Less packaging, come on!

I mean, seriously. Who on earth needs a big plastic bag filled with several smaller plastic bags, each of those filled with almonds? Come on, Trader Joe's. This is why i would never shop in your store, even when it seemed like everyone i knew was ranting and raving about your goodies.
Four-packs of apples, in a plastic case? Are you shitting me? Sometimes i feel like looking around for hidden cameras, or staring in disbelief at the people around me, but they never notice my bulging eyes as they toss jars of fancy aioli and boxes of mini frozen quiches and plastic-encased pairs of pears into their baskets.
What are you thinking?

When i lived near the Berkeley Bowl market, i was always so happy to see the huge line of people at the bulk counter, having their dry goods weighed. It reminded me of those old general mercantile stores in the Old West, what with their barrels of flour and oats and sugar and weekly accounts inked in ledgers with meticulous swirly fountain-pen script. (Okay, maybe i'm romanticizing that just a little, but where's the harm? As my boyfriend would no doubt point out, they also had to deal with outlaw thieves and smallpox outbreaks and horseshit in the road.)
Where was i? Ah, yes- the intrepid women who would march over to Aisle 2 with their shampoo and conditioner bottles from home, filling them up from the much larger bottles of bulk hair-care products that were available. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle! It makes me so giddy. No, seriously.

And when we moved to Pacific Beach, and i found Henry's market, i was relieved. Relieved to see the aisle full of bulk food bins, and the barrels of cereal nearby. For some reason i had convinced myself that Von's was going to be the only option down here in SoCal. (although, it is right behind the building where we live, so i'm not above going there sometimes for convenience sake; mostly for stuff like OG free-range eggs, OG milk and soymilk, that kind of thing.)
And Henry's has lots of local produce, which i'm starting to finally realize is maybe more important than eating "Organic", what with the lessening of federal restrictions regarding that particular oft-touted label. Making sure that we are eating close to home is important. Sustainability, people. Using less oil and spewing less Co2 due to shipping is always good, plus that way the fruits and veggies are more likely to have been picked recently, which almost automatically = tastes better, and better for you.

Now i don't want to rant. I'm not going to tell you to go 100% organic, or become a vegan (or a raw foodist-yikes, for me) or ride your bike to work (although you should if you can). I'm just saying: be more minimal. It's so easy; you just have to train your brain to do it. In a way, it kind of starts with learning how to just relax about things. A whole lot of modern-day "conveniences" are just a wasteful mess in the long run, if we were all to partake. Here are some things i do, if you need ideas:

~Take short showers. This one is like, "duh". Please don't waste perfectly good water obsessing over your cleanliness- five to ten minutes is all you need. Five, really. Think of the gallons going down the drain, just honestly- visualize it.
~Instead of using paper towels to clean up a mess, use a rag (old clothes are great for these) or a sponge!
~Darn your socks instead of just throwing them away and buying new ones! (use a lightbulb to hold the shape while you're doing it- it's actually pretty easy.)
~Instead of buying plastic baggies, reuse the ones you get from the store when you are buying your....
~...Bulk foods! This is an important one. Not everything needs to come home with us in its own dang plastic pouch or cardboard box, which we just toss again and again and again. It took me years of buying box after box of rooibos tea (which i drink obsessively) and having huge mounds of cardboard recycling before realizing that i could buy it in 1-lb bags and use a teaball. Duh.
~Save your empty pasta sauce or juice or applesauce glass jars for dry goods (salt, sugar, beans, grains, etc.)! The same goes for take-out containers; if they are re-usable, wash them out and keep 'em for when you have your own leftovers. Also, you don't necessarily need to go hog-wild on tupperware products; if you buy large containers of yogurt or cottage cheese, those store leftover soup or curry really well. (If i had money right now, i would just invest in some permanent, glass food-storage containers, but i'm broke.)
~Eat out less! It saves you money, cooking is fun, and you will probably end up eating much healthier that way. Also, who knows where most of that food came from that you're eating when you go out?
~Stop using toxic chemicals to clean your house. Wow, this is huge for me. Why do people insist on using bleach and anti-bacterial everything, when all you really need is some salt, lemon, vinegar, baking soda, and whatever soap you happen to have lying around? Get that chemical crap out of your house- you will thank yourself for it later.
~BYOB. Bring a tote bag when you do your grocery shopping. Do it now! Mine is super-cheesy and says "Save the Whales"! Rock.
~Second-hand items. Clothes, furniture, books- so many things are just as good (if not better!) used. Consider it. Where did your new outfit come from? Tiny hands? People with no bathroom breaks? This also leads to my other big thing: Re-gifting/donation. There's no shame in it, people! If someone else can use what you honestly can or will not, then by all means, pass it on.
~Save shipping boxes, packaging materials (bubblewrap) and giftwrap. There's no need to constantly be buying everything new! I can't stress that enough.
~Take a look at the companies you are supporting when you spend your money. Honestly, what you find out may surprise you. And support your local small-time shops whenever possible.
~Be choosy about your food. There are some foods which you should really try and buy pesticide-free, and others for which the concern is not so great. Check this link for the top offenders in pesticide-retainment: http://www.deliciousorganics.com/Controversies/toptobuyorg.htm

Well, i'm starting to annoy myself now (no big surprise, there), so this post is over. I swore i would keep it short and it's anything but at this point.

So, my apologies. Just some humble suggestions for someone trying not to live so high on the hog. Try and remind yourself that every small (or large) sacrifice you make for a healthier environment eventually becomes the norm. I always tend to think of the phrase "Make more of an effort", but really, there's usually not a whole lot of effort involved in simplifying one's life! Seems like basic thriftiness to me: waste not, want not.

(and if you don't care enough about yourself to buy organic, here is another reason: the workers. These are the people going to work every day, picking food for you and everyone you know. And the statistics are out there. Here is a link to one story; i couldn't find the original documentary that i watched): http://www.coopamerica.org/programs/rs/profile.cfm?id=215

Okay! All done! You've suffered enough...... i guess. ;)