Eco 'Eleven: being green in the new year

I have had the reputation of being a bit of a fanatical environmentalist... so I found these stories to be rather interesting.

The first, The Zero-Waste Home, which I read in the travel magazine Sunset, was rather incredulous.

It is the story of an extremely minimalistic, waste- conscious San Francisco family who --- get this--

- rationalizes throwing away all mementos (i.e. grandma's fur coat) by taking photos of them, as "who needs the real thing?"

- refuses to use q-tips, cotton balls, or tissue (they use hankerchiefs instead although it is not clear to me how this can exactly substitute)

- reads exclusively library books rather than buying any (sound familiar??)

- eliminates virtually all packaging and disposable cleaning items (NO paper towels!)

- buys things like compostable toothbrushes (cool!)

- grocery shops with cloth sacks, pillow-cases, and glass jars, avoiding ALL packaged things and plastic (makes my Trader Joe's bag look kinda lame)

- minimizes clothing purchases (shopping only if there are stains on items or if clothing is outgrown)

Their house is likely about as uncluttered as my apartment was... before I moved in. Oh, I have a lot to work on. While just a bit too extreme for me, there are lessons to be learned from their lifestyle... and one of my New Year's resolutions is certainly to get rid of a lot of "stuff."

I would really be interested in seeing their home, though!

Go, Italy!

Here is a CNN story about Italy's new ban on plastic bags, effective January 1 (and confirmed by Marco, my sister's Italian beau).

While it may present to be a tad inconvenient at times (the article quotes a fish seller wondering how fish can be packaged effectively in paper bags), I think it is a fabulous idea, which really should encourage us to recycle grocery bags, or, better yet, use reusable cloth bags.

Now... vote whether or not you think it would be a bad idea for me to buy a used wedding dress or, better yet, rent one... :)