Information Junkies

I am almost through my 7th month of buying nothing new! Can you believe it? I can. My Grandpa Read once told me that he felt like his life sped up between the ages of 20 and 69. It slowed back down at 70. He turned 89 earlier this week, and while it might seem like the years go a bit slower now, the man is still cramming in all sorts of activities like Mac user club (he would never touch a PC), choir, walking the dog and impressing the ladies with his mad ballroom dance skills. Nice job Gramps!

Knowing that I am over the halfway mark of my project has made me stop and think about the comments I've received from people who've seen the blog. Just last week and old friend from college said she started reading it and was excited to swap stories of reusing and refurbishing, which I LOVE. Since January, many friends and acquaintances (but no enemies....I think) have referred me to books, documentaries, other blogs and websites related to my goal to buy nothing new, reuse and re-think the way I consume. Here's a rundown so far:

Bill Lewis suggested checking out this book to get more information on container gardening (bonus: Rose Marie is a local).


Britt Q. sent me a link to The Story of Stuff Project, which explains the Materials Economy and how stuff is made from things that are extracted, produced, distributed, consumed and finally disposed of. There's a documentary, a blog, a book and a very interactive website featuring clips of the film. The whole thing is BRILLIANT!  It was criticized by Glenn Beck for being anti consumer and other groups said it was anti-American since it highlights how much of the world's resources the US uses. If that doesn't make you want to get into it, I don't know what will.

My awesome coworker Renee Stowell directed me to a website for The Reuseum, a surplus store in Idaho that tries to get recycled technology out into the community, and also promotes all sorts of creative projects using surplus items, like using old voting booths to poll people on the street on their likes and dislikes. Hey Facebook, you're not the only one that can ask people funny quizzes! Renee also gets super props for discovering art projects we can do that involve reused items, like making bowls out of old record albums, which we did a few months ago. And no, we did not inhale.

In reference to my blog regarding tooth brushes, Jessica White told me that Trader Joe's sells a recyclable toothbrush. It's made from recycled plastic yogurt containers! The company who makes them sells all sorts of interesting recycled products which were exciting to see, but couldn't compare with my current favorite recycled vessel, my Adams peanut butter jar water glass/travel mug. 


Party Jon gave me the book, "Make Your Place: Affordable, Sustainable, Nesting Skills" so I can figure out how to make my own household cleaning supplies, deodorant, toothpaste and all sorts of other great things. I hope he wasn't trying to give me a hint.

Multiple people suggested that I watch the documentary Food Inc. So I finally borrowed it from Sarah G and watched it. You should watch it too and get mad as hell. All I have to say is, "Soylent Green Is People". Let's stop being chumps. 


And since I now get my cheap kicks from trying new recipes instead of window shopping, I've got my favorite sites for recipes. Rachel Faber Machacha directed me to http://smittenkitchen.com/ with stories of how she lived off of the Mediterranean Pepper Salad last summer (It IS that good). And then there is the lovely http://www.101cookbooks.com/index.html which I stumbled upon when looking for a quinoa recipe last year. Heidi Swanson has proved to be a great source for flavor inspiration!

Keep the info coming! I love reading/watching/listening/seeing/sharing it!