Back to Basics

The idea for One Woman's Trash came to me about ten years ago. Since then, I've been working steadily (but slowly) towards a more sustainable life. In many ways, I'm still attempting baby steps, but every journey is unique. I've taken several side paths and tested out different things along the way, but recently, I've recommitted to a simpler, more home-based lifestyle.

Although my family is renting a house right now, we've established a good rapport with our landlord and have put in a starter garden. It's not nearly enough to feed the family, but it's a good experiment with which to test the soil, our own resolve for tending it during Phoenix summers, and the whole double growing season idea. Right now, I'm just beginning to research and testing alongside that research. We've got a half dozen sunflowers, about ten tomato plants, a row of onions and garlic, some asparagus, spinach, cabbage, carrots, and some peas (which I knowingly planted a little late to see what would happen). a grapevine that appeared to be dead for a good long while but seems to have come back to life, a rosemary bush that doesn't like its current spot, and a couple of equally dissatisfied basil plants, alongside some nasturtium that I thought would do better than they are. Most everything is thriving.

We used a ditch amendment method I learned at an organization called Habitat for Humanity where I volunteered a bit. Once it becomes easier to get out that way, I'll be doing some more volunteering for them. But I've moved on to also creating simple meals and making everything I can at home. This is a process of elimination, rather than jumping in wholesale - and that seems to make everything more sustainable - making the changes small and gradual. The kids latch on better, and feel invested in the results. We've all been losing weight and part of our goals are to not consume anything in excess. It's not easy changing things like that. But we've been doing it for a couple years now and the results are beginning to show.

Currently, I'm researching oil and grain presses. I'd like to experiment with milling so that I can find grain combinations that are healthier than wheat. A little wheat seems to sit well with us, but past a certain point, even whole wheat disturbs our digestion. Better to replace part of it with other flours. Grocery prices have tripled in the last year, here (and everywhere from what I've been told) so I'm looking closely at all our expenses - considering buying coconuts and milling for oil - perhaps making the resulting coconut cake leftover into a flour. Or just drying the meat in the sun and using for snacks - I think it will be a savings doing it that way and using the milk in Thai and Indian dishes, instead of buying the cans.

We've been saving the trash for two days now and already have a full bin - granted, I've been clearing out the already used and saved tins and egg cartons, etc. It looks like we'll fill one of these bins about every two weeks. I'm trying to think of some ways to condense it for storage - tin cans take up the most room. Some of them, I can flatten by removing the bottoms as well as the tops, but for creative purposes, I won't want them all to be flattened. I'll have to work out a system of putting them aside somewhere in an attractive pattern, perhaps - lining a wall - maybe that will be a decorative element - painting each as they are created and then gluing and lining a wall. Already, this project is pushing us all to think more creatively about everything around our home. We're thinking about painting the drapes - the front drapes are made of muslin - like a thin canvas and would look interesting if painted on both sides with an acrylic or oil paint - and probably even more interesting with the light streaking through.

So another day of creative living, making something useful out of something most people throw away. Photos will come soon.

In the Beginning...

I didn't think to blog about this experience until someone mentioned that I should. I've attempted blog documentation of various projects in the past and have seen them fizzle - I have an obvious problem with documentation, but I love to experiment so here we go again.

I've just begun an experiment in which I will use all the trash my family generates in the next year to make art. I've seen some art made of recyclables - and have liked some but often it's so much trashy looking craft. I'm hoping that this will inspire me to create every day. It's not easy being an artist in a world that values only those things that make money. So I'll have to get creative to keep myself creating.

I've begun to save the trash as of my birthday, May 3. I'll be forty-six when this experiment is complete. I hope, at that time, to have enough art that I'm proud of to have a show at a local gallery. We'll see how I feel about the final product.