Maybe I’m not quite as bad as Watto, but I do love a good deal – especially now that I’m being forced to rein in the budget something fierce. Since [...]]]> “I’m a Toydarian, mind tricks don’t work on me. Only money. No money, no parts, no deal!” – Watto, Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace

Maybe I’m not quite as bad as Watto, but I do love a good deal – especially now that I’m being forced to rein in the budget something fierce. Since I don’t know if everyone else knows about it, I’m going to put in this link to Amazon.com’s bulk-buying Subscribe & Save program. I l.o.v.e this program. Every time I order something from it, I get free shipping and an automatic 15% discount. Woo-hoo!

What reminded me was that I just ordered some more HE detergent for my front-loading washer today. I get paper products (my much beloved Seventh Generation toilet paper, paper towels, and bath tissues, for example), Dad Windu’s favorite face wash (very hit or miss at the grocery store), “lady items” and other such bulky non-perishables this way. I’m a huge fan of buying local and supporting local merchants, but I’m also a big fan of being able to get my weekly groceries on my bicycle (hard to do when you’ve got lots of bulky items) or – if the load is really light – walking there and back. Plus the local grocery doesn’t even stock Seventh Generation stuff (yes, I’ve requested them) – and that bugs the crap out of me! So the the UPS truck pulls up and delivers 6-7 months of TP in a big o’ cardboard box.

To get the great deal, it makes me pick a recurring period (1, 2, 3 or 6 month time frames). That seemed a bit risky until I realized that I can cancel the repeat order immediately after buying something if I want to. They also send you a reminder email about a week before sending out the next shipment, too, so you can skip the upcoming order if you wish. Generally I order everything on the 6 month plan and move the order date back or forward as needed.

I hope this helps some of you out too.

People who know me, know that I’m quietly environmental. I feel strongly, passionately about keeping my place on Earth as environmentally neutral as possible [...]]]> “Impressive. Most impressive. Obi-Wan has taught you well. You have controlled your fear. Now, release your anger. Only your hatred can destroy me.” – Darth Vader, Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back

People who know me, know that I’m quietly environmental. I feel strongly, passionately about keeping my place on Earth as environmentally neutral as possible – and I fail stunningly at that, and often. Maybe I don’t do enough to “get the message out”, but I do try to live what I believe. In reality, I don’t think it does any good to lecture people with the “You’re bad. You’re killing the planet. You’re acting selfish” mantra. It’s rude, and rude rarely gets anything worthwhile done. But I do what I can.

I first became afraid of what was going on in our world (and what I might be contributing to with my actions) when I started to travel around the world a bit. Seeing how other people lived (in both better and worse conditions), what was considered essential and worthwhile, what other countries are like overall was very eye-opening and thought-provoking. Then I got angry. Angry at my waste, greed, laziness and entertainment mentality. I hate my own participation in poisoning the planet, keeping large portions of the world poor and ill, and sucking up more and more “easy energy” reserves through my choices, actions and inaction. So day-by-day, I try to do something about it.

I think about so many things and probably keep quiet too often. But, in the end, I think we all have to come to our own understanding. That said, I think this little video, called The Story of Stuff, does a nice job of treading the line between informative and obnoxious. I’ll have Padawan Learner watch it later. It’ll be sure to prompt a good conversation later. I can’t speak to all the numerical fact tidbits she mentions, but then I’m a little leery of all facts that don’t have reference notes attached for me to follow up on. Still, I think the basic theme of the video is worthwhile.

Side note: I want to make it clear that I don’t agree with everything in this video. I don’t think the government should “take care of us”, for instance. I think a government should care about us and consider the implications that its actions and edicts have on its citizens individually and collectively, but we should take care of ourselves, ultimately. I just wanted to make that clear.