Apartment Proud
Mar. 23rd, 2008 12:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fabrissePlease don't have a heart attack, those of you who know me in person (I'm especially worried about ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
bryttan), but I've spent this weekend organizing the apartment.
I KNOW! It's a shock to me, too.
Of course, the place still looks like a tip, but it's a much improved tip -- a tip with possibilities, if you will.
Some of the issues can't be resolved for a couple of weeks or a months. For instance, until I can find someone to help me put together this Ikea furniture, I still can't unpack my books and DVDs.
Yesterday, though, I broke down as many of the empty boxes as I could and got them down to recycling. I've started assigning places to my dry goods, cookware, and plates and returning them to where they're supposed to go. I then moved the unpackable boxes to the edge of the living room, laid out the carpet pad that arrived on Friday, and unrolled my area rug. I did the same thing in the foyer. Today, I'll trim the extra carpet padding (both rugs are odd sizes 5'3" x 3'6" for the foyer and 9'10" x 7'9" for the living room), and use the scraps under a small rug in my hall. The final two rugs should arrive, with carpet pads, next week sometime. The flooring in here is hard wood, but it's a condition of the lease that at least 60% be covered in carpeting of some sort to keep down the noise for the neighbors.
I'm doing laundry now and ran another load in the dishwasher.
It's tough. I'm succeeding in lots of little ways, but financially it's a bitch.
I love my rugs, but to get all wool rugs or natural latex pads, cost anywhere from twice as much to six times as much as I might have paid for synthetics that give off VOCs and have ecological consequences in their manufacturing processes. Thank heavens for Overstock and SmartBargains and their ilk, but even then I have to think about things like transportation and delivery issues.
When I got the rugs, they were made in India, which I expected (the only ones with MADE IN AMERICA seals were synthetics) and had certificates attached stating they did not use child labor at any point in the manufacturing or shipping process. I hadn't even thought about that possibility.
The furniture from Ikea is not so eco-friendly, but they're improving their manufacturing processes and making the effort for minimizing packaging.
The worst thing so far has been lamps. The ones I've found are beautiful and relatively inexpensive, but they're packed with styrofoam. Any ideas on what I can do with chunks of non-recyclable styrofoam?
Even with the little things, trying to do the right thing is more expensive. It costs $1.19 for four rolls of the generic toilet paper at my local Safeway. I spent $3.19 to get six rolls of 100% post-consumer recyclables toilet paper. (I started to write "recycled toilet paper" and then went "EW!")
Everything from laundry detergent to paper towels was significantly more costly. I know that if I buy it now, and enough others join me, the prices will come down, but in the mean time, something as basic as toilet paper costs me $.23 more per roll. That's a definite downside in poorer neighborhoods.
My upsides for my ecological footprint include taking the Metro to and from just about everything with the side benefit of adding exercise to my health regimen. Once the State of California gets back to me with my driver's license number for the two years I was there, I'll be able to join ZipCar. My first plotted journey is to borrow the convertible and visit my 102 year old cousin on the Eastern Shore.
I've joined a CSA as I mentioned before, and should soon have organic, fresh vegetables coming out of my ears. It should also be a great lesson in seasonality.
Happy Celebration of Spring to everyone no matter which form your celebration takes. Mine will be next week when the Cherry Blossom festival begins with the kite flying competition. *G*
bryttan), but I've spent this weekend organizing the apartment.I KNOW! It's a shock to me, too.
Of course, the place still looks like a tip, but it's a much improved tip -- a tip with possibilities, if you will.
Some of the issues can't be resolved for a couple of weeks or a months. For instance, until I can find someone to help me put together this Ikea furniture, I still can't unpack my books and DVDs.
Yesterday, though, I broke down as many of the empty boxes as I could and got them down to recycling. I've started assigning places to my dry goods, cookware, and plates and returning them to where they're supposed to go. I then moved the unpackable boxes to the edge of the living room, laid out the carpet pad that arrived on Friday, and unrolled my area rug. I did the same thing in the foyer. Today, I'll trim the extra carpet padding (both rugs are odd sizes 5'3" x 3'6" for the foyer and 9'10" x 7'9" for the living room), and use the scraps under a small rug in my hall. The final two rugs should arrive, with carpet pads, next week sometime. The flooring in here is hard wood, but it's a condition of the lease that at least 60% be covered in carpeting of some sort to keep down the noise for the neighbors.
I'm doing laundry now and ran another load in the dishwasher.
It's tough. I'm succeeding in lots of little ways, but financially it's a bitch.
I love my rugs, but to get all wool rugs or natural latex pads, cost anywhere from twice as much to six times as much as I might have paid for synthetics that give off VOCs and have ecological consequences in their manufacturing processes. Thank heavens for Overstock and SmartBargains and their ilk, but even then I have to think about things like transportation and delivery issues.
When I got the rugs, they were made in India, which I expected (the only ones with MADE IN AMERICA seals were synthetics) and had certificates attached stating they did not use child labor at any point in the manufacturing or shipping process. I hadn't even thought about that possibility.
The furniture from Ikea is not so eco-friendly, but they're improving their manufacturing processes and making the effort for minimizing packaging.
The worst thing so far has been lamps. The ones I've found are beautiful and relatively inexpensive, but they're packed with styrofoam. Any ideas on what I can do with chunks of non-recyclable styrofoam?
Even with the little things, trying to do the right thing is more expensive. It costs $1.19 for four rolls of the generic toilet paper at my local Safeway. I spent $3.19 to get six rolls of 100% post-consumer recyclables toilet paper. (I started to write "recycled toilet paper" and then went "EW!")
Everything from laundry detergent to paper towels was significantly more costly. I know that if I buy it now, and enough others join me, the prices will come down, but in the mean time, something as basic as toilet paper costs me $.23 more per roll. That's a definite downside in poorer neighborhoods.
My upsides for my ecological footprint include taking the Metro to and from just about everything with the side benefit of adding exercise to my health regimen. Once the State of California gets back to me with my driver's license number for the two years I was there, I'll be able to join ZipCar. My first plotted journey is to borrow the convertible and visit my 102 year old cousin on the Eastern Shore.
I've joined a CSA as I mentioned before, and should soon have organic, fresh vegetables coming out of my ears. It should also be a great lesson in seasonality.
Happy Celebration of Spring to everyone no matter which form your celebration takes. Mine will be next week when the Cherry Blossom festival begins with the kite flying competition. *G*
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
toilet paper
Date: 2008-03-23 07:21 pm (UTC)http://www.marcalpaper.com/
Re: toilet paper
Date: 2008-03-23 07:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-24 03:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-24 05:21 pm (UTC)We may be helping to create the demand, but it ain't cheap. *G*