a resolve for the new year

food waste is a huge problem. the united states generates 34 million tons of food waste each year. that's a lot of food that could have gone to feed hungry people, not to mention the negative environmental impacts. (such as food rotting in landfills, which doesn't really decompose so easily, and then creates methane gas.) so this is a problem that I'm always sad to see myself being a part of when I clean out my fridge or fresh produce bin on my countertop... so much waste. it hurts my heart.

so this year I am going to try and make a more conscience effort to eat what I buy. (or grow.) so far so good, eleven days into the new year. I see something in my fridge that is pushing the limit and I find something to make with it. I'm happy to say that I don't think I'll have to throw out any produce from my last shopping trip. hurrah!

I'm also going to try and be better about composting. in the past I would just throw all my kitchen scraps into an old plastic container (the kind you get nuts in from costco. it works perfectly!) and just throw them in our county yard waste recycling bin at the end of the day. well, it seems I got a little lazy (early pregnancy might have had something to do with that!) and out of the habit. one day I may even try and step it up a notch and start our own composting pile in our backyard. the garden would love it.

another thing I used to do with kitchen scraps was freeze them in a large ziplock bag as I went, saving them up to make veggie stock from scratch. it works perfectly and is so easy. again, I got lazy somewhere along the way and haven't done it in years. maybe I should start that up again, too.

so let's all resolve to eat our food this year. waste is so 2011.

info source: epa stats

image source: perfect gardening tips

(check out their list of tips to reduce food waste)

a-deal-a-day, now for babies

man, those one deal a day sites really feed on your impulse buying instincts, no? first it was steapandcheap, for that sick addiction of cheap gear. now it's babyhalfoff, for that sick addiction of cheap baby stuff. so what was today's deal? thirsties all-in-one cloth diapers. guess who found out about it too late? anna jo. blast!


and I was really excited about scoring one of these at such a sweet price. I really love the thirsties covers over my prefolds and fitted diapers, so I was interested to see how their AIO held up. {for all you cloth diapering newbies, an all-in-one has the water-proof cover plus the absorbant layers all sewn together, so you just throw the whole thing on easy peasy. it's kinda like a disposable, but you wash it instead of throwing it away. and it's cuter.} there is so much out there in the cloth diapering world and I just want to try it all! I think you could say I have a slight obsession with cloth.

no impact man on the big screen!

I'm excited that the university of utah's social work department's green team is hosting the no impact man documentary on campus this coming monday. I've been following colin beavan, aka no impact man, for a while now and have always been fascinated by the whole project.

what I really loved about his adventure in lessening his impact is his realization that by consuming less he was actually a happier, healthier person. it's not about depriving yourself of everything, but simplifying and learning what you can really do with out. {he has a great bell curve graph HERE for those visual learners.}

so you should go watch the documentary too. it's free. and by the looks of it, there is a free raffle and free food as well. you had me at free food.

and if you're not a local, check this list to see if there is a screening near you.

{view the film's trailer HERE. it looks good, no?}

for the locals: wanted {one man's trash is another man's diaper}

{recycled t-shirt diaper via}

am making my own cloth diapers (fitteds, if you were wondering) and would love some supplies that might be cluttering up your house right now! so go check and get back to me. would love to take them off your hands.

flannel :: any old sheets, shirts, receiving blankets, et cetera
towels :: they can be old and raggedy, it doesn't much matter
wool sweaters :: at least 80% wool, the softer the better (like merino or cashmere work nicely)
tee-shirts :: looking for cool old tee's with fun logos or prints

help me make something new and lovely out of something old and no longer needed. my son's cute bum will thank you.

clear the air

I don't know about you, but I am in love with salt lake city, utah. it's proximity to everything you'll ever need in life {minus an ocean shoreline} is ridiculous. the skiing alone is the reason we will most likely never leave. but as I look around this beautiful valley of ours, with its pristine mountain backdrop, I can't help but be sickened and discouraged. the air we breathe is right up there with some of the most polluted cities in the nation. if you've ever come down one of the canyons and descended into the soup, you know what I mean. actually being able to see hazy, polluted air is not a good thing. and we're all breathing that stuff!

my work formed a team for the clear the air challenge and I'm really excited about it. I already try to take public transportation as much as I can anyway, so this isn't going to be a huge lifestyle shift for me. but maybe I'll start walking more on my errands {too bad biking is out of the question right now} and hopefully others will join the fun too.

the point of the challenge is to get people using their cars less and doing alternative forms of transportation more. just the act of getting fewer cars on the road will greatly affect the air quality in this place. that's something I want. for me. for my little guy {and big guy}.

so go sign up today. the official challenge starts june 01 and ends july 10. prizes are even involved if that's your incentive. for me, I'll do it for cleaner air and the chance to join thousands of others in trying to make a positive change in our community.

all it takes is one or more of the following:
a little less driving
more carpooling
walking
biking
taking public trans {bus, trax, frontrunner}
linking your trips
stop idling your car
telecommuting
compressing your workweek
being creative

I'm a lifer

I just took the pledge.

"I, anna jo, pledge that I shall abstain from the purchase of "new" manufactured items of clothing, for the period of LIFE. I pledge that i shall refashion, renovate, recycle preloved items for myself with my own hands in fabric, yarn or other medium for the term of my contract. I pledge that I will share the love and post a photo of my refashioned, renovoted, recycled, crafted or created item of clothing on the Wardrobe Refashion blog, so that others may share the joy that thy thriftiness brings!
Signed, anna jo."

I figured I might as well jump right in and become a lifer. I mean, how often do I buy new clothes anyway? in the recent months my commitment to thrift + reconstruction has spilled into every aspect of my life. I don't want to buy new. I want to re-use the resources we've already got floating around this world.

I'm excited to start my adventure in refashion.


{do you want to pledge for two, four, or maybe even six months? read the rules here and jump in on the fun! and don't worry, if you screw up you can use your get out of jail free card}

voluntary simplicity

do you ever wonder how our earth-home will be for the future generations? for your kids? for their kids?

are our habits sustainable? are we consuming too much? do our lives of privilege and convenience come at a cost?

is it possible to slow down? to take a step back? to realize it's not things, but people that matter?

{photo | 2009 eco-lutions}

strengthening my resolve

I was told the other day that a person is 43% more likely to keep a resolution if it is written down.  I've been mulling around the things that I would like to do {or not do} as this new year rolls around.  the clean slate that january brings is always full of so much potential.  in all of us is the ability to change.  but we have to want it.  and we have to be willing to work for it.  

* * *

:: chew my food ::  I resolve to eat more slowly, to let the enzymes in my saliva break down the foods so they are more easily digested and the nutrients more readily available to my body

:: read books ::  I resolve to read more instead of wasting time on the computer or watching television just for the sake of something to do

:: blog more ::  I resolve to consume less and produce more.  there is a lot of inspiration and creativity out there, but I need to remember to document my thoughts, feelings, et cetera as well

:: eat closer to the source ::  I resolve to be more conscious of my foodshed.  where it comes from, how it was produced, how it got to me.  more whole foods.  more local foods.  more organically grown foods

:: be more social ::  I resolve to get out of my comfort zone in social situations.  I have a tendency toward non-social behavior.    I need to get over any awkwardness, which really just stems from a lack of self confidence.  I am an interesting person.  I just need to believe that

:: create ::  I resolve to make things out of sticks.  or fabric.  or paper.  or anything that my little hands can get on.  I have grand ideas and little follow-through.  those projects will become reality, hopefully in a timely manner

:: document my life ::  I resolve to put pen to paper and write for me.  I am losing the details that make my life what it is.  the personal things.  the thoughts.  the feelings.  the special moments.  the hard moments.  the daily decisions that lead me through life

* * *

if you're having trouble coming up with your own resolutions this year {come on, isn't lose weight and eat healthy so overkill by now?} check out this list I stumbled across:  fifty things everyone should know how to do.  pick one or two and resolve to learn some invaluable skills this year.

photo via.

returning to the light

...at winter solstice,
Sun is at its lowest point:
the longest night,
the most profound descent
into the dark,
and a subsequent turning
of the cycle,
a return to the Light...










one of my favorite days of the year is the summer solstice. the daylight is long and endless, leaving its warmth and slanted angles long into the evening. it is something to be celebrated. but I am always left feeling a little tinge of sadness; the light will soon fade into increasing darkness. my days will get shorter, little by little, until we are plunged into endless night.

but there comes a time where night is at its longest, and the light will be reborn. our days will become longer. and life will eventually start to grow once again.

how fitting that this event happens at this time of year. we need not despair, or be engulfed by darkness. there is Light.

we just need to turn to that Light.

it is a thing to be celebrated.

{photo | quote}

a diy white board for the environmentally conscious workin' gal

{via}

okay, so I just made my very own little white board here in the office. it was ridiculously easy and cuts down on paper usage when taking messages and writing down quick notes {or to do lists} that you don't need permanently. now I can get rid of that unsightly stack of used and reused post it notes cluttering up my desk. everyone wins!

plus crafting during working hours is always a fun time.



step one: get yourself a transparency sheet.

step two: get yourself a piece of paper. (mine is recycled, yours could be too... I'm just sayin')

step three: get yourself some tape.

step four: now this is the hardest step. tape the paper to the transparency sheet, with the unused side of the paper peeping through the clearness of the transparency. (because y'all should have used recycled paper like I told you)

step five: pilfer yourself a set of dry erase markers in various colors from the supply closet

and then ta da! you are done! {you could also use a clear plastic page protector too, I suppose}

if my phone would have not been cranky, you would have seen the lovely, high
quality photo I took of my brand new diy white board with the following to do list:
work
be productive
focus
don't blog!

upward lift

we were traveling down wyoming state road twenty-six, the landscape zooming beyond the window, my thoughts swirling. talk of the fallen arch filled the car. it's sad that future generations won't get to see it, she said. they'll all be gone someday, I responded. but new formations will rise. it's the same song and dance that has been going on since the beginning of time. through various forces, rocks rise. until time, erosion, gravity pull it all downward. it is a cycle. the sacred interplay of rebirth and renewal, of rise and fall.

quickly, I wrote these words down; putting pen to paper before they were forgotten:

the upward lift of rock to heaven
like hands held up in prayer

I held on to this imagery as we kept speeding past the tetons. I thought of these rocks, these mountain spires pushing up toward the sky. prayers unto heaven. hoping one day I, too, could be strong like the mountain.

god's country

there are forces that shape land: wind, water, pressure, time. they always seem to play out most beautifully in the desert. it is like reading the history of the earth on open pages. a story of rise and fall. a story that we are so caught up in the middle of we don't even realize it's going on around us. every day. we are, in terms of geoligical time, just a speck on the line. I find comfort in that. I find comfort in knowing that whatever we may do, the earth will reclaim herself as her own. eventually. someday. that is the beauty of ecological succession. the ability of the earth to heal. to regrow. to fight. the evidence is in every weed, every blade of grass pushing itself up through the cracks in the sidewalk.

things you might learn on a mini vacation to bryce canyon for your sister's half marathon:

01. patience is a virtue
don't try and pass the line of cars waiting to be let through on the half marathon course.
especially not the police car and ambulance. and the people in the line will shout either
obscenities or scripture to you as you try and get back into the line.

02. the navajo loop + wall street
this is amazing landscape which is worth the short hike (but relatively steep hike) down into the canyon.
you will never in your life be more engulfed in your surroundings.

03. red canyon
perfect for a rain soaked evening and a brilliant sunset. the colors of the canyon walls soak up the evening light. walking among the formations you are reminded of the circles: this is bryce canyon in it's earlier stages. and one day, when bryce canyon has fallen to the forces that once created it, this canyon will take its place for those who come after.

04. panguitch
not just a sleepy town on the way to bryce canyon, panguitch utah could someday be called home.
how we yearn for some small town living.

05. orange + green + blue
god is most definitely an artist. he has put together the most beautiful palate of colors
right here in canyon country. they are deep + rich + vibrant and I am in love.

DIY arm warmers

I started out with a little something like this:
an under armour long sleeved running top that was just way to snug for comfort. {good thing I had happened upon it for free. and even better that I found a use for it.}

with a snip at the shoulder seams and a quick little hem, I had myself a pair of my very own arm warmers. perfect for those days when your ride starts out a little chilly, but eventually warms up. just slip these babies on or off as needed. they are easily stowed in the back of your jersey.



what am I going to do with the rest of the shirt? make fold over mitts for cold weather running days of course! nothing goes to waste around here!

if I had a yard. . .

. . . I would:
plant a garden, green + growing. . .

build a solar oven and cook with the sun. . .

own this dog.

the fight against paper products

I've had a constant battle over paper plates at my mom's house for years. thankfully peter is by my side in this crusade. I can understand if you want to use paperware for large gatherings (and granted that's what every sunday dinner is) but stocking the cupboards full of paper plates, et cetera and using them for every meal? seems a little wasteful to me.

luckily there might be a solution to the throw-away-wares. yes, you can have your cake and eat it too--on THESE little biodegradable beauties:

branch: sustainable design for living

though let's be honest, why create more waste for every day eating? even if it does biodegrade eventually, I would rather just avoid it all together. {sorry, mom, I'll probably stick to using the real plates. it's just a moral issue for me, ya know?} but for a big gathering where doing the dishes seems like a daunting task as big as mount everest, these just might be the answer.

portrait of a father

I thought this was too sweet not to share. here is an example of how fun, engaging, enriching, beautiful and sweet life can be without the interference and noise of television and video games. it is taken from colin bevan's no impact man site.

(you see, for the past year colin has been trying a no impact experiment. which means he makes as little impact on the environment as he can and offsets the impact he just can't avoid with positive environmental action and advocacy. basically what I'm trying to say is that he doesn't use electricity, he doesn't drive or even use mass transit. he buys all his food local, fresh and in season. he has eliminated consumer waste and packaging from his life. it is truly an experiment in extreme minimalism and I think he is happier and healthier for it.)


Entertaining Isabella without tv
A reader named Chrissy wrote to me and asked how we entertain Isabella without TV or video games:

We build towers from a set of wooden blocks and laugh our heads off when the towers fall down.

Towards bedtime, we sit on the couch and listen to classical music on the crank-up radio and try to hum along. Isabella sucks her left thumb, and if she is feeling generous, she holds up her right thumb for me or Michelle to suck.

We sit on the steps to the neighboring building and talk to people walking by. Isabella chooses the particular step and says, “Sit here, Daddie.”

We walk around, going nowhere in particular, and Isabella shows me how she can run, moving a lot, in her toddler body, like the tin man before Dorothy gave him oil.

We dance and we dance and we dance.

We take turns giving Mommy kiss attacks.

I stick my finger under Isabella’s arm and leave it there till she says “wiggle it.” I do and we squeal with laughter.

We talk about all the things we can see and say hi to them all: “Hi cars, hi buildings, hi sky, hi trees, hi dog, hi lady…”

We ride over to the Hudson River Park where Isabella always walks to the rails and says, “Hello river, how are you?”

We play in the fountain in Washington Square Park, where Michelle worries that the water is too dirty but can’t help cracking up at Isabella’s joy.

We go to the new swimming pool for kids and their parents on Thompson Street in SoHo, where an 11-year-old boy keeps trying to get Isabella to give him a high-five but she just smiles because she is too shy.

We eat lots of grilled cheese sandwiches cut in long strips and I fruitlessly attempt to get Isabella not just to bite off the cheese and give the bread to Frankie the dog.

We make bread together, which means I make the bread, and Isabella stands on a chair and takes everything out of the kitchen drawers and drops it on the floor.

We cook together, which means I cook, and Isabella stands on a chair and takes everything out of the kitchen drawers and drops it on the floor.

We stomp the laundry in the bathtub together. “I’m splashing with my feet,” Isabella says.

We wash the dishes together. “You need my help, Daddy?”

We roughhouse on the bed together.

We ride aimlessly around on the No Impact Mobile (our tricycle with a back seat for Isabella), seeing what we can see and singing This Old Man if it’s sunny and The Old Man is Snoring if it’s raining.

We bang things really loud.

If Michelle isn’t there, we tell her things all the same and wonder if she can hear us in her mind.

We practice seeing who can scream the loudest.

We play hide and seek

We examine Isabella’s body for booboos and kiss them all.

We practice jumping really, really high.

“We go weee, weee, weee,” which is Isabella’s way of saying we go to the swings.

We go for a bike ride over the Brooklyn Bridge, and stop in the middle to look at the other bridges, which Isabella adores.

We go somewhere with Isabella’s best friend Hannah. When they greet each other, they hug each other really hard, lose their balance, fall over, and start crying. We then cheer them up by putting them side by side on the No Impact Mobile and ringing the bell a lot.

We put Isabella’s hair in pony tails and then she goes and shows them to “my sister Frankie”—the dog.

We play fetch with Frankie and Isabella laughs her head off.

We read books.

We call the grandparents—Nanna or Grannie or Poppie or Jojo or Poppa—on the phone and Isabella gets so excited that she talks too fast to get the words out.

And at bedtime, we sing “Somewhere over the Rainbow” and a James Taylor song that starts “Well the sun is surely sinking down…”

mark your calendar

this coming thursday let's take the pledge and try to do more for our environment, our community and our children.

learn what you can and cannot recycle in your area, (for utah residents, click HERE. click HERE to find resources in other states.) and make the resolve to do better. many cities have curb-side recycling programs that make recycling even easier. if not, find the nearest recycling drop off. if we all make an effort, no matter how large or small, there will be positive impacts. (and if you're name is oma, pete and I are still more than willing to come pick up your recyclables.)


keeping it in perspective. though I am a huge supporter of recycling programs, I do believe that recycling is a last ditch effort of sorts. as the old adage goes, reduce, reuse, then recycle. as a society, I feel that we need to first focus on limiting our consumption, and then find ways to reuse the products we already have. it is this out with old in with the new, one time use mentality that is finally catching up with us. simplify. learn to live with less. trust me, you'll be happier for it.

for more info: the national recycling coalition

america recyles day

the beauty of discovery

club u campers exploring their world at the great salt lake
Fall Break Science Camp 2007

teaching children about the natural world should be treated as one of the most important events in their lives. --thomas berry

green girls go in the dark

photo via my cellular telephone

here in continuing ed we're striving to do the little things. because as we all know, it's the little things that can add up to make a huge impact in this world.

we are encouraged to turn off lights when we leave any room (breakroom, bathroom, et cetera). the offices of my coworkers are often dimly lighted. we try to use the least amount of unnatural lighting as possible, as to save energy. and this carries over to the bathroom as well.

it's not unnusual to pee in the dark around here. now sometimes using the bathroom without the lights on is not a problem. different amounts of light stream through the window at various times of the day. for me it's usually an internal debate as to whether it's dark enough to justify turning on the lights. are other people already in here peeing in the dark? will I be able to see well enough? sometimes you will be in there doing your business and someone else will come in and turn on the lights. there's always that moment of relief that you can actually see.

though let's be honest, the darkness is not really that bad. your eyes adjust. you can see. maybe we should all pee in the dark. (in the name of the environment.) {though I'm not sure I advise this for boys who have a hard time aiming}

a love of all things wild

in wildness is the preservation of the world.

--henry david thoreau

images via mr ansel adams