This is a controversial topic, and I'm pretty sure that my opinion will not line up with popular thought.  :) We wash all of our dishes by hand. A few reasons:
-We don't have a lot of dishes.
-Pots + pans + collander + wooden spoons + my grandma's milk glass mixing bowl have to be hand-washed anyway.
-Pre-washing dishes + then having to inspect + scrub them after they come out of the dishwasher uses time + water (+ is annoying).
-Might as well just wipe a washcloth over it + be done, if pre-washing/rinsing food off of it anyway.
-Each one in our tribe washes her/his own plate + utensil + one pot or bowl directly after eating + it's all done...quickly + painlessly. 
-Washing dishes right away takes less water than waiting until the food is dried on.

We've been doing dishes this way since Julia, our younger daughter, was seven...and only waited that long, because that's when the idea came to us. Jo encountered this method at a friend's house + we've done it the same way ever since! Thank you, Anushka!  :)

In pursuit of a zero-waste soap option, I've tried making my own liquid soap (with poor results). I've tried castile soap as well (which also comes in plastic bottles- whether bought in bulk or not), but don't like it because it's oily, expensive + doesn't lather. I don't like it for my hair (same reasons), and I find no need for it in my cleaning solution. 

I buy the biggest jug of dish soap that I can find at the grocery store + consider it bulk. I then refill a smaller soap dispenser about 1/4 full at a time, because I find that a full bottle dispenses too much soap + we go through it faster. This one bottle of soap works for dishes, hands, and hand washing intimates too. One drop is all it takes.

Love,
Jane

There's nothing wrong with possessions; it's just that they have value to us only when we use them, engage them, and enjoy them. They're nouns that mean something only when used in conjunction with verbs. ~Rob Bell in Love Wins

Just a bit of window shopping for spring...and oh, there are some achingly beautiful creations out there! These female makers are hitting all the right notes. Cue the soundtrack + bring on the sunshine!

All lovely photos via links.

Love,
​Jane

I've been extremely encouraged to see so many people (online) join the zero-waste movement recently! It is incredibly exciting!! Each of us can create SO MUCH trash in a week...month...year...lifetime. Our efforts toward zero-waste most certainly make a difference! Yay!

What I've also noticed in the all this newfound excitement over zero-waste is that it seems to have become ever more often an opportunity for consumerism. The photos most often involve a new stack of tiffins or a pristine collection of wooden brushes or a beautiful stack of folded produce bags. There are posts galore reviewing bowl covers + cotton rounds. I'm not necessarily opposed to these items...but I am opposed to the idea that this presents...which is that you need a lot of new stuff to begin living the zero-waste lifestyle. Yikes. 

The whole point is to lessen our impact on the earth. This, in my opinion, begins with "less" not more. Also, I feel like presenting this version of zero-waste will give some friends the idea that it is beyond their means...and that they can't start until they have all the stuff.

Nothing could be further from the truth! Anyone can start right now! It's not about buying a new toothbrush + dumping the old one. It's about using that old one up + then, when you'd be replacing that toothbrush anyway...choosing a compostable one instead of a plastic one.  

-For groceries:
Gather up any tote bags scattered around the home...most of us have a few. Start washing out + collecting jam, salsa, + spaghetti sauce jars. Look around for cloth drawstring bags from gifts or purchases like shoes, sheets, etc. Ask mom or friends if they have any extras. 

With this kit, you can shop the bulk section. Just start with what you have. Stick to the perimeter of the grocery store. I didn't start out with + still don't use glass jars to shop. Read more about my rationale here (I'm still shopping with those same plastic bins). The jars can hold your bulk purchases, leftovers, cooked beans, lunch, cheese, snacks, drinks...

-In the kitchen:
The following is a list of things that I have nothing against, but don't have or want: 
-beeswax paper/cloth bowl covers (a jar works great...or put half of an avocado or apple or watermelon face down on a plate..put a plate on top of a bowl- or bowl on top of a plate to keep leftovers in the fridge)
-all the pretty brushes (I don't like all the little grimy bits that get stuck in the bristles, so washcloths + rags work for us)
-tiffins (we have lots of jars)
-individual produce bags (everything can go together into a bigger bag)
-roll of snap together cloth "paper towels" (use spent tea towels or cut up an old tee for rags)

-In the bathroom:
Use up what you have. That might take quite a while + that's great! This allows time to really consider whether the product is a necessity, to do the research, to save up, + to replace each item with a product that creates less waste as each runs out. 

If someone has fun buying a couple new items to get started decreasing their waste...ok. I get it. I find my set of matching jars lovely. But I fear that presenting zero-waste in terms of a shopping list is just another excuse for consumerism (not unlike the popularity of capsule wardrobes as an excuse to purchase a whole new set of clothes each season). 

Conspicuous consumption is the biggest creator of waste in our society. It's exactly what zero-waste is fighting + I get a little peevish about its creep into the zero-waste community. My point is only that a shopping list is not the most important thing about starting zero-waste. The most important thing is to begin.  :)

Love,
Jane

Spring! It's still a bit cold here...but the days are longer. I haven't put away my sweater coat yet...but I'm ready. A few weeks ago, I put together a small work wardrobe on a whim...to figure out how it might look for me. I learned that not only could this wardrobe be useful for work...it could work for my life as it is! The one key lesson I took away was this: A small wardrobe benefits from choosing pieces that are not too dressy + not too casual. By choosing pieces that could be worn to make yogurt and to make a presentation...outfits that could be just as comfy while reading a book at home as they would be going to the ballet...less can do it all!

I didn't set out to make a shopping list, but I did keep coming back to that little collection as I was thinking about what I'd be wearing this spring. Too casual might be the current issue in my closet...so the linen jacket stood out as a comfy piece that could dress up an outfit in a way that would still feel like me. I was able to locate the exact jacket on ebay for $30 (second hand). The jeans felt like a silhouette missing from my wardrobe, in a color that I don't think I've tried before, and again they would elevate my pieces just a bit. (Hopefully, I can keep them clean!)

So here are the pieces that I'm wearing this spring:

tops ::
cream sweatshirt
black sweatshirt
olive button down shirt
navy tee
human tank*

bottoms ::
tan sarouelles 
cream jeans* 

one-piece ::
jumpsuit 

layer ::
linen jacket* 

footwear:
flats
trainers
clogs

possibly/probably also:
pact tanks
indigo long-sleeved tee 
striped 3/4 sleeved tee
denim jacket
olive pants
​leggings

*new pieces in 2018 
​
Notes ::
-Temperatures vary during these months, so fabric weights + styles vary as well.
​ (sweatshirt + jeans + trainers = warmer. tank + sarouelles + clogs = cooler.)
-Layers. In the transition months, I'll often start the day with a layer on + want bare arms as   the day goes on. My long sleeved tops can work as layers with a tank underneath.
-I only have one short sleeved top, because it goes from being cold enough for a sweatshirt   to warm enough for a tank quickly. Tanks layer well + are useful all summer long. (This   might be different if I spent my days in a more temperature controlled space.) 
-Long sleeved tees are on trial. If they don't layer well under and over...they probably don't   earn their spots in my simple wardrobe. 
-Shoes are important in the small wardrobe. They switch the vibe of an outfit effectively.   (jumpsuit + tank + trainers = casual. jumpsuit + linen jacket + flats = a bit more dressy)

Love,
Jane

Photos via links (if no link- mine).

Nature gives to every time + season some beauties of its own.  ~Charles Dickens

Bobby + Steven Clark's beautiful + simple home via

Less means I'm using less resources.
Letting go means that someone else can get some use out of some of my things.
I only have the ability to wear one outfit...sit in one chair...eat off one plate...at a time.
Creativity can be even more challenged with less...and good things can happen.
There is enough for everybody's need, but some are still in need.
Keeping things until they are way past out-of-style helps no one, especially not the earth.
Having less makes it more likely that my pieces will get used up.
Thrift shops allow a community to share + have access to quite a variety of items.
Making use of second hand (buying/selling/donating) means less new resources are used.
Buying less means less waste.
Less is lovely.
Less makes it easier to clean + care for my stuff.
Less is all I need.
​Less is enough.

I think, for me, my commitment to "less" mainly comes down to preference, but also to resources, waste + need. An even more concise way to explain the second part of this commitment might be...compassion...compassion for other humans + for the planet we share. I choose to keep my hands open...consuming thoughtfully with concern for farmers, garment workers, and the environment...caring for my things mindfully...but not holding on too tight. 

A closet full of blankets might provide warmth for a whole family in a shelter. An extra dress in my closet might empower another mama to show up for that job interview or to face her child's teacher. That second set of dishes in the pantry might provide a family with a sense of home once resettled.

My home + my wardrobe tell different stories now, and I'm ok with that. 

Love,
Jane

​All lovely photos via link.

Courtney Carver recently wrote about being a proud member of the outfit repeaters club. I am one too. My first full time job out of college involved being the school nurse to four different Head Start schools. I would work out of a different school each day. We didn't have a lot of money, but I had one pair of jeans that felt great. Since the same people didn't often see me two days in a row, I just let myself wear that pair of jeans every day. After a while, it didn't really occur to me that I should wear something different each day.

On the other hand, I know the moment when my consciousness of there being some "rules" around repeating outfits started. Some time around third grade, a classmate asked me why I was wearing the same thing I wore the day before. Well, at my house that was the system. I had three outfits + I would wear them for two days each on repeat. At that moment I became aware of a new norm.

As time went on, I surmised that what may have happened was that this classmate had wanted to wear her favorite shirt two days in a row...her had mom objected + told her that that would be inappropriate. She noticed that I had broken this "rule" + wanted to know why.

I'm guessing that this mama was operating in accordance with the perceived "rules" + was trying to avoid judgement of both herself + her child. In this way, adults pass these "rules" and judgements onto their children. If we desire to break this cycle (even if only to promote compassion for other children), it's important to communicate to our children that different people have different preferences (not rules) about these things. Maybe at our house we cheer for the Broncos + at someone else's house they prefer the Packers. Everyone has different preferences, + that is ok. An exploration of why we hold a preference might be useful, and that explanation may be offered if helpful.

When I started my small monthly wardrobes, I decided to only include one Sunday outfit for the colder months. It felt a bit weird, because I mostly only see those people on Sundays. I went ahead anyway, because when I looked at the big picture it made sense. If I had even just two Sunday outfits, I'd only wear them twice a month for a few months...maybe only ten times per year. Silly + wasteful (to me).  :)

Some tools proud members of the wardrobe repeaters club use: 
-We find a few pairs of great shoes. A change of shoes can change the vibe of an outfit.
-We decide what we like, what fits + flatters us.
-We might try a uniform of sorts...a few varied white shirts + a few varied dark bottoms...or always a dress...or always a fitted top + wide bottom...
-We take comfort (not shlumpiness) seriously.
-We wear our favorite clothes every day.
-We recognize that we get to set our own norms + that there are no rules.
-We don't take ourselves very seriously. The goal is not necessarily to have no one notice...it's to not really care (totally possible).  :)

Today I would welcome a conversation about why I wear the same things over + over. My compassion for farmers, garment workers + the environment...along with my confidence in it being ok to cover my body in the same pieces that I love day after day...just might offer someone else another option! I see this way of thinking as freedom + why wouldn't I welcome the opportunity to share it!?

Any + all are welcome in the outfit repeaters club!

Love,
Jane

Photos via link (+ the article shows lots more repeat/uniform dressing).

Spring is the time of plans + projects.  ~Leo Tolstoy

This space is about simple beauty + compassion, so I've tried to keep ads at bay...including my own. I just thought I might let you know that I have a few pieces of pre-loved goodness on etsy at the moment. This is my way of trying first to get some of these pieces into the hands of people who can use + appreciate them and to keep them out of the waste stream. No pressure to shop...just in case it might be helpful.

Viva la fairdare!  :) 

Love,
Jane