Tell One Friend: Wasteless New Year's Resolutions

The new year is an opportunity to set new goals! Asking a friend or family member for one goal to reduce waste is a small but mighty ask.

Ideas for Small Asks

• Use a reusable straw. Stainless steel or bamboo straws are easy to find in many stores or online. Gifting one to a friend or making carrying cases from reused fabric for the straws together is a good way to get a conversation going!
• Start a compost pile. Start up a conversation about home composting with a friend, family member or neighbour. Highlight your own interest and how easy it can be. Helping someone set up a compost can be a fun, social activity.
• Recycle right. Encourage your friends and family to download the WasteWise app to learn what goes where. You could also show them how to visit edmonton.ca/waste and check on an item.
• Use reusable shopping bags. This is an easy one!  They are inexpensive to buy and some even fold up to pack with you wherever you go. How would they remind themselves to bring the bags into the store?
• Use reusable produce bags. These are also easy to find or to sew for yourself. Bag your fruits and veggies at the market or grocery store in a reusable bag, before heading to the cashier.
• Consciously buy less clothing. Buying well made, versatile, ethically-made clothing, can really help cut down on clothing costs. Purchasing timeless basics and using them to create multiple outfits can aid in keeping closets and dressers free of clutter.
• Buy food in bulk. Some stores in Edmonton allow for reusable jars or containers to be filled to decrease packaging consumption. 

What are Your Wasteless Goals for 2019?
Post in the comments below. Or email mcrp@edmonton.ca

Visit edmonton.ca/wastelessholidays

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Bare Minimum Part 3 by MCR Leah A.

During the month of September, Leah started a minimalism challenge. The goal was to remove 465 items from her life by recycling or donating, with only 5% of items allowed to go in the trash.

Catch up on Part 1 and Part 2 if you missed them.

Halfway through September, Leah was down 231 items, and keenly aware that she had some tough choices ahead. Read how she finished out the month and whether she met her goal.

Part 3: When the going gets tough, the smart stop carrying things OR Beware the ides of any month

After a whirlwind of effort in the beginning of the month, the middle found me swamped. First assignments due for school, a busy month at work, and my house was covered in piles of things based on how ready I was to let them go. I am a skilled organizer, yet cloth bags and boxes could only tame so much. Confronting my stuff every day as I came home was definitely stressful, but it just made me commit to ideals of Overwhelmed even more. It was a trial-by-fire which I couldn't have designed better.

Want a great way to unpack your perceptions of the balance between work and leisure? Try watching TV while piles of clothes cover every bit of space you aren't occupying! A glass of wine helps, in my experience.

I had intended to hold all my clothing donations for Homeless Connect, but I needed some room to study. I dropped bags of clothes and other miscellaneous items into the donation bin in front of BGCBigs. A third party sells it off and directs a small portion to the charity. Not ideal, but my donation options are limited since I have a 9-5 job and no car.

When I tallied these items I was at 329 (71%) items down. Just 136 (29%) to go! It had been while since I actually moved things out of my house and I had forgotten how great it felt to come home with less than I left with. I could see why the original game had the daily element, but I was definitely glad to be doing this over the month as a whole. I don’t think I could have kept going facing 22-30 items per day for the remainder of the month.

Week four started off with another batch of items destined for the Reuse Centre. I felt almost petty counting my old laundry scoops as 4 items, but they were on the list and I debated each one. It's weird, the things that seem easy to let go of at first and then you hear a voice taunting, "maybe I will need this someday…"

Forget that voice—someday rarely comes.

I was also able to pack up items for my sister and mother from the keepsake project for shipping. When both they and the Reuse Centre stuff went out I would be at 469 items. I had done it!

...But there were still boxes to go through, closets to clean, and things I could almost let go of. I decided to up the goal to 500 items to keep the motivation high. Disappointingly, I had to put the challenge on hold for the next three days while I cleaned up for a dinner party. To console myself, I shredded all the paper I had amassed during the month to date. That task also gave me that light feeling I so enjoyed.

Saturday, September 27th, my friend Kat collected me to do a donation run. The Bissell Centre got "54" items. Like the pens, I counted multiples of the same thing as one item. The last Reuse Centre run was under deadline at 3:55 pm! I let go of my collection of cooking magazines after much debate, including a last minute one in the parking lot outside of the centre. I don’t use them with the internet at my fingertips, and they can have a second life in someone else’s kitchen, or perhaps as part of a vision board collage.

I spent the last two days of September enjoying my space. I felt like I had hit the edge of what I could let go of without regret. I think just like regular weight loss, losing too much stuff too fast can be as damaging as it is beneficial.

I input my final data, and sat down to do some analysis! Garbage total was under 5%, and in just a month I had removed 552 items from my home. Counting several lingering items I'd packed up for friends, my final total was actually 630. I have let go of those things in my mind even if they haven’t left my house (Yes, there are that many things left in my spare room!)

This game was a great experience. I have planned some miniature versions of it for 2015. I'll pick a weekend and commit to purging 50 items. Perhaps as a January 2015 kick off! Maybe you’ll be playing along with me then.

Lessons Learned:

• Be a weekday warrior. While leaving big donations for the weekend makes sense, take something out of your house each day for the emotional lift.
• Track what you are doing so that when it starts to feel daunting you can look at exactly where you are in real numbers, not estimates.
• Don’t forget to take a day off if you need to.

Read Bare Minimum Part 1 & Bare Minimum Part 2

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Leah joined the MCR ranks in May of 2014. She believes that urban environments offer a real opportunity to make the world increasingly sustainable. Favored topics include composting, urban design, and (now) minimalism.

Bare Minimum Part 2 by MCR Leah A.

Leah made the decision to minimize her life by getting rid of 465 items in the span of a month. She galvanized herself for the task ahead, and laid out the rules of the game in Bare Minimum Part 1.

Part 2: Let’s Get Minimal

Once I made the decision to pursue this, I saw my belongings with foreign eyes. My thoughts about stuff had changed from a myriad of vague voices into one brilliantly clear question: Does this thing make my life better?

I quickly realized that if I had asked that question while shopping, I wouldn't be doing this challenge. There were a lot of nice things in my home that I had never actually used. Some of those items went to new and loving homes as housewarming gifts. I threw out old makeup that I don’t wear, and recycled a lot of catalogues and bus schedules that I could easily look at online.

The Wee Book Inn was willing to take some of my books, DVDs and CDs. Did you know that you can get store credit with a 50% bump on the purchase price of your old books? Well you do now. You are welcome! I also picked up some Catfish Coffee to power me through tough times in the rest of the challenge.

It's easier to let go of things when you know someone else
will love them

The real lifesaver in this project was the Reuse Centre. I dropped off 75 items in week one alone! Largest was an artificial Christmas tree, a gift that I had only set up once. On to better things, tree! I also had so many pens and half-filled notebooks. I took out the used pages and thought of the kids who would get sweet pens for school, and felt great. I donated 78 pens but it felt like cheating to count them individually, so I counted one item for all the pens and one item for all the notebooks. Never say I go easy on myself!

Seven days in, I was 135 items down, which gave me a nice buffer to head into the month. 30% complete! I felt amazing, found it easier to relax, and had more pride in my home. I no longer had piles of stuff in front of bookcases and shelves because there was no space. I had created room for the things that really mattered to me, just by getting rid of the things that didn't. The things I kept meant even more to me than they had before, like I had separated the wheat from the chaff or the gem from the rock.

From ApartmentTherapy.com
Set up a box or space at home for
things you might want to get rid of

Week two was a little less drastic. I began a second box for the Reuse Centre and kept a copy of their recently expanded accepted items list handy. (Items trickled in over the rest of the month for the final drop off at the end of the month.)

My brother also came over to go through some keepsakes that my mother had set aside. We kept a few of the best things, recycled a fair bit of our embarrassing childhood art, and put unused diaries, notebooks, and four bags of packing peanuts into the Reuse Centre box. I was thrilled to send the peanuts to the Reuse Centre because they are so damaging to the machinery at the recycling facility, and so harmful in a landfill.

14 days in, I was 231 items down. Just two shy of the 50% mark, but as per the rules, I couldn't count items as gone until they were actually out of my house. I was closer to 60% with what I had mentally let go of.

As week two ended, I was keenly aware that all the low hanging fruit had been picked. The next phase would take a bit more effort.

Lessons Learned:

• I found that letting go of beloved items was much easier when I thought of them going to loving hands and homes.
• Regifting is wonderful when you explain that you are passing it along because you think the new owner will love it too.
• The importance of an outbox. I had a guest closet that was essentially a place for things I just needed to get out of my house. I felt great seeing the floor of it again.

Read Bare Minimum Part 1

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Leah joined the MCR ranks in May of 2014. She believes that urban environments offer a real opportunity to make the world increasingly sustainable. Favored topics include composting, urban design, and (now) minimalism.

Check back in the new year to read the conclusion to Leah's minimalism adventure.

Bare Minimum Part 1 by MCR Leah A.

I have felt the stirrings of minimalist philosophy many times, but it wasn’t until this year that I had anything to report on the subject. This is a three-part story of my first foray into minimalism. (Full disclosure: This was written after the fact, but I drew on notes made during the process so when I say I felt something, I really did!)

Part 1: My path towards minimalism

As part of my Master Composter Recycler (MCR) training there was certainly a real change in my thinking. I started rethinking my possessions: Why did I buy this? Did I need it? Was it making my life better, easier, or simpler? This TED Talk reinforced those thoughts, as did a fellow MCR’s YouTube video (and catchy song). I loved the basic ideas of minimalism: having less, doing more, becoming a connoisseur of life.

The book that started it all

Despite those positive attributes, it just seemed too daunting to me. Where would I start? What would my friends and family think? Would it actually make me happier, healthier, and wealthier in life? I was stuck limbo, interested in minimalism but not pursuing it. Then I read “Overwhelmed: Work, Love, & Play when no one has the Time” in August 2014.

"Overwhelmed" was an interesting read; it takes a gendered look at leisure time. The author examines the reasons North American women feel like they have no ‘free’ time. In brief:

1. Women have inherited a cultural imperative to maintain thoroughly clean spaces. Leisure, for happiness and mental health, comes AFTER work.
2. We own a lot of things that all require some amount of care.

Point one really hit home. My grandmother used to say “a man may work to dusk from dawn, but a women’s work is never done” every time my sister and I played a game instead of helping cook or clean. Even as a grown woman, I felt like I was transgressing when I did something fun or unproductive instead of cleaning my house, reading a school assignment, working, or volunteering. At those coffees with friends, we all seemed to be so busy that we were stressed.

If taking down time seems daunting, here is a lifehack for men or women: have fewer things to clean!

Every knickknack needs to be dusted, every blanket folded, every pillow fluffed. Each item you have in your home is not just a thing that you have, but a thing that you have to do. There is always a task to be done, and if we wait to play until we have nothing to do, we may very well die waiting. It was a logical, well laid-out case. I wanted to be free of the trap that my possessions had become.

Galvanized, I revisited this post by The Minimalists, the speakers from this TED Talk. I knew that their game would be a good way for me to start lightening up my life and making space for things that I truly wanted in it.

The Minimalists

How the game works:

This challenge spans one full month. Find a friend who will get rid of some of their excess stuff. Each of you must get rid of one thing on the first day. Two things on the second day. Three things on the third. And so forth, and so on. Anything can go! Clothes, furniture, electronics, tools, decorations, etc. Donate, sell, or trash. Whatever you do, each material possession must be out of your house—and out of your life—by midnight each day. Whoever keeps it going longest wins.

None of my friends were in for September and I didn't want to wait, so I played the game a bit differently. Instead of using daily rules, I set the goal that, by the end of the month, I would possess 465 fewer items. That's the same total as the daily game, but if I missed a day due to school, work, or life, I had not failed.

I took it one step further and set the goal that only 5% of what I got rid of could go in the garbage. This meant I couldn't "cheat" and throw anything usable away just to be rid of it. After all, this wasn't just about getting stuff out of my life, but also about minimizing my environmental footprint.

With my motivation high and my game rules in place, I set up a spreadsheet to track what I sent where, keep an ongoing tally, and count down to my goal of winning this game.

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Leah joined the MCR ranks in May of 2014. She believes that urban environments offer a real opportunity to make the world increasingly sustainable. Favoured topics include composting, urban design, and (now) minimalism.

Check back next week to read the next installment of Leah's foray into minimalism!

Dreaming of Waste-Less Holidays

Edmontonians have been busy using social media to share ideas on how they reduce the amount of waste they produce during the holidays.

This social media conversation was sparked by a waste-less holidays contest organized by the City of Edmonton. Residents were invited to participate by sharing creative, useful and fun tips though the City’s Twitter account, Facebook page and Transforming Edmonton blog.

The contest got Edmontonians talking about simple ways they can embrace the holidays while being conscious of the waste produced.

Here are some of the ideas we’ve heard on how to reduce holiday waste:
Rethink the way you package your presents: consider using a scarf, festive flyers or cookie tins. Reuse wrapping materials and decorations.
Give waste-friendly gifts such as a shared experience or homemade baking; donate your skills and time to a charity.
Avoid food waste: plan your food and donate unopened treats to the food bank.
After the holidays make sure you recycle boxes, paper (including all non-foil gift wrap), plastic and glass bottles and jars, and cans and aluminum trays.

During the holidays, Edmonton’s waste volumes double. The City encourages residents to reduce, reuse and recycle to minimize the amount of waste.

Submission deadline has been extended until midnight MDT on Thursday, December 19th, 2013.

Check out the contest and what your fellow Edmontonians are doing to reduce their holiday waste by visitingedmonton.ca/wastelessholidays.

Little Free Libraries in Oliver

Take a book, leave a book

... That's the simple slogan driving the Little Free Library movement. It's a simple concept based on sharing and passing on. At heart, a Little Free Library is a box full of books in a public place. It is accessible to anyone in the community, and is not policed beyond simple maintenance. Patrons are encouraged to take a book, leaving another in exchange, so that there is a constant rotation of reading material.

Most Little Free Libraries go beyond just "a box of books", however, and become community hubs in miniature. They are lovingly constructed and cared for - by their creators and by enthusiastic neighbours.
According to the LittleFreeLibrary.org, there are only a handful registered in Edmonton, but folks in the Oliver Community League wants to change that. Their goal is to create, install, and stock 10 Little Free Libraries in their neighbourhood. According to their Make Something Edmonton site, they are 60% towards reaching their goal. The libraries are made out of old newspaper boxes and the league recently held a very successful "painting party" to decorate them. Now they just need to set them up and fill them up!

Live in Oliver and interested in becoming a Little Free Librarian? Contact the Oliver Community League for information on how you can curate a location or donate to the Little Free Library project.

Live somewhere else? Why not start a Little Free Library in your area?

Record MCR volunteering

Edmonton "Leaves It On The Lawn"

Myles shared his passion with a presentation at Pecha Kucha Night 16.
(He starts 12 minutes into the video)

 


Notice the crowd cheer as Myles points out that bagging grass is an outdated behaviour, originating when the first lawn mower was designed with a bag to catch clippings. Times have changed and now people understand that grassclippings are great for lawn health. Over half of Edmonton leaves our clippings on the lawn!


Start a conversation about grasscycling with your friends, they can enter a draw to win a mulching mower at LeaveItOnYourLawn.com

You may notice our summer street crew in
your neighbourhood, we'll tell you
about their role sometime soon.

You can ask for a lawn sign at LeaveItOnYourLawn.com

Edmonton Composts: Celebrating Compost Awareness Week May 5-12, 2013

Celebrate by telling someone how much you love composting or by helping them start composting! Composting is simple and has many benefits to you, your city, and your yard. 

Visit the Compost Demonstration Site at John Janzen Nature Centre to check out your options. There are many approaches to composting so find one that works with your lifestyle.  

You can compost indoors with Red Wriggler Worms like MCR Duncan K.

Once you have a compost, find a container for your kitchen scraps.

Keep a balance of green, browns, water, and air in your compost bin.

Compost bins like this one being harvested by MCRs Sarah F and Genia R can be purchased for $35 after taking a workshop.

Use compost to add nutrients to your lawn.

Which lawn do you think was treated with compost?

Add compost to your potted plants as fertilizer. 

Use compost in your garden, it will help the soil hold moisture and reduce compaction. Composting can be a fun and active activity to do with the family. 

Get creative with your compost! 

For Compost Awareness Week, The City of Edmonton is hosting 4 workshops at the John Janzen Nature Centre:

• Tuesday, May 7 from 7-9pm
• Wednesday, May 8 from 7-9pm
• Thursday, May 9 from 7-9pm
• Saturday, May 11 from 2-4pm

Classes are only $10 and you can purchase a composter for $35 after taking the workshop. Take a workshop to get started: register for a workshop

Other resources:

edmonton.ca/compost
Backyard Composting Booklet 
Work Composting Booklet
Compost Bins You Can Build Booklet