REDUCE reuse recycle

I have not written in a while partly because I have been reducing the amount of products that I buy. A recent purchase I made was calendars for my business to give to patients and business associates at Christmas. I emailed National Pen company and they quickly responded that the calendars I ordered were indeed made in the USA. I also bought some thank you notes at the airport - made in the USA. In general, however, I simply am not going to Target to meander down the aisles and find bargains. I am buying only what I need. That is a very important part of the Reduce Reuse Recycle mantra. We are all about recycling and many cities force us to recycle but the harder thing to do is to decrease the amount of goods we purchase. Shopping for many of us is an addiction, whether we realize it or not. Try NOT shopping for 2 weeks and see how you feel. It probably won't feel good, I can tell you. If you've ever been on a diet or tried to quit smoking, you'll recognize the feeling of having to give up something you crave.

Over the past 35 years, the amount of trash has increased per person from 2.7 pounds/day to 4.4 pounds/day. Buying less things means less packaging for those things and less paper or plastic bags they are put into. Also less natural resources (trees, oil, etc.) are used that go into making the products. If you must buy something, then purchase products that are durable and long lasting, unlike many things made in China. Buy whole foods that do not come in packages, like fresh fruits, vegetables and bulk grains. Buy in bulk. Or don't buy at all.



.

Fire and Light

I was told by the fire inspector that I needed a new fire extinguisher for our medical office. Went to Lowes and they had only one brand, Kidde. I was nervous. Made in Mexico. Whew! Then I went to lightbulbs to get a little 40 watt bulb for a lamp. I picked up a two pack of CFLs, happy they came in 40 watt with that tiny base. As I strode to the register, I flipped over the package - arg - made in China. None of the 40 watt CFLs were made outside of China. GE Reveal and Sylvania double life bulbs, also made in China. Sylvania did have a non CFL globe-shaped bulb that will fortunately fit my lamp and was made in Thailand. I only spent an extra 3 or 4 minutes looking for a lightbulb, which was good, as I was coming home late from a McCain Rally and was tired. Go McCain/Palen! (Sorry - I'm still jazzed from Palens speech the other day!)

If you like dogs at all, join the boycott.

A picture is worth a thousand words. Here's 7000 words.









"Custom will reconcile people to any atrocity." (Shaw)

My favorite clothing store

A couple years ago I found a store, Coldwater Creek, that makes clothes that fit me perfectly. The clothes are stylish but conservative, perfect for my job as a physician. I can order online and know how everything will fit. I checked some of my clothes at home that I ordered from them in the past - made in China. I called them today and asked if any of their products are not made in China. The customer service agent, in a somber voice befitting a funeral home director, said that she was sorry, all of their products are made in China. OK, so it will be harder now to have to go out to actual physical stores to look at labels and try on clothes before I buy them. I'll probably save a lot of money because it won't just take a credit card a click of a button to buy new clothes!

As for some good news... May Wah Healthy Vegetarian Foods at www.vegieworld.com is a place where I can order all kinds of wonderful faux meat products - roast duck, ribs, kung pao chicken, chicken wings, tuna, prawns - most of which are excellent. Almost everything on the label is written in Chinese, which had me gravely concerned that I was going to lose my favorite place for buying fake meat. I looked at several packages that were in my freezer - yippee, made in Taiwan!

Finding Clothes

I had to buy some clothes for an upcoming performance of our band, Total Unity. Stopped at a couple clothing stores that cater to teenagers, both in style and price. They happened to have the kind of rock star styles we were looking for - and all 10 items we tried on were made in the USA! Unfortunately, my favorite bra brand that I have been buying for at least 15 years, Victoria Secret, is made in China. That has me quite upset.

I had to buy some clothes for an upcoming performance of our band, Total Unity. Stopped at a couple clothing stores that cater to teenagers, both in style and price. They happened to have the kind of rock star styles we were looking for - and all 10 items we tried on were made in the USA!

cheeses and beads

 Of the 100 best cheeses in Wine Spectator, NONE of them are from China.  On a slightly more practical note, I was out today trying to find silver jewelry components and I stopped at a local place called Via Murano. I was pleased to find out that their products are made in the USA and that they feel my sentiments about avoiding purchasing from China.