When love isn't green

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I've mentioned a couple times, that while I am working towards living a more granola way of life, I am in a relationship with a man who doesn't always subscribe to that sort of approach. He has every opportunity to do so. I fantasize about his huge backyard. I imagine fruits and vegetables growing. Herbs and Flowers. I imagine using the compost from his kitchen to nourish the earth in his backyard. My fantasies run deep.

His backyard is used to store the trailer to his truck for his motorcycles. His backyard houses a rusted basketball rim but I believe it holds extremely significant value to him. And it houses all of Mr. Magoo's poop and pee.

I was speaking with Sam about how my life with Mr. Officer would align with these kinds of differences. These differences materialized in small ways during our time together at the Ritz last week while I was working in New York.

Let me explain.

I don't own a tv. By choice. I have a laptop and hulu and a netflix account. Any show that doesn't fit into either of those isn't worth watching.

Mr. Officer. He has a tv in every room of his house. A flat screen tv in every room of his tri-level, three bedroom, two bathroom house. Even the bathroom. Even the kitchen and dining room which open onto themselves each have a tv.

When visiting him, I don't make a fuss. It's his house. I'm a guest. His favorite guest! But its his house. He makes the rules. Just as I told him, when ever he came to Chicago he would have to do without a tv.

While we stayed in the hotel, I kept the tv off as much as possible. The TV served as white noise for him. So we went back and forth turning the tv on and off throughout the night. I could stand it until it woke me up again and then I'd turn it off. He'd put up with that until the silence of the night was unbearable and turn it back on. What if we ever live together? I have a no tv in the bedroom rule. He has a tv in every room rule and it has to be on at all times rule. WTF? I think I could compromise with it being in the room so long as I didn't have to hear it every night while falling asleep.

I also have a little thing about electronics in my bedroom in general. My cell phone, my laptop, ... all of that stuff. I keep it away from my bed. So in the hotel room I had my phone across the room on the desk while I sat on the bed....watching tv.... with Mr. Officer. My phone would buzz because of an email or facebook notification or text and each time I'd jump out of bed, check my phone, respond if necessary and then get back in bed leaving the phone on the desk. I must have jumped up like seven times before Mr. Officer was like, "What are you doing? Why don't you keep the phone with you in bed? You look crazy." I told him that I didn't like having electronics in bed. I liked having my phone away from me. "Suit yourself," he said. And throughout the night every so often he would send a text just to screw with me because he knew I'd get up each time. Silly Officer.

Now part of Mr. Officer's NonGranola Tendencies are due to his career. He always needs one or sometimes two laptops on him. His phones always have to be turned on. He has to use a variety of cars.

But seriously...he has seven computers, four cameras, three personal cars, two motorcycles, TV's EVERYWHERE, and the list goes on and on and all these things are ALWAYS on. The first time I stayed over night with him, I jumped at every sound and barely slept. At any given moment something would beep, tick, ring, or buzz. But I've gotten used to it. There are many adjustments I've made willing because its what comes with dating someone in his position. I get it. And while the thought of his electricity bill scares me, I know there are other ways he wouldn't mind being a bit more sustainable. (He probably pays in just taxes and tariffs what my full bill of $15 is.)

• I'm pretty sure getting him to recycle wouldn't be an issue. 

• Since he is VERY health conscious, purchasing organic fruits and vegetables would be a breeze. He loves local places. (He thinks New York is the center of the world.) So the whole eco-conscious eating thing would be SO easy. 
• It might take some convincing but I think after working him over a bit, he'd let me have my way with his unused backyard.

BUT

• I doubt he will unplug things from the wall. All of your arguments are not going to convince him.
• He will never get on a bus or train
• He probably won't ever buy things used.

The will he or won't he list could go tit for tat.

Although I find it funny. One of the organizations he leads is all about mentoring children. He's also a basketball coach and he has been quoted as saying, "We need to leave the world better than we found it." or something to that effect. He uses that to talk about why its important to have great relationships with children. But of what use is having people, if the very world itself can no longer sustain us. Perhaps if I use his own logic and the things he cares about, I could spin it in a way that would shift his paradigm of thinking and he might try a few granola things.

I will definitely be using the tips from Green Girl Meets All American Boy to figure out our sustainable life together. My friend Sam mentioned that since dating her awesome boyfriend, because they are near each other, they pick up habits and tendencies from each other. Now he is recycling more and being more conscious about the way he consumes and his energy usage. Perhaps once I live closer to Mr. Officer that will be the case too. Does any one have advice? I will also say that its not my goal to convert him to my paradigm of thinking and if he never set foot in a thrift store it wouldn't be the breaking point of our life together. I just think there is room for growth and I don't want to ever lose any of my granola tendencies. HELP!

My Indoor Garden

I'm sure I could google the benefits of growing plants, herbs, veggies and flowers in your home or apartment and a BILLION list will come up on how doing so makes your life better and the earth happy.

Google is always my impulse. Google and Google Scholar. I love using Google scholar to find research and such.

But I decided to just list my reasons for growing plants and herbs in my apartment and why I like it.

My jade

I bought this jade a long time ago from Ikea. It was such a baby plant. Like how a kitten fits into the palm of your hand. The jade fit into my palm and was a little bitty baby. And now, oh my goodness. I've repotted it four times. And it keeps growing! And its very very pretty.

That's reason number ONE: Keeping plants enhance the aesthetics of your home.

I mean some people have a jungle growing in their apartment, but then some have enough that its just plain beautiful.

Ummm. I think this is lavender that hasn't completely bloomed yet. I planted about eight pots of things and can't remember what they all were. (Spearmint, cilantro, basil, jade, green onion,...don't remember what else). My friend Sam has some beautiful lavender growing in her apartment.

Reason number TWO: I feel connected to the earth. There is a power in putting my hands in the dirt, planting the seeds, watering them, and watching them grow.

One of the things I noticed about the lavender was that it would bend towards the sun each day. My lavender was doing sun salutations everyday. Plants do yoga! :) Because the plant would bend towards the sun at an almost intense angle, I would have to turn the pot every day so that it wouldn't bend too far in one direction and then fall over.

Watching the plant thirst and reach for the sun was crazy. Or watching the basil sort of drivel up because I didn't water it and then blossom open again the moment I did...there is just something about being connected to nature. Do you know what I'm talking about?

This is a little glimpse at my basil.

Basil will keep growing. That stuff is no joke. So long as it has room to spread it's roots...that stuff just will not stop.

Reason number THREE: I am able to provide for myself.

There was something immensely satisfying about being able to use the things that I grow in the things that I eat. I was cooking a stir fry one day and thought to  myself, "it would be great if I had bought basil when I was at the grocery store." But before my pout set into my face, I realized I had basil growing on my windowsill. Grabbing some leaves off and adding it to the skillet was magical. Oh my pride had a good moment. And usually I spend over $4 for a little thing of basil and half of it goes bad before I even use it all. But I paid fifty cents for basil seeds and only used half the packet and I have a plant that to this day is still growing and making my food oh so good.

Some times I also have bamboo but right now I do not. Bamboo is beautiful and low maintenance. And since I live alone and do not have a pet (for now.....)....and so by having plants I have a bit of life in my apartment too. I guess that could be reason number four.

Just found this picture. This is the second pot the jade ended up in. That's funny seeing how little it used to be. The jade is so big now its in this huge pot that sits on the floor now. Nevermind the windowsill. :)

Okay. So the picture above is of spearmint I think. In it's baby stage. And the picture below is when it starts to bend towards to sun.

But sometimes..the bend would be so severe I thought the plant was going to topple out the pot, climb out the window and try to fly to the sun. So everyday I'd have to rotate some of the plants. Does anyone else have to do this? Should I be rotating them? Am I doing something wrong?

So...I've thought up a reason number five.

 Reason number FIVE: the anticipation and then the actuality of the first spout is like wanting the first kiss from a person of interest and then getting it and its the best ever.

Well, that's a long reason but that's all I could compare it too. Waiting and waiting and looking at the dirt and watering it and wondering when a first glimmer of life will appear. And then one day you come home and you start to see little specks of green. And its like, "holy crap, this is amazing!"

Although I would love a garden to grow all my vegetables and herbs and plants, I don't have one. I live in a studio apartment in chicago and there is nowhere physical to put those desires. But I'm not limited. I have a window sill and my window sill is a platform for endless wonder. No matter your situation, there is a way. Maybe its a different way, but its still a way.

What do you grow?

oooh. I thought of reason number six. The herbs and vegetables that you do grow...well...at least you know they were grown locally. :) They weren't shipped from god knows where. They traveled like three feet from the windowsill to the skillet or counter top. Therefore, you are able to be an eco-conscious eater.

Food - No Impact Project

 

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I am always hesitant to evaluate my food intake. I don't believe its well balanced at all. While I eat TONS of vegetables, steer away from fast food, and could count on my hands the number of times I have eaten meat in the past few months...I still snack on candy, don't drink enough water, and hardly EVER eat fruit.

Its hard to describe. On the surface it looks like I'm eating a well balanced meal throughout my day.

 This was dinner last night. Good right. Tons of vegetables (Although I realize asparagus is now out of season and I could have substituted the instant white rice for jasmine or brown rice). But what I realized is that on an average day I only eat one to two meals a day. And its usually a salad or veggie stir fry.

Lunches vary. We order lots of catering at work. Today I had a falafel sandwich. Yesterday a ceasar salad. So I just kind of eat what's there.

I hardly ever eat breakfast. Just as I can count the number of times I've eaten meat..I can also count the number of times I've eaten breakfast. When I do it consist of oatmeal, with fruit and granola. Or yogurt with granola.

Again. Sounds wonderful and balanced. Except again, I'm only eating one to two meals a day. Either because I'm busy or just not that hungry. I'm also not eating enough fruit. And I have a feeling that if I ate an apple or orange or banana, I might have more energy. But I don't like any of those fruits. The only fruit I like is mango. And that's not in season either.

I could keep going back and forth with this. With how when I eat, its pretty good yet there is a need for more fruit and brown rice I guess.

Other things that I eat

Following the How To Guide, I learned a bit more about trying a Low Carbon Diet. This has nothing to do with denying yourself moderate tasty things in an effort to look like Halle Berry which will never happen because you are not Halle Berry. This is all about eco-conscious eating. Something I never thought about before. I played their interactive game.

 While I eat "healthy," I didn't realize it still wasn't that eco-conscious. One cup of coffee cancels out the positive effects of my eating tofu. Why drink coffee when I can drink green tea with honey? (because sometimes coffee just taste good...all nutty, caramely, creamy and delicious.)

But I think if I was fully aware of the complete impact of my tasty choices, perhaps I'd be more inclined to change. There are a few things that I know I can do.

One suggestion was to eat less, therefore you waste less. To me that means, quitting that bad happen of just stacking my plate with more than I can actually eat. We do that too often. I once heard of a study where people were brought into a room with plates of food and asked to eat until they were full. Most people finished everything on their plate. The next day they were brought back but this time they blindfolded the group and asked them to eat until they were full. No one finished their plates. More than half..didn't even eat half. I find that so interesting. How much food do I actually throw away? Such waste. (I couldn't collect some of my trash in my bag of shame because it was food and I can't carry around decomposting food in a bag for a week. But I was conscious of how much food was going into the regular trash and it made me uncomfortable.)

Another thing I can be more intentional about is eating seasonal food. The guide directed me to a website that shows you what's in season in your area depending on the time of year. Very simple. Although I have issue with the fact that asparagus is no longer in season. I eat that a LOT!

The website was also gently suggesting a lifestyle of vegan choices. Hmmm. I am open to change. I own two vegan cookbooks. One is a soulfood vegan one! I also have a raw uncook book and a yoga vegetarian cookbook. I've spent some time going through the recipes that seem interesting and compiling a list of ingredients to purchase. First up, I'll be making a black bean vegan soup. On Friday that is...while I'm also making my own facial products!

Another suggestion is to skip out on processed and packaged food. That means no CheezIts with Tabasco sauce or Triscuit Crackers with Rosemary and Olive Oil. Those are two of my favorite snacks. So what will I be able to snack on? They suggest nuts and seeds. I like sunflower seeds. I guess I could purchase that in bulk. But where do sunflower seeds come from? How far does it travel to get to my local grocery store? Or is there a better snack to try and that's better for the environment? (The fact that I'm asking these questions, is the first step.) Maybe I should snack on rose petals and then use the left overs to make a rose face mask. (dripping sarcasm)

I went through the list of the foods that are in season that I actually enjoy. That list consisted of....

• bell pepper
• corn
• garlic
• onion
• potatoe
• ruhbarb
• spinach
• tomato
• snow peas
• carrots

On my wish list, I'd have a garden. I remember my grandmother always had a garden full of vegetables and herbs. I also have an aunt who owns a farm. Although they keep livestock and don't grow food. They grow hay though. (Also, they don't kill the livestock. The bulls and horses are their pets. Must be nice)

My Aunt and Uncle's Farm in TN

I never considered the environment before when planning meals. I always just think about what I like and focus on making that. I was taught not to waste food because it cost money. But no one ever brought up the fact that is cost resources as well. That by choosing salmon during a specific time I was credit from the earth that I'd never be able to pay back Shelagh mentioned she has a friend who knows where all of her food comes from. I aspire to be like that. To know the true impact of the life that I live...from the electricity I use at home, to the way I choose to travel and to the food I choose to purchase. I am definitely considerings participating in a CSA next year as well.

First immediate goal....make my vegan black bean soup. (I need small measureable steps to exact large scale changes in my life. This soup with be one of those.)