Something to do with those aging mix tapes

This artist got creative with his recycling. Perhaps he too had boxes of old mix tapes he wanted to get rid of. Instead of throwing them out with the trash, he turned them into art.


Pretty darn cool.

The Jim Morrison piece above is $700. See more here.

How do you gift wrap a water buffalo?

Have you started your holiday gift shopping yet? If you, then you've probably considered all the usual suspects. Perhaps a new computer for Papa from Dell, jewelry for Mama, clothes for the sibs. I've actually already purchased gifts for the in-laws online, thinking we would be delivering them over Thanksgiving. 

But lately, I've been thinking a lot about how we can live our lives more simply, more authentically. And to me, that includes trying to get away from having so much "stuff." On the flipside, it also means giving less "stuff."

Making charitable donations in someone's name as a gift is nothing new. But this year, I'm pretty sure I will do it for at least some of my Christmas presents. There's one charitable institution that has really piqued my interest. 

You know that saying "Teach a man how to fish and you've fed him for a lifetime?" Well, giving through Heifer International is one way of doing that. Instead of giving money to people who need it, the charity gives things that people need to be able to provide for themselves. Their online gift catalog includes goats, bees, flocks of ducks and geese, and trees. They go to communities all over the world where they are most needed. Like the Philippines, where you can help someone buy a water buffalo. 

This man, Fred Sarilla of Bugcaon (which I think is in Bukidnon) in the Philippines, got a cow. He says, "Before we ploughed by hand and feet, and what we produced was with our hands and carried on our heads. Now we have a cart. I ride with my wife and children and are talking with joy because we are riding." Photo: Heifer International

Unplugged

Do your pocketbooks and the environment a favor and unplug those appliances now.

Unplugged at my house:

Coffeemaker

Toaster 

All chargers

Printers

Hairdryer

Sonicaire charger

Plugged in:

Cable boxes and TVs (I know, but my DVR...)

Living Green

I'm far from a strict environmentalist, but I try. Recently, things around my house have forced me to find greener alternatives to getting things done. Not only do they work, they're also much cheaper.

ANTS: I opened my pantry door last night and was shocked at the sight of ants crawling all over boxes and cans. The lure was a bottle of honey, but they made sure to stop at everything else along the way as well.

We had some leftover ant baits so I busted those out. They contains something that's poisonous to ants when consumed. But the tricky part is that the ants have to crawl inside the bait, take a bite, and go home to die or something. I watched as they circled the bait and walked away. What was attracted to the bait was my dog, Briscoe. After seeing her sniff around it, I thought, there's got to be a better way. 

A quick Google searched revealed a solution that worked so well, I was totally surprised: talcum powder. Apparently, ants hate it. I scrounged around for a stray bottle of baby powder. Nothing. Found a nearly empty bottle of foot powder under the bathroom sink instead. I sprinkled it liberally in my pantry, shut the door, and about 20 minutes later, the ants were all gone. And I didn't have to worry about poison spreading on our food, or having the dog accidentally snack on the bait. 

DISHWASHER: The combination of a crappy dishwasher and hard water has resulted in plates and glasses coming out of the dishwasher with all sorts of junk still on them. I use biodegradable soaps, which used to work well at my last house, but not here. The problem seems to be with the rinse cycle, since that's when I presume grimy things are being redeposited back onto my dishes. After two visits from the dishwasher repair guy, I was advised to buy the strongest detergent I can, and use a rinse aid like Jet-Dry. Only then, I was told, would my dirty plates actually come out clean. 

Begrudgingly, I did just that. See, even though I want to be as green as possible, the products I chose have to work first and foremost. Otherwise, why bother? 

I picked up some triple-action dishwasher soap with the rinse aid already added in. After a few loads, I found that not only did it not work any better, the strong smells it created were enough to knock me out.

Google again to the rescue. The solution? Good old white vinegar. White vinegar is pretty amazing. I've long since used it as a laundry detergent booster (great for keeping whites white), a deodorizer (mix with some water and spray on upholstery, carpet and the dog's bed), and as a natural disinfectant (instead of Pine-Sol, mop with this instead).

I loaded my dishwasher's rinse aid dispenser with the stuff last night, ran a load, and viola! Clean plates with no filmy white residue or food scum! I will now go back to my green dishwasher soap. Combined with the vinegar, I think it will get the job done minus the noxious fumes.

Score!

Speaking of reusable shopping/grocery bags...

A trip to Ikea last Sunday netted me these:


At 99 cents a piece, they go a long way to assuage my guilt over millions of wasted plastic bags generated by shoppers like you and me.

And they're cute!

The bags will now find a permanent home in the trunk of my car, ready for action every time I make a quick trip to the market. For those far from an Ikea, most supermarkets and groceries now sell their own reusable shopping/grocery bags, starting at about a buck each. Trader Joe's has them, so does Whole Foods and Albertson's, I think.

Do your part!

Do Something

Forget the bag that the fashionistas are going gaga over.

While the idea behind Anya Hindmarch's "I'm Not A Plastic Bag" is sound, I don't think anyone needs to shell out upwards of $50 on eBay (even up to $400, by some reports) for a bag that originally sold for $15 at Fred Segal Flair just to be "green chic."

Everyone can do their part, right here and now, no trendy canvas bag required. Simply say "No thanks" to plastic bags whenever you can. My personal rule: If I can carry it in my two hands, or stuff it in my purse, then I don't need the plastic bag. Do it at the grocery, at the bookstore, at 7-11.

And if you're really interested in using a reusable shopping bag, why not support our own with one of these Bazura bags?

Using recycled foil juice packs, the bags are made by a women's coop in the Philippines.

It's no "It Bag" but it gets the job done, and in my opinion, is cute in it's own way.