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Hello, once more, gentle readers. This is my final, reflective blog. It seems really sudden that I should be done with this project. I definitely feel like many of my views have changed as a result of this project. Firstly, I now no longer believe in the infallibility of the certified organic label. This mostly comes from the readings we did in Katz, but also from the changes they are trying to make for the certification process. I believe, as a result of this project, I will now begin to buy more local products, and shop at the co-op more than I did before. Secondly, my practices in buying products have changed. Before, I generally just bought what was most affordable. But researching companies, I have found that there really are socially conscious, environmentally-aware ones out there, that provide good products. Sure, they might be more expensive, but if you take into account the costs to the environment, it really evens out. I believe that, by being mindful consumers, we really can make a difference, and this has also made a big change in my outlook. Before, I was always pretty hopeless about the changes I could make, but I realize that through discipline and by being educated, we have the power to affect positive change in the world.
Overall, I feel like my project was successful, because it really taught me a lot. Even though it was incredibly difficult to stick to it, I think the difficulty was as much a lesson as the project itself was. It isn’t easy to break habits we have had for essentially our entire lives. But breaking those habits are worth it, in my opinion. I know that as a result of this project many of my habits will change. Although I am sure that I won’t go to an all-organic diet, many foods, such as milk, are better for you – and in most cases for the environment – when they are purchased organically. So although this project didn’t change my entire life, it did change aspects of my life, and that’s all I could have asked for.
Hello again, gentle readers. I hope everyone’s final weeks of class are going well. I know for certain I am looking forward to the summer months – not that I haven’t thoroughly enjoyed my time in this class.
This week I am covering all-natural and eco-friendly cleaning products. I was incredibly surprised at the amount of choices I found in cleaning products. I found that Clorox creates a line of all-natural cleaning products called Greenworks, each of which has at least 99% natural ingredients, and is biodegradable. They also come in recyclable containers – yay. Although I wasn’t able to find any organic cleaning products, I also found a 100%, biodegradable laundry detergent that comes in a recyclable container, as well. It is by the brand Purex. I haven’t yet had the chance to use any of these products, but I am very excited to, especially the laundry detergent. I don’t know about anyone else, but I love the smell of fresh, clean laundry, and the detergent I purchased smells like lilies.
I also found an interesting site that deals with natural cleaning and its benefits – as well as the harmful effects of most commercial cleaners – at GreenCleaningSpot. A pertinent article on that site stated that various commercial cleaners contain petroleum distillates, produce potentially deadly fumes and are harmful to our environment. This alone is reason enough to buy natural products, but it goes further to state that not only are green cleaners more beneficial to the environment, they are generally just as effective and cheaper in their concentrated forms that commercial cleaners.
Although I had planned to also buy recycled/all-natural paper products (paper towels, toilet paper, etc) I was unable to find the brand Seventh Generation‘s line of recycled products at Wal-Mart, which is just where I happened to be shopping – I’m not sure if Target carries these products, and I’m fairly certain they carry their own brand of eco-friendly cleaning products. Anyway, I know that Seventh Generation is another company that has tremendous green products – my sister uses them in her home – and I would recommend them to you. Something ladies might want to consider – this company also carries organic tampons and chlorine-free maxipads and pantiliners! Traditional pads and tampons have been shown to be harmful to your health, so organic is a very alluring alternative.
And on that note – I’ll leave you! It’s been real, it’s been fun, it’s been real fun. Until next week, with my concluding post.
Hello, Gentle Readers. It has been a while since my latest post, so let’s do some re-capping. Last time I wrote, I had had a difficult week keeping to my project. Not only had I had a difficult week, I was also beginning to question the validity of my mission: to buy only organic and all-natural products. After reading the Katz article online, which pointed out the downfalls of buying organic, I began to be disheartened, feeling that, although organic foods may be good for my own health, if grown mono-culturally and marketed by big brands, they weren’t really that much better for the environment. However, this week I have maintained a positive attitude about my project and feel slightly more hopeful. I have made some discoveries and formed some opinions on organic foods, which is, in truth, what the purpose of my project is: to explore and inform. I know you are all dying to find out what exactly my opinions on organic foods are, but for now, I would like to move ahead toward the third phase of my project: organic toiletries.
Although I am not the type of person that generally would be characterized as being obsessed with my looks (generally I’m not too concerned with what I put on in the morning, or whether or not I’m wearing make-up), I have an extreme affinity for beauty products in general, for some strange reason, perhaps because they are marketed toward me so incessantly. Needless to say, I had fun researching the different types of organic and all-natural toiletries that are out there. I found out that Origins Organics offers a line of beauty care products (shampoo, face wash, etc) that are all at least 73% certified organic. However, I wasn’t aware of any place that sold these products locally, and since I was on a timeline, I decided against ordering them online. But, if you’re willing to pay, I’m sure it is worth it to buy organic. I decided to go natural, and visited GAIA salonspa and stocked up on AVEDA shampoos and face washes. I know, I know, it’s ridiculously expensive but after reading their mission statement, and perusing their website, I have concluded that AVEDA is an excellent company to invest in (and I have found that high quality shampoos and conditioners last longer and work better). For instance, here is a quote from their mission statement: “Aveda believes that authentic beauty is one that works in harmony with the greater web of life. It does not qualify as beauty if it hurts any of the diverse life forms that the best beauty artist of all, Nature, created.“
After researching more what kinds of organic/natural products are out there in the realm of beauty supplies, I think I’m going to stick to buying them. When I think about all the chemicals that go into the process of producing the products we use to cleanse and up-keep our body, it kind of makes me feel a little dirty. Knowing that what I use on my person comes from the earth makes me feel a lot cleaner.
Dear Gentle Readers,
As you may recall, last week I had commenced with eating only organic foods inside the home, and was continuing to desist in eating non-organic food outside of the home. Well, let me tell you, eating 100% organic food is NOT an easy feat. Granted, I have only bought groceries at Dillon’s, where the selection of organic foods might not be as vast as someplace like People’s Grocery or some of the other places you recommended. However, I was able to get quite a few things – enough to last me a couple of weeks, at least. I got quite a few certified organic packaged products – such as shells and cheese and some different rice packages. I wasn’t able to find some basic things that were organic, though, and I was pretty disappointed. For instance, I wasn’t able to find organic bread, tortillas or rice, which are pretty much staples of my diet. I was also disappointed by the amount of organic fruits and vegetables they had – none of which i could find that said they were USDA certified organic. This is something I am going to have to scout around for. There were, however, some packaged crudites, as well as some frozen broccoli that I plan on making with non-organic rice. I was incredibly frustrated just because I felt like most of what I bought needed additional ingredients that I couldn’t find in an organic variety.
I only spent about $100 on groceries, which is comparable to what I would be spending on two to four weeks worth of groceries if I weren’t buying organic, so I really didn’t find it was that much more expensive. Granted, I couldn’t buy all organic items, but I generally tried to sacrifice for partially organic products – for example, Newman’s Own has a variety of cookies (okay, so I have a horrible sweet tooth) that contain organic wheat and sugar, so I bought those, and they’re almost exactly like Oreo’s! Hah. Okay, I was excited about it. Something else everyone should be excited about! This weekend was my best friend and roommate’s birthday, so I was cruising the liquor store looking for some good beer. New Belgium Brewery is one of my favorite varieties, and as I was browsing, I noticed a kind I had never tried before, called Mothership Wit, a USDA certified organic beer! Although someone else who tried it claimed it paled in comparison to other Belgium Wit’s, I was very pleased with myself. In fact, I believe I told everyone at the party that I was drinking organic beer.
This brings me to why this week was such a hard week. Not only did I find it difficult to buy all organic foods, but I also found it difficult not to go out to eat because of my friend’s birthday. I found I didn’t want to skip her birthday dinner just because I was eating only organic food, and then everyone went out for lunch the next day and I didn’t want to be left out either. So I failed on both counts there. I just wish I could find an organic restaurant in town – does anyone know of any? That way I could recommend it next time anyone asks me to go out!
In connection with class, this past weeks reading kind of got me disillusioned with my project, and how beneficial it would really be toward the environment. I just don’t know how much you can trust the USDA Certified Organic labeling system. I still believe that eating organic foods is healthier for people, and is therefore beneficial to the home environment and standard of living, but if huge organic operations spring up, and they are all run in monocultures, how beneficial for the environment can those be, even if they don’t use pesticides? It seems like either way you lose, because you don’t necessarily know that just because something says it’s certified organic that it actually is completely organic, but if you don’t at least TRY to buy organic, how do you know what goes into the process of making your food? Even if you buy locally from farmers at the Farmer’s Market, you still can’t be sure. It seems like our system is flawed – in many ways I’m sure – and through the reading and my experiences in this experiment, I am starting to realize that. I still think it is important that I continue with my project, but I am incredibly disheartened. Let’s hope that through the next couple of weeks, I can find something more hopeful. Thanks for all your comments, by the way, and I will let you know how it goes with finding organic toiletries next week!
Dear Gentle Readers,
I am now into my second week of blogging. As you may remember, my first week of actual project was concerned with not eating non-organic food outside of the home, and donating the non-organic food I do have in my cupboards. I feel like I very much succeeded on not eating out – even though several times I had to say – “Oh, yah, I can’t go out…” The one instance where I did go out was for coffee, and since it was from a coffeeshop that serves organic coffee, I feel fully justified in buying it. (: I suppose I also went out to the bars one night, and none of what I drank could be considered organic. But perhaps I should make the distinction that non-organic beverages are okay? Because, as I get further into my project, I am realizing how hard it is actually going to be.
Which brings me to my upcoming week – which I am extremely nervous about. After a discussion in class, I realized how incredibly difficult it is to actually buy completely organic foods. I was under the impression that any food marketed as organic had to be 95% organic, but discovered that is only if it has this certified label on it that guarantees that level of organic content. As a result, I’m having to rethink how plausible it is actually going to be to be able to find organic products, let alone ensure that they are certified organic. I’ve already done some pre-project scouting and know that the pickings are slim at the larger grocery stores. And this, Gentle Readers, is where I ask for your help: if any of you know the best places to buy organic foods in Manhattan, please let me know. Someone already mentioned the COOP, but I don’t know where that is, or what it is actually called – so I can’t look it up. Also, Eastside and Westside Markets were mentioned, and I know People’s Grocery has some organic products, but I’m not sure to what extent. Any other knowledge you people could provide me with would be excellent! Hope everyone else’s projects are going swimmingly.
Hello, gentle readers. This is my first blog, and so I would like to spend it outlining my project, which falls under the “Lived Experience” category. I am going to attempt to, for the remainder of the semester, consume only organic products, all natural or green products.
First of all, I would like to explain why I am undergoing this experiment, and why I think it is important for this class. To begin, it has long been assumed that the home is a woman’s domain. Though we may call into question that assumption, I still believe that women have a deep connection to home life, including housework such as cooking, cleaning, and rearing children. However, since the development of new technology, women have become less and less connected to these every day activities as their lives become busier. As a result, women have sacrificed, in the name of convenience, not only the health of themselves and their families, but also the health of the environment. I believe that by living a more “green” lifestyle, by consuming organic and natural foods, and buying products that are committed to the health of the planet, not only women, but all people, can make a difference in overall world health.
Secondly, I believe this is an important experiment for a college student to undertake. Because of the financial situation of most traditional college students, living a green lifestyle is very difficult, if not impossible. Through this experiment, I hope to find ways that all of us can make small changes in our lifestyles to be able to afford a more organic way of living.
Last, I will explain the logistics of my experiment and how I plan to slowly establish myself in a more organic way of living. For the first week, I plan to donate all of the non-organic food that I have in my apartment, and discontinue my consumption of non-organic food outside of the home. During the second week, I plan to stock up on organic and all natural foods. I was hoping to be able to do this during the spring, so that I could also buy local food from the Farmer’s Market, but alas the semester ends too soon and the Farmer’s Market opens too late. Anyway. The following week, I will get rid of my toiletries and buy only natural products. After that, I plan to consume only natural or organic cleaning and paper products. My final blog will be a reflection of my experience.
I am going to include some interesting articles concerning whole foods, organic foods, and some examples of natural products.
http://www.greensurfers.org/organic/sixgoodreasons.htm
http://www.wholefoods101.blogspot.com/
http://www.seventhgeneration.com/
http://www.tomsofmaine.com/toms/default.asp?
http://www.burtsbees.com
