Less Impact Leslie: Kick-Off!

Usually when one says they've been living beyond their means, they mean financially. They're using credit to acquire things that they don't actually have the money to buy.

Lately, I've been fixated on the idea that I've been doing this, but with another resource: time. I cut corners to buy myself more minutes in my day. I mortgage the future in order to have more time now.

Sometimes, these cut corners affect me personally and directly. In order to try to start a second career while still having a full-time dayjob, I often opt to work on my personal business rather than my personal fitness. This has been taking a toll on my overall well-being.

Sometimes, though, my subprime time mortgage isn't only having an impact on me; it's rolled up into a tranche of many people's subprime time decisions and affects the overall environment as negatively as my work habits affect my health.

I think about this every time I take another overstuffed bag of trash and recycle to the bins. All the processed food I buy to save time, all the careless purchasing I do because I'm too busy to be strategic and thoughtful about it, it all contributes to this imbalance.

Lately, it's bothering me. I've always been an animal-lover, and always had the sort of usual lefty-liberal concerns for the environment a person anyone would expect from someone in my particular demographic.

But something has shifted in me and it's no longer feeling like an anxiety about a worrisome but essentially remote and abstract concept. It feels much more pressing lately, more concrete and immediate.

Maybe it's because I started bird watching and have had more regular exposure to wildlife. Maybe the BP oil spill just triggered something in me and I feel compelled to try to offset that horror with positive action in my life. Maybe it's just that I am getting older and thinking more about mortality and frailty in general (aging knees will do that to you) and am superimposing my own personal slow deterioration onto the macrocosm.

Whatever it is, my discomfort at my lifestyle is getting to be as great as my desire to cut corners, and so it seemed like I ought to slow down and try to do something about it.

Hence this new project: Less Impact Leslie. You have probably heard about No Impact Man. I actually don't know anything about him other than the broad brushstrokes of what his family did to have a zero-waste lifestyle. I don't think I'll make it to zero, but certainly I can do better.

Many of the changes I've thought of will be related to food, so at first I thought this would be a project for Fresh-Picked. But as I continued to think of changes, I realized the scope is broader than just food. Since this site is about the environment, too, it seems like a good place to track my success.

Every week or so, I'm going to write about some of the things I tried during the past week to slow down and be more careful with how I use resources.

Since I am just starting, I don't have anything to report quite yet, but instead, here are some of the ideas I've brainstormed for some changes I can start making right away.

In a town like Seattle, it's hard to admit some of these. This is a green and conscientious town. I'm somewhat embarrassed that things that are probably second nature for others will be an actual project for me to integrate into my life.

But the first step is admitting you have a problem. I have a problem with consuming way more resources than I need to, so here is how I'm going to start trying to solve it.

Food shopping bags – Like most Seattleites, I DO have a stash of shopping bags that I dutifully tote around with me. Except when I forget. Or when I am impulse buying something I probably don't need. Also, I hate using plastic bags for bulk foods and produce, so I also want to start using reusable sacks for those as well. I already bought reusable produce bags and now just need something sturdy for bulk foods.

Bulk food – Speaking of…I eat a lot of vegetarian food, rice, grains, beans, etc. I do usually buy bulk, but sometimes resort to canned beans or pre-packaged bags of rice because I didn't plan well. Would like to eliminate that. Also tea! I have become a big tea-drinker of late, and man do bags of tea have a lot of packaging.

Making stuff from scratch – In general, I want to buy as unprocessed food as possible, with as little packaging as possible, and make my food myself. I did something like this before on my cooking blog Three-Bowls – I called it the CIY – Cook It Yourself – Project. So I know I can do it, now I just need to make the time.

Bulk toiletries – Going to check out the bulk soaps and shampoos at PCC to put in reusable bottles.

Public transportation – I work from home, which is awesome. But I do drive pretty much everywhere for social stuff or shopping. Also, I go to a LOT of events because of these sites, and I could make an effort to take a bus. This really comes down to time management and planning. I hate the idea of sacrificing time I could be working on my own projects in order to pad in enough time for a bus ride. But I need to do it, and I can use that time for reading. Plus: less parking-related tears of frustration, which I experience all too often.

Walking – I live within .2 miles of Metropolitan Market, .4 miles of PCC, and .8 miles of TWO Safeways. I also am close to U-Village, and the U-District Farmers Market. Why am I driving to those places? Usually because I am in a rush. This will be the hardest part, I think. I love walking – prefer it to driving, really, what with the parking tears - but it's so tempting to buy back those minutes and just drive.

Shopping less – I am not a big shopper; gone are my days of retail therapy at Target when I was feeling out of sorts. But I'm still careless about it, and not strategic, and this creates unnecessary waste.

Less toxic cleaning supplies – This, again, comes down to time. For example: in the shower. I'm a pretty clean person; I don't let things get too dirty. But any shower can get mildewy. If I were more consistent with airing the shower out, more regularly sprayed it with tea tree oil prophylactically, and used more elbow grease when scrubbing it, I probably could nip it in the bud and not resort to harsh chemicals. I used to be into this book Better Basics for the Home that had many recipes for non-toxic cleansers, and I would like to get back to using them.

Wish me luck!

Comments

[Debbie]

What a great idea, Leslie! I too am trying to make less of an impact. What kind of produce bags did you buy? I'd be interested in getting some of those. Also, one thing that I've started to do recently is to image the trash can as a landfill, making me think twice about whether the stuff I put in there can go someplace else. I'm usually good about making sure to put recyclables in the recycling bin, but now I'm making sure not to put compostables into the landfill.

[lqs]

Hey Debbie!

I bought these kinds from Amazon. I tried them out at the farmers market and they seem like a good size. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002UXQ7QQ?ie=UTF8&tag=thrbow01-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002UXQ7QQ

Other than reusing plastic bags, I haven't found a permanent solution for a bulk goods but I am keeping an eye out.