Hey Metro Vancouver!

I'm Alison Richards and for the next 30 days, starting on April 1st, 2011 I'll be monitoring and documenting my actions and activities while striving to live with the least amount of impact and creating zero waste. This interactive web site is meant to serve as a portal for your participation. Chat with me during my daily 5PM web cast or post your tips and suggestions on the Facebook page. I hope to create a ripple of change through awareness and focusing on making one small change each day.

Click Pledge to Become a 30 Zer0 Zer0 Hero!

Day Eighteen - April 18th, 2011

I've been on this zero waste, zero impact journey for 18 days now and the information that I have been gathering is starting to pile up. It's starting to make me a little crazy... too much information can sometimes be a bad thing. I've watched some pretty disturbing videos and my research has turned up data and facts that overwhelm and stagger. I don't regret having started and am glad to be sharing this process with all of you but... I'm beginning to crumble under the pressure. This is HUGE. My responsibility to you the viewers and to Metro Vancouver and the world is plant a seed that will sprout fresh perspectives and positive change.

I want to relate to you in simple terms. We have too much garbage. We're running out of places to put the garbage. We're killing our planet by covering it in toxins and we've systematically poisoned our food chain. I don't want to be an alarmist or pessimist or naysayer, I want to impart a message of hope.

If we make simple adjustments in our day to day activities... and become conscious of our actions... and the resonating ripple of effects that each action has... Then we've started to work towards a solution. I've been feeling a little isolated and wonder why others aren't jumping in and following my lead to start doing what I consider to be the absolute necessary moves to save our butts. I guess I haven't reached my goal if I haven't inspired you to reduce your waste and stifle the impact on the planet.

Today I'm headed to Kathleen's place in New West. She's been living a zero waste lifestyle for a while and spearheaded a campaign in her neighbourhood to invoke change. I wonder if she went through the same depressing realizations as I have?

See you Live @ 5 today.

Do you know what's in your food? How it was grown or produced? The processing and packaging...? We read the labels but it doesn't always give the full story.

Have you heard Big Agriculture’s latest move? They want to keep you in the dark. Remember those undercover photos and videos of animal abuse and environmental damage at factory farms? Under a proposed Iowa law, broadcasting (and even possessing) these images would be a crime.

Challenge your friends to be 30 Zer0 Zer0 Heroes!

Dear Alison,

When I woke up from my nap on the chesterfield, I started thinking about what we could have for dinner and started getting all whiny and bent out shape because I hate cooking. Sort of... LOOOOOVE baking, but not a fan of the everyday drudge/char kind of cooking. Then I remembered that the weekend after the quake when people were worrying about potential food shortages, I went to the meat shop, bought a pile of beef and chicken, dragged out the pressure cooker and made two enormous pots of stew which I froze. VOILA! Tonight's dinner! Post-quake-beef-burgundy stew! I'll throw in some fresh veggies and make a salad. Perfect! (Actually, I'll make Shun do it! LOL!)

LOOOOOVE the pressure cooker! Saves on time and energy, and seals in all those valuable nutrients!

Another thing I do when baking to save time and energy, I'll bake TWO of something at the same time; two banana loaves instead of one. A cake AND a tray of cookies. Fruit past its prime is great for cakes and loaves. Vegetables that are looking a bit limpy-wimpy can get chucked into soups and stews. WASTE NOT, WANT NOT! If you're single, super busy, get home late, can't be bothered cooking and don't mind eating the same thing a few days in a row, make a stew or kettle of soup on Sunday, then eat it during the week with some nice bread from your local bakery, salad and FRUIT for dessert!

For those of you who are on a budget and don't know about her, you MUST check out Clara Cannucciari on YouTube. I'm a huge fan so bought her book, and am trying out her recipes. Easy, fast, cheap and DELICIOUS! Her stories of life during the Depression and how to be self-sufficient are wonderful! Those dandelions you dig up put of your lawn? Don't throw them in the garbage. Throw them in a salad!

Just told Shun he has to prepare dinner and he looked at me like I asked to him to throw the dog off the roof! Looks like I'll be doing it...

XOX

Brent

from my cousin

Brent Fialka