Listen. We all make mistakes. And here’s one I made this week. I bought a $15 jar of hummus. Here’s how it happened. I like hummus. I like hummus but I don’t want to make hummus, which poses a problem as I’m on this low waste lifestyle experiment. Ready-made hummus comes in a plastic tub…
Tag: shopping
More bread, less plastic
A while ago I blogged about a less-than-successful attempt at waste-free grocery shopping, and revealed that sometimes I buy gluten-free bread. I didn’t buy gluten-free sandwich bread after that, so guilty did I feel about the plastic bags. But I like bread. So I figured it was time to look into whether or not any…
Forget everything I ever said about Package Free.
When I first heard about Package Free, a store that sells household basics and staples without (you guessed it) packaging, I was intrigued. Sure, I already had a large cache of supplies to help me wend my way toward a zero-waste lifestyle—reusable bags, glass jars, travel mug, bar soap, white vinegar, safety razor and gazillion…
Shopping Waste-Free in New York
The first step to creating less waste is to change the way you think. And to do that, you need to change the way you shop. And that usually means changing the way you eat, too. So many changes, I know. I say nothing revolutionary when I say that Americans eat a diet full of…
Calamondin: A little fruit tree that doesn’t need a backyard
I would love to have a sunny yard lined with berry bushes and apple trees and dotted with raised beds full of spinach, kale, cucumbers, tomatoes, eggplants, corn, pumpkins, herbs, and strawberries. Alas, no such chance. I live in an apartment in a city, and the nearest community garden doesn’t get enough light for us…
How hard could it be to shop the zero-waste way?
Very hard. But you probably already knew that. I’m not living a zero waste lifestyle but it’s my goal to get close without burning out, alienating my friends, or driving myself insane. A recent evaluation of my grocery shopping waste shows where I’m at in the journey. I had Saturday free, which is rare for…
First Impressions of Precycle, Brooklyn’s Zero-Waste Grocery Store
I’ve been mostly operating under a “Never Go to Brooklyn (Except in Case of Emergencies)” kind of mindset since I arrived in the city several years ago. I’ve found Brooklyn to be overly full of no-income-yet-somehow-rich MFA grads rocking wardrobes that are by turns normcore, DGAF, tongue-in-cheek, and full-on man-repeller. When I think of the…
The Power of Produce Bags
The best move I ever made was to transfer to a different university. The second best move I ever made was to stop eating dairy. And the third best move I ever made was to start using reusable produce bags. Seven or eight years ago, I bought a set of reusable produce bags from the…
Climate Conscious 