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My mom has been asking me what Tomoe wants for Christmas. I usually say "Nothing, She/we have too much crap already", but today I had a better idea, after reading this amazing article in Fast Company about Wal-Mart. I told my mom that what Tomoe wants for Christmas, is for my mom to not buy anything at Wal-Mart. Not just not buy Tomoe's present at Wal-Mart, but not buy anything at Wal-Mart, ever.

It gave me a good idea of what I will be giving to everyone for Christmas this year too. While it may sound a little like saying "I want peace on earth and good will toward men", this is what I want from, and will be giving to, other people.

A pledge that:

• I will, when given an option, buy clothing and other manufactured goods that can be verified to have been made in countries where factories are held to strict environmental regulations, regardless of how much higher the price is. I will also make every effort to find this information about the crap I waste my money on.
• I will only buy environmentally friendly soaps and toiletries when available, regardless of the price markup. (this includes buying refills instead of new bottles just because the bottles are on sale or have a rebate)
• I will measure my monthly waste (garbage, not bodily) for one month, and reduce it by some to-be-determined percentage in the next month, and maintain a waste out-put level at or below that new target for the remainder of the year.¹
• With every purchase, I will conciuosly follow and document (on my site) how I applied the "3-R rule"².
  1. Re-duce: Do I really need this crap?
  2. Re-use: Can the item or packaging be reused, or used for more than one purpose?
  3. Re-cycle: Can the packaging or product be recycled?
• I will start my window-sill compost project again.
• Although I already do separate all my garbage, I'd love for family members to begin separating theirs. Although I guess there are not as many readily available recycle options in the US, the least they can do is return cans and bottels to the store, rather than throwing them in their garbage with everything else.
• (my gift to Tomoe) I will wash out the juice cartons immediately after using them so there is less mold when I take it to the recycle bin.
• I will stop the water in the shower when I am washing my hair, brushing my teeth, or shaving (yes I do all those in the shower)
• I wont buy disposable products when re-usable options are avaialable. I will bring my own tupperware to any stores where I buy goods which are not already packaged (such as the bread-shop, the fish-shop, the local tofu-shop, etc...³
• I will only buy recycled toilet paper regardless of price.⁴
• I will make one of my daily poops before I take a shower, so I don't need to use toilet paper. :-D

I'm not sure if people will really appreciate these gifts, but it's what I would want for Christmas.

While some of these require action and may be a pain in the ass, others simply require spending money, something you would be doing if you got me a plastic CD holder, or a lava-lampish gift "for the guy who has it all" filled with some environmentally hazardess materials, and wrapped it all up with more wasteful packaging. Instead, you can just spend the money on organic foods which don't introduce all kinds of hazardess chemicals and hormones into our environment. Not only will I be happy about that, but you will also benefit from eating healthier foods yourselves!

It isn't as hard on the wallet as it seems at first either. If you know me, you know I'm one cheap basitsh. I've found however that paying an extra buck-fifty for a package of organic eggs, or veggies, or and extra 30 yen for each package of paper wrapped natto, instead of the "cheaper" individually plastic-wrapped cups is not making me go broke. (I say cheaper in parentheses because it is only cheaper at the checkout counter. the price you will pay in the long run for landfills and waste disposal is far more than 30 yen) In fact, environmentally minded shopping actually saves me money! Although individual items are often more expensive, it is more than made up for every time I put something I "want" back on the shelf because it is wrapped three times in plastic and foam.

Why, the other day I saved 400 yen by not buying a bunch of half-priced pears which I really wanted.. unfortunately, they were all individually wrapped in plastic, with their very own non-reclyclable styrofoam tray. Why the hell would the store do that? The pears were already passed their prime, which is why they were half price in the first place. Why waste time and money on that packaging?

Anyway, this is a post about gift ideas for my family, not a rant about the incredible thoughtlessness and stupidity I see around me each and every day, which makes me really want to cry sometimes, and smack people around most of the time (like the people in from of me in the store getting a plastic bag for their drink, which they are going to be drinking the second they walk out the doors!). Even the most innocent thing can set me off. This weekend I went to a get-together where the water served was little 16-ounce plastic bottled water! WHY?!?!?!? What's wrong with a couple pitchers of water served in re-usable glasses?!? But I'll save the ranting for some other time.

I guess what I really want, is not for everyone to make some specific pledge, or document any specific deed, but rather to simply start thinking, even the tiniest bit, about what you buy and use. Once you think about something, and think about the consequences of your purchase, it is soooooo much easier to put it back on the shelf, and almost impossible to want whatever you thought you wanted in the first place.

Miguel:

As for the window sill composting... I never noticed the smell (because it is outside my closed window) but I never did anything to prevent smell... never got any complaints from the neighbors though.

There are kitchen composters you can buy that are supposed to take care of the smell and all for you, so you can keep it right in your kitchen. I'd invest in one, but I don't really have space in my kitchen, and I never really put out enough compostable waste to justify the huge device.

I haven't done it for a couple years, but I used to just use two old wastebaskets filled with dirt on my window sill. By the time I got one filled, the other one was pretty well composted, and I could alternate.

Recently I have noticed that my composting is happening in the refridgerator. I can't find anyplace to buy smaller bunches of spinach, and the big bunch is generally more than the birds and I can eat before it starts to get rotten. With Tomoe moving in next week though, having two mouths should remedy that problem.

The comment spam protector is something I added myself. It requires editing your moveable type code itself, as well as templates, and adding a plugin, but I can let you use it if your brave about that stuff.

I works fine for now. Only one spam has happened since I added it which is why I am not bothering to add the Jay Allen blacklist which everyone else seems to like, and sounds easier to install than what I use.

I agree with the idea of what you're saying (is there anyone actually AGAINST a clean environment?) But it is not exactly as simple as that. You say we should all be willing to spend a little extra money to be eco-friendly but how far should it go? I'm living in an environmentally friendly dorm right now. The entire dorm is made of environmentally friendly materials and, according to the housing manual, 'during construction, every kilogram of waste was counted in order to reduce on future projects.' That's Good. We separate all of our garbage (although for some reason people can't seem to grasp the difference between, say, glass and cardboard when separating their garbage)That's also Good-when it works. Our lightbulbs are environmentally sound (are yours?!) also, instead of 1 bright light we have many little lamps to conserve on energy...not so nice when you're trying to read by a 20 watt bulb at night. The water system was designed to lower water consumption which is a good idea in principle but is it really working when i have to spend 20 minutes in the shower instead of 10 because the water comes out as a trickle and it takes twice as long to rinse? We even recycle urine into the backyard! I suppose i can put up with the headaches from poor lighting, waking up 10 minutes earlier to shower, the shampoo in my hair, the urine smell coming from outside my window...but how much extra should i be willing to pay for this little piece of eco-friendly living? As it is, I pay almost TWICE as much as any dorm or student apartment in Lund. Am I evil and selfish for wanting to move out? Sure, we'd all like buy the envrionmentally friendly eggs or toilet paper (which i do, by the way), even if it costs just a little bit extra...but you have to remember that not everyone has enough money to do the environmentally friendly thing every time. That 'extra buck-fifty for a package of organic eggs' could be the difference between eating lunch and not eating lunch the next day (although, i suppose not eating is also saving on waste). So the next time you see someone putting a package of 'cheaper' individually packaged natto in their basket, don't be so hasty to judge. You are cheap by choice so spending a little extra is hard for you mentally, but it's do-able. Some people have no coice but to be cheap (or as I like to call it, thrifty).

by the way, concerning your point #2...I am pretty sure that mom and dad return their empty bottles and cans to the store. Michigan's still got the 10cent refund system as far as i know.

As Miguel noted, thanks for the reminder about maintaining and enhancing eco-friendly habits. Regarding the toilet paper, use the white color (I don't remember from my years in Nihon if the colored t.p. was/is available) as the dyes and inks from the colored toilet paper can leak from landfills into any surrounding soil or water. A frequent viewer of your site, I always appreciate your photos and comments...Tod Walters

but how far should it go?

As far as it takes.

Your basing your idea of "too far" by judging against a lifestyle that you are used to in America and Japan. That lifestyle is not sustainable or neccesary. Who ever said you have a right to live a comfortable life at my expense, and the expense of my children? Is it hurting you to have all those little inconveniences you have? What if all x-billion people in the world lived a "convenient" lifestyle that is not taking eco-friendly "too far"?

not so nice when you're trying to read by a 20 watt bulb at night.

So you think your right to read with a room full of light is worth any cost to the environment?

how much extra should i be willing to pay for this little piece of eco-friendly living?

Your not paying extra, your paying the true price.
People who think they are getting a bargain are not paying less, they are passing the cost on to everyone else, and the earth. Calculate the true cost of living the unneccesary lifestyle you are accustomed to and want... it will be much higher than what you pay now.

And I'm not judging people who buy the cheap eggs if they can't afford the expensive ones, unless they are also buying piles of other things that they don't need, and serve only to pollute the world. Why not cut out that purchase, and use the money on eco-friendly neccesities.

It's all a matter of need. What do you need and what do you want. We all need very little.

Why don't you write some more on your site about what your dorm does? It sounds like some great stuff that would give good ideas to other people. Don't keep all that to yourself?

Tod:

Good point about the dies. I guess I wasn't advocating using colored toilet paper, just don't use toilet paper that it purposely bleached to make it sparkling white.

Although I shouldn't rant about toilet paper. I (actually my birds) use way more toilet paper than we should. They use more than I do actually! Now if I could just teach them to use it without my help.

Kevin,

Thanks for the information concerning bleached toilet paper; I haven't looked at the labeling for the t.p. I buy yet I will do so now. I read the Wal-Mart article you linked to and it is alarming. Another reason for people to consider before shopping at Wal-Mart is a story on "60 Minutes" several years ago which featured a town of about 8,000 residents 25 miles from where I currently live. Wal-Mart built a store and the "mom and pop" stores closed due to lack of business. Then, Wal-Mart decided their store wasn't profitable and closed it, leaving residents with far fewer shopping options. The prices at Wal-Mart are lower yet there are costs involved which of course, Wal-Mart doesn't consider or want us to be concerned with. Thanks again for your thoughtful comments and excellent photos. I hope your trip to the States is excellent in every way. Tod

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