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CLOSED: Conscious Consumerism: Marcal Small Steps (plus giveaway!)
Any fool can destroy trees.
They cannot defend themselves or run away.

And few destroyers of trees ever plant any;

nor can planting avail much
toward restoring our grand aboriginal giants.”

-John Muir

98% of purchased paper products come from trees.

Ninety. Eight. Percent.

2% of purchased paper comes from recycled content.

Only. Two. Percent.

What I want to do here is rant about how people feel entitled to wipe their bums, blow their noses, clean their chins and countertops, and print their LOL email forwards on paper that sacrifices trees that take decades, centuries to grow. That are bleached to the whitest white and marketed as being luxurious, or fluffy like clouds. Why? Why? Do we really need to wipe our bums with fluffy clouds? Really? Really?

But I’m behaving myself today. Let’s skip the rant and instead recap why trees are important, shall we?
- Trees absorb carbon from the atmosphere (greenhouse gases)
- Trees’ dark green leaves absorb light from the sun (retaining heat during the day and slowly releasing)
- Trees take up water from the soil, which then evaporates into the atmosphere (creating heat-deflecting clouds, another global-warming deterrent)
- Tree root systems prevent erosion & loss of fertility (soil conservation)
- 70% of the earth’s animals & plants live in forests. Most will not survive clear-cutting.
Since not all our paper is sourced from rainforest, I WON’T EVEN MENTION that tropical rainforests house half the world’s varieties of plants, many of them medicinal (two-thirds of cancer-fighting agents originate in rainforest), in a land area that’s only 7% of the world’s land mass. And that we continue to discover new species there all the time.

Oh. Well, maybe I will. IT’S IMPORTANT, YA’LL.

One of the easiest ways we can help the earth out is by mindfully consuming paper.

As in, don’t use paper if you don’t need to.
- Save files on your computer rather than print them out.
- Read books on an e-reader rather than buy hard copies (you can download the Kindle app to your computer for free and read on your Mac or PC)
- Subscribe to digital versions of magazines or newspapers
- Pay bills online; opt out of junk mail; get off catalog mailing lists
- Switch to rags for cleaning, cloth napkins for mealtime, handkerchiefs for noses
- Write your to-do & grocery lists on a digital calendar; bonus points if you sync to your phone.
- Draw on chalkboards or whiteboards and snap a pic for posterity.
- Encourage art projects that use recycled materials.
When you do use paper, for the love of Mike please reuse the blank sides. If you need coffee filters buy the unbleached ones, and compost them. If you buy a Sunday paper for the coupons, shred the paper for the guinea pig cage. Save the envelopes that come in your junk mail for when you have to send a check or money into the classroom. Be creative.

Recycle all you can.

And then, complete the cycle. Retailers are not going to shift the new:recycled ratio until there is a quantifiable demand for recycled content products.

When you buy paper products, buy recycled.

Let companies know where your priorities are, and how you want to spend your dollar. They will pay attention.

We switched over to cloth napkins, hankies and rags a long time ago, but I still need to buy the occasional box of tissues for a bad cold. I also buy paper towels for draining bacon and cleaning up puke (it’s necessary; we’re talking two, three boxes and rolls a year). And, we do use toilet paper, a state of affairs I don’t see changing anytime soon.

We’ve always used Marcal, for the simple reason that it was inexpensive and the Sunday paper runs coupons for their products all the time. When we first officially “done gone green” back in 2008, I was beyond pleased (and mayhaps a little smug) to find out that not only was Marcal frugal, but comes from recycled content too.
- Marcal Small Steps is made from 100% recycled content paper (30% post-consumer, meaning a consumer has used it & recycled it.)
  - For comparison’s sake: Seventh Generation is also 100% recycled content, and an impressive 90% post-consumer. It’s also a bit more expensive than I think every other brand out there.
  - Scott Naturals is 40/40.
- Marcal processes 200,000+ tons of recyclable paper—magazines, office & school paper, flyers, junk mail & printers’ waste (printer’s waste being an example of recycled content that is not post-consumer, like the ends of paper rolls)— every year, thus saving over 4 million trees and producing more than 12 million cases of paper products annually.
- Air-fluffed TP (anything vaguely resembling clouds, or quilts, or angel’s wings) is an energy-intensive process, considerably more so than the traditional process Marcal uses. That’s totally not even thinking about the energy expended clear-cutting forests. BUT YOU SHOULD THINK ABOUT IT BECAUSE IT’S IMPORTANT.
- AND, soft and fluffy is no good for your plumbing and sewer systems. The thinner stuff is designed to be blown apart upon flush impact. Soft and fluffy? Turns into a thick, gloppy mess that clogs easily and is no fun to watch your plumber husband extract from pipes. You’d think it would be, but it’s not.
But the best part is, Marcal recently updated their look and product line (by recently, I mean I have no idea exactly when this happened) and the toilet paper is softer, the paper towels are now durable. So it’s not even like you’re making some sort of sacrifice to use the recycled product. It is every bit as practical, and frugal too. No excuses!

Wanna try it out?

The nice folks over at Marcal are offering one of my readers a sample pack of Marcal products (toilet paper, tissues, napkins, and paper towels).

Just leave me a comment letting me know one thing you do to cut down on your paper consumption for your chance to win.

Bonus entry: “Like” my Facebook fan page and leave a 2nd comment telling me you did (or that you already were a fan).

I’ll pick a winner next Saturday morning before soccer, 4/30/11.

Don’t forget, you can check your Sunday paper for coupons, they’re in there all the time. Or, “like” Marcal’s fan page for an instant-gratification printable coupon.

Find stores that carry the Marcal brand here.

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Full Disclosure: I happily accepted an offer of a trial roll of Marcal paper towels and a package of TP for review purposes. No other compensation was received for this post.

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AND THE WINNER IS:

Comment #2, Aimee! Thanks to everyone who entered!
April 22, 2011
Review: Home-Ec 101, Skills for Everyday Living by Heather Solos

A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly.

Specialization is for insects.

-Robert A. Heinlein

OK, so Home Ec 101: Skills for Everyday Living doesn’t teach you how to do ALL of that, but it comes pretty darn close, and this was the quote dancing through my head as I read through it.

Those who know me have heard me go off, at beautiful length, about how I think all high schoolers should have to take a Home Ec course that goes beyond how to sew a skirt and roast a chicken. (I also think they should require a basic course in car maintenance, FYI. All women should know how to change a tire.) Teens should learn how to do the practical, everyday things that we really need to do as adults with households to upkeep: how to fix a running toilet, how to remove wallpaper, how to diagnose what’s ailing your dishwasher, how to get the dog pee smell out of your couch. Heather Solos addresses all these issues in her awesomely retro Home-Ec-in-a-Book, and does it with a style and verve that makes for an enjoyable read as you’re being totally schooled.

Now, I knew I was going to love this when I came across a passage early on in the book discussing what to consider when choosing cleaning products, and Heather footnotes:

The three Rs of environmentalism are Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, not Run-Out-and-Buy-New-Crap.

YES. Sing it, sister.

The book is divided into four major sections: Clean It, Wash It, Fix It, Cook It, with a handy-dandy appendix for reference and (double YES) an index. It drives me batty when info-heavy works like this don’t provide an index.

Clean It

For someone that isn’t writing from a strictly green perspective, Heather is surprisingly eco-minded. I love that she touts green methods like vinegar and water for the toilet simply for being practical and effective. (Triple YES.) I also love how she doesn’t encourage super-sterilization; often these sorts of titles cater to germaphobes. Nope, Heather Solos says,

Back to wiping, next up is the rim. Any cleaner that has splashed up from the bowl will make this job easier. Remember, it’s just cleaner and water from the bowl, not actual body fluids, don’t be a baby; hands wash.

That’s just awesome.

Heather explains what different cleaners are and how they work, which I thought was crazy useful. She gives pointers for delegating household chores. She addresses real-world questions like how to clean diarrhea from a carpet (dude, it happens), how to properly clean pillows and how to care for a butcher’s block table (this was something I’ve wondered about). I have read a lot of cleaning books doing research and this one is really fantastically thorough.

Wash It

Extend the life of your clothing! This section includes a table of common and not-so-common stains and how to remove them, deciphers care instructions, gives tips on repairing and altering your clothing, offers advice for conquering the laundry mountain, and answers questions like, “Does an extra dirty load of laundry require extra detergent?” A veritable treasure trove of little-things-I-wish-I-knew-offhand-but-don’t.

Fix It

Well, in this department I have a confession to make. On our first date my now-husband unclogged a shower drain that my roommates and I had been battling unsuccessfully for days, and that was when I knew he was a keeper. (We were 19. At 19, the ability to take apart plumbing is like magic.)

So, I don’t fix things. Jeff does. But if you don’t have a Jeff, you might find this section detailing vital tools to keep in your toolbox, troubleshooting a troublesome washing machine, vacuum maintenance, leaky toilet seals, picture hanging, fixing small holes in your walls, and yes, unclogging drains, to be useful. It’s not comprehensive by any means, but hey, this is Home Ec 101. Check out your local Home Depot for more in-depth titles.

Cook It

When did cooking become a lost art? It’s a shame. I find that a lot of people buy cookbooks about comfort foods or French foods or whatever, and they’re doomed from the start: the recipe will ask you to braise something and you’re like, huh. What’s braising? Confidence shot, you make chicken fingers again. (I’m not speaking from personal experience or anything.)

This section starts with the basics: terms, necessary equipment, techniques, pantry staples, and my favorite, the answer to the question “How do I get everything done at the same time?” It then moves into meal planning, substitutions, and recipes. (The Home-Ec 101 website has TONS of recipes. It also offers cleaning schedule reminders, sort of like the FlyLady but without! all! the unnecessary! enthusiasm and punctuation!) Quadruple YES.

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Specialization is for insects, folks. We should always aim to learn to do those things that will put us on a path to self-sufficiency, if not for the simple reason that it’s nice to feel capable, then for the cost-effectiveness of the thing.

Think of how many times you’ve hired a plumber for something you’re pretty sure you could do yourself, if you only knew how. Think how many take-out meals you’ve eaten because you’re tired of the meals in your repertoire or because your grocery-shopping trip didn’t stretch you through the week. Think of all things you’ve thrown out because you figured it was irreparably stained or because the zipper was broken. This book can help you become a jack-of-all-trades and quasi-master-of-some. That’s a good deal in 200-some-odd pages.

Home-Ec 101: Skills for Everyday Living is available on Amazon for a mere 13 bucks or so. I whole-heartedly recommend it, it’s fantastico and Heather’s sense of humor is adorable. Gift it for your favorite graduate! Tell ’em how much money you’ve saved them in the long run. They’ll thank you when the dog pees on the couch.

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Disclosure time! I was provided a digital copy of Home-Ec 101 from the One2One Network for the purpose of review. It was in PDF form and I could not get it onto my Kindle to save my life, if anyone can help me please let me know.

I received no compensation for this post, and as always all long-winded opinions are mine alone.

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April 21, 2011
Wildwood NJ and Morey’s Pier: Revisiting and Creating Memories

Wildwood Boardwalk, early 80s. Yes, I'm adorb.

Leftovers in their less visible form are called memories.

Stored in the refrigerator of the mind and the cupboard of the heart.

-Thomas Fuller

To take that analogy one step further: memories nourish and sustain the soul (and potentially poison it too, but that’s a different blog post).

When I was young summers were a vast wasteland. I hated summer vacation. The hours and days seemed to last forever. We never really went anywhere or did anything much that I can remember, except for one week in late August, when we rented a room at the Pan-a-Lu in Wildwood NJ.

This week would be marked in red on my calendar, and I would count down the days until I could escape the boring day-to-day of summertime home life, which generally consisted of soap operas, walks to the grocery store (we had no car), rereading Sweet Valley High books, cooking dinner and waiting for the bus bringing my dad home from work.

Wildwood meant the ocean, and shell-collecting, and sand-castle building. It meant feeding french fries to sea gulls and petting rays and sharks. It meant salt-water taffy and cotton candy and Douglass Fudge, trips to the movies and skee-ball at the arcade, early morning bike rides on the boardwalk and “Watch the tram-car, please.”

Summer concerts with Al Alberts singing “On the Way to Cape May,” cheesy souvenir clothing and “things made with shells.” Oh, god, and hermit crabs.

And for one glorious day, it meant a wristband (unlimited rides) at Morey’s Pier.

Last summer, on the last day of the season, the kids and I got to participate in a Blogger’s Day at the Beach, and I took a stroll down memory lane at Morey’s Pier. With my children.

Now, my kids have it way different than I did (glory, in so many ways it’s not even funny). I take them on field trips as often as I can, and my in-laws have a beach house on Long Beach Island that we visit often. But a boardwalk was a new adventure for them, as was an amusement park where 90% of your day is NOT spent waiting in lines.

They had a great time creating new memories, and I spent the day in a weird duality, remembering what it was like to be a child in that space while reveling in my children’s unabashed enjoyment.

Pink elephants

carousel

Kite Flyer

Wave Swinger

Morey’s Pier Rock and Roll- this used to be one of my faves but man, just makes me sick now

Morey’s Pier Moby Dick. I get sick on these too- new appreciation for my dad, going on all these rides with me

Morey’s Piers Convoy

Quick story about the Convoy: once I was waiting for my brother to get off this ride and another (little, maybe 3 or 4yo) kid tripped on the track and busted his face wide open. I know now that face wounds bleed a lot, but at the time I was very severely freaked out and scared and not only did I not go on any more rides for a loooooong time, but I had horrible nightmares about the whole ordeal.

And? I never told anyone about it until I went back to Wildwood and my memory was jogged. It’s a strange relief to put that whole episode in perspective, and to rest.

As a kid I found the FREAKING ENORMOUS Ferris Wheel terrifying. As an adult I still find it somewhat unnerving.

But I felt better seeing that my kids, thrill-seekers that they are, also gripped the sides a bit tightly when the wheel was moving at full steam. It’s REALLY REALLY BIG, ya’ll.

On this trip I also learned that my kids are not natural born drivers. (This was their first time ever manning the bumper car themselves, usually Jeff or I drive. I had to swing past the boys and tell them to hit the gas pedal.)

Bumper Cars

Mini Scooters

Then we had Jumbo’s pizza and Curley’s fries and that brought me back to childhood more than anything. But only because the tram-car wasn’t running.

As the sun set we got some cotton candy for the road (the fried Oreos, alas, had sold out) and Kohr’s Bros. orange-and-vanilla-twist ice cream cones. Not the most nutritious of days, which I don’t mind a few days a year on occasions such as this. That infrequent extravagence helps contribute to the creation of the memory, the nourishment of the soul.

The kids have already asked if they can go back this summer, and I’m happy to comply, since we didn’t get to the second pier’s worth of rides or to the waterparks. There are also some adults-only “extreme” rides I’m wanting to check out.

Best of all— this is relatively new— you can have “Breakfast in the Sky,” a fancy-shmancy chef-created meal on the Ferris Wheel, complete with white linens and china. I’m not exactly sure why this appeals to me so much BUT IT DOES.

It was so much fun, then and now. I know we all have “our” beach; Wildwood will always be “my” beach even though my summers are now spent elsewhere. But if you’re willing to try out a new beach, a new adventure to stand out in your kids’ memories: give Wildwood a whirl. Up until April 29th you can save up to 35% on the purchase of Morey’s Pier admission tickets.

Where did you vacay as a kid? Do you go to the same place now?

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Disclosure time! I attended the Blogger’s Day at the Beach last summer, receiving ride wristbands and snack vouchers for me & the kids, but was under no obligation to blog about it. I obviously really wanted to anyway, but opted to wait until now in the hopes of nudging people to visit this summer.

Because Morey’s Piers are JUST THAT AWESOME.

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April 21, 2011