What can you live without?

In an effort to simplify our lives and hence reduce stress, it is important to determine what clutters our lives.  When we can do this, we can start clearing the clutter; learn to say no to temptations and then see a simpler life unfold.

Many people wonder how I can live without a microwave.  Fair question as most people are unable to cook three times a day.  I cook every few days and I place meals in containers.  When I need to I use my stove to heat up the meal.  I however, am incapable of eating the same meal three times and I loathe the concept of frozen food.  So simple decision for me

Another item that I can certainly live without is a dryer.  I can't understand why people who live in the tropics need a dryer.  It takes an hour, tops, to dry clothes on a line.  And nothing beats the scent of fresh air-dried clothes.  Maybe except for cut grass.

What can you live without?

Saying No to Plastic

This week I was asked to justify a plastic bottles recycling programme - using Life Cycle Analysis.  This got me thinking about recycling in general.  (You should note that I generally say no to plastic bottles) In TnT we have to ship a lot of our recyclable material abroad for further processing.  This leads me to my point - why can't we just say no to plastic?

Here are some ideas I have put together so far.

1. Cook.  Simple, nutritious and economical.  And remember to use cook extra and take to work in glass containers.  And of course the ingredients should be local produce purchased at the market

2. Go vintage.  See my previous posts on this

3. Bring your own reusable bag to the supermarket and market

4. Say no to free giveaways.  Who needs another plastic bottle opener?

5. If you are a foodie (I am not) consider making your own condiments (jams, pickles, hummus etc)

6. Flea-market, garage sales etc  where you can buy, you guessed it, VINTAGE!

Moving Beyond Dredging Rivers and Clearing Drains

The recent floods have made me quite upset but not in the way you would think.  I was lucky to be spared any damage and I was able to spend that very rainy day in the comfort of my dry home.  I was upset, for once again, we have been derailed by nature and man.  Nature provided us with a lot of rain.  And man ensured that whatever infrastructure we had in place was useless.  So now we're hearing the same story: dredge the rivers, clean the drains, rivers are being blocked by legal and illegal development etc etc.  I do appreciate that relief is needed but perhaps there should be some persons who can think beyond wearing tall boots and giving away money.

Perhaps the Government should set up a fund (Green Fund perhaps?) that can be accessed by cities, communities, development, villages etc where they can use the funds to "green" their areas of residence.  Some of these initiatives can include:

- Community Composting
- Organic Farming
- Rainwater Harvesting Initiatives
- Development of bicycle parks
- LEED certification for new buildings
- Provision of energy efficient lighting
- Development of green spaces
- Rehabilitation of old buildings into parks or green spaces
- Use of community centres to teach residents sustainable practices such as organic farming, composting, sustainable water use etc

On a larger scale the Government should look at the Energy Policy to ensure that we start incorporating renewable energy into our grid and overall, we should be looking to reduce our dependence on oil and gas.

Reinvention

I have been busy with world cup.  Less said the better as I am a Brazil fan

I honour of my theme, I have changed the look of my blog.  Hope you like it

So let's talk sustainability and reinvention.

- Why not repair your shoes when minor repairs are needed and if possible change the colour.  Don't discard after  the slightest scuff.  Find a good cobbler and you will be amazed at how long your shoes can last.  However, bear in mind that you need to invest in well crafted shoes made of good materials, shoes must fit well and must be comfortable

- Why not host a clothes and jewellery swap?  Gather your friends and family and swap clothes.  Immediate new wardrobe - no cost attached.  My clothes tend to be of good quality and many are classic styles.  Problem is that I get bored easily.

- I love crisp white button downs and silky white blouses.  However, white clothes do not last!  So what's a girl to do when her favourite whites show age after one wearing?  She invests TT$4.50 in clothes dye and after one hour she has new blouses and shirts in blue, orange, violet etc etc

- Convert old sheets into sofa covers

- Use old towels and cut them up to get rags and small kitchen towels

- Use old packaging and put them at the bottom of plant pots before the potting soil.  This helps with drainage

- As much as possible buy food items in glass jars and use the old jars to store legumes and spices (remember to label)

- Compost

I have tried all these and they work!  Any ideas that you want to share?

Small Changes

If nothing else, the big oil spill off the Gulf Coast of the US has made me realise that more and more I have to reduce my reliance on big oil and fossil fuel.  So how do I do that?  Short of becoming a scientist and inventing some new form of alternative energy I have to look at my habits and tweak, again!

Cutting back on airline travel - I have substantially done that by my change of job.
Cutting driving time - lime less, done!
Use less air conditioning - thanks to cooler weather, this is now possible
Eat local - this is a big one for me now.  I am trying to reduce my consumption of processed food as well as imported food.  This includes more frequent trips to the market and consumption of more local fruits and vegetables.  Getting easier and easier every week
Buy less books, borrow from the library more

Now if only I could calculate the real value of these changes.  But one thing for sure is that it will lead to a healthier and ultimately healthier life.  What more can a girl ask for.

Nine Things I am Grateful For..........

1. The smell of freshly cut grass
2. Smell of rain, especially on the city's pavements
3. Having an umbrella on hand, when said rain falls (see 2. above)
4. A cold shower at 3pm
5. Rain
6. First bloom of an orchid that you haev been nurturing for three years
7. Paying ten dollars for an orchid and waiting three years for first bloom (see 6. above)
8. The first mango of mango season
9. Mango chow

Oil Spill and Elections

I have not updated for a while as I have been quite busy.  But I have been following the politics and the oil spill in the Gulf Coast. First elections.  Congratulations to the new Prime Minister and Government.  I hope that soon we can see how environmental policies will be implemented.

The oil spill persists and has reached land.  I worry about how the mangroves, beaches and fisheries would withstand such an assault.  Now I am waiting to see if the new experiment would work and the source of the spill will be contained.

No time for lists this time but look out soon.  It will be ready in time for World Environment Day.

Lessons from the Spill

Daily I watch in horror as the oil spill off the east coast of the US becomes increasingly larger.  And I ask myself several questions
1.  How was this allowed to get so out of control?  Surely there are technologies to dea with this?
2. Didn't BP have plans in place in such an event?
3.  Who lack more moral fibre?  Banks or oil companies?
4. Can Trinidad and Tobago handle a large oil spill or any other disaster for that matter?

So this brings me to another point. We really need to start looking at our reliance on fossil fuel.  Have we all contributed to this disaster?  Has our thirst for larger cars, more travel, luxury etc contributed to this continued dependence on fossil fuel?

Maybe now is the time to step back and decide.  What can I do?  Drive less, walk more?  Buy less, grow more?  Travel less, read more?

Stay tuned for my list

Vintagely Yours

So by now you get the idea that I am all in favour for the concept of vintage clothes, accessories, etc.  We know that vintage is just a fancy way of saying "used" or "second hand" and that can be a difficult concept.  But imagine that you have champagne tastes but mauby budget?  What do you do?  Suffer with knock-offs?  Lust after great designer wear from afar?  No need to.  You just need to find some good vintage stores and look for one-of-a-kind pieces that you know are classic. Of course this pre-supposes knowledge of fashion.  But having a good eye is very important anyway.  I love the concept so I was greatly pleased to read that Oxfam now has an online source for vintage clothes.  So imagine, you can get vintage, look smashing and help people along the way.  Sounds like a great deal to me.

Learning from our neighbours

Hope everyone had a great easter.  I decided to go across to Margarita from some r&r.  I was worried about the water situation especially as it is a very dry island.  However we had nothing to worry about at the hotel we were in.  I noticed a few things at the hotel that I thought I would share with you.
- Use of native plants.  Despite the allure of more exotic plant life, the hotel used native plants, so despite the dry weather, many of the plants were actually blooming
- Recycled water was used for watering the plants
- In between plants, at times, there was no grass, just soil.  This makes maintenance easier.
- The presence of lots of trees provided a lot of shade in places, thus making the place cooler

On another note, there seemed to be a lot of pride taken in the maintenance of little villages.  Houses and churches were painted, the roads were clean and there were maintained plants everywhere.

Just a few pointers for us to take and learn from

Lists

I didn't think that I would be reduced to writing lists, seemed so generic, as if I could not construct a full sentence so I decided to write lists instead.  But as we celebrate World Water Day today I thought that maybe I could write a list for all that I am thankful for.  Today.

1.  Access to good quality, potable water at least five times per week

2. Good health

3. Access to good sanitation

4. Ability to absorb sunshine everyday.  No lacking of Vitamin D for me

5. Free access to books via the local library.

Maybe everyday we can focus on three things that we are thankful for.  It would help us move away from negative thoughts that can be so energy-sapping and time-wasting.  So the next time we are hanging out with friends, let's dedicate only 10 minutes to complaining and the rest of time to celebrating!

Hurrah for Sunday Shopping

Today I digress from my usual musings to discuss shopping.  Not exactly a favourite pastime of mine but I do like nice things.  Problem is that I don't like traffic, fighting for a park and then guess what.  I still don't get what I want.  That's why I am all for online shopping.  But that can be expensive and wasteful and we really do need to support our local economy.  So no more online shopping (except for dvds because it is impossible to get reasonably priced original dvds here).  But have you ever been to the supermarket on an evening?  It's like it is month-end every day!  And the traffic and parking nightmare.  That brings me to my point of Sunday shopping.  My new routine on Sunday morning is heading to the market, then supermarket and any other shopping I may have.  Not much traffic, not many people.  Just great.  Very little stress.  In fact what is not available on Sunday I have decided not to buy.  There may be many detractors to Sunday shopping for a lot of reasons.  But I am not one of them.

Back to the Compost Heap

Naturally my yard now looks like a desert with no chance of an oasis.  I do try to water the plants but it seems as if nature is definitely conspiring against me now.  Which then reminded me that I had been neglecting my compost heap.  That is to say I have stopped cooking.  How can I cook when we are officially in drought?  Ok so no excuses because I still eat fruits and the skins etc belong in my heap.  As the lady who helps me clean my house threw out my compost bin that I have in my kitchen, I used it as a good reminder to re-start.  So I am back to a clean bin.  Will now resolve to drink lots of coffee (for the coffee grinds), eat lots of fruit and maybe even cook.  Will also use the newspapers for the compost heap.  Am thinking that every one who gets my juicy mangoes when they come in season will be thankful that I did!

Natural Cosmetics

Having not been blessed with skin that could be washed with soap and water and look camera ready, I have subjected my skin to anti0biotics overload (terrible teenage acne), salicylic acid (same reason) and a host of other chemical concoctions.

Time has been rather benevolent to my skin (problems notwithstanding) but with age comes wisdom, as they say.  However, more and more I am looking at natural solutions to skin care as well as makeup.  Masks are now a combination of paw-paw skin (when in season), sour cream, plain yoghurt and honey.  Perhaps not best suited to my skin type but I love the cooling effect of these ingredients on my skin and I love how my skin feels afterwards.  I am also into mineral makeup, which goes on like powder but does not exaggerate my pores.  When I do use other commercial products, I look at all the ingredients and look for labels like natural, mineral, organic, not tested on animals, hypoallergenic.  I also like to patronise companies that are socially responsible and contribute to the communities that provide the ingredients.  I am also using cold-pressed home-made coconut oil faithfully on my hair as I love the scent and the deep conditioning effect it brings.

This topic requires a lot more research and experimentation on my part but I am not complaining!

Using laundry water

I think we have now forgotten what rain looks like here in Trinidad.  It is so parch, scary for early March and the poui trees are already in full bloom.  Rather early if my memory serves me correctly.  Got water yesterday so I decided to do some laundry.  Usually this is a task that is performed whilst I am elsewhere.  I decided to monitor the washing machine and I was actually collecting some of the rinse in my trusted watering can.  I was able to water plants that I usually ignored with the slightly soapy water.  I am not too worried though as I use environmentally friendly detergent so am hoping that there is no damage to my plants as a result.  I must say that I am quite pleased with my efforts even though it did require frequent monitoring of the machine when I had actually preferred to be watching the pre-Oscar fashion parade.  The sacrifices one must make.  I am now waiting patiently on Dr Ecologist to design my rain-garden.  Stay tuned.

Phagwa without water

So I decided to get the "holi" experience for the first time.  I have always been fascinated by the burst of colour when seeing Holi celebrations in India.  In Trinidad, we don't have spring, but phagwa has traditionally been celebrated by the descendants of East Indian immigrants.  It consists of mixing the coloured powder with water and spraying gleefully to all who dare come near the celebrations.  So what is phagwa doing on this blog?  It became a topic of interest due to the prolonged water problems we have been experiencing.  There have actually been calls to spray the powder without water in an effort to minimise water use.  In my limited (okay one) experiance, I must say there seemed to be a 50% use of powder only.  I don't know how this compares to previous years but it does prove that some people are taking heed.  Of course, there was no notice about how to remove all the colour from your hair and clothes without water!

Rain Garden

Lately I have been thinking about stormwater run off. Which makes no sense as we have had NO rain for a long time. Indeed my drain looks barren and is now accumulating dirt, garbage etc (note to self - get drain cleaned). Anyway I encountered a great concept known as a rain garden. "A rain garden is a garden which takes advantage of rainfall and stormwater runoff in its design and plant selection. Usually, it is a small garden which is designed to withstand the extremes of moisture and concentrations of nutrients, particularly Nitrogen and Phosphorus, that are found in stormwater runoff. rain gardens are sited ideally close to the source of the runoff and serve to slow the stormwater as it travels downhill, giving the stormwater more time to infiltrate and less opportunity to gain momentum and erosive power." I think this is a great concept but making it a reality in a tropical climate might be a challenge. However I stand undaunted and have challenged my ecologist friend to come up with the right species that would work for the small area around my drain. I think it is workable and I plan to make this my 2010 project. With the right advice and hopefully not too much money I can activate my own "rain garden". Stay tuned for updates. In the meantime I battle the drought and the water company. So far I have refused to buy a tank. Let's see how long I last!

Mindful Eating

As someone who has been a yoga practitioner for a long time, one of the lessons I have been grappling with is mindfulness. How do I translate this to mindful eating? One of the major changes I have made is eating more local food. I have learnt to love going to the market and seeing what's in season, what's fresh. Meals are now planned based on what is available, not whatever tickles my fancy. And when eating, be mindful. Enjoy every mouthful. Eat just enough, be guided by your senses. If it does not look right or smell right, it probably is not right. Cook more, buy out less. Do not waste food. Mix-and-match. Buy a great, plate. Make sure it is small, small plates make you eat less (try it, it really works!). Get great, heavy cutlery. Have different crockery for different meals. Hey, why don't you have special Sunday cutlery and crockery?

And finally, breakfast is the most important meal. During the week, we tend to rush right past it. I am guilty of this as well. But make up for this during the weekend. Have fresh fruit, omelettes with fresh vegetables, home made bread, organic coffee. Bon Appetit!

Gently Used

So lately I have been toying and deliberating over purses/handbags etc. I do love my leather handbags but the act of tanning is so polluting (let's not even talk about the animals). Then there are those plastic ones (polyurethane) which try to look like leather but fail, and I just hate them. So what's a girl to do? Several options. How about a cloth bag? They can be quite attractive, funky and have a bohemian-hippie vibe. I own quite a few in a variety of colours and I find them quite exciting. But what about you corporate gals out there? I know you're thinking that you need a structured leather bag in a sane colour. So have you considered vintage? I went to a "gently used" shop in Manhattan New York this week and was pleasantly surprised by what was on offer. The biggest coup for me though was a pale pink Italian leather bag that was in the "Kelly" style. For you fashionistas out there, that style was named after the actress Grace Kelly and is a much sought after Hermes bag. So now I have a great leather bag, classic style and no-guilt. Try it. You may consider on-line sources. Or what about a purse swap? Most of tire of our leather bags long before their useful lives and then just keep them in storage. Think about it

Bucket Parade

We in the Caribbean are accustomed to the occasional "shower" with a bucket. It is a rite of passage as much as eating mangoes by peeling the skin with our teeth. Indeed, even with our multiple water-tanks perforating our backyards these days, I am sure we have a bucket tucked away somewhere for the express purpose of bathing. An interesting conversation with an American friend of mine today prompted my latest discussion. Despite our new-found extravagant ways, we inherently know many ways of conserving water. Now that the drought season is upon us, we take out our buckets, start filling up and count the number of days since we last washed our hair. No shame. My bucket is waiting for me

Natural Detergents

We have been suffering some serious water shortages and it can only get worse as the dry season wears on. There has been a lot of discussion about water conservation etc, which is the same old re-hash we get every season so I decided to take a different spin on this topic. Unless we all decide to go all caveman, it is very important that we continue doing our daily activities. One of these is laundry. Now, I have always been a strong advocate of hand washing. Not only from a water conservation point of view but because a lot of my clothes just cannot be washed in a machine without some form of damage. I also wear a wide variety of colours which makes it impossible to ever get a full load at the end of the week. I have been using soapnuts for my hand washing and so far I can tell you that it certainly uses a lot less water than any other detergents. Soap Nuts are the dried fruit of the Chinese Soapberry tree. They contain saponin, a natural cleaner used for thousands of years to clean clothes. I use them for most of my hand washing and so far nobody's complaining. Of course you can use other detergents that do not contain harmful chemicals but I don't know if they use less water and they are certainly a lot more expensive. It hurts me everytime I buy these detergents to know that I can pay up to five times for these detergents vs the usual chemical laden ones that are commonly used. But that is the price that I am willing to pay to ensure that I don't add to the burden of wastewater treatment in this country.

Conserving Water

There are so many interesting looking watering cans out there, they compel you to fill them and water your plants. Don't deluge them with the hose! Besides most plants require watering at the base, not the leaves as this may cause rotting. The watering can gives you control over this plus the amount of water that you use.

The dry season in upon us, let's get us some nice watering cans and start watering!

Open for business

The purpose of this blog is to discuss and explore ideas about how we in the Caribbean can improve the quality of our lives by making eco-conscious decisions about our everyday activities.

I welcome comments and suggestions from all my friends, family and colleagues