Like Little Red Riding Hood in the Woods! :)

Woo, I'm being read by politicians and businesspeople and like CEOs of eco firms - at least on Twitter and Facebook! :) While they haven't 'liked' or commented/interacted much, at least they seem interested!

I do wonder if there are healthy sane ethical businesses who are anti secret 'free trade' deals TTIP, CETA and TISA too! (I bet there are, but where to find them?)

I'd like to help promote circular economy even though the package by the EU Commission still needs to be improved!

And if it does get approved or not, the idea is to get more businesses interested.

As for TTIP and other secret trade deals, this is just a HUGE lesson on what politics really is: decision-making! Teaching us all that we mustn't allow 'them' to do decision-making instead of us!
It may not be easy to stay connected to things on local, national and international level at the same time. You need to have people you can trust at all levels, so you can rely on some of what they say.

And well... you just have to be BRAVE!! haha (I still seem to be a bit clueless about how to go about it all, but it's definitely been interesting!:)

To Bee or Not to Bee?

Looks quite horrible, no? Keep or toss and get new hives? Still have bees at all? I love tradition and it's a loving memory of Grandpa but...? Yes, I was shocked to see them in broad daylight! - Well, the nets could be cleaned surprisingly easily! (I'm not sure whether to clean the 'invisible' propolized edges of the 'net' more too?)


I was advised to let go of these as new ones are cheap. (?)


Yes, it looks pretty scary!

The beehive could be cleaned quite okay, there are almost invisible cracks on the sides and in edges, bees put propolis there to fix this, I mostly scraped it off! (I was advised to do that, dunno? Though it seems counterproductive? New bees will have to propolize it all again?)
I was told old stuff must be scraped off and then to use fire to sterilize the wood.


This is the scariest part: the door is VERY bad! So, not sure what to do!

Will the neighbour have time to maybe make a new door or two? (Would it be better to just get new hives as some have advised? We're a bit late to ask the neighbour to make new ones, Dad said he might during the winter! I'd love to learn to make and renovate furniture and stuff myself, it'll be a long process I guess though.)

Partly, cleaning an old beehive is pleasant - the smell of propolis is soo yummy!!
Partly, I was fretting if there was anything iffy in the dirt (Grandpa's old neighbour said the bees just vanished from neglect and there weren't any diseases, so I hope all would be right with this!)

Dad said the beehives are probably as old as he is, or more! (60+ years!) He doesn't remember any new ones being made, these were quite new when he was little!

In any case, I've learnt a bit how to approach such a project, and saw it doesn't take so long to clean. You only see the real state of wood after you've cleaned it, and doors seem to be the part to watch out for!
Hopefully next year (winter?) I'll be able to clean and possibly renovate the old spindle too (I'd done it before if I knew what to use, so that it would be as eco as possible and still protect the wood?)

So, will I still have bees or will I give up on the project for the time being? (Or, until next year?) Stay tuned!
(Suggestions and ideas welcome!) What do you think?

Cocoa Day!! :)

Who says community organizing doesn't pay? ;)

Got 5kg of cocoa today!!!:) And 3 pretty (ex-capuccino) boxes to store it in!
All I did was ask some neighbours if they have the phone number of another neighbour (who might also make some cloth bags - keep your fingers crossed!!)

The funny thing is I was eyeing the eco cocoa in the shop today, planning to buy it, and forgot the wallet so I couldn't. LOL!

Universe works in mysterious ways!

I think one box will be gift to a friend who also likes cocoa (in her coffee, yup, people are odd!:)

This (probably) isn't eco cocoa, but who can say No to the Universe? LOL!!

Flax As Strong as Kevlar? Wow!

American scientists found a secret recipe (or at least similar to that) of Alexander the Great and other ancient minds!

Mediterannean soldiers didn't wear metal armour - linen is half lighter and better in the heat! And works well too!! (see the Spiegel movie, it's in German but pictures say it all! And you can Google Translate the article - recipe included!:)

Fascinating!!

I am pondering what this could mean for any other uses - in technology, zero waste lifestyle, etc etc?
(Is Kevlar recyclable or compostable?)

More about this in English here, with links to videos too!

Fitness Experts Advise to Eat Snickers?? Cookie Dilemma!

European Minimize Waste Week is almost over, and I've been feeling very guilty for not doing more. Well, hopefully next year. Ideally, I'd send articles or at least a press release to Slovenian media, but I just didn't know what to write. The waste issue in Slovenia just seems soo CHAOTIC!

Do I tell people the bad truth about recycling, or do I try to encourage them to recycle anyway? (It's probably better to recycle WELL - wash/clean the recyclables etc - than not at all, as DIRTY and moldy recyclables definitely don't get recycled. I do understand people who say, 'But it's not recycled then' because in some cases it really isn't - if the stuff is too dirty or they don't have a buyer. So, what to say?)
I wanted to get a 'list' of what is really recycled and what isn't, it seems not so easy to get by, and these things seem to change. As in any market it's about 'demand'. So, what to do? Any ideas?
I wanted to get together with another 'expert' on this, and it just hasn't been possible yet. Big dilemmas, yeah!

Also, my backache flared up again.
(Word of advice: if you see your backache appears after a changed monitor set-up, change it back as soon as possible and don't hope your body gets used to it!! And stay away from cookies!:)
My back got all better after 2 days away from the computer and some lovely company, and then it went worse again!

At least I'm being pretty much zero waste about the backache. I don't believe in pills or medicines (except when REALLY needed). Instead, I'm staying away from all cookies and sweets (again) and also - just in case, from gluten/flour and milk.
Also took a lovely walk today (these are imperative for my back's wellbeing too!) and it's already WAY better!

I'm afraid I haven't been able to stay away from cookies in the house, or offered at charity 'do's' - so no idea how to solve the Sis dilemma.
She started going to fitness and bought a bunch of 'trash'! (Her words!) Basically chocolate bars etc. She says the fitness instructor told her to eat them!! (Then explained he said it's better if she doesn't eat too big breakfast and eats an energy bar after fitness training, like Snickers because it has peanuts and thus more protein.)

I couldn't believe it!!

These bars don't even have a 'green dot'!! (They're 'supermarket brand' with metallicized plastic foil and would probably just go to incinerator anyway!! Even if they DID have a green dot or whatever.)

Sis said she bought them cause 'there was nothing at home' - and 'anything would be okay', muffins or cookies or whatever..

I'm afraid to bake for fear my backache would flare up again..
Do you have a secret recipe how to stay away from cookies/yummy sweets that are in the house/freezer?
Sis wants to lose weight, so the whole thing seems highly unethical - but it's better to have DIY zero waste cookies than store-bought trash?!!

Maybe just bake 1x/month and freeze? (And she takes them out as she needs them?)
She'd have cookies every week if she could, possibly every day, but I couldn't stay away from them if they'd be outside in the kitchen, and possibly my backache would flare again?

Baking just a few doesn't seem very energy-friendly, so probably best to freeze baked ones. Are they even any good, out of the freezer directly?
(I've frozen muffins before, they were inedible even before the freezing, but Dad still ate them! Sometimes my relatives amaze me!)
And yes, I can bake edible cookies, but usually there are none left to freeze! :)

Eco Elvis Saves World From Plastic Bags! :)

Found at the awesome yert blog!

Blurb from their site: CHECK IT OUT!!
"Your Environmental Road Trip (YERT.com) is a year-long eco-expedition through all 50 United States. With video camera in hand and tongue in cheek, Mark, Ben, and Julie explore the landscape of America's unique approach to environmental sustainability." LOVE 'EM!! Awesome trailer!!

And they went (almost) zero waste ON THE ROAD from one excellent & inspiring (or plain weird;) eco project to another! Making soo little trash!!

Check out old archives - WOW, this is waay better than TV!!
From museums made of trash - to interviewing Indians!! Awesome!

Can't wait to see the movie!!

They're visiting California now, so if you're from Cali, check 'em out!!

I can especially relate cause Julie gets backache from bad eco news too!! :(
Good luck Eco Elvis is here to save the day!! :)

I wonder who the baby will look like!! :)

PS Beware of elk burgers.

NaNoWriMo 2009! Eco Romance in Writing!

I resisted for years, but somehow this year I signed up!

Okay, we all know sitting behind a computer isn't too eco, so why choose to do something like this?

Using so much paper isn't exactly eco either, at least I managed to buy ECF paper (elemental-chlorine free) locally and saved some one-side printed paper from burning today! Let's hope we'll find even more eco paper!

Why I first got involved in this zero waste thing is through my first novel (SF romance) I started writing a couple of years ago. I couldn't just 'do nothing', my characters kicked my ass into 'doing something'!!

I've always wanted to be a writer, since I was a little girl and read Heidi and Tom Sawyer! (And Astrid Lindgren!)
I fully believe books can change people's views and lives. (And sometimes create future.)
And they are cheapest and probably most eco means of travel to far-off locations (and universes).

Do you know how they say, 'A pen is stronger than a sword'?

In Slovenia, when Slovenian people had zero political power (like in 19th century or earlier) most education and 'enlightenment' and even political 'togetherness' came through literature, the written word.

When black people in USA were slaves, they still had the blues.

And no one could take that away from them.

When direct political speech was prohibited, fairytales and folksy songs were still okay, and passed the eyes of censors.

I thought about this muchly, and wondered, what to do. Then, I thought if one simple book could inspire me so much, maybe it could inspire others too? Empower and encourage people who'd otherwise just 'walk away' or think 'nothing can be done'?
Imagine if all people worldwide could be inspired to go more eco and do their best to go zero waste.. Or even just start making even the smallest changes!

My friends got inspired to really be more eco after I read them the Eco Cabaret and asked them to star in it! :)
(It's not finished yet and they're busy with other things now, we still hope to make it happen! And I told them they must set an example for others, so they're doing some awesome eco things already described!)

If everyone does just a little, together, we can do A LOT!!

If everyone on Earth would recycle just one can more - that would be A LOT of cans!!

I've learnt so much about zero waste inbetween that I can't possibly fill it all in the 1st book, especially as it's 3/4 written already! (and happening in Outer Space!)

So a few months ago I started writing a new eco romance, and then just run out of gas mid-book. I got this fun new idea for characters and conflict a few days ago and thought, 'Why not do NaNo'?

Check out my novel synopsis and please give me ideas, cause I almost ran out of what to write already! :)

Of course it's going to be an eco romance! :)

Do tell if you've signed up too, and friend me up! (I'm EcoLayla there!)
Oh, and do post your bodycount, oops wordcount!

Did I tell you I was slightly competitive? ;)

And YAY my first checque for the eco articles just arrived!! :)
It's not so big, but it's not so small either, so now I'm encouraged to write more articles! :)

Oh, and I had the brilliant idea to explore what it would be like to start an eco NGO or an eco biz (because a friend was telling me to do either or both!) - so what better way to do it than through a book? ;)

And there definitely aren't enough fun books with sassy sexy eco heroines!
There are films like Erin Brockovich or Princess Mononoke, but books? Do tell me if you know of any!

Do you read books? What kind of issues or questions would you like to see explored? What kind of heroines and heros would you like to see?
Any names for good guys or bad guys that you must see? ;)

Zero Waste Flower Arrangement - Tutorial! (with pics)

Due to popular demand, I'm posting pics and a quick tutorial! :)

Gather moss (easily spotted on a hike through the woods!) or get it from a farmer or a friend! Farmers on farmers' markets in cities might have ideas or might sell it to you if you ask them in advance, so they can gather it and bring it to you..
Also, gather flowers and greenery from your garden.. Find adequate space for doing this (garage or such may come handy).



Put moss in a 'dish' (bigger dish for bigger flower arrangements!) This is a small one for a smaller arrangement. Add water if needed (or add water later on!). Start with the greenery: put in the highest central piece/green branch 1st!


(It doesn't matter if some of the lower leaves are not so photogenic, with more green branches added in, you won't see those anyway!)

Get the green in first!



Then, start adding the flowers! And - voila!



Totally homemade, totally DIY, totally Zero Waste!
(It can all be easily composted later on. Since most cemeteries here lack true composting facilities, it will best be collected and brought home to our compost, or into Granny's 'green bins'!)
Still need to educate our relatives to compost and not trash this one!

Mum made two of those very quickly! One bigger (1st pic above) and one smaller (other pics later on)..
No chemicals added!!

She said moss is great to 'stick stuff in', so I'm expecting we'll be using this from now on, or grow/plant our own flowers! (Which might be not-so-easy, as Mum says the chrisantemum grown in pots need special 'care', sometimes special chemicals are used, etc! If you plant the ones from pots into your garden, big ones will grow! So, how to grow not-so-big ones?)

Cousin and Aunt planted pansies on the grave they tend, and into a bowl with some greens from last year. So they may actually even be greener than us! :) /gasp/
(no pic, it was dark and my SD card was full!!:)

Pansies don't survive after flowering, so it depends on what they do with them later on too! (Hopefully they'd get composted?) And of course it also depends how they are raised and where they are bought.. Local gardeners are better than big supermarkets, it depends what chemicals might be used in getting them to grow and bloom!
We did instruct our relatives on the glass candle, so hopefully they'll reuse that one! (Another set of relatives still needs to be instructed on that too!)

Remember, my Mum made this flower arrangement, so it reflects her taste - she made quite similar ones with plastic foam before! (Actually these two look waay better!!)
You can make what *you* personally prefer, what reflects your personality and style, and of course use what grows in *YOUR* garden! (Or your friends' or relatives'! - All this greenery comes from my Uncle's garden actually!:)

Eco Refill-able Printer Cartridges?

After an excellent post on Myzerowaste on how to extend the life of printer cartridges, I went to investigate the options for our trusty old inkjet printer!

The original cartridges Mum has been buying are quite costly, and a neighbour has suggested refills!
We were of course very sceptical at first, but he told us of a trusted website he uses to get the refill kits from (inks+syringe+gloves), and how the quality is just as good and there were no problems with his printer! (We were scared any refills would damage our printer or produce lower quality, as the manufacturers or shops like to scare us with!) - Surely they can't be 'eco' if they can kill your printer? But do they?

Unfortunatelly the Slovenian site only offered new cartridges for our HP Deskjet, so I googled 'the type of the printer + refill' and voila! Apparently refill kits are available from international websites!


Source: inkjetcartridges.com (Yes, that does look a bit strange? I wonder what you get exactly!:)
The idea is exciting and I'd love to order! Or possibly find a more local source?

But are those websites (and inks) reliable?

TrustedReviews.com has a good review on inkjet refilled cartridges with great pointers and ideas to contemplate.

Manufactured/refilled cartridges can be either good or possibly too worn out from being refilled too many times, which can cause different problems according to type of printer and the heads used on the cartridge(?)
So a decision whether to use or not use manufactured non-originals might have to do with the type of printer too!

There were some small problems with some cartridges (one produced high quality prints afterwards though!) Then they had them evaluated by people who didn't know what was printed with which.

Now get this: "There are several conclusions that can be drawn from these figures, but the key one is: Our panel preferred prints produced with ink from a third-party provider over those produced with manufacturer’s own products." LOL!!

Some useful comments too: Why aren't cartridges more standard? Why isn't there a law to make them more standard?
The question for the average consumer is also how long the refilled cartridges last, to pinpoint the price.
Also, apparently damages are possible and depend on quality of products (meaning depends on manufacturer and their internal conrols!) - "the "cleanliness" of the ink, the filtration, and dye or pigment consistency and ink purity are all imperative, as well as other cartridge related factors, a longevity test showing the overall costs would" be important and helpful to decide.

So it seems like a complex issue, and most definitely a project!
It's not 'either' 'or', one needs to take into account own printer and suppliers..

And we're not even near the question of why our parrot coughed whenever there was printing being done? (Even with the original cartridges!)
Honestly, I smell it too, and might have gotten a sort of 'allergy' to ink from printers when working in an office with a laser printer, of all things! (Or maybe I was just allergic to the job?;)

What do you use? Original or refilled cartridges, or do you do your own refills? (I'm leaning toward the last option!)

Also, how do you dispose of the used cartridges? Do you give them back to the store/recycling programme immediately once they are used up, or do they gather dust in the drawer? (I know, I know.. guilty!! As we often didn't quite know what to do with them!)
Would it be best to give/send them back as soon as possible, so the ink is not too dried, and so they can be cleaned and refilled more easily? It would be good to know!

So, stay tuned! There will be more research into inks and refill kits and such! :)

Effective Eco Time Management?

If you have A LOT of projects, ideas and wishes and things to do... How to track it all and know what to do when? (And not just resort to reading the latest thrilling romance? hm!)

People at writing forums say, 'Just write', but what if you are haunted of things not done yet and vague visions of ideas to be done even before you start?

Enter GTD. Getting Things Done is a famous book on organizing and time management, and there are A LOT of spin-offs online, some for writers or designers or other freelancers specifically. (I've even DONE some of this stuff before, and it was effective, and then just stopped and wondered where my inspiration/motivation has gone!)

GTD is or can be paper-intensive. It is also very vague and unstructured, so how to do it in a more Nature-friendly way?

I am still wrestling with some of the GTD concepts and ideas, and will probably come up with a system of my own.. (I've set up the 'inbox' already and it seems strangely inspiring!) It can be mind-boggling indeed (Read this article! It's hilarious!!:).

A 'tickler' file (no idea if I need one but some people have found it helpful) can be big or small. Tracking or planning your day can be done on a daily or weekly basis (more or less paper intensive).

Judy of the Woods has more fab ideas on flickr and her website!
She makes her own project booklets/binders (out of plastic milk containers and other scrap materials!)

I've done some tweaking of my binders and such (who needs 4 holes if 2 is more handy? And am running out of envelopes used as project folders) but she takes it to the next level!
I'm wondering how doable some of that stuff is, and what I could do too... :)

What DIY projects have you done to keep ORGANIZED and have effective time management?
How do you keep organized and how do you plan and keep track of things?

Cocoa & Cookies for the Compost! :)

If I were a compost, I'd be chuckling happy today!! :)

Mum brought some 'uneatables' from a lady who apparently has a habit of misplacing her bought items - & then little wigglies get 'em!
(Dad & she were painting the walls of her flat, & are now searching for a non-loud fridge for the lady!)

Soo.. our compost got the yummies!!

I was still unhappy about all the food packaging, but at least the food will not be making methane in landfill or contribute to toxic gases in an incinerator!!
/No idea why the ladies of the Charity packed some herbal tea (non-infested) too, maybe because it was dated 'July 2009'? we drink old tea all the time, so..hm? - but as there was cocoa all over the packaging, it did end up in Compost too!/

My Uncle's hens will get the rest of the yummies! (like popcorn, spaghetti, maize, flour, etc!)

Moral of the story: eat your food at the right time & don't put it in drawers & forget about it!
(Or our compost will get it!!)

Yum! Yum! Yum!

PS I found some tiny Easter eggs that were perfectly edible - you have to look if they are 'attacked' by worms or not! mostly ok! lol The Compost *didn't* get these! Yet!)

Street Theatre Festival!!

So, for a few days, the capitol of Slovenia was swarmed with jugglers, street performers, circus artists & clowns & such...

(don't ask!;)

... and TRASH!! yikes!

I went there fully prepared. Or so I thought.

Brought with a reusable plastic box with two yummy sandwiches & a cloth serviette & metal fork, & a glass bottle. What else could a girl need?

I told my cousin to bring with a reusable box too, & as much zero waste food as she can.. & to adhere to strict zero waste rules, as to give a good example!

So my gorgeous cousin brought this, & did great on day 2!



My zero waste sandwiches were totally yummy too, but on Day 2, I ran out of them & forgot my reusable container at the hostel - and had to buy... THESE! Yikes!


I quarrelled with the shop lady to give 'em to me in ONE paper bag, but she wouldn't have it! 'Regulations,' she said, & whatnot!
I was too tired and hungry (& there was a queue forming) so I had to take 'em, but I swore to return with my reusable box & demand good service & no trash - or ask for the book of complaints!
(it's paper with foil.. & the foil is.. well, not zero waste, is it?)

Oh & there was a sheep!! :) called Sophy!!

My friend is totally awesome but.. uhm, not so zero waste..
She was bossed into recycling a beer can & bringing back the plastic cups she got us on Day 1..
.. but slipped a Coca Cola can into trash next morning, sigh!!


She had a most gorgeous cloth bag, but left it full of goodies with us to watch, & brought back one of those iffy free plastic bags from the shop!

She also lost my glass bottle! /sigh/

And what do you do if people get baloons for their kiddies? hm!

There was dancing in a public fountain involved, and a foam party.. What can I say? ;)

(& a deep social commentary on the nature of human greed & 'materialism'!)

I tried to make my friends recycle stuff & possibly avoid the plastic bottles, but on Day 3 the plastic water bottles were free (& my friend was convinced the Capitol has bad water?!) so they couldn't stay away from them!!
as if the plastic water bottles had any better water? /sigh/
/of course I was mortified cause I was trying to get some other NGOs to co-operate with the whole zero waste thing - some were even interested!! didn't dare to talk to any more after!! yikes!
There were even some celebrities at the scene, was too shy to talk to them & ask them to take part in our eco Cabaret too - sigh/

My reusable container came handy for the most excellent (spicy!) goulash - cousin however 'wanted her own' cause she was afraid she wouldn't get enough if he put it all in one reusable container! /sigh/ Never argue with a hungry woman!!
(of course that polystyrene foam tray didn't get recycled! /sigh/)



Overall, it was fun! & at least we got the plastic bottles to the recycling bins, which is more than many others did!

I was also shocked at the big amount of many beer & soda cans that ended up in 'ordinary trash'.. (not sure if I dared to photo any of those..? my memory card ran out, so I had to buy a new one - & slower too, yikes! Never buy in a hurry!!- it got stuck in another camera though!)
some bins for organic waste we encountered had really iffy stuff in them too!! (plastic bags the very least, or worse!!)

We were pleasantly surprised with separate recycling bins at the hostel - but they were not labelled clearly so we had to ask what to put where, I'm sure the others didn't bother much!
the color coding is different in every city.. & we don't expect foreign tourists to know our system by colour either, hm?
/it would be great if whole Europe had the same color-coding system!!/



Bye street theatre festival! - hopefully next year the organizers will be persuaded to get separate bins/bags for recyclables too??
Wouldn't it be great??

So, rules for big events:
1. Keep your water bottle firmly in grip! (Yes, even when ordering zero waste ice-cream!!)
2. Keep your friends' recyclables firmly in hand! (or rucksack)
3. Bring a spoon! (even if you think you won't need it!) And reusable container & fork and maybe knife & a napkin. And a cup.
4. Bring extra reusable containers/bento boxes/cups for hungry friends?
5. Have fun, ha ha!! :)

PS I'm not on any of the photos, just my amazing friends - big THANKS for the awesome moments! :) what can I say, I hate being photographed & am rather behind the camera! & don't have all the photos yet, akhem!
Also, for the record - the more risquee photos & vids can be found on YouTube - just kidding!! ;)

Oh, & remember that spicy goulash - I even brought some home in the reusable container & it was a lovely meal too! /eat your heart out, coz!:)/

Zero Waste Report #8: Can we take the trash out?;)

Today, Mum asked: 'Can we take the trash out?'

& I said, 'Can we last 1 more week so it's 2 months?'

Yes, the bin is pretty FULL!!

& Mum had 3 quite dirty-looking plastic bags (from spinach & quark! yucky!) she wanted to get rid of in the bin - if we took it out.. I muffled around a bit, not sure what to say.. Then I started drying up the rest of the dishes, & she just washed the darn bags, & I hung them on the line outside to dry!

must say I hang them conveniently above asparagus so it gets some moisture - seems to be enjoying it! ;)

I've also started thinking more about water these days, as it's been really hot, & we discussed it some at the Slovenian forum..

Some said washing the recyclables etc isn't wise with regard to water use, but we use the water we've been washing other stuff in too (if detergent is needed) or pour the nutrient-rich water (from yogurt etc!) into compost!

I re-use water from washing lettuce to put into the tub for watering plants (if there's room) or water the grass beneath the balcony.. Today, I had a crazy idea to have the big tub outside the house closer to the balcony or connected to the balcony so I could pour it all in?! (I hate splashing about too much lol!)

So, hopefully, we'll last till next week & then take the bin out, & start anew!
(& hopefully with a 'stricter' regime again!!:)

EDIT: More than 2 months now!! YAY!!! :) Go Mum!! Go us!! :)

Dad's Horrible Sins!

My Dad is a workaholic.

It's really horrible.

Here in Slovenia, we have a word 'priden' /pronounce: preedn!/ (meaning: good, hardworking) and my Dad is just, well too preedn!!

I wanted to boast about our zero waste week resulting in less waste in a month than in a week before!

& partly, it is true: our kitchen bin is after 5 weeks (!) only half-full, approximately!

Before zero waste week, we made 1 bag of trash a week, now it's been 5 weeks & it's not even fully half-full!

But, the very last weekend before 1 month anniversary, my Dad really did something horrible & ruined it all!

He stuffed a crate full of old dirty glass oil bottles - into the bin! Yikes!

& while I was asking myself on Tuseday (emptying-the-bin day!) how my neighbours could be so stupid to put so much glass into their bin (the bin lorry machine chewing glass is LOUD!! & glass doesn't burn!), I learnt the horrible truth - it wasn't my neighbours, it was my Dad!!

& he wasn't even ashamed of it!!

Door was slammed, Dad got yelled at (& still remained clueless! /sigh/)
I was devastated. I hid under the duvet & cried. (& contemplated staying there forever).

How could I preach to inspire anyone to go zero waste or talk to my local politicians on anything trash if my Dad did such horrible things?!!

The worst part of it is I know it was partly my fault for not figuring out what to do with the bottles in the right time.. (First I asked Dad to give me one week, then one month to figure out..) Mum just thought I was meaning to wash 'em & put into recycling. 'But they were too dirty to be washed,' Dad said..
I was meaning to call the two companies who could tell me more, & kinda hesitated (afraid they'd both tell me different things anyway!)

Then, I got even more furious.
It was precisely because of this sort of thing that all matters trash should be really accessible to the masses (so I or Dad didn't need to ruminate for a month over what to do with the old oil bottles!)
Ideally, all info would be readily available online, & trash consultants happy to answer all questions, & consult people! & the battle against trash should really be increased, not abandoned completely out of all misery!

Like in Star Wars, 'one battle may be lost, but we can still win a war!'

So I went & knitted crocheted not 1, but 2 dish cloths!!


(while watching Pride&Prejudice - the series! to calm my nerves.. & get more 'into' the 'spirit' of ladies' handiworks! I also coveted the lovely hats & dresses!
I didn't even know if I could still knit crochet!
At first I fumbled about a bit, didn't really follow a pattern, due to a storm we had to turn off the PC - & well, doesn't look to shabby! so I was quite proud!)

Do you know the story of a wife who made a doll every time her husband really made her mad? (I think she was ideal wife, never raised a voice, & got rich selling the dolls or something!)

'So it was your pride that got hurt?' Dad asked me 2 days later when I calmed down. & we talked. & he says it was because a relative was coming to visit & he might see the damn bottles!
/sigh, whose pride are we talking about?!/

So then Dad & I made peace, & I thought that was the end of it!

Next day or so, I find our old doggie house (kennel) roofless!!

'Why did you do that, Dad?' - 'Oh, it was old & in the way...'

Grr!!!

I had asked him to donate the kennel to someone 2 years ago already..
'Oh, maybe we'll get a dog...' - Grr! Of course we didn't, Sis & I are still lamenting our old doggie too much!! & everyone's too busy with other things anyway!
(& since neighbours' doggie isn't walked enough, I prefer to take him for a walk!)

He told me to fix it & donate it myself, & well, I couldn't figure out what to do with it in 2 days.. (not really handy with fixing roofs without Dad! & he was busy until today..)

So now we ended up with this:


And this:
without further notice! :(

I want our old doggie house back!! :(

And why all this maddness?
Why is Dad removing everything like a mad man?

Well, our big balcony is to have a wall & a roof over it, & Dad is 'making space'... which is all in all, a good thing. (as water has been going into Sis's room!) I just hate the way he goes about it.
No consulting with the family, no family meeting.. maybe sometimes he casually asked Mum, who half-misunderstood him & gave him the 'go ahead' to 'remove' the kennel? (But where, I said? Mum thought he'd just move it away, Dad saw as permission to annihilate!)

I printed him out an article in Slovenian warning about burning trash or painted wood! (because of dioxins!)

It's making me frantic, both the balcony workings & the promise of 'building trash' - this is another 'sore spot' of Slovenian trash & waste & building companies..
Dad said at first he just meant to shove the balcony tiles by the river (to improve the banks anyway!) - not half a bad idea, though are the tiles & the cement glue they were glued on with really so harmless?
Then, he said, 'he couldn't do it if I'm so strict about it, soo.. he might give 'em to a mate to shove in a ditch where he puts such waste!'
He mentioned some building waste (including plastic - possibly PVC - flooring?!!) being already put there (not ours! but still!!).. Grr!!

So I lamented & wondered if it will ever be sorted, the War on Waste!!

& now I truly saw it as WAR!!

Especially after reading the awesome Saga of the Otori trilogy!

You may win one battle (like my own bathroom, & now the kitchen!! YAY!:)
But you must always WATCH THE BIN!! (One month of my family behaving well made me careless!! so first someone slipped a recyclable chocolate wrapper in the bin, then other things followed, now even the budgie's waste!! grr!!) And that's despite me making zero waste cookies AND muffins for the 1-month anniversary (& the relative's visit!) previous weekend! (Okay, almost zero waste! just previously-used baking powder baggie got thrown away. Better than tons of cellophane or plastic bags or containers when buying cookies!)

I was trying to be zen about it all, & many times didn't 'fly into the air' & make a terrible fuss, cause I thought I was making too much fuss as it was, & wanted to give my folks a bit of a break!

AND, seems like the 'downstairs' will be a new & tough battle!!

Dad has always seen the 'Downstairs' as his supreme legacy, Mum had the upstairs & kitchen etc in her command, his downstairs was where he could be free!!

hmm!!

To make garbage? - I don't think so!

It may be a long tough battle, but already there have been some victories too!!

You know how loud noises REALLY annoy me? I mean, REALLY annoy me!!
My Dad used to mow the lawn in a really non-eco way, with the loud gas guzzler!!

So I objected & demanded it be mown old-style, with a scythe!
'Then mow it yourself!' Dad said, not believing I'd do it!

He didn't even tell me, one day he just started mowing the lawn! I ran outside & yelled!
Then, we negotiated the lawn! He'd mow the harder-accessible half, since he had gas in the lawn mower already (& we have small fruit trees) & I'd get to mow the better half.. I felt quite smug, negotiating it all!
He grunted, but since he had promised to teach me to mow, he had to comply!


(scythe in the backround, I felt like Death's daughter Susan! :)
okay, I didn't use the old-time transport means, I used a wheelbarrow)
but our compost looks nice now:



& I may be ADDICTED to making dish cloths now!! :)
/if only I knew what size to make 'em? 12 - 14 cm might be too small? What do you guys think? Also, Mum suggested a softer pattern-?)

A Day At the Farm :)

So now you know my Uncle has a farm.

It's not an eco-farm, Alas!

He has about 6ha grass, which is the average size of a small farm in Slovenia.
(Other stuff is woods & hills, I mean woods in the hills mostly.
The grass is mostly hills too, though the hills used to be fields earlier on, before the farm went 'modern'.)

The place is called the Slovenian equivalent of 'Beautiful Field', & they do say that there is one 'beautiful field' in the whole tiny valley/village!

My Uncle sort of has 1 'good field' too.. ;) Hills & woods all around, mostly..

And there is the beehive.

I had permission to rummage, though without a digital camera I didn't dare do any significant progress!!

We found some treasures though.

Uncle found a bottle with silver bullets, uhm, small lead bullets.
Then there were 2 perfectly okay glasses for petroleum lamps.

Some of the bee-thingies seemed okay-ish/still usable too..
Though hornets and wasps had had homes there too..

Some tiny wasps and - wild bees? (bigger than bee, smaller than bumble bee-hmm?! - but Uncle says wild bees are tinier than normal bees?) came into 'lookout' - when I started rummaging around.. (Uncle says wasps look for places to make nests.. My romantic imagination likes to think some of Grandpa's bees went wild & came looking for home, or check what's happening - if someone's gonna save & salvage their home. I can be quite horrible this way!:)

The beehive is a real dump, I was awfully sorry it had come this far..
Sort of thought Uncle would see to it that it stays okay..
And that beekeeping is a 'man's business. :)

My Dad is afraid of the bees. lol!!
Uncle isn't afraid of them, he just has no joy for them. Prefers mechanical stuff & such: he okayed the old hinges: some elbow work may be necessary, but they could be restored. YAY!!

Apparently at a time my Grandpa smuggled/kept some stolen nails & wire in the beehive that his ex-lover the maid stole from a building site where she worked..
It's all horribly romantic, & quite new to me, as it unfolds before my eyes...

He 'hid some things he didn't want kids to find' (& take apart, there were 6 illustrious kids at the farm!) in the beehive!

There seems no logic at what is there..

Okay, some of it is beehive equipment.. Wooden boxes for the bees, including one to catch a new bee family when it takes off..

Some fabric (from old bags!) to burn and make bees dizzy & calmer.. (equivalent to a more expensive fancy gadget!) No it isn't marijuana!! :) - Or is it?!!

And there are old magazines & newspapers there..
Or have been, I took them to a (hopefully) safer space. Some beekeeping magazines & some church magazines for kids or farm youth from 1935, half gnawed through, copies of 'Reporter' from 1953... :) with headlines like 'Horrible politics of the Soviet Union'... (approximately at the time when there was the end of love affair between Yugoslavia & Russia..)
'Finest Love Letters' and 'Lives of Saints'... there seems to be no logic!! :)

I try to piece together the pieces of my Grandpa's life through this mozaic of illogical gnawed-through pieces of his soul.. like scribbles into advertisments for 'magic potions'... (not very different from what some modern internet marketers claim!)
He just wrote what he went to get (untranslatable but hilarious!), or some silly sayings..
Scribbles of numbers on the beehives... 1+2+2=6 (?)

I wonder if there's a special code..? :)

some half-destroyed tools, bits & ends... some homespun flaxen yarn... (throwawayable, Uncle says, cause it's so dirty.. I can't seem to part with it..:)

Alas, Uncle had given permission to a neighbours' kid to rummage the beehive & take what he wants, when he started his own beehive.. Maybe I can take a visit sometime & see what they have taken..?

Another discovery in the attick: the old spindle & a tool to wrap wool on!
They're in really bad condition... Not sure what it will take to restore them to their former glitter!!

Some horrible clothes & some papers that belonged to my Grandma too.. I know even less about her than about Gramps.. Who was this tiny old sometimes-bitter woman that taught me to cook carrot soup (I forgot now!) & claims to have sufferred 'irrepairable damages' in a car accident I've known nothing of?!

Stuff to find out.. Stuff to de-clutter & polish & shine.. wonderful old wardrobes & chests - will they fall apart or stay in all their glory?! (Nothing fancy, just peasant/farm stuff.. but pretty.. I'd love to have 'em! :)

What's in the 'secret drawer' of the chest? (If anything?!)

I didn't do much at the farm (we usually do more..) but I felt quite tired .. maybe all the excitement & weight of the well, not centuries, but quite close..? :)

Dad & Uncle may not be happiest if I rummage through old memories, not all of them have been happy.. & I'm still 'too weak' to do any serious work! (But stubborn enough to at least make up for a little of it!)
Uncle, Dad, Coz & I also don't agree on farm politics & eco stuff etc.
At least the puzzle of why-Slovenian-farms-are-not-so-eco is coming together too.. And we got some apples from Uncle's orchard.. (They're in horrible condition mostly, but still yummable! Ideally they'd be sorted a month ago!:)
Uncle also has adorable kitties!!

So all-in-all, it's been a lovely day...

'I got bored of the computer,' I say, & my Dad is quite thrilled!! :)

My Dad Rocks!! :)

I just had to say it, lol!! :)

Well, today he brings up the mail & says,

"Oh but I miss the junk mail a bit." (maybe he used the word catalogues)

I freeze a bit, just washing the dishes...
Then he grins & says, "Not really."
I smile.

"I liked them at first," he says. "But now there has been too much of them entirely!!"

I don't know what magic Mom has made over him, or what made him change his mind, just glad he did!! :)

I was fully ready to keep putting on new & new 0.50 EUR stickers! - but now there is no need!!:)

I am just so happy!!

My Dad deserved a big KISS, & he didn't even know why!!
(I had to explain it to him!:)

He still thinks more junk mail would be acceptable than ideal - 'Just the shops near us', but luckily the post office has gone so overboard with it, that he's okay with even the 'no junk mail' option!!

And Sis doesn't really have a 'right to vote' lol & was warned with paying 50 EUR if she peels it off!;)

So yeah, the world isn't yet perfect, but my Dad almost near is!! :)

Now hmm, wondering if my neighbours could use some of these stickers, hmm...?!!

Zero Waste Week: Results!!

So, this week has been the Zero Waste Week for us!!

What was the result?

Of course I wanted to take a pic of the 'main bin' (the one outside'!) to check that no one managed to sneak any rubbish outside!!

I expected to find the bin empty:



Now imagine the shock:



And it wasn't even our rubbish!!

There was a tell-tale indicator on the top (removed immediately!) & 7 more in the neighbours' bin!!



Yes, Dad and the neighbours had had a drinking party outside (the neighbours were sawing wood!) & this was the horrible result!

I promptly picked them up & washed them & they are waiting to dry & be recycled!

If they had the nerve to put rubbish in our bin, I had the nerve to take some out of theirs to have it recycled!

(my neighbours' bin, the attick neighbours': 2 adults+2kiddies - offending recyclables eliminated already!)


(my neighbours' 2nd bin: the downstairs neighbours, Grandpa&Grandma's - Honestly I don't know why they didn't put the rubbish into their 2nd bin? - Maybe the ashes from fire were still hot?

They are 4 adults: Grandpa, Grandma, the young ones+2 kiddies, and yes they have 2 bins! I've already talked about the rubbish problem with their Grandpa@small bin, & the Mum of the attick@big bin. She said, 'But we are 4!' & I wanted to send her to Mrs A for training!!
This is the Mum that bought her son a plastic Wallee!! instead of teaching them how to make less waste!!:)
Of course she works in a shop (mini-supermarket!) & that makes it difficult to eat healthy & make less waste!!

But how much garbage did we make? Did we manage to go 'zero waste' completely?

Alas, no. But it was a good try. And I'm VERY proud of my family cause they have behaved so well & made so little garbage!!


REMEMEBER, this is the results of TWO weeks worth of garbage!!
(the bin in the front='mixed trash')

(I contemplated whether to throw the old garbage away & start with a clean slate, but that wouldn't be zero waste, would it? The plastic bag accounts for something too!)

All in all, the 1st day was the worst:
- the butter wrapper
- tiny plastic from Dad's tax ID pocket
- plastic sausage-wrapping
- AND a new wrapped butter was started! (with expiration date 20/4/2009 so not using it up wouldn't be zero waste!)
I was totally frazzled & thought I'd 'lost it'!! ;)

Then, other things mysteriously followed: (but surprisingly less & less garbage!;) - I taught people to just leave stuff on the counter!)

- unidentifiable white plastic foil chocolate wrapper
- a potentially recyclable #4 amaranth plastic wrapper (someone was too quick!!)
- a mysterious bit of paper towel? - we may fish it out again!
- some dirt from sweeping the floor on Saturday
(Sis did it! I've gotten used to taking dirt outside & just putting it under trees.. Truth is I'm in two minds about it - as we have wooden floor & stairs lacquered with conventional=toxic varnish, & PVC hall flooring..? so I wasn't as decisive & gung-ho about it.. What do you guys think?)

- tiny bit of thread from mending my pants & putting in new/re-used elastics! Haven't sewn for (at least) a decade so this is a new WAHOO!!;) And it's easier than I expected! darn!;) I also remember heaps!

- maybe some other tiny bits I've missed!

I did remove the non-cloth-hankie plastic wrappers (#4 plastics!) seen above, but honestly they did smell & I'm not sure if we won't toss them out anyway!
(Alas, there's foul smell in the bin! - due to the butter wrapper & the plastic sausage!)

I hate to say one of the yogurt tetrapaks (seen on a pic later on!) was washed too late too, & did smell.. so not quite sure what to do with that either!

There's also some used paper hankies & some hair in the bathroom bin, not quite sure what to do with those either.. (If it were my hair, I'd compost it, others' hair is chemically treated with shampoos, so I'm not sure..?)

The bird's droppings (our sweet budgie's) are collected separately, to be put under trees also.. I read it's okay to put them in compost, but my family is afraid of avian flu or such, & don't wanna risk it..


There's also plastic foil from the 'eco bananas' - I'm thinking to write to the company! & there will be the waxed paper from the carob yummy spread..

The good news is, Mom's made butter AGAIN! :)

(pic from 1st time she made it, no bought yogurt this week!;)

I do hope homemade butter becomes a true tradition!! (Mum said she only used cream from 2 or 3 milks - we get 2 liters at a time: The trick is to take away the cream before Dad manages to usurp it, & after there is some bigger amount of cream already!)

It was surprisingly easy, after all the terror & sweating, my family did their best...!! And I ADORE them for it!!

I felt like a really horrible person for making them do all these things, Mum's gone a bit ill in the process, it was a sucky week weather-wise..

I wanted to bake them a yummy zero waste treat (ispired by the lovely presents from Mrs A & Mrs G!), but alas Mum's bought some biscuits in an unindentifiable plastic container at the fair on Sunday! /sigh/

Must make sure to tell my family of my baking attempts well in advance! /at least she was supporting local economy!/
Mum also bought cheese, & while it wasn't zero waste (came in a plastic bag!) it was local & homemade - & we might turn this into zero waste cheese if we network with the supplier wisely!

The Zero Waste Week was a great learning experience!!

I managed to buy meat in a reusable container AND fix my pants, & I don't think I'd have done it without the zero waste week!!
We also made 1/2 of a weekly menu (after a veery long time!), & remembered to use up the sour cabbage & turnips, before they'd gone completely bad!

We realized this is easier than we expected, but our 'recycling' biz will have to be streamlined a bit (& I may post more about it in advance!)

I hope we will continue to make so little waste - or even less!! :)

Dad was unhappy with all the recyclables on the kitchen counter! - Well, they have to dry somewhere! (He suggested we collect them in the 3rd 'bin department' & Mum rebelled she needs that space for her chemicals=cleaners!)
How & where do you girls & guyz wash & leave them to dry? Do you have a separate box or something?

/Weening Mum off the chemicals may be a learning process & I don't expect her to go 'cold turkey'!/

Also, the recyclables need to be in designated places or they are 'forgotten' (& start to smell!) They also need to be washed regularly enough!
(This is easy if 1 person both makes & washes them, if it's 2 or more different people, & if the kitchen isn't spiffy, err, errors or miscommunication can occur! Stuff can get lost in the jungles of the counter!!)

To avoid packaging from dishwasher tablets (& make Mum happy!), I washed more dishes this week than ever!!
(The eco detergent doesn't wash so well, is a bit abrasive to dishes, & we're not 100% sure the 'recyclable' wrappings are really recyclable!)

Still to call about what actually *is* recyclable in our council.. For the purpose of zero waste week we just assumed everything that (the council & the packaging) says is recyclable is recyclable!!

Alas, I made no dish cloths! & I only got the beekeeping magazines today..
The old beehive is still waiting to be fixed too..

It was raining a lot, so luckily not much noise until Saturday & yesterday/today! YAY!! (& today the neighbours' wood is all sawed, lucky me!!)

We did some work in the garden today, & I went to fetch some zero waste honey.. :)

Oh, & I can't tell you what Mum did - it's too horrible!! - & the post is already too long! Must wait till next time! :)

Hoppy Zero Waste Easter!! :)

In Slovenia, every Easter Saturday (mostly) young girls and women take a food basket to church for blessings.

What's in the basket? Ham, potica or bread, a root or two of the horseradish plant, and easter eggs.


(This is not my basket! just a random pic found here - I still haven't got the digital camera!!)

Now you know my Mom: she is a great fan of the plastic bags.
So every Easter, the Easter basket was full of goodies in plastic bags!

But this Easter was zero waste Easter: how could we put plastic bags in the basket?!

So Great Consultant aka Granny came to help:
"What did you do in the old times?" I asked.
"Just stuffed it in the basket," she said.
"Put a cloth underneath, and a pretty cloth on top, and that's all!"

So we wrapped the potica in cloth wrappings, put the meat into a Curver/Tupperware-style reusable plastic container (Granny couldn't remember what - if anything - they used back then, maybe paper bags from groceries), and slipped in the horseradish roots and the colored eggs!

We had colored the eggs with onion peels, blackcurrants (from 2003) & raspberries (from 2005, both in reusable ex-icecream containers), but I have to admit the onion peels produced the best color! (& are mostly zero waste too!)
/Last year blackcurrant-colored-eggs were very beautiful too, maybe we did it a bit differently or the eggs were a bit different - & darker - this year!)
We just made them one-colored, as I wasn't happiest about cooking the eggs in nylon stockings! (and that method would produce waste too, no?!)

My Mom's heart was sinking, when she thought of colored easter eggs naked on the pretty cloth linen, but we tested them on an ordinary kitchen cloth & the color didn't come off, so they were safe to go!

Usually, she put some oil on the colored eggs to make 'em shine, but to avoid oil on cloth disaster, we just skipped that stage - & the onion-peel-colored eggs were very beautiful anyway!


(pic found here)

At church, I *did* wonder what in everybody's basket was!!

Grandma said that a joke at the time was that a woman carried a very heavy & rich-looking basket & then tripped, and old shoes came flying from the huge basket! (We did wonder if that was true too!! :))

Well, HAPPY ZERO WASTE EASTER!! :)

& may it be HOPPY too, to burn all those calories! ;)

The traditional Easter breakfast here involves ham, homebaked potica, bread, yummy horseradish-apple-egg sauce, easter eggs, and other optional items like cheese etc!

note to self: be in time to prevent paper napkins being added to the Easter breakfast! I never know what to do with those! not safe for recycling, not sure about burning them or putting on compost, they do look chlorine-bleached, hmm!
You should see the look on Mom's face when I suggested those were not zero waste, bless her! Ahh, maybe next year!

And some more ideas to decorate Easter eggs next year:

Drapanka from Poland made by scratching
(Picture, more info & ideas found here)

Zero Waste Report #4: What was I thinking??!! Going BANANAS! lol

Well, I think there is 'no way' that we can pull off the 'real zero waste week' so I definitely won't be telling the media about this, lol!!

It will be just an experimental week 'just for us' & hopefully we'll come out wiser...

Dad & Sis just 'don't find any sense in it' - especially 'since other people are polluting so much. They both told me to tell other people to make less waste first.. ugh.. (which I intend to, but 'small steps'..)

At least I did TELL them both about the zero waste week - they didn't take it so well, lol. But then again Mum didn't take it so well at first either!!

Sis also bought some non-eco bananas AGAIN & really drove me BANANAS!!
(found here)

I was soo proud after we had an almost 14-days of (clean! not-smelling!) trash in the bin, & then first Mum had a baking day & some butter-remains landed in there, then Sis put in the banana peels, so the trash had to go outside...!!
I admit I lost some enthusiasm after that!!

Ideally we'd have 1x/a month bin (or less), but will we ever get there?

Some dry fruits in TINY packages and in cellophane were bought again, ugh!! :(
And some pumpkinseeds in non-recyclable plastics! ugh!! /they don't even taste that good!/
I really hate shopping (where others see YUMMINESS, I see TRASH!!) seems I won't be able to leave 'em alone to shop!! ugh

Grandma hasn't found zero waste butter yet, hopefully Mom & I are going to the organic farmers' market on Saturday! (I ate some coconut butter on bread instead - it tasted.. odd!!:) might be okay with a hazelnut spread or so..)

On a happier note (after I had ALMOST given up!), last Saturday Sis *did* ask if her tiny 100g coffee bags are recyclable & even googled up the recyclability(!) (alas, it's #7 plastics, so I was dubious) - of course she found nothing useful, so still someone would need to be called, most likely..
We talked and she said maybe she could buy in bulk (to make less waste)..

(found here)

I am still afraid to call any authorities or the companies dealing with this.. I did contact a local semi-journalist & talked about maybe-writing for a local newspaper, but haven't actually called them yet..

(found here)
I actually talked to my waste-ful neighbour the other day, & asked her 'How come they make so much waste?!' lol
She said, 'well, there's 4 of us' - and they're in the attic, with kitchen and living room all-in-one, so having a compost bin proved too smelly.. (They at least take out bigger piles of eg potato peels on Sunday to the compost heap)
And they do recycle tetrapaks, kiddies got containers at school..
We were distracted by kiddies running around half naked in the cold, so we couldn't fully discuss it all..

I at least asked her to call my Mom if she has any still-good toys or such, so she could give it to the charity NGO.. (Mom also picked some good-enough kiddie shoes out of their 'big garbage' pile..)

I've researched some GOOD stuff about no nappies, zero waste hair, & some other things.. Mum FINALLY tried the soap nuts - & they wash REALLY well!! YAY!! :)

(pic found here - ours look a tiny bit different, are in halves - was told they must be without seeds to wash well!)

Cheese is still being bought with a reusable container :) YAY!! we made some yoghurt again too! :) - & Sis BOUGHT some too! :( (In TETRAPAKS, of course!! ugh!)

...it still feels like 'too little'...


We got attacked by ANTS & I did find some great stuff online, befuddled them temporarily with cinnamon, & they returned.. :(
not sure what to finally use - as natural as possible!!
It seems best to find their entry ways & close them - but how? (there seem many, they seem to find new ones) & what with?


(pic unrelated & found here)
My cousin from the farm (yes, that one!) asked Mom to research a machine for throwing artificial fertilizer around.. and it's SUCH a shame, cause they live in such beautiful nature, & they could have an eco farm, & they're looking into fertilizer dispensers and buying milk in tetrapaks!! OoO (& disposable nappies!!)

I was ranting whole day today & Dad told me to rant at coz - I said it would be better if he did, a man with more authority, but Dad wanted none of it! although he keeps going there to help & COULD wield some influence!! Grr!!

Saw this great documentary A Farm For the Future (cca 50 min) & it did make me think - I wish I could show & present it to my coz & his wife too!


Also, the nuke firm is selling energy cheap to households, & all a TV show focused on was how advertised 10% reduced price isn't really 10% & consumers might be thus misled, & how they might have monopoly & iffy gov/non-gov position (with money landing who-knows-where).. not a word was said on how bad nuke power is!! grr!! - I want to kick someone's tushie!!

Still don't know what to eat - my tummy isn't happy.. :(
Been reading romance books out of desperation - at least they are zero waste - my neighbour's!! :D

On the other hand, as a winner of the FABULOUS Eurovision blog award

on Mrs A's The Rubbish Diet together with the awesome Danda from Italy & Esther from France (who I hope will post more!) - is it really time to despair? Or RE-THINK?! Hmm!!

So happy to be in the company of other totally wonderful bloggers (some of whom I definitely wanna research more!) - and hopefully I will be inspired by the Muse/s of blogging (or Muse/s of rubbish, if there exist any?) re: what to do?

Baby-nappy-dilemma: which nappies?! - NO nappies!!

Very tired, but I also feel fab: I found a whole lotta forums & sites & posts about babies & their Moms/Dads going diaper-free!! (even on Slovenian forums YAY!!:)
First found on the fabulous Zero Waste NZ - & I LOVE this Mom's site too!!


As my cousin's wife has the baby-nappy dilemma (disposables at a farm-??!! far away from any landfill or regular garbage service!!) it seems VERY INTERESTING!!
Also, if I ever have a baby, I'd definitly TRY this!! (probably in combination with a few cloth nappies..)

It seems very odd that a single gal with no kiddies (or zero waste daddies) in sight would explore the nappies/no nappies world, but then again I already studied a book on getting kiddies to sleep & a few books on bringing kids up 'just in case'!! ;)
/Better be prepared, & it's easier to advise any friends in that case, no? ;)/

As for zero-wasteness... still being a chicken & haven't dared to make a few certain calls.. my stomach actually rebelled, I think the thought of what I might find out distressed me immensely :)
At least I'm learning about these things & raising awareness a bit.. my own, & of people around me.. I still feel so many lightyears 'behind'.. there is soo much knowledge scattered all over the world, & then found in most unlikely places :)

I did send Granny to chase after naked butter.. We'll see if she finds any!! :)