Happy Zero Waste Birthday!! :)

Well, word of advice: if you're thinking of having a zero waste week tied in with your birthday, uhmm, maybe not.

Thing is, at a certain age, a girl's b-day refuses to be a day of all delight, but becomes a day of somewhat dreaded anticipation!
Mix this with dreaded zero-waste week anticipation (will they or won't they?), and possibly some April-like weather, & you get yourself a big bundle of nerves! lol (which can maybe only be soothed with some zero waste cocoa!)

Also, there is a question of pressies (or their wrappings!) - as a fellow Slovenian zero-waster from a forum admits.
Not to even consider any b-day parties or such!


(gorgeous pic & lovely gift-wrapping idea found here)

So, this year I'm refusing to have any party or such, & also I'm refusing PRESENTS!
Yes, you read it right!

'What shall we buy you?' Dad said.
'Nothing!' I almost yelled. (I had been black-mailing them into co-operating with the zero waste week & hopefully this'll work?!)
I asked for a HUGE present: ZERO WASTE WEEK!

I think they would much rather buy me a car.

So, forgive me for a bit anguished post the other day. It was 2am and there was still BIG NOISE from an outside party-in-a-tent at a local hotel! Grr!!
(Horrible music too, or I would've gone there!;))

And Dad had been cutting wood (loud!) almost whole of the day!
With my hyperacusis (collapsed tolerance for sound) - not a fun time to be around at all!

So, with wood-cutting being on the menu for the next week too (by Dad & then the neighbours!) I must reconsider my zero waste week a bit.

You know, I had such romantic notions!
I would cook excellent zero waste meals & knit dish cloths. /sigh/

Now I may need other things to do to take me away from home (and how can I police my family & see if they behave if I'm away from home?!)

'We'll just toss things in the toilet,' Mum said.
'No waste - does this mean no poop too?'
Yes, they were kidding me (most likely - I hope?!) but still, after reading Mrs A's excellent back posts (of when she was getting ready for a zero waste week) I see I've left a HUGE step out - that of a family meeting!

I mean, I've tried to inspire Mum with videos of Little Miss Greeen & Jen@Clean Bin. I've talked to her about the importance of these things (as we all know, & as Dad today confessed, women are the decision-makers in everyday shopping for groceries etc!)
I scared Dad with reports of plastics being toxic, & talked about John Costignane's efforts (guys can relate easier to other guys!:)

Still, I'm feeling very doubtful if this will work.
I didn't manage to get to the farmers' market this Saturday (as planned), Sis is still sick (& refuses to use cloth hankies) & Dad has threatened to marry me off & have it done with.

What gives me hope is that they still took with a small reusable plastic container to get cake for Sis in (I refused any cake, even for my birthday! - felt really yucky after eating some at Uncle's anniversary!!)
/& I didn't bake cause I thought Sis didn't really need the extra non-nutrients!!/

Also, I realized we had a very zero waste lunch yesterday, quite 'by accident' (& without any further planning): homegrown potatoes & lettuce, & sauteed rabbit liver (frozen in reusable plastic containers) with homegrown onions.
(image found at WorldCommunityCookbook with mennonite recipes and such!)

Also, there was very little trash in the bin - a package from frozen peas & a few small cellophane wrappings (from previously bought dried fruits - BZW - before zero waste/visit to Farmers market that is) and such..

And Mum did buy just 2 yogurts & some tuna cans in the regular shop the other day! (She was afraid to buy anything else, bless her!)

Ideally we'd have talked more about all this & planned meals well in advance, but it was really hard to keep track of Mum & Dad coming & going, they've been chopping & sawing wood at our relatives' farm.. (& a bit resentful I didn't help, I'd love to but noise really really isn't a good idea to be around! even with earplugs, it's mostly too loud!)
Dad & I had a good talk yesterday, & I hope he'll come to terms with this.. He thought I was 'okay already' (& indeed I was much better than before) my hyperacusis still had occasional lapses though.. (especially if sleeping 4 hours only!)


(awesome pic found at this awesome site: ExperienceChocolate!)

& I hate to admit the chocolates I had gotten (from Granny & other relatives) say they are in recyclable #5 wrappings (?) - in fact the ones that aren't weren't even for me to nibble on!! /blushes/
/I hate to admit they're the yummiest ones though, so I guess I'll have to write to the manufacturers to consider different packaging!!/
I think I'll trade one of mine for one of those, but what to do with the packaging? It's half eaten so ideally it would be put into hiding until ZW week is over?!!
Some Euros by Granny were highly appreciated anyway, & at least those are zero-waste!;) /I wish they weren't accompanied with unhealthy yummies though!!;)/
& I did shudder at the sight of a Harry Potter DVD too (yes I'm a secret fan!) - as CDs & DVDs are non-recyclable here! /sigh/ But honestly, for a HP fan, this won't be trash for many many years - hopefully!! :)

(image found here)

I still haven't called the package retrieving company, out of fear what I'd find out mostly! (& to not put a hamper on my Sis's & Mum's recycling efforts & motivation! hmm!)
Sis has a solution for all our trash & $$$ worries: start a recycling biz! /sigh/
I did tell her how chemically iffy such factories can be, hope it'll get into her recycling-yes, reduce-no pretty head?!
(Of course that *is* the same person who thinks that CocaCola is the world's answer & healing aid for everything!!)

& I've yet to talk to local authorities of the street!
If the weather will hold I may venture out to Lush, or try to source some organic cotton for the dish cloths anyway...

& what on earth do you do with plastic bags that were used to hold meat in the freezer? (Mum says wash 'em & put in the plastics recycling bin, as our green guide booklet says plastic bags go in the recycling bin-?! Is it really safe to put 'em in?)

I think we may just have a let's-assume-they-recycle-everything-they-say-they-recycle week, & see how it goes!

Will we manage to go zero waste or not? at all?

Will I (& the rest of us!) be able to resist all the chocolate?!!

Stay tuned!

& if you want to give me something, I will shamelessly copy LittleMissGreen & ask for zero-something to avoid landfill! Maybe you can finally make (or knit?;) some dish cloths, or give up just a little something? doesn't have to be a lot!
any little bit will do! :)