Roshni Chandy

Eating fried chicken at KFC. I'm flexitarian ONLY because of that. If KFC crispy chicken was a vegan product, I'd be vegan. Shoot me

Buy environmentally friendly.if you can afford it. I used to dream about starting a recycling business (city waste) ...then I realised, why the duck should I solve the problem of waste for dumkopfs that persist in mindless consumption? If all fast fashion gets used twice...once by the original buyer...it still signals demand

That said, i understand the affordability angle.

On principle, I'd buy sustainable natural fibres, made responsibly. They are expensive . But all that means is people will buy less

Thank you for this thread. I like the idea of a kitchen that is indoors with the potential to expand outdoors when the harvest comes in. Is there anyone who has actual plans? The foldback shelves is a great option.

To add to my earlier thread...
When you carry your own takeaway containers in the back seat of your car so leftovers anywhere don't have to be packed in single use plastic
When you neatly hem squares of old tee shirts and use them instead of tissues and you gift them to friends when they reach for a tissue in the coffee shop. (I keep spares for this) ...and I tell them i hand sewed the edges so they hopefully will reuse them
You pick up plastic cable off cuts and repurpose them into jewelry
Do patchwork and quilt and have several UFOs* made up of old garments
You compost dust
You shred paper and use it as mulch
You gracefully accept cast offs from friends and add pizzaz to it by wearing aforesaid plastic cable jewelry.
You cannot even think of living your life any other way
And you're blissfully happy doing it
And inside (deep inside) you just KNOW everyone else has a lot of catching up to do
☮️&❤️

I don't use soap or shampoo. My hair is shoulder length. I use a tiny wash cloth (a neatly hemmed square about 4 or  inches) made from an old Terry towel. I gently exfoliate my pits and any spots that are potential smell hotels.
Gently!!! No scrubbing. After my shower I use coconut oil from a bottle into which I've added some essential oils (orange, lavender, rose and cedar). My skin is excellent. My body does not smell at all. I've asked close friends. It's a bit like composting. Once the bacteria on your skin find balance, your body's ecosystem will happily do its job. Like a no-till garden. That said, i do shower every day. Minimal water just to damp my skin before said exfoliating and finally a rinse off

P.S. I wash my clothes without water too. If they have an oil stain, or an oily stain, only then do I use a drop of dish wash. Leave it to soak in, and then wash.  My dishes are also washed without soap...just a small Terry square. But if it's oily, I use dish soap...and we are growing a soapnut tree on our property and sponge gourd. In 6 or 7 years, I will never have to ...I hope.

Granted. The sand will be fine, soft and delicious to walk on but it will also   blow into your home at the whiff of a breeze and you are doomed to forever sweeping it out for it will blow into every horizontal surface and every nook and cranny of your home.

Now, meeee....I wish for someone to take away all my excess stuff so I can truly be the minimalist I yearn to be instead of the recyclist I am currently

William Bronson wrote:I recently took a young person on a dumpster diving tour.
We hardly took anything, but I think it was worth the investment in their education.

I like to hold my pee till I get home so I can deposit it in my yard.
This is very satisfying.

I keep chewed on bones to make bone broth, and use them afterwards as bone meal.

My friends and family ask me were to find things for free.

When I dig and find roots, I set them on the charcoal making pile.
M
When I find stones I add them to the masonry pile.


When I find grubs I give them to my chickens.
When I find worms I add them to my raised beds.
I often visit the Cincinnati Recycling  and Reuse Hub.
I never bring anything there...

Many of my projects are made from other previous projects.

My favorite thing to get at Starbucks is, you guessed it, coffee grounds.

My motorized sewer snake is made from the parts of 3 discarded machines.

Most of my tomato supports are made from grape vines, a few of them are made from bindweed.

I have stolen locust tree detritus from my neighbors lawn.
I have stolen willow trees from the edges of an abandoned parking lot, and I intend to go back for more.

I have collected my fingernail trimmings to add to my compost pile..

I love these ideas. It makes me smile that you never bring anything to the recycling tip 😉 My son deposits pee on our terrace plants !!! I've stolen seeds for plants too, from Neighbours yards. My plot is full of stones. I never thought to do sorting as I go about planting. Super. Oh I also compost cat hair and vacuum cleaner "output".

Hi Adam,
I am deeply interested in knowing how your experiment fared in the last year. We are planning to plant quite a few trees seeing as we expect a few showers in the coming two months. What were your reasons for planting in trenches? Some photographs would be nice as well

I know I am a reuse everything person because I
- save used tissues (from fast food restaurants) and use it to wipe down dirty dishes or cat upchuck before it goes to compost
- keep fabric scraps and threads and stuff them into old holey socks to make  yoga helpers (for cushioning my ankles when I sit cross legged while meditating
- use thread from ripped out old jeans / other garments and stitch sashiko style on plain tops... the more colourful, the better
- cut up old terry towel which is almost bald for wash cloths for the dishes... wash cloths beat sponge any day in getting the dishes clean AND they are super easy to clean. Just toss them into hot water and swish and squish a few times . Hang out to dry
- use the cooking oil coating  the emptied plastic bag on my face as a temporary moisturiser...
- the juice left from a freshly cut tomato as a face mask,
- the last 2 drops of lemon juice as one days' deodorant,
- the skin of apples instead of tea leaves to make apple tea /apple cider vinegar,
- the skins of banana go in banana cake,  
-bucket wash my clothes (its hot where I live so my clothes are thin cotton mostly) without soap , and use the water to add bulk to a flush when getting rid of kitty-do
It makes me happy. All this.

Hi Hazel
Welcome to Permies. I love this site as it is THE BEST crowd sourced center for permaculture, off grid living. The moment I acquired my 2.65 acre property in South India, my eco-anxiety dropped many notches. I am doing what I can with everything I have. Your expertise will add to the enrichment of the soil in this community
Warm Permi Hug
Esther