goals, I set out today to find organic, fair trade instant coffee and fair trade chocolate in the organic stores in Kensigton. It amazed me to find that many brands have one kind of fair trade bar and that's it (it is generally the unsweetened dark chocolate). I don't understand why they wouldn't do all fair trade. I got mozarella cheeze with no packaging at all at the cheese store and it was cheap. I just ate pickle and cheese pita sandwiches for supper. Yummmmmm! Oh! Last but really not least, I gained a new friend through another friend and she took my picture. It is lovely( as is she) and I posted it here. Her name is Nine and she is from Scotland. I'm not sure why I'm writing this all in the style of a kids reader, but it seems that I am. Maybe that means I've written enough for today!

Ethical Shopping

sarah-cynthia-silvia-stout — Sat, 26 Aug 2006 17:27:42 GMT

Bear with me, I have a bunch of seemingly random thoughts to introduce that all lead to the same thing. 1. Now that I can eat chocolate again, I've been thinking about fair trade chocolate. Where could I possible get bulk, fair trade chocolate with no packaging???? 2. A few days ago, Fava came over for lunch and was shocked to see Nestle instant coffee in our kitchen because Nestle is a very loudly fiercely unethical company. I told Kyle about it and he wants to stop using it- I just assumed he knew already, but he didn't. The problem is that he really likes instant coffee. 3. My friend Collette sent me a link to an organic fair trade juice company that was blogging about ethical shopping and that made me think of these things even more. The link is http://innocentdrinks.typepad.com/ So here are my solutions. I still haven't found package free fair trade coffee or chocolate but this is what I did find. First of all Nestle makes a line of fair trade instant coffee! Unbelievable but true- most people boycott it because with all their other products, their ethics are still non existent, but still... Clipper brand has instant organic coffee granules and so does Percol Colombia Fair-trade. These can be purchased at a variety of organic shops as well as online at: http://www.fairtradecoffee.org/coffee-store.asp This also has a large variety of whole bean coffees and chocolate too. There was a lot of freeze dried coffee. I learned from http://www.greenbeanery.ca that it is much better to not buy instant coffee even if it is fair trade. Rather than trying to regurgitate it in my own words, I'll quote directly. Here goes: "The world's coffee farmers need higher coffee prices to earn a fair living. One way to raise prices is avoiding mass market ground coffee, which typically contains coffee twigs, dirt, and other impurities -- government regulations allow up to 30% of a coffee package to contain non-coffee materials and still be sold as coffee. When consumers buy whole bean coffee, they raise the consumption of actual coffee. By increasing the demand for coffee, all coffee farmers, not just a few, benefit. Some consumers purchase packages of so-called gourmet coffee drinks, with names like "Mocha Hazelnut Delight," thinking they are made from specialty beans that help to preserve niche coffee markets. These drinks, in fact, rely on poor quality robusta coffee beans with a poor taste but high-caffeine content (twice the caffeine content of a quality arabica), by heavily flavouring the coffee drink, Kraft and other manufacturers of these drinks can overpower the poor flavour of the robusta while utilizing its caffeine content. It is the poor-quality robusta bean, produced by countries such as Vietnam, that has flooded the world coffee markets and depressed coffee prices. Instant coffee also tends to be made from robusta beans. Whole bean blends can also mix in robustas with better tasting arabicas: The robusta lowers the cost per pound while the arabica provides the premium flavor. For many, the combination of robusta and arabica represents an acceptable compromise between price and flavour. " So here are some more places to get your ethical coffee and chocolate. In Toronto, there is Moonbean, and Ten Thousand Villages. Here is a link to all the Toronto shops http://www.fairtradetoronto.com/where_to_buy/gta_stores_results.cfm?product=all&area=all&search=Search+ Here is a page full of links to fair-trade stuff on the web.http://www.fairtradefederation.com/memcof.html There it is. Most of the fair-trade coffee shops sell bulk whole coffee beans. It's just the choclate I can't find package free. Let me know if you know of somewhere!