Bulk App Update

A post by my husband, Scott, who has spent way more time on this app than I have (and still does): He is the technical brain in our home and I love him for it! 

_______________________________________________

Thank you everyone for trying out our Bulk locator app!

So far we have had over 1400 people sign up, almost 600 locations added to the app, with over 600 reviews of those locations. 


Also, thank you for your patience as we work out some of the bugs in version 1.0 of this app...there is nothing like having 1400 people use the app, in order to find out what works and what does not work! And we greatly appreciate your suggestions.

Clearly this first release was targeted at just the US & Canada - but in fact, people were able to successfully add locations in Australia, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Netherlands, Puerto Rico, Spain, Switzerland, and the UK.

Our initial release was constrained by available time and funds - but we would like to build on the functionality to include:

• International mapping support
• Additional platforms besides the iPhone and Android (e.g., PC, Windows mobile)
• Ability to check for duplicate locations (right now, unless users check if a location has already been entered prior to adding it, I have to "delete" duplicates manually...so sorry about that!)
• Ability to add comments
• and more...

We have exhausted our funding from the Green Awards for this project - so we are now looking into raising funds possibly through Kickstarter to be able to enhance and support the Bulk app further.

For us, the best part of releasing this app was finding a new Bulk location on a weekend visit to Santa Rosa, 50 miles north of our home, and discovering a great store (the Community Market), with an incredible bulk selection. You should have seen the sparkle in Bea's eye;)

This location also happens to be one of several locations that have received the most ratings:

• Whole Foods in Pasadena, CA
• Sacramento Natural Foods Coop in Sacramento, CA
• Community Market in Santa Rosa, CA
• The Refill Shoppe in Ventura, CA
• Refyll Home and Body at the Mar Vista Farmers Market in Los Angeles, CA
• MOM's Organic Market  in Alexandria, VA
• Town and Country Market in Bainbridge Island, WA

So thank you for continuing to share and rate your local bulk suppliers! You are the force behind this app, the locations that YOU add (and rate) make it a great resource for the entire Zero Waste community.

Our Bulk Locator App is out!

Tired of fiddling with packaging? Want to help the environment? Shopping the package-free aisles can 

also save you time and money, but only if you know where to find them! 

When I started my Zero Waste journey, I had no idea that bulk bins even existed in my town. Then when I found them and realized that I could eliminate all food packaging by solely relying on them, I came to dream of a smartphone "app" that could locate nearby bulk suppliers. The prize money that I received for winning The Green Awards (thanks to your support) allowed me to realize my dream and provide Zero Waste enthusiasts a valuable resource. After a long year of design, development and testing, it is my pleasure to finally present you with BULK, Zero Waste Home's app, designed to help you eliminate packaging from your life, by pointing to bulk food bins and liquid refills near you - and letting you share the locations that you find with others!

The app is available in the iTunes App Store and Android Market and its features include:

• Search, add and rate bulk locations (US and Canada), including selection available and whether or not reusable containers are permitted
• Locate businesses closest to you or a specific address
• Narrow your search by bulk type (are you looking to refill on body care, dog food, wine?)
• Build a bulk-shopping kit through Zero Waste Home's store
• Consult a bulk food guide to learn how to prepare bulk food items
• Read Community Updates from ZeroWasteHome.com

As of yesterday some 175 Users were already using it and have entered 120 Places. But we need YOU, the entire Zero Waste Community to populate it, to share those locations that you have found along your journey. Here is what to do:  

• Download the app
• Add your locations
• Rate existing locations
• Report an issue if you find a problem with a location ("Report Issue" at the bottom of the location page)
• Rate the app...positively of course;) so that others will be inspired to add and rate locations!

Where have you found bulk bins? (Answer this question by entering locations in the app!)

The Beauty of Zero Waste: Buying Coffee

Some of you felt that I flaunted the availability of bulk in my area when I introduced this series a couple of weeks ago. "This post just seems a little out of everyone's league and for the ones that buy [packaged products] for lack of other options, it may leave them feeling guilty or at a loss", said Jolie. This blog is not meant to flaunt my ways, point the finger at yours, or make you feel guilty or bad about yourself, your way of shopping, your access to bulk or lack of it!...But maybe I did not explain the point of this series clearly enough. 

This series simply aims at demonstrating the beauty of Zero Waste and overtime, at compiling a fantasy photo album of a Zero Waste economy.  My job here is to shatter preconceptions that Zero Waste is messy and unattractive, to provide visual evidence, and to share the great alternatives that I encounter throughout my personal journey. As I said in earlier posts, before I started reducing our waste I was unaware that bulk was even available in my town. Now that I only shop this way, my eye is trained to spot the package free options and I believe it is essential that I report what's out there and what's possible. I hope to inspire manufacturers and retailers to adopt some of these ideas.

In the US, I have found coffee to be one of the products most readily available in bulk form. And I must say, the aroma that exudes out of a bulk bag on the way home does not compare with its packaged counterpart.

Which one do you think is a more beautiful way of shopping for coffee?

Packaged?

Or loose?

Mill Valley Market

Safeway

La Coppa, Mill Valley

The Beauty of Zero Waste: Liquid Body Care Products

The Zero Waste lifestyle has brought tremendous beauty into my life. So much of it that I could not envision going back to filling my home with packaging, or shopping the packaged aisles!

In this series, I will highlight the beauty of Zero Waste through photographs. Each time, I will provide a side-by-side comparison of a common method with its Zero Waste counterpart.

First, we'll look at bulk shopping. I find refilling my containers and buying loose to be aesthetically superior to shopping the packaged aisles, for four reasons:

• Bulk is tactile: Refilling your own bag with such loose items as bread buns, soap bars, or produce offers an opportunity to handle and feel your purchase before buying (versus packaging, which masks the product and creates an artificial barrier between the buyer and his purchase).
• Bulk is straightforward: It shows the item as-is, naked; what you see is what you get (vs. packaging, which hides your purchase).
• Bulk encourages social interaction: Filling a bread bag at the bakery or a jar at the meat counter requires you to interact with a staff member (vs. shopping the middle, processed aisles of the store, which blocks human contact).
• Bulk saves money: You buy exactly the amount of product that you need and no money is wasted buying a disposable packaging (vs. the price of a packaged product, which includes packaging costs). 

Today, we're looking at two ways to purchase liquid body care products:

Packaged

Bulk
(EO store in Mill Valley)

 In your opinion, which one is sexier?

Home Goods Window Shopping

I recently had a little time to kill and found myself browsing the aisles of Home Goods. Just thought I'd share some of the eye-candy and goodies that I found. Unfortunately, nothing came home with me that day...

First, check out the basket aisles!

They have every size, shape, color and style that you can imagine!

They also carry a nice selection of wire bins and baskets which are all the rage now. The prices were very reasonable and most under $20.

Moving on to furniture, they had this great storage table that would great in an entryway for gloves, scarves, hats and all winter paraphernalia as well as sunglasses, sunscreen, beach gear and all summer stuff. Or you could give each family member his/her own basket. Not to mention the standard keys, phones, and chargers in the solid drawers.

I love this bathroom cabinet, but unfortunately our current bathrooms are too small to fit anything like this. The top knob is for a shelf that pulls out for extra storage.

 

I then strolled through the kids' section and I knew my little guy would LOVE this stool, but we had a little incident several months back involving him and a similar stool that ended up with him in the hospital with stitches so I left it right where I found it!

The lighting section did not disappoint either! This gorgeous desk lamp was only $40 and I can see it fitting in with so many different decor styles because it's so classic.

This lantern also caught my eye. It's something you'd typically expect to be for candles, but this was a real lamp and at only $24.99 it's a steal.

No visit to Home Goods is ever complete without checking out the chairs. They always have great statement chairs. I would totally get these two as end chairs for our dining room. I love the colors, pattern and nail-head trim.

And how about this pink lovely? Perfect in a tween or teen's bedroom as a desk chair or just for reading!

Can't leave Home Goods without taking a picture of the infamous broken ceramic dog from YHL! :-)

This was an easy DIY wall art project that I saw. It was simply a framed piece of fabric, but at $50 it was definitely something that's cheaper to make yourself.

This giant spoon was pretty neat but without the matching fork and knife it was looking kind of lonely. It would make a great statement piece in a kitchen or dining room, though.

Another great DIY project I noticed was this weekly-chalkboard-hook. It's a great command station or organizational piece, but I imagine this can be DIYed very easily.

And I will leave you off with this:

I love the shape, color and trim and I hope to DIY one of these in the near future. Stay tuned and happy shopping!

Linking up here:
It's Just Called Spicy | The 36th Avenue |

Barn Light Electric Giveaway

A few weeks ago, Michelle informed her readers about Barn Light Electric's 2012 Online Giveaway. First of all, if you are not already reading her blog, you should! She was last year's first prize winner and picked out some incredible lighting for her house. Second of all, this is amazing opportunity to browse through some gorgeous lighting of all different styles and price ranges.

It's so easy to enter - just post about some of your favorite styles and email your blog post to Barn Electric. Even if you don't have a blog, you can still enter. (See official rules below.) How easy is that?

Here are a few (of the many) that caught my eye.

We don't have high ceilings in our house (only 8') so there are a lot of flush mount fixtures. As soon as I saw this beauty, I knew it would be a perfect replacement for many of the rooms in our house. Love it!! It's sleek, it's modern, it's shiny. Yes, please!

Drum 15" Surface Mount

This pendant has a similar style to the flush mount, but with the little extra bling and embellishments, it really stands out. It would be perfect for our dining room. It's contemporary enough for my style, but traditional enough that I'm betting the hubby will love it as much as I do!

Paris Art Deco 22" Pendant

This is is a totally different look, but I would love this in the kitchen, right over the table. The fixture we have now is straight from the 80s with its white paint and big round bulb covers. Pretty much anything would be an improvement, but this would take it over the top.

 

Bungalow 4-Light Pendant

These are only three of my favorites! As you can see, they carry a far bigger variety of fixtures than the rustic, industrial "barn lights" you might assume that they have. So stop by their website and create your wishlist!

TO ENTER: Please follow the provided rules to enter:

1. Look around online at Barn Light Electric and pick lights you’d love to own
2. Feature your lighting picks on your personal blog, and link to the lights if you can!
3. Copy/Paste these rules at the bottom of your blog article
4. Once your personal post is up, you must email your blog link to: marketing@barnlightelectric.com to be qualified to win – the contest ends July 2, 2012
5. Don’t have a blog? Find out how you can enter by visiting our website or read these Official Rules 

Target Shopping

One of (the many) things that my hubby has done good for me is getting me to join his gym right after we got married. (Un)fortunately, there is a Target located directly across the street so sometimes I take a detour over there after my workout. I actually need a few items the other day so I ran in while I was out there and I was wowed by some of the things I saw. (Pardon the cell phone pictures.)

Take this gray and white striped duvet: on sale for $25 (even 5% less with your redcard) which is strikingly similar to West Elm's duvet for $69.

And how about this comforter which is a great knock off of West Elm's pintuck duvet? Target's is $99.99 and West Elm's is $139 - not quite as drastic of a price difference as the striped duvet, but still much cheaper.

I then strolled down the furniture aisles and these ottomans caught my eye. The over-sized nail head trim on the bottom and the linen texture is beautiful and as an added bonus, you get storage inside! I also like the x-frame of the one below, but I already have too much brown in the house so it didn't make it to my wish list.

I swung around to the back to check out their seasonal section and drooled over their outdoor pillow selection. These are just two different pillows, but I'll take the loveseat, too! We don't hang around outside too much at night because the whole family is one big mosquito magnet, but there were so many different style lanterns that are perfect for al fresco dining.

I also noticed lots of mustard/ochre decor items. Am I last to know that it's the new "it" color? Check out these themed place mats, napkins, and table runner. So cute!!

And these lamps and shades, yes, please! I wish I had some place in the house that I could put them. I might just have to make a spot!

Regretfully, none of these came home with me. Just the few items that I actually came in for (a miracle in and of itself!).

What have you been eyeing at Target (or any other store) lately? Did you actually get to take anything home?

Zero Waste can save and make you money this holiday season!



Long before I ever heard about the term, businesses adopted Zero Waste to make their processes more efficient and financially wise.

Graphics by Leo Johnson

In the home the same is true. I have mentioned the monetary benefits that this lifestyle has afforded my household before, but I want to go into specifics, on how it can save money, and even make a profit this holiday season! This time of the year can be a source of financial stress during these trying economic times, but ZeroWaste can afford relief. Here are concepts that I introduced in earlier posts and how they translate to holiday savings and potential revenue.

Zero Waste will save you money this holiday season by:

• Curbing consumption: Using what you have is obvious, but I know how tempting the holidays can be! The best waste prevention is not spending at all, and not spending at all offers instant savings! Use a potted plant as a Christmas tree, and yard clippings or edibles as table decorations. You probably do not need new ornaments either…
• Focusing on activities vs. stuff: You can offer your expertise or services (i.e., your time) as gifts. Usually older people need a hand, more than they need stuff. Hold on to your dollars and offer your creativity, cooking, manual skills, mobility or time instead. Offering repairs or beauty care will please the elderly, for example.
• Buying used (if you must buy): Thrift stores, rummage sales and online secondhand markets (Ebay, Etsy, Craigslist) undeniably offer affordable gifts and decorations.
• Buying groceries in bulk: Since bulk is generally cheaper, celebratory meals for company will cost you less.
• Eliminating disposables (keep your money out of the landfill): Reusable gift bags and Furoshiki squares offer cumulative savings over the years. No need for wrapping paper or tape.
• Turning your waste into useful gifts: You can make lemon bars, marmalade, lemoncello with excess lemon harvest, turn junk-mail or kids artwork into stationery, melt bits of old candles, soap or crayons into new shapes, use corks for a bath mat and sew rags (i.e., worn-out clothing) into gift bags. I will be making the latter for family and friends.
• Reducing activities that support consumption: Avoiding the mall and decreasing media exposure (tv, and magazines) will ease the shopping temptations and spending binges as well.
• Reducing your paper output: E-mailing your Holiday card or video you’ll be saving material, shipping, and printing costs. This year, our kids will be “elfing” themselves for a comic custom video.

Zero Waste can even make you a profit by:

• Participating in collaborative consumption, i.e., sharing seldom used assets: You can rent your dwelling (through VRBO or Airbnb) and car (through Getaround or Relayrides) this holiday season and make a profit. We take full advantage of this aspect as mentioned here and on Twitter. The process is evidently easier once you have decluttered, but the potential revenue is HUGE!
• Sharing unused resources with others (see post on decluttering): It offers an opportunity to not only re-gift (instead of buying new) but also, and preferably, sell these items for a profit. And the holiday season, is the best time to do so, since Ebay, Amazon and Craigslist can bring you many more buyers than the rest of the year. Green shoppers looking to buy used hope to find your unused items in the secondhand market!
• Recycling and composting: The holiday season also usually means more consumable consumption, which increases recycling in the home. Why not save your recyclables, and take them to the recycling center for redemption after the holidays instead of throwing them in the curbside recycling bin? Instead of costing you money, recycling could make you money!
• Controlling clutter: If you get a gift that does not fit your needs, relieve yourself from the gift guilt. Don’t let anything that you do not need or love, take root in your home, let others use it: Sell it!

ZeroWaste has taken the financial stress out of my holidays. It did not remedy my anxieties overnight, rather over a couple of years as we slowly implemented and understood the full advantages of the lifestyle, but today it engages my creativity and pays back! Now that’s one advantage we did not foresee when getting into this.Can you think of other ways that Zero Waste will save you money this holiday season?

Auto Pilot

Some might think that we are obsessed with Zero Waste. Although it is an eminent part of our lifestyle, I do not consider it an obsession... anymore. It might have started as such, but as I mentioned before, Zero Waste for us is now more than just garbage reduction. With the logistics on Auto-Pilot, we can fully enjoy its financial, health, and time savings benefits. I realize that our success with the lifestyle relies mainly on organizational skills applied to shopping, so I thought I would share my Friday routine with you.

GROCERY AND ERRANDS LISTS

We have grocery and errands lists pinned to our wall in the laundry room (adjacent to our pantry). Both lists are made of strips of reused, single-side printed, school paper, clipped and tied to a refillable pencil. We use the sheets from bottom up, so we can tear just the portion used.

When one of us empties a jar or notices butter running low, we make note of it on the GROCERY LIST. The whole family adds to it. Leo once wrote, "10,000 bananas", out of frustration with our local produce ;). I also jot down items needed for special occasions (e.g., extra cheese for a potluck). The GROCERY LIST includes items available in the grocery store that I visit on a weekly basis, which I selected based on its bulk selection, convenience / location, and on-premise bakery. By now, I have built a relationship with its employees and look forward to seeing them every Friday (the day that also coincides with the local farmers' market).

When we feel the urge to get something from another store, we write it on the ERRANDS LIST. Usually, by the time Friday arrives, I have eliminated and/or found a reason not to purchase many items on the list. A great money saver. I also use the ERRANDS LIST to jot down such items as donation drop-offs or specialty bulk items from a different store/town (such as pasta, shampoo, conditioner, Castile soap, dog food, cooking oil, and dishwasher detergent).

Grocery and errands lists seem like obvious must-haves, but through my consulting business with other families, I was surprised to see that more than 3/4 of households, do not have an on-going list, resulting in frequent (sometimes daily) grocery runs and impulse buys.

TOTES

I have three large totes (no need for more): Two GROCERY TOTES, and one FARMERS MARKET TOTE .

I keep the FARMERS MARKET TOTE (containing produce mesh bags) and one of the GROCERY TOTES (containing bulk bags, crayon, bread pillowcase, bottle carrier and baguette bar code) in the trunk of my car.

In the house and next to the lists, I keep the other grocery tote (KITCHEN GROCERY TOTE) handy to fill during the week with: Washed bulk bags, empty jars, empty containers to be returned for a deposit refund (milk and yogurt), empty egg cartons, and empty produce bags, along with ERRANDS ITEMS, such as finished library books/movies, and items to be taken to a repair shop or friend's house for example.

ROUTE

On Friday, I take the tote down to the car with both lists, making sure that I have a minimum of five jars to fill. I number my ERRANDS LIST by stops, starting with the furthest errand and maximizing right turns (better for gas mileage;)

I put the GROCERY LIST in one of the GROCERY TOTES, and pull ERRANDS ITEMS out of the KITCHEN GROCERY TOTE to lay them on the passenger seat, for easy access and quick drop-offs. I also transfer the egg cartons and produce bags in the FARMERS MARKET TOTE.

Then I work my route, crossing out the errands on my ERRANDS LIST as I go. My last three stops are the farmers' market, the grocery store and the library.

At the farmers' market, I take the FARMERS MARKET TOTE, go straight to my favorite veggie stand (veggies at the bottom), then my favorite fruit stand (usually softer than veggies...), and finally the egg stand to get my cartons refilled (the most items fragile on top...).

Then at Whole Foods:

• I load a cart with both GROCERY TOTES, and make a first stop at the customer service to return deposit jars for a refund (I wrap the refund slip around my credit card, so I don't forget to use it during checkout) and occasionally get a tare on a jar or bottle (we use the bulk crayon to write it on).
• I then head to the bakery to order “Ten baguettes, no packaging”.
• I proceed to the salad bar (mostly for grated cheeses at a low price), the olive bar (for the appetizer items like capers, cornichons and olives), and the deli, meat, and fish counters.
• I’ll grab some milk while my jar gets filled at the cheese counter.
• I get my fill in the bulk aisle, writing the item number on the cloth bag with the bulk crayon before filling it (easier) and sometimes fill a jar/bottle at the nearby liquid counter (e.g., honey or olive oil).
• I sometimes also stop in the produce section for a specific item that I would have not found at the Farmers' Market (e.g., loose spinach) or the wine section for white, or the bakery bins for some croissants.
• My loop ends back at the bakery counter, where fresh out-of-the oven baguettes get placed in my pillowcase, giving me much needed warmth (I get cold in grocery stores) and filling my senses with childhood memories, as I make my way to the checkout stand.
• I unload jars first (because heavy items will need to go into the totes first), then bulk and bread. I pullout the baguette bar code (cut from an old wrapper and glued onto a piece of cardboard) and remember my deposit refund slip wrapped around my credit card, as my totes get filled. I say “no” to the store receipt and head home with a quick stop at the library.

Once home, I unload the car, refrigerate cold items, fill storage jars with bulk, (make a sandwich), cut in half and freeze the baguettes, store veggies in the produce keeper of the refrigerator, replenish the fruit bowl, put dirty bulk bags on the washing machine, recycle my lists and put the totes back in place: Two in the car, one in the home. Ready for use the following week…

How do you automate your Zero Waste Shopping?

The Bottomline

Hi everyone! This is Bea's husband, Scott.

This is a note to the people that may be standing on the sideline, deciding whether or not this lifestyle or these changes make sense. Or maybe it is a note to the doubters that are thinking this is just a waste of time or money...or maybe it is to the husbands out there that are thinking this is just a big hassle. (I know because I was one of them at first...)

After some prodding from Bea, I went back over our expenses - in detail - from a few years ago (our "old life" in 2005) vs. our expenses now ("zero waste" lifestyle in 2010). To compare apples to apples, so to speak, I also took into account that our two boys are eating significantly more (ages 8 & 10 in 2010 vs. ages 3 & 5 in 2005). I could eat more than both of them put together in 2005 - now, Max eats as much as me - maybe more some days. (Note: Bea has always eaten more than me :)

The bottomline: It looks like we are saving even more than we thought...

> On food we are saving 36% overall:

• Groceries are down 33%
• Farmer's market is up over 1000% (from almost nothing to being a core part of our meals)
• Restaurants are down 67%

> On "drug stores" (like Target, Rite Aid, CVS Pharmacy, etc.) our spending is down 76% (We can't even remember what the heck we were buying there!?)> Overall - our spending is down almost 40% across those categories!!! (not counting for inflation)

I attribute these savings to:

• Shopping the outer rim of the store vs. the aisles
• Less meat for dinner (once per week vs. most days)
• More vegetables (we are spending a lot more at the Farmers Market every week)
• Less dinners out / more family dinners in... (sure some of that is due to the economy)
• Drug store purchases are way down - we don't buy all the "throw-aways"

And this does not factor in any of the time savings - fewer trips to the store, less time spent in the store, less time driving to/from the store...more time with my family, doing the things that we like to do.

Ok - back to Bea for the regularly scheduled program next week...(probably something on how to reuse turnip peels to degrease your stove :)

Zero Waste Holidays: this time for sure ;)

No, no. I am not crazy: I do not support holiday decorations being displayed at my local hardware store since September...

Nonetheless, the holidays are around the corner and my hardware store did remind me that last December, I vouched to be pro-active for this year's gift exchange. And that included letting those who will be exchanging with us know that we prefer experiences vs. more stuff. It seems early, but letting them know before they even had a chance to gather/buy objects for us, is key and all part of the “master plan” ;).

Here are some ideas, worth considering this holiday season:

GIFTS

-Offering "Experiences" in the form of a gift certificate or actual ticket, such as:

Classes at the local community college to develop a new interest

Movie ticket

Theme park season pass

Museum pass

Bowling night

Hotel night

Meal at a new restaurant

Treat to an ice cream parlor

My favorite for our kids: A year long subscription to a monthly surprise family activity (activities that I have in mind for the year, depending on our finances, include: kayaking, overnight at hotel with pool, ice skating, hiking to an overnight refuge, trampoline or indoor climbing center, science museum, gold panning in the mountains, crabbing, fishing, overnight on a houseboat, backpacking and overnight in the wilderness, fruit picking, sledding, overnight in a fire lookout, etc...) UPDATE: We call them SFA and inform you of our SFA of the month thru Twitter.

-Offering Services (your time) in the form of coupons, such as:

Professional expertise (I can offer simplifying and decluttering services for example)

Hand labor (planting a tree, painting a room for a new baby, fixing a deck, lawn mowing)

Babysitting

Services are great for kids to give (one sibling could take another sibling's chore for a period of time)

-Offering consumables in a reusable jar (to simplify, pick one project and make a large quantity):

Homemade cookies, cake mix, herbal tea, jam, pickles, sugar/salt scrub, balm, lemoncello, toothpowder (with recipe attached)

Or a bulk item (cornichons, olives, maple syrup, toffee pecans, chocolate malt balls).

Homemade candles, soap, and paper are also great “out of the jar” alternatives.

-Shopping your home: Regifting (and there is nothing wrong with that!) or giving something you already own when you know for a fact that the recipient will appreciate it. I have a dedicated drawer for that purpose, it gets filled and used all year long.

-Buying used at a thrift store or on Ebay. For the latter, make sure that the item is used by checking the “pre-owned” option in your Ebay search.

-Using the smallest gifts and bulk treats to fill stockings instead of stuffers.

-Selecting gifts that tighten family bonds (family “experiences” or used board games for example).

-Greening Santa: Santa brings only one gift per family member. It comes unwrapped because Santa cares about the environment and his gift is easily spotted among the other (family) wrapped presents. The benefits of the “one special present” go beyond the obvious...equality among children of different financial background, modesty, smaller wish lists, less stress on Santa!

-Avoiding the mall until January: Not only better for your carbon footprint (driving, new stuff purchased), but also your sanity, stress level, creativity and wallet. Challenge yourself to do without!

GIFT WRAPPING:

-Purchasing or making reusable gift bags from fabric scraps (or redesigned lone socks and pillowcases) sends out a green message to your recipient. The attached tie also eliminates the need for a loose ribbon.

-Purchasing or making Furoshiki squares (28x28) and learning some easy-to-follow tricks on how to artfully wrap in fabric. The elaborate knots and tucks also eliminates the need for a loose ribbon

-Using a gift to wrap another. A t-shirt, a sweater, a kitchen towel can wrapped just about anything and serve a double duty (a gift and wrapper in one).

-Reusing what you already have, if lacking the previous wrapping alternatives: Papers from your recycling bin (your kids can quickly paint some designs on them), children's artwork, a washed meat wrapper, newspaper or paper bag if you are still allowing these into your home ;).

-Using leaves as gift tags or anything in your recycling bin that can be cut into a small rectangle.

DECORATION:

-Reusing a potted plant that you already have or purchasing one that can become your yearly alternative to the Christmas tree. I use a tall topiary. The first year, it seemed odd (an adjustment), now we can't imagine going back to regular trees.

-Vouching to not buy yet another ornament. We rediscover our holiday decorations every year when we unpack our dedicated crate, and we always have enough!

-Making consumable decorations such as a homemade gingerbread house (with treats available in bulk) or a string of popcorn as garland (feeding it to the birds after the holidays, thanks to Dori and Val for the suggestion) for as long as the kids enjoy participating in the making.

-Using seasonal whole fruit, whole vegetables, yard clippings or leaves to adorn the table.

CARDS:

-Emailing your holiday wishes. Last year, I made plantable cards (it took me a week of work and lots of stamps), this year I will email our wishes. It's the thought and the content of the message that counts.

-Sending the cards that you do receive for reuse (as mentioned last year) to St. Jude's Ranch Card Recycling, 100 St. Jude Street, Boulder City, NV 89005. It supports a good cause too!

-Choosing recycled and recyclable materials, if you do choose to send out a card. Keep in mind that photo paper is not recyclable.

TRADITIONS:

-Supporting your Zero Waste efforts with meaningful traditions vs. the wasteful, stressful and complicated activities of the season (Zero Waste not being just about stuff management).

-Being kind to yourself by simplifying your traditions: Consider less cooking, using your everyday china and glasses if your fancy set requires hand-washing, eating out, going for a hike if weather allows.

-Being kind to others by:

1 - Being kind to yourself,

2 - Freeing a parking spot by avoiding the mall ;)

3 - Applying “Acts of Kindness” to your holiday season: participate in a homeless soup kitchen, sing carols in your neighborhood, write a Thank You card to someone whose services you appreciate (your friendly baker for ex.?)...

To hear more about Zero Waste Holidays thru a thick french accent (I hope Santa will think of getting me an accent reduction class), you can check out my recent podcast on More Hip than Hippie.

I dream of having more than an "almost Zero Waste" Christmas. With simplifying and adequate preparation, I truly believe that my dream can come true. Last year, I dreaded the season, this year I feel ready and excited to face it! Bring it on!

Any more ideas to reduce waste during this coming holiday season?

Zero Waste Dog -or Rat ;)

Zero Waste is a family affair... like I said before: in our home, everyone is on board, and that includes our dog.

Meet Zizou. He joined the family about 3 years ago. We wanted a dog that would be small enough to not only fit in our small house, but also accompany us everywhere we go, whether it is by plane, car, bike or foot - we also chose his coat color to match the floor so that his shedding hair would not show :). He now can even sit with us at restaurants with outdoor seating!

We figured a chihuahua would give us just as much love as a big dog. Zizou has been the answer to all our pet needs, and despite a taste for street trash, as a rat would have ("Rat Boy" is his nickname), he has more than exceeded our expectations of the breed. Our biggest mistake was only to give up our search in rescue centers and getting him from a breeder, when 30 chihuahuas showed up at the local SPCA a month later. And although we love our dog, it makes me sick to my stomach that we passed the opportunity: We should have been patient and waited for the right rescue to pop up. Note: We did rescue both of our previous dogs.

Zizou does not need much, and in a society where, despite the recession, sales of pet products and services rose 5% in 2009 to reach $53 billion (sales are projected to reach $72 billion by 2014), we like to keep things simple, minimal and zero waste for him too:

• He does not have a regular dog bed. He sleeps by the fire gas-insert in the winter, in the bubble chair or on the warm wood deck in the summer, and on the kids beds at night.
• He has two toys: A tennis ball we found (good for running/exercising) and a rope chew (good for cleaning teeth). Dogs have faves, pick a couple, donate the rest to a shelter (the latter also accepts old towels and sheets by the way). My mother-in-law makes one out of old socks tied together for her dog.
• Once a month, we wash him with castile soap (buy in bulk if possible) and clip his nails (compost).
• We usually buy kibbles in bulk at Rainbow or New Leaf (a 50 lbs. bag from the pet store would take our dog years to eat and we do not have room to store such quantity) and since these two stores are hard to get to, I have requested it from our local pet stores, but it is not yet available. For these two reasons I had to buy a small bag last week (with a feeling of being a total zero waste advocate failure), I emptied it into our dog food container and washed the bag. I am filling it with thrift shop donations.
• We add garlic powder to his food for flea control, the garlic breath dissipates after a few minutes ;)
• We occasionally feed him our food scraps, because he is a trim and can afford to do so. He is bummed that our meat consumption is down to once a week, but he approves of the white meat (say "chicken" and witness instant excitement).
• We buy treats in bulk (Petco or the local pet store) but you can make your own dog biscuits too.
• On walks, we pick up his poop in paper from the recycling can (that's if we can find it, because his poops are tiny and he likes to go deep into ivy... a prude one this one). For a big dog, I would use a few sheets, for Zizou, a receipt will do;). Note: One does not need to justify their newspaper subscription for the need of the free plastic poop scooper. If you still receive the paper, you probably also still buy packaged products. Frozen veggie bags, cereal liner, meat wrapper, etc... can do the job just fine too.
• When we can find the excrement in the yard, we scoop it with a metal trowel and flush it down the toilet. For the longest time, I read mixed opinions on the subject, but my local water treatment plant assured me that it was OK to do so.
• I have yet to try it, but in one of my foraging classes, I was told that a tea of mugwort could be sprayed on pets for poison oak prevention before stepping in the wild...

I told my younger son, I was writing an article about zero waste dog and asked him what made Zizou zero waste. He replied: "Easy, he does not bring anything home" ;)

While it is true that he does not bring any junk into the house, he does however bring in loads of affection. Affection that we reciprocate. After all, what a dog needs most is love... and there is nothing more zero waste than love :) is there?