Simple Swap: Cloth Napkins

November 28, 2017 Ana Mo Shoshin

In 2017 I started my zero waste journey. Zero Waste is the goal, mindful practice is the action. When I use the term Zero Waste, that is my ultimate goal, but Less Waste would be a more accurate description of my evolving lifestyle.

When first thinking about Zero Waste, I knew one simple swap I wanted to make was to stop using paper towels as napkins and start using a more sustainable option: cloth napkins. One day, I'd like to give up paper towels all together, but for now, we have to be satisfied with baby steps.

I think a huge trap in many simple swaps or zero waste swaps is to rush out and buy something new. And it's so tempting, you start looking at all the pretty options out there (like these, these, and these). But I think it's super important not to give into the temptation. Zero waste isn't only about not generating garbage, it's also about making mindful, low impact choices for a more sustainable life. Simple swaps should be just that, simple.

So I waited until I found just the right napkins, which ended up being at a rummage sale 4/$1. I was super happy to not rush out and buy napkins, but to get second hand plain yellow ones.

Getting accustomed to using cloth napkins didn't happen all at once. For a long time we still reached for paper towels or paper napkins, but gradually we started using our "new" cloth napkins. Now we rarely go a meal without them. One thing that helped was realizing that we don't need to wash our napkins every day, or after every use. If it's a particularly messy meal we will, but otherwise we can go two to three meals before washing. Cloth napkins are not for special occasions, they are for everyday!

But don't take my word for it; here are two other articles about cloth napkins from Reading My Tea Leaves, and Going Zero Waste. It's great to see people making a simple swap that makes a great impact on the world's waste. Our next step will be to take our new found cloth napkin ways out into the world! Using a cloth napkin at our favorite spots that only offer paper napkins with be another great step towards Zero Waste and a simple swap.

Who else out there uses cloth napkins? What are some of the benefits or challenges you have found?

Zero Waste: What We Already Do

November 13, 2017 Ana Mo Shoshin

It seems that most people think that the biggest roadblock for becoming Zero Waste is money. But so far, the biggest problem I've come across is the overwhelming nature of how many things are wasteful and how much of a huge life changing endeavor going zero waste will be.

Once I started examining Zero Waste and really looking onto the waste in my day to day life, I realized that there was even more than I had thought. When I looked around at all the potential solutions, that was also daunting. For a while Zero Waste seemed unachievable, impossible. But I still felt like it was something I needed to work towards.

The more I read other's accounts and the more I researched, the more I realized that Zero Waste is the goal, but the journey is one of many many baby steps. Not just for me, but for everyone trying to achieve Zero Waste. Once I realized this, I stopped sweating every little thing and began recognizing that mindfulness is the first step. I also realized that there are things that I already do that help me on the journey to Zero Waste. Here's a working list of things we already do:

Eat mainly a plant based diet - My husband has been a vegetarian (mostly) since I've known him. I've eaten veggie for about 5 years bc I don't feel well when I eat meat. We both do eat fish now but not eating big industry meat is a great step for ZW.
Next step: Eat only locally farmed fish, eggs and cheese.

Eat fresh as much as possible / eat out rarely - We try to eat mostly fresh veggies and whole foods although we do have a weakness for frozen pizzas. We patron the local markets as much as possible for fruit and veg. Most days we cook at home or have simple meals of veggies, cheese, bread, etc... I have been making an effort to pack lunches for my husband most work days. We love to eat out but on average only do so once a week. We want to support our local businesses and restaurants.
Next Step: More of the same. Try to cut out our bad habit foods, items packaged in plastic or tetrapacts, and continue to source local foods.

Avoid Western Medicine (and other Western Wellness Ideas) - We have never been people who rush to the doctor when we have a sniffle. We ride it out, use home remedies, or homeopathic remedies. We drink more water, get rest, drink tea, eat better bc we know that those things will help heal our bodies. Similarly, we have never adhered to Western ideals of wellness, such as massages, hair salons, spa treatments, etc... I got my hair "done" a few months before starting to go zero waste, before that I hadn't got a hair cut in 4 years (I had just cut it myself). It was a fine experience and I was happy with the result - but what a waste! The plastics! The chemicals! Luckily, we are fine living without most things like that.
Next Steps: Learn more about healing/traditional medicines, home remedies, etc... Find wellness businesses committed to reducing waste. Trade skills with people. I know a few hairdressers I can call on and explain my want for a zero waste haircut!

Recycle/compost- When I started my ZW Journey, I knew right away that recycling didn't feel right and one day I hope to cut it out as much as possible. But for a beginner recycling does help ease the worry and the trash we create. When we moved to NJ, we started composting almost immediately. We have a lot of plants and have been wanting to garden more, so composting is a great way to reduce food and paper waste. I would say that we have become more mindful of both these methods for reducing waste since starting our journey.
Next Step: Continue to cut down on buying items that need to be recycled. Become better at only buying what food that we will eat to reduce food waste. Use the compost we have created in our plants and gardens.

Reuse glass jars and other containers for storage - I was delighted when I realized reusing and storing items in recycled glass jars was a favorite technique among zero wasters! I had been doing this for years!
Next Step: Use our jars in bulk sections, buy only what we need at the time, cut down on what we buy in jars as to not have to recycle those we don't use.

Homemade natural cleaners - When we moved to NJ, one of my early pledges was to use all natural cleaners in our new home. We had some cleaners left over that we are still using up, but otherwise we have worked to use all natural + homemade cleaners.
Next Step: Use up the old cleaners we have and dispose of their packaging safely, find recipes that work for us for tougher jobs (drain clogs, tough stains, etc...).

Buy second hand - We have always like to thrift shop, but we have moved towards buying everything second hand: furniture, cookware, clothing, records, toys etc...
Next Step: Use up what we have, donate more, buy from sustainable companies when not buying second hand.

Shop local - After living in Brooklyn, NY, for 15 years, shopping local is just second nature. We try to get everything we need as local as possible. We also try to buy products produced locally when we can. This isn't to say we never shop at chains (I love my Shoprite!) or big box stores (sometimes Home Depot has what you need) but we try not to.
Next Step: I try, when I see us returning to a big box store, to reserach where else we can get that item or experience. A good next step is to continue to diminish our want/need for those stores by finding items elsewhere.

Use public transportation/walk - Again, having lived without a car for many years, it's second nature to try and utilize public transportation. About 7 years ago I started walking to work and made finding a job where I could do that a priority. Walking to work is my favorite part of every work day!! We specifically moved to a town where my husband could still use public transportation to get to work. He takes a train most of the way and walks the rest.
Next Step: Find even more ways to stay local, use our car less, or upgrade to a more eco friendly car in the future.

These are the main things we were already doing that adhere to the zero waste lifestyle. But when I start to think about it, I can think of other things, too. I found this exercise really helpful and I plan to make more lists like this in the future.

All the photos in this post are from our local beaches. We were out for only about an hour and saw all this trash plus much more washed up on the otherwise empty and pristine landscape. Most of the items of trash could have easily been eliminated by choosing very simple sustainable options. My husband and I were understandably sad about what we saw, but it helped encourage us that we are on the right path, as slow going and tough as that path might appear.

I highly recommend anyone thinking about going zero waste/plastic free/fair wardrobe, etc... to make a list of the things they already do towards this goal. It helped me feel less overwhelmed and let me see that each step is worth it.

Something Nice

November 5, 2017 Ana Mo Shoshin

The other day I ran out of the rice milk I made (more on that later). Instead of running to the store, I simply made a new batch of oat milk. It took 10 minutes and felt great be self sufficient!

For this batch, I used 1/2 cup oats and 1 1/2 cups water. I didn't let them soak, just blended them immediately. It came out much better, creamy but not gummy!

Something New: Home Made Oat Milk

October 23, 2017 Ana Mo Shoshin

I've been allergic to cow's milk for as long as I can remember. So although, I prefer skim milk in my coffee, I rarely drink it and I never buy. My preferred non dairy milk, especially in my coffee, is rice milk. Non sweetened rice milk is the closest to skim milk, in my opinion. But rice milk comes in tetra packs and often has a lot of gross ingredients (canola oil, why?), when bought commercially. So recently I went on the hunt for a rice milk alternative. I have found a few that I enjoy, but when my husband brought home extra oats the other day, and it coincided with running out of milk, I decided to try making my own Oat Milk.

I had been researching making my own non dairy milks for a while, but buying as many nuts as one needs can get expensive! Oat milk, as well as cashew, hemp and macadamia, was one of the milks I tried and liked when store bought. Oats are super cheap, and can be bought in bulk, so it was a no brainer to try making the milk. I read a bunch of recipes but in the end decided to wing it and make it as simply as possible.

Ingredients:
1 cup oats
3 cups cool or cold water

Equipment:
Blender
Fine mesh strainer (or cheese cloth or nut milk bag)
Jar

All the recipes suggest using rolled oat or stone ground oats, but all I had on hand were quick oats so I used those. Some say to soak the oats, some not. I soaked mine for about 10 minutes, maybe less. I added the oats and the water to the blender and let sit as I puttered about the kitchen. Next, blend on high, as high as you can, for 5 -7 minutes. You don't want to blend too long. Once blended, use a fine mesh strainer or cheese cloth, etc... and pour into a jar. All I had for straining was a rather large stainer, but that worked fine. I just had a few oatmeal pieces in the jar afterwards. Refrigerate your milk. Makes about 1.5 pints. Use it in coffee, baking, etc... but shake before use!

A few notes:
-Save the strained oat pieces, use as oatmeal for breakfast, in baking, etc...
-The recipes all say this volume lasts about a week but I'm almost done with mine 3 days in just from drinking in my daily coffees.
-Don't heat this milk. Pouring it in coffee, or using in baking, is ok, but heating it on the stove will create a goopy mess. Think oatmeal without the meal.
-Add sweetener and/or a pinch of salt if desired. I like my coffee unsweetened and even sweetened milk is too much for me.
-Bring a spoon. This milk is a little gummy and heavier than most milk I'm used to in my coffee, so it tends to settle. I now have a spoon on hand to stir my coffee as needed. I also end up using more of this milk than I would another milk, so something to think about.
-Make this milk zero waste and plastic free by getting your oats in bulk, recycling a jar for storage, and using the leftover blended oat parts.

Over all, I really liked making my own oat milk. When I make my next batch, I will use more water to oats, to see if I like the consistency better. When I run out of our excess minute oats, I will try using stone ground to see if it ends up being less gloopy. I may make some sweetened to try it with cookies or for drinking.

Next up, I plan to try rice milk! Who else out there makes their own non dairy milk? Tips, tricks?

Zero Waste: My Favorite Jars

October 19, 2017 Ana Mo Shoshin

I think one thing that all all people trying to go zero waste, or plastic free, can agree on is that recycled jars are a great thing to have! They can be used for food storage instead of a plastic tupperware, as dry goods storage, as freezer storage, as drinking vessels, to hold cleaners, snacks, hair clips, home remedies, flowers, nuts, bolts, screws, and just about anything else you can think of.

Since most of us, when buying packaged items, try to buy glass, we end up having quite a few jars laying around. Sure they can be recycled, and sometimes are, but I prefer to reuse at least a few time before that step, or indefinitely. I started this practice long before I knew what zero waste was and I was happy to discover I was already doing something towards this life style!

Another thing I think people who do the same and feel the same as I do about glass jars, is that we all have our favorite jars! Erin from Reading My Tea Leaves talks about her favorite jar in her blog. Personally, I have two favorite style of jars, that come from specific items.

I'm a big fan of natural crunchy peanut butter. I don't much mind what brand, as long as it has less than 4 ingredients, is organic, and comes in a glass jar! These Jars are great, bc they are a manageable size, usually about 16oz, have a wide mouth, and a metal top! Great for drinking out of, bringing your drink along, storing food items and beach finds! When I need a larger vessel, I greatly enjoy a Mt Olive pickle jar! Firstly, yum, pickles! But this jar is twice as big as the peanut butter jar, and shares the same great properties!

I love these jars bc I find that the caps don't rust easily or quickly, and the jars themselves are sturdy and strong. These two are my go to jars and I use them in some capacity everyday.

What jars are your favorite? Are there other surprising reused items you can't live with out?

Recipe | Zero Waste Hummus

October 9, 2017 Ana Mo Shoshin

I don't eat a lot of hummus. But one day last month I got a hankering for it. I hate that it comes in plastic containers at the store, so I decided to make my own. It's very simple and easy and probably only takes about 30 minutes. It's a great beginner zero waste project!

Ingredients:
Garlic - 1 clove
Juice of 1 lemon
Tahini - 1 spoonful
Chickpeas - 1 can drained and rinsed
Salt and Pepper to taste

Equipment:
Blender
Knife
Cutting Board
Can Opener

Open, drain and rinse chickpeas. Add peeled garlic clove, lemon juice, and blend until garlic is chopped. Add chickpeas, and tahini and blend until smooth. Add water or lemon juice to thin mixture if needed. Add salt and pepper to taste. Eat with crackers, bread, pita, etc...! I like mine with bread or pita and lots of veggies including red onions, tomatoes, radishes, lettuce, and or sprouts and extra good salt.

A few notes:
-Keep the chickpea juice to use in other recipes.
-Add more garlic if desired. I love more, but my husband does not.
-You can make this recipe with a food processor, or by hand mashing. I just happen to have a blender.

What makes this recipe near to zero waste? I use the lemon peels for cleaning solution and compost any other food waste. I recycle the chickpea can. The tahini came in a metal can with a plastic lid and it's contents will last a long time. When it's done, I plan on reusing the container for other food storage. To make it even more zero waste: Next time I buy tahini I'll get it in a glass jar, or make it myself. I could get the chickpeas in bulk to skip the can.

What are your favorite low or zero waste snack recipes?

The Zero Waste Post

September 18, 2017 Ana Mo Shoshin

Or should I say THE Zero Waste Post?

I've been wanting to write this post for a while bc, to me, it officailly marks the start of my Zero Waste Journey. Ever since we moved, I've become increasingly disturbed by the amount of waste we mindlessly generate. For some reason, living in an apartment in Brooklyn, NY, I never realized how much I threw away, how many duplicates I bought, how many items went unused and wasted in my home.

One of my favorite things this summer has been bringing delicious Jersey tomatoes home, either from local farm markets, or neighbor's yards. I like these cardboard containers, which I reuse or compost.

When we moved out of our approximately 600/sqft apartment (large by standards!) into twice that amount of space in a home we now owned, we filled it with our stuff! Filled to the brim with stuff, some items I hadn't even looked at in years. So, the first order of business was to start paring down what we already had. This is still a work in progress, but everyday we make a little headway.

It was also important to me, moving into a new house, and creating a new life in a new city, to not bring or buy too many new things. I think we did a good job here, not buying too many big ticket items or impulse buys. But there was still so much coming into the house. And I realized that the majority of it left as trash going to fill landfills. This knowledge worried me. So I decided to do something about it!

In little ways, every day, I'm trying to become more mindful of heading towards zero waste. Zero Waste is the goal, mindful practice is the action. When I use the term Zero Waste, that is my ultimate goal, but Less Waste would be a more accurate description of my evolving lifestyle.

Making hummus at home has been a good lesson in zero waste. Using up leftovers before they go bad is a challenge.

I plan to share my Zero Waste Journey here at Mad Cat Quilts. Who else out there is starting this journey?