Selling out like a rock band baby!

I'm a big believer in gradual change. I didn't become a vegetarian or vegan overnight, and I don't believe that if I'm not doing something Perfectly (being vegan or eco-friendly etc.) I should just throw in the towel. By tuning out, we don't have to change a thing about the way they live -- wee!

The argument against making small changes is that the changes we make won't make a difference (to animals, the environment, poor peeps....) I've never understood this argument for two reasons:

(a) What if--in theory--everyone else also wanted to make these changes to their lives, but didn't because they think the same way you do. It's silly. Be the change you want to see in the world;

(b) What about having principles? Why can't you do something because you just know it's right, even if things never change? It's called having integrity--trying to bring your actions and beliefs in line with each other.

Again, I think it's just an excuse we give ourselves so we won't have to be Uncomfortable. If you're not at least trying to live a life in accordance with how you wish the world was, then you're--in rock and roll terms--selling out.

Instead of swinging between the extremes of Perfect Person and Slacker Dude, try what the Green Living Tips blog calls: Transitional Ethics. I think it's better to make little compromises that get you closer to the end goal, than the one big compromise of trading in your values for material comfort.

"I've gained the world and lost my soul
Maybe it's because I'm getting old
All the people that I know
Have gained the world and lost their souls"

Where is all my peeps?

I haven't attended church in many moons... maybe about 10 years? I've always thought I'd go back to one--or to some spiritual gathering type meeting up thingy--if I ever came across Just the Right Thing. I'm not going to go looking at this point.

But I'm starting to feel, for the first time, like I need a Hippie Gathering. Where are all the old hippies, and gray-haired vegans? I know lots of people in their 20s who are concerned about ethical issues such as extreme income disparities and such (I was studying developing areas after all--the campus is full of them) but where are the people who are still trying to live with these ethics in mind in their 30s? 40s?

When I told a school friend that I was vegan she was surprised because: "I've never met someone over 25 who was a vegan."

I know they're out there. They write cooking blogs.

You gotta spend money to lose money: organic veggies

Current Problem: How to set up organic veggie delivery from the Jardin des Anges.

This is one of those services that source organic produce--local or otherwise--and bring you a mixed bag of fruits and veggies for a set amount each week. I like the idea for two reasons:

(1) I always need to eat more F&V and I figure, if I'm paying $35 a week, I'll be motivated to eat/cook it all. If not, I can always cancel the service.

(2) Even with time on my hands, I don't tend to shop with specific recipes in mind. I usually just buy whatever I'm in the mood for, and look for recipes that I have the ingredients for. So I'm not bothered by the Veggie Surprise! element of this system.

But they need you to leave out a cooler somewhere, in case you're not home when they deliver. I'm thinking a cooler outside the door of my apartment, in the hall. Fernando only agreed if it was locked, so I think I'll need a trip to Canadian Tire to pick up both a cheap cooler and a lock that I can install on it.

Hmph! Getting off the Military Industrial Cornplex costs time and money!

Humus for the Masses

As I walked home last night, singing "Bat Out of Hell" because my ipod battery was dead, I figured out the answer to my composting dilemma.

Throw the compost out with the garbage.

If I put it in biodegradable bags (I know they exist for the leaves you rake up) then... not too much harm done to the landfill, methinks. A little rich humus here and there. Can't hurt. Might help.

So when I'm ready, I'm going to go ahead and get a composting system. Between that, my recycling, and my re-using, I should have very little actual garbage.

Composting still requires some work, though, and doing it indoors or on the balcony can pose some problems (Eg. needing a place for water to runoff.) The tidiest solution is, well, the manufactured one: The NatureMill, which is $400. A composting robot! Uh ya. I'm not that rich.

Anyway, I'll either think about this later in the summer, or next summer. My current dilemma is getting set up for organic veggie delivery.