august 8 was the day that we used up all of our sustainable resources allotted for the year. racial tensions are bubbling over here in the usa.  terrorism is terrorizing.  wild fires are raging.  droughts are devastating.  wars are raging.  refugees are drowning.  earthquakes and floods are destroying whole cities.  from a distance, we are taking notice. tears have even been shed, but a common refrain i've heard over and over is, "but, what can we do?"  

well, all i can say is that we cannot simply despair and do absolutely nothing.  our actions (and inaction) will shape our children's lives and their children's lives too.  once we change our focus and start to look for all the things that people are already doing, it does not take long to see just how much people can do.

there are a lot of people out there doing good things, thinking good thoughts, taking action. we are not alone. we can look around and see people willing to stand together against coal, people willing to stand up, people willing to shout, and people willing to hug.  there are people willing to stop making trash and people willing to stop driving cars.  people are behind uruguay's ability to power their country with 95 % renewable energy. people are behind sweden's ability to use all of its garbage (and much of its neighbor's) as fuel. people grow food in the city, and people open restaurants serving farm to table.  there are people helping refugees learn to farm and sell their produce in their new climates.  there are people who bring food into urban food deserts.  there are people rethinking supportive housing, and people raising native buffalo in order to support the prairie lands. there are people willing to sell only organic cotton t-shirts and people making shirts out of sustainable hemp.  there are people who make art out of trash and people who rescue and sell other people's used art supplies.  there are people willing to provide ebola patient care and people willing to stay in war zones to provide medical care.  people donate toward school uniforms for children who can't go to school without them and jobs for adults in the same communities.  people provide foster care for children in their homes and give them real love.  people give kidneys to people they don't know.  people risk their lives to protect people they don't know.  people risk their employment and even their lives in order to stand up for the rights of their coworkers.  there are people who forgive in order to build peace and people who forgive because they were forgiven.

what can i do?  just begin.

love,
​jane

anyway... what i really want to write about today is compost... because even though we are not wasting food, we do end up with some organic waste.  when i began to focus on zero-waste and also to care about where our food came from, we became interested in composting as well.  

of course there are a few different ways to compost.  worm composting speeds the process, specially made bins keep the process contained, and simple burying of compost works too (i didn't know this, but my mom has been burying compost in her yard for years).  some areas have curbside compost pick-up and many areas have some place that compost can be brought... like the farmer's market or a nearby farm.

we are blessed to live in a house with a yard... and we want that black gold for our own use. mr. tribe built our compost bin of discarded pallets and wire (pretty much like this, but ours has two sections).  this was a simple method and almost free. ;) we add compost to one section until we decide to let that pile sit and really finish turning to dirt... at which point we start to use the other side.  we also have a big round of chicken wire next to the compost that we put raked leaves and spent garden plants into (no weeds)... these are the "browns", which i'll get to shortly.

strangely, the only item left behind by the previous owners of our house was a round plastic lidded tub with 2 ventilation valves that can open and close.  maybe someone will tell me what its real purpose is, but i thought it would make the perfect vessel for compost collection.  it sits next to our sink (something my mom has commented on, "i've never seen compost sitting on the counter"). i'm not sure that is the most lovely spot for it, but it does encourage use... and i would have never known that my mom composts, if it hadn't been sitting there.  that makes me think that it might be well-positioned for starting conversations.  ;)  a lot of people say that compost does not smell.  ours does (not outside, but inside)... especially cantaloupe rinds and banana peels (yuck)... but as long as the lid stays on, it's not a problem at all.    ​

the process of composting is quite simple.  we only add non-meat/non-dairy items to our compost (that means no bones or dog poo either).  i don't add cooked food waste (not that there ever is any), because we don't want to attract critters.  (i save any unwanted compost items separately and bring them to the compost bin at whole foods. we were also able to compost this way on vacation.) we compost hair, dryer lint (because we only dry cotton in the dryer), food-soiled paper, peels, egg shells, coffee grounds, tea leaves, dead flowers, pits, seeds, finger nails, bits of yarn or twine, and a stray napkin or piece of toilet paper. once the tub is full, it gets dumped onto the heap outside. a scoop of "browns" from the leaf round gets added... and a black plastic garbage bag that acts as a cover weighed down by rocks gets replaced.  this black plastic concentrates the suns heat... which is a good thing, because heat speeds decomposition.  a periodic shovel "stir" happens too.

that's all it takes to turn organic waste into productive soil.  when that black gold is ready (that is, all dirt), it gets added to our garden beds and grows the best vegetables!  it amazes me every time to think about how that waste nourishes new life.  what an amazing Creator! zero-waste by design!

​For more on what to compost...right this way.

love,
jane

i think this pattern could create a pretty great long shirt jacket too.  it would look cool worn open over a fitted tee or turtle neck + jeans... with maybe a couple patch pockets added at the hips.  this one might get some wear like that too (if i don't end up sewing it closed).  for now it is long enough to wear comfortably with bare legs + clog sandals or tennies.  as the weather cools, i think it will be cute over skinnies, cropped flares or leggings... and over a turtleneck as well.  all in all, i'm pretty happy with this shirtdress, and it feels good to have taken the time to sew it myself.

sewing pattern:  the makers atelier oversized shirtdress
fabric:  keiko goke yuwa cotton (shirting weight)

love,
jane

a most exciting, ever so inspiring, not to be missed guest post!!  
this exploration of how a country deals with waste is thought provoking.
i like these thoughts on comparison...especially related to zero-waste.
nearo-waste school lunches!
a new approach.

if this is how the summer ends, may it be surrounded by friends!

happy weekend, friends!  
love,
jane

i am better than i was.
i will be better than i am.
~unknown

besides editing and letting a few things go, i wanted to figure out where i could do better with my zero-waste efforts during this summer check-in.  lots of efforts have become habit... a few habits need a renewed commitment... and a few new improvements need to be investigated.

i'm looking back at my list of things that i buy in packaging and the places where i mentioned habits that could use some work.  some of those things i buy in packaging such as baking powder and salt can not really be improved upon at the moment (my area does not offer either of these in bulk)... but many of them can.   keeping those 5 r's in mind helps too:  refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle and rot... and only in that order.

renew commitment:
-#1:  no plastic cups or straws.  i find this easy enough when it is just me, but putting three mason jars on the counter (when i'm with my girls) makes me feel embarrassed.  mason jars are not a common site where i live. i don't think i've ever seen anyone else ask for a drink in a mason jar or even a reusable bottle to be honest. guts, girl! 
-just don't buy coconut oil.  i mostly use olive oil anyway.
-do without ketchup.  we don't use it much.
-depend less on take-out pizza.  at least recycle the tops of the boxes and compost the bottoms.
-continue to encourage a certain family member to bring less packaged food home.  :)
-only bulk candy + cookies (or homemade)
-only ice-cream out (in a cone) or made from unpackaged fruit at home
-when autumn comes, buy yeast in glass instead of individual packets.  i use it more in the cooler months.
-reevaluate and brainstorm really tasty, quick, zero-waste meals and snacks, so that we don't have to be tempted to buy packaged ingredients as "treats".

to investigate:
-try making mustard.  i don't like mustard, but two here do and we aren't quitting it.
-request that my store buy bulk pasta again.  muster the confidence.
-explore pretzel alternatives... that is, a cheap snack alternative.
-try making vinegar.
-only buy bulk tea.  research + look for teas with medicinal tea ingredients.
-ask dentist/hygeinist about diy toothpaste.
-get silk for floss, when ours runs out.
​-look for recyclable hairspray bottle.
-get back to crystal deodorant.
-make a little screw top jar of lip balm to take in my purse.

one by one, i feel like this is a doable list.  i've said that i don't necessarily strive for perfection, but i do strive for progress.  well, to progress then.  :)

love,
jane

sorry, but these make me laugh.  :)  (images via)

first of all, i have to say that i am incredibly grateful for recycling.  i think that it is an amazing process and positive for the environment in many ways.  the need for paper has greatly decreased in this age of computers and cell phones, but we still need it.  the fact that we can buy recycled paper is great, because we need trees recycling CO2 into O2.  i'm grateful for glass recycling and for plastic recycling too... to some extent.  

what i'm not so grateful for is the idea that can come from recycling... the idea that there is nothing wrong with buying packaging that gets recycled anyway.  because not all of what goes into the bin is recycled. because new plastic has to be added all the time to old plastic in order to make new bottles and bags, etc. because lots of energy goes into cleaning, breaking down and remolding plastic and glass.  because plastic hits a point (quickly) where it can't be recycled any more.

i wrote last week about my zero-waste check in and listed the products i still buy in packaging along with their recycling status.  i want to make it clear that i don't count that as "good waste".  it is still waste.

is this what recycling looks like?  :(  (images via)