Add our journal

journal/2011-01.mdwn

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+Title: January, 2011
+
+January 8: Getting Started
+--------------------------
+
+After seeing a documentary called "No Impact Man" in December last year,
+we made a new year's resolution to reduce how much trash we make.  We
+don't have a specific goal for volume, we just want to produce as little
+trash as we can.
+
+First we had to okay this with our 5-year-old daughter.  This wasn't too
+hard, since every 6 months or so we pick up trash together in the vacant
+lot across the street.  She's acutely aware of not only how much trash
+there is blowing around town, but what sorts of things make up the bulk
+of the trash (disposable plastics).  She seemed to think it was a
+reasonable thing to do, so off we go.
+
+After cataloging everything we threw away for a week, we determined that
+our trash is largely food packaging.  We are going to stop buying new
+packaged food, instead running down our pantry until our new co-op
+grocery store opens its doors in February.  When the co-op opens, we'll
+start buying as much as we can in bulk, and the things that we can't,
+we'll try to buy in minimal packaging, with an eye toward compostable or
+recyclable packaging.
+
+We rode our bikes today to the existing grocery store, to pick up some
+pizza toppings.  Our new "minimal packaging" goal actually saved us some
+money on mushrooms: 1-1/2 pounds of loose mushrooms in a plastic grocery
+bag we brought with us came out to the same price as the 4 ounces
+styrofoam container we normally bought.  We also made friends with a
+lady in the deli department when we asked if she could make thick slices
+of mozarella and wrap it in wax paper.  She did go through a pair of
+disposable plastic gloves, though.
+
+When we got home, Neale's wooden toothbrush had arrived.  He's trying a
+[wooden
+toothbrush](http://lifewithoutplastic.com/boutique/plasticfree-wooden-toothbrush-adult-p-400.html)
+with bristles made of sterilized boar hairs.  Amy and Ginnie are going
+with a year-long [plastic toothbrush
+subscription](http://www.preserveproducts.com/toothbrush-subscription.html):
+every three months, the company mails out new toothbrushes made from
+recycled food-grade plastics, and you mail back the old ones to be
+recycled.  Every time plastic is recycled, it degrades, but recycling is
+better than throwing away, and our goal this year is to reduce our
+trash.

journal/index.mdwn

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+Title: Going Brown
+
+This is a journal--not a blog--initially about our effort to stop
+generating so much trash.
+
+In 2011 it's trendy to talk about "going green" for the benefit of the
+earth, but anyone who's bothered to step outside has surely noticed that
+earth is actually brown.  Hopefully, as we compost more and throw away
+less, we'll be making more earth and less landfill.  We're going brown,
+then, so that is the name of this journal.
+
+This journal has no comments, although you are free to [email
+us](mailto:neale-aim-journal@woozle.org) or talk to us in person about
+anything you've read here.  Entries are in chronological order, just
+like a book or a diary.
+
+* [January 2011](2011-01.html)

journal/journal.mk

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+PLAIN += journal