Made Anywhere But Here

It's happened before, but it hit me again when I went to a nearby grocery store and browsed through the greeting card aisle. This is nothing new to most people, but I was put off by the fact that everything was made in China. I planned to buy some Halloween, Thanksgiving, and other everyday cards, but walked away with neither. I could not find one card that was made somewhere else, like here in the U.S.A., or Canada, or anywhere else in the world. I will have to try my luck elsewhere, perhaps at a greeting card retail store that should have more offerings, hopefully with some of them being made domestically.

I am definitely not alone in preferring to buy domestic products. There are websites dedicated to all manner of companies that still produce their wares here in the U.S.A. By chance, I came across an article about olive oil from olives grown in California, and am now on the waiting list for a limited supply of a recommended reserve olive oil that must be used within a shorter time before expiration. I love Italian-made goods, but I could not give up the chance to try an olive oil made within the U.S.A. I am looking forward to getting it time for the holidays.

We can’t completely avoid buying things made outside of the fifty states, especially those items made in China. They are everywhere, and sometimes the only options available in stores. I have nothing against the Chinese people; it’s just their government’s cut-throat economic practices and human rights violations I cannot stand. When it comes to buying fresh fruits and vegetables, I almost always buy domestic. I immediately settled the choice between buying lemons grown in California versus those grown in Chile at my latest visit to the grocery store by choosing the former. In that case, they were the same price, but in many cases, buying domestically often means more money. I grin and bear it because I think it is worth it.

Do you think it is worth it?

Friday Forum: Stay Green

Today is Earth Day, one of the smaller, forgotten holidays we celebrate each year. But for those of us who pay attention to our energy consumption, recycling habits, and other ways to go green, it's a great time to share ideas and get tips on being more Earth-friendly.

What are some ways you stay green year-round? Do you have any tips to share with others who want to do their part?

Shedding Pounds

If there’s one thing that bothers me… actually, a lot of things bother me, but one of them is waste. I wouldn’t say I’m as vigilant about it as I could or should be, but I like to live by the three Rs: reduce, reuse, recycle.

With that outlook, I refused to throw away the bags and bags of clothes, linens and shoes I’ve been accumulating over the years, knowing that textiles can be recycled, if not donated. I’ve had some of these piles for two years now, and they’ve just grown with time. It was starting to become that deep secret you keep locked in the closet. No, literally, I had stuffed all of these things throughout the closets in my apartment (it didn’t all fit in any one closet), and lived my life as if they weren’t there.

Except they were.

This year, I slowly but surely started to chip away at the pile (probably more slowly than surely). But I’m happy to say that after this weekend, I am finally rid of it! I gave some of it away to my friend who then helped me lug the containers and duffel bags over to the textile recycling Wearable Collections had set up. The best thing about their program is that the clothing is sorted, so anything that can be reused will be and if it can’t, it’s recycled.

It’s amazing how much lighter I feel now that I’ve finally done this. It’s as if I was subconsciously wearing the pounds and pounds of clothes I had stuffed in those closets. Of course, now that there’s actually room in the closets again, there’s no longer any excuse for the complete mess in there. I guess getting those spic and span is my next task, but for now, I’m just happy I got this done.

Do you have any clutter and chaos that’s weighing you down? What’s your plan of action for getting rid of it?

Spring Cleaning Turned Shopping Spree

My goal for Memorial Day weekend was to do some major spring cleaning – clean the apartment from top to bottom, rid my closet of clothes that don’t fit me, organize the 8 (!!!) bags of clothes to donate or recycle, and then take said piles to Goodwill and the textile recycling at Union Square. Lofty goals for 3 days, but I was ready to make it happen.

That is, of course, until life got in the way.

On Friday night, when I was supposed to start my cleaning spree, a good friend of mine who I haven’t seen in a long time invited me out – I couldn’t resist! I spent all of Saturday cleaning furiously, and while I was able to make the apartment sparkle, my closet was still untouched. Sunday was so beautiful that another friend and I decided to spend a couple of hours reading in the sun… That turned into an evening cooking, eating and watching a movie. By the time I got home, I was too tired to attack my closet, but since I’d made plans to go shopping with my sisters on Monday (after cleaning out my closet, of course), I knew I had to get it done.

So I woke up at 6 a.m. on a holiday to sort through the 8 (!!!) bags of clothes I had, and I did some digging in my closet, but not nearly enough. Still, after lugging 2 huge bags of clothes to the textile recycling, I felt accomplished enough to take a break for the day. I’m glad I didn’t stress over it, because it was a great day with my sisters, shopping, strolling in the sun, and having lunch at one of our favorite restaurants.

Even though my closet’s still a mess and there are still about 6 bags/crates of clothing that need to get recycled or donated, getting to spend the time with my friends and sisters made it all worth it.

How did you spend your weekend?

Not Your Mother's Uniform

In the past few months, I lost some weight and inches around my body. Because a lot of my clothes were already a bit roomy to begin with, most of them didn’t fit anymore and once I purged my closet, it had next to nothing in it. So I went on mini shopping sprees, buying a few items at a time whenever I saved up the money. Now that I've done this a few times, I realized just how much I worry about looking the right way, and having enough variety so that people don’t think I only own a handful of tops.

I feel like so many of us – especially women – feel pressure to not wear the same thing every day. We assume that at least one person out there is paying attention to what we’re wearing and would ridicule us if we wore the same thing all the time.

Thinking about this reminded me of something I learned about over the summer called The Uniform Project: a woman's wearing the same dress every day for a year to raise money for charity. She had a friend design a dress for her and had 7 identical dresses made, one for each day of the week. Each day for the past year, she’s been making her outfits unique by adding layers and accessories, wearing her dress as a top, a jacket, and, of course, a dress. Her year is almost up, and she’s raised over $75,000 for education in India.

Seeing how she was able to create new outfits every day with the same pieces has made me reconsider how I look at clothes and fashion. Considering the ways I already try to apply sustainability to fashion, I definitely think I’ll get more creative so I can keep cutting down on waste.

What do you think of The Uniform Project? Would you be able to wear the same thing every day?

Swap 'til You Drop

A few weeks ago, on the same day as the blogathon I participated in, I organized a clothing swap for me and my friends. For those of you who might not know what that is, the way it works is you have people bring clothes they don't want anymore and then swap clothing with each other. The idea is that even if you don't like something anymore or it no longer fits you, somebody else might have a use for it.

I love the idea of clothing swaps for a number of reasons. For one, it's a great way to reduce waste. I've often heard of or seen people throw their clothing away, and this is such a huge waste. There are places you can take their clothing to recycle, but at the very least, folks should be donating their clothes to Goodwill or the Salvation Army. A clothing swap is in the same spirit, except your clothes go to your friends and acquaintances.

Another reason I like clothing swaps is because it can save money. During times like these, it's hard to think about spending hundreds of dollars for a few new pieces of clothing. Even if you wait around for sales or shop at a thrift store or Goodwill, finding the right item can take time and you'll still have to pay for it. At a clothing swap, everything is free! A barely-worn jacket that once cost somebody $100 is now yours for nothing.

Of course, the best reason to have a clothing swap, in my opinion: the fun! You get to spend hours with friends and family, drinking and munching away. You'll probably end up hearing at least a couple of stories sparked by clothing items -- a dress worn to the first date with a now-husband, the outfit that got somebody their dream job, the jeans somebody wore when she fell face-flat at a college event. Their memories become intertwined with yours and everyone knows their clothes have a great new owner. It's like The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants for grown-ups.