At what point is it "Cheating"

I made my first actual purchase of something that is not necessary. I bought a Llama bro tank and a coozie. I thought long and hard before I made that purchase. Yes, I do not need a bro tank. I have enough shirts. But I wanted one to remember my first Llama and the successful completion of my freshman year. I realize that there will always be bro tanks coming in and out of my life, but the Llama 2012 shirt would not be available for a long time. So I bought one. I regret nothing. I did not simply purchase something random, it is not a shirt that is trendy and will be uncool next year. If anything, I plan on keeping it around for a while. It would be pretty cool if I wore it to a reunion. I do not think that owning this tank will improve my life quality or is needed for my CC survival, but it makes me smile and think about freshman year.
  ( now that I have a coozie I have found it to be quite useful and wish I had brought one into my life sooner. I use it as a wallet, to keep the ice in an iced coffee from melting etc. everyone deserves a good coozie in their life. therefore the coozie does not apply to the no stuff rule)

Bag It

Sometimes on a Saturday night during block 8, the anemia gets to me, i'm too sore from running, and I cannot stop sneezing. So instead of wandering Webber st and Cache la Poudre for a party in which to rage my face off, I put on a flannel, turn off all of the lights, open a box of gluten free and iron fortified cereal, and wander through a magical place I call instant stream. Two Saturdays ago, I stumbled upon a documentary called Bag It. It started out with a normal guy from Colorado pledging to no longer use plastic bags, then explored our take out to go container culture, and the production/recycling of plastic. The story became emotional when the narrator shared that he is expecting a child. The rest of the film explores the toxins in plastic, the dangers they are causing, and then encourages us to lead a plastic free life. As i'm writing this, I have 3 plastic cups next to me. They are all reusable and I take them with me to use everywhere, but now i'm realizing buying these plastic containers was not the best idea. eventually they will crack, break, die or get up and walk away (i don't loose things, things loose me.) I make a point to remember my reusable bags when I go snack shopping and never put produce in those plastic bags, but I still end up with empty nut bags, deli slice bags, and cheese wrappings in my trash stash. We know plastic is bad for the planet, never biodegrades, releases toxins into the atmosphere and into us, and becomes an eye sore as trash, so why do we continue to use it!?!?

Change Your Culture, Change Your Mind

Is it just me, or does every CC student feel the need to get a new outfit for every theme party?
Lets take Jumanji, in the days leading up to this epic dance party everyone was hitting up the ARC, that costume shop downtown, Walmart and even craft stores for paint and glitter. Everyone realizes that they will only wear this costume once, maybe twice if there is a similar theme next year, but probs nawt because what if you are caught in bookface photos wearing the same outfit twice? mmmh yeah everyone will notice and judge.

I do not understand why we always need new and more outfits. We are creative enough, can we not work with what we have? I was able to make a spectacular outfit by going through my closet and stealing some kiddie paint my friend had. No one at the party noticed that I did not buy a new outfit. In fact, it was wicked dark in there anyways the only clothing I saw was glow in the dark.

Also in the few days leading up to Jumanji, I rejected various offerings of rides to the ARC and the like. I got weird looks for doing that. CC culture expected me to get a new outfit. WHY MUST WE ENCOURAGE MORE WASTE! Everyone is drinking anyways, no one will actually remember what you wore. So stop buying  bathing suit bottoms cut for a pregnant woman to wear as a loin cloth for one night. We are smart, sassy, creative individuals. I'm sure we can figure out how to get dressed with what we have.

Birthday Presents

Recently, my friend had a birthday. I spent a fair amount of time agonizing over this. The restrictions around this project prevent me from buying her a present. I considered going to the ARC, would buying something used count? I would not be putting more stuff into the waste stream by doing so.... and she is a good friend I could not simply ignore her birth...
But after more thought and contemplation, I made her a friendship bracelet for her birthday. There is something to be said for homemade gifts. I always appreciate something more if a lot of effort went into it. It is simple enough to go to Walmart and drop a few bucks, but doing something that takes time shows how much you care for the person.
I also wrote her a very nice card talking about how much I appreciate our friendship. Even though eventually the bracelet will tatter and fall off, the card will forever be a reminder of the fun times we had freshman year.
Without purchasing anything, I was able to give a wonderful gift. Yay me.

Plan Ahead and Prepare

Not only is that my favorite leave no trace principle, but its a great way to avoid creating more waste. I'm packing up right now to head to the library, where I will be camped out until our exam tomorrow. I'm planning ahead that I will want coffee, and i'm preparing by bringing my mug. And i'm procrastinating by writing this post. Good luck to all, and to all a good night.

P.S. this cup is not actually mine, but I like how it has a slot for gluten free snacks. that way you don't have to dirty up another dish!

Whoopsies

Does anyone else keep forgetting they are doing a project?

for example, the other day I walked into town and got an iced coffee. I did not even realize that it was in a plastic cup until after I finished it and was sitting in class with a large cup of partially melted ice next to me. Whoopsies.

Sometimes I remember to bring my own fork to the preserve, and when I use it to eat an avocado no one thinks its weird. But other times I can't find my fork and i'm not going to spend 45 minutes looking for it, hungry Drewsie has a hard time locating things.

I love the earth and want to take good care of it, but this is just becoming inconvenient and I do not feel like i'm making a huge difference. If I do not buy the salad in the plastic container on campus, I'm sure someone else will, so why can't I just eat it?

Going Shopping Without Buying Anything.

I went to REI, to REI I went

and I decided that no money would be spent

as hard as it was to not get bent

oh the anger! oh the frustration! I must vent!

so outside I was sent

before I could spend a cent

I may or may not be really into trail gear. and climbing stuff. and running shoes. and warmies. And if I find a good deal, then yeah I just bought a zero degree bag in June get off me. But recently I decided to test myself. Could I go to REI and not get anything? The answer is yes, I did it. And here is how:

1. Bring no money. How are you going to buy a new Pattagucci if you cannot pay for it?

2. Set a time limit. In, out and on with your life.

3. DO NOT look at the things you really really really pretty please want but do not have. That is how I feel about climbing shoes. I do not have them, I want them, I have enough money saved to get them, But no.

4. Look at things you already own. Ohhh Ahhh this is such a fancy sleeping pad, and look I do not need to buy it because I already have one.

5. Bring a full nalgene. This will not stop you from buying anything but hydration is wicked important at altitude.

6. If all else fails, leave. Go sit outside. Have an iced coffee. Get it together and move on. And then write an awesome poem about it! (See above)

stay fresh Colorado

Winning, Loosing, & Freezing

First off, Colorado what are you doing. two days ago I was sweatin' in my jorts while wandering outside. Now its snowing. Is this climate change or is the big CO always having a weather panic attack.

I had to buy something yesterday. Before you run off and judge me, I would like to let you know it was an academic purchase. I bought the books for this class. Maybe I could have just looked for them in the library, or searched the internet for used copies, but I decided to rent new copies from the bookstore and purchase one of the books for good (I really want to read all of Leopold and any chance transcendentalism becomes a major?)

But then I did something good. I hiked all the way back to my dorm, even though I was already at Colorado Coffee, just to get my coffee cup. And it was wicked freezing out. Thats Masspeak for cold. Go Sox.

So I created some trash when I gathered those books, but then I avoided some by making my coffee trip longer. Do these examples of good vs. evil balance each other out? And what about the suffering I went through to walk around more in the cold? Was it worth the pleasure of not wasting a cup? Leave your ethical and witty remarks.

No Stuff For Two Months

Currently, I'm a college student in Colorado. If one was to ask me what I do, I would respond with gnar shreading, rock crushing, trail running, mountain hiking, guitar playing awesomely fun times. But in reality, I spend most of my time in the library, knee deep in books, printouts, or with my computer plugged in. I also frequently find myself eating snacks from wrappers, dragging my dirty clothes into the elevator so I can take them to the washing machine, or in big 16 passenger vans to backpack some swell Colorado 14ers or show Breckenridge whos boss. I also frequently find myself at the supermarket, the drugstore, Walmart or simply the C-Store purchasing things that will not last forever. Although my strong Leave NO Trace ethics refuse to let me buy bottled water or skip over the recycle bin without feeling guilty, I still love to consume and have new things. From clothes, to trail gear, to fancy lotions or even a box of gluten free cookies, I'm always breaking out the debit card or gold card to bring something new into my possession. Even though I always select the more green option, i'm still gathering more stuff. This stuff used a lot of energy to produce, and eventually will find its way to rot in a landfill. Such a sad reality.

For my Lived Ethics project, I decided to go bold. I would not spend any money for the next two blocks. But after a little reflection, I realized that would be impossible. First of all, I need to pay for school. Without paying for school this project would be irrelevant and you all could just read the food sustainability blog I created in high school (shameless plug). Then I pondered a bit more, I do need to eat. A hungry and undercaffinated Drewsie is an innificient Drewsie.At this point in my life, i'm not a backyard grower, I cannot create my own food from the soil so I have to get it elsewhere. As I continued down this train of thought more things i'm required to purchase came to mind. What about perscriptions? books for school? or even toothpaste? I quickly realized my rather ambitious goal was a bit far reaching and I would have to tone it down a bit.

So I came up with a new idea, I shall purchase NO GOODS for the next two blocks. I'm defining a good as something I can hold. That means no new flannel, laundry detergent, headphones, outfits for theme parties, or magazines for two blocks. And for the things I cannot get around purchasing (like food and pills), I will strive to purchase things without packaging and take my recycling to new levels. I will also try to use the least amount of fossil fuel burning transportation as possible and make sure what I do need to purchase also goes through the least amount of transportation.

One thing I cannot get around here is my caffeine addiction. My desk is a plethura of plastic iced coffee cups that I save to later re-use as party cups. NO MORE! I say. If I want coffee, (it is not so much a want, more of a need, the way you probably feel about oxygen) I must supply my own reusable cup. As I write this in the library at 10:11 pm on a Sunday evening, there is a paper coffee cup sitting right next to me. When I left my dorm around 7:30 to come to the library to study, I was running fine on my 2:00 pm large iced coffee. But come 9 it was time to replenish the tank. So I reached, as I do on many occasions, for my gold card. And one swipe later my insides are filled with warm, black velvetly, coffee goodness. But my hand is filled with a paper cup and a plastic lid, an unessessary evil. Recycling may prevent the cup and lid from sitting in a landfill, but lots of fossil fuel energy still went into the production of the cup, bringing it to the wonderful and majestic library coffee cart, and then taking it to the recycling plant and turning it into something else. Instead of making the planet suffer through all that effort, I have a magical idea. I shall only use my reusable coffee cup. That means if a craving strikes hard in the library and i'm without my cup, i'm going on the long and lonely journey back to Slocum to procure it.

Coffee cup is a pretty easy solution. Yes, I will find it to be relatively inconvinent and it may make me late for class if i forget my reusable cup, (do you really think I would ever go to class without being properly caffenated? i'm going to invite you to re-read the above paragraph) but at the end of the day, it is something I can do. In all reality, I spent the past few days gathering things I know I will want but will no longer be allowed to purchase during this project, such as soap (which I was about to run out of anyways) and a snazzy new pair of shoes (i'm not going to run out of shoes anytime soon, but my old sandals were hurting my feet). But what about toothpaste? I know I will run out in a few weeks, I'm going to need to purchase some, and I will need to transport myself to the drugstore and buy some in a plastic tube. Or even food, I do my best to shop out of the bulk bins at Whole Foods, but often buying in bulk makes no sense for me. I will go through a normal sized bag of rice in a year, so why would I purchase the bulk container for more money just to let some of the rice go to waste? What about the food I have already paid for on the meal plan that is only served on paper plates? or the fact that I always make a mess and on average need three paper napkins per meal. As I continue to encounter these problems, expect some interesting blog posts. So maybe the guys working behind the salad bar at The Preserve will not put my dinner in a re-usable container and will make me use the paper plate, but I can bring my silverware instead of using a plastic fork. And instead of having my meds ride in a car to school, I can take my bike to the pharmacy. But I cannot get out of 16 passenger van riding because some of it is required for class field trips. As this project continues, I can already for see more problems in the future. My friend has a birthday next week, how am I going to get her a gift? I plan on camping for block break, how am I going to get fuel for my camp stove? Where do I draw the line between want and need as far as purchasing goods goes. Expect some informatively witty articles in the next coming weeks.