Resolutions in Action

Hi y'all!

Over the past holiday season I've managed (in almost all cases) to stay low waste. Partially because my in-laws don't celebrate Christmas, or New Year's for that matter, partially because my circle of friends kind of knows what I like and also because my parents are just so sweet and considerate of what I want and like. Some of the gifts I've given include:

• home made produce bags - I make these little bags from Sarees (indian dresses) in order to clear some room in my closet as well as to inspire my friends to include them on their shopping trips. They're very sturdy (could easily hold a few pounds of potatoes), 100% cotton, handmade by yours truly in the USA (if that makes a difference), from materials that would otherwise be dumped, donated->dumped, or turned into cleaning rags. My mom, my friend Annie, the newlywed Atena all received these babes. 

• home made French Vanilla Latte Sugar Scrub This ended up being such a success at home as well. Every few days when my skin is feeling a little dry and I'm at the end of my shower, I turn off the water for a minute and rub the scrub all over, keep scrubbing until I feel the coconut oil has really worked its way into the skin and then rinse off. My husband loves it, because even before he gets downstairs he smells the rich coffee in the shower. 

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup coffee grounds

2 tsp vanilla extract (recommended but not necessary)

• my friend Laura gave me a book that she'd read and gotten from a free little library on her travels. I read it and exchanged the book at another free little library for a book about beautiful women. Then I gifted that beautiful book to my cousin, who's studying the field of gender. She is beautiful herself, but sometimes her family tells her she's too dark to find a man. I hoped this book with beautiful women from across the globe, literally almost every country, depicted in their traditional clothing put a smile on her face, and let her know that she is gorgeous. 

• Soap Bars - in many health food stores these days you can buy unpackaged soap bars. I know for instance that Sevananda's and Whole Foods carry them. I'm sure Rainbow Grocery does too, but I've never made it up there. Ingle's carries goat milk soaps (unpackaged) but they're not vegan friendly, so that's about your preferences. Bulk soaps are everywhere though, especially in smaller handcrafted batches. At the Panola Mountain State Park (nearby Atlanta GA) in the giftshop they sell these amazing soaps that represent different neighborhoods in Atlanta, along with their respective smells. Little five points smells incredible, but that's just me, I like lemongrass. I haven't tried making soap bars myself, just because I feel I'd mess it up and I'm scared of working with lye, but I'm happy to support small-scale businesses that produce these bars in the area. 

• I refilled my mom's lipstick container with home made lip balm. I'd made a big batch of the mix before, so for my mom it was just a big tablespoon of the mix, heat it up and fill the container. I'm gonna add the recipe here from "The Seasoned Mom" because it's amazing and nearly foolproof. 

5 tbs coconut oil*

3 tbs beeswax

12 drops essential oil

https://www.theseasonedmom.com/5-minute-diy-lip-balm/ 

Essentially just melt the coconut oil and beeswax together and then right before filling the container, add the essential oils. 

* You can always mix up the coconut oil with other oils like shea butter, cocoa butter etc, depending on your favorite smell and dryness of the lips. In order to add a splash of colour you could even add a small piece of leftover lipstick (that one that's been laying in your bathroom forever, just waiting to get finished) and voila! 

• I also donated a bunch of my clothes and stuff I loved, but grew out of to Goodwill, and picked up something for my upcoming trip instead. Now that i'm down to about 40 pieces of clothing, I don't want to add anything new to it. Over the past year I've learned that purchasing new clothing, although a huge market and a source of income for many people (my in-laws are from Bangladesh and have some family members working in the garment industry so we have this discussion often) is an incredible burden on the environment, both at the producing and the end-life stage. This is why I've resolved to try to do with less. And if I need something new, I'll get it at a thrift, consignment or Goodwill store. Goodbye Fast Fashion, Fast Food, etc. I'm in it for the long run. 

It's obviously not always possible, especially with the holidays and all, but we do our best. I've gotten some gifts, that with the very best intentions, I couldn't eat (gelatin, milk powder etc.) and wrapped in layers upon layers of plastic materials. I love these people, and I would never want to hurt them, so I say thank you and try to give it to someone else or I tell them (in one case with a very dear friend of mine) "No honey, I'm okay. I have already so many of those, please give it to someone else. Save your money." She understood, took it back, and we still love each other.