Social Experiments with Environmental Impacts: A 6 month shopping ban + steps to approach zero waste

Right now, I have many mixed feelings running through my heart and head. I am anxious and feel guilty about my failure and fear of my bike commuting idea. I shouldn't feel bad about it, because there's many ways that I'm more eco-conscious than others.

But I can definitely improve my everyday ways. 

So I just came across "The Year of Less" by Cait Flanders where she instituted a 1 year shopping ban that actually turned into 2 years. (Also: even though she's stepped away, check out her awesome blog for info and resources). Financially, I've toyed with mini shopping bans, travel hiatuses, strict budgeting, and frugal solutions to everyday problems. Environmentally, I've tried composting, gardening, native plants, and also my career. Also I'm super interested in the zero/nearo waste lifestyle. 

So reading more about shopping bans and zero waste lifestyles got the wheels turning and I developed an experiment for myself. My 6 month social experiment includes a shopping ban and steps to reach a zero-er waste lifestyle. However, I have struggled with whether to lay it all out there for the universe to read, and whether or not this was truly outdoor conservation related. Ultimately, I decided to share (obviously). 

But why?

Often the world of conservation seems to large and overwhelming, like no matter what an individual does it's just a drop in a very large bucket making very little impact. But every little thing DOES make an impact. That's important to remember. However we can always do more. Changes to personal habits is more tangible, accountable, and measurable so that for me is a good place to start. At least it's an effort I can control more and every little bit helps! 

By banning unnecessary shopping, I am reducing my consumption of goods. I am then in turn reducing my environmental impact. How often do you buy something on impulse at a shop and use it/wear it once or twice, and end up never using it again? More often than you'd care to admit, I'm sure, because that's me. And I don't even enjoy shopping in general. But it all adds up. So, for example, by reducing my clothing purchases, I can reduce my environmental impact because the clothing industry is notoriously environmentally unfriendly. 

I'm also immensely bothered by the amount of waste generated by my daily life. To name a few - cat litter/waste, dog food bags, kitchen scraps, unnecessary packaging, takeout containers, single use plastics, and the list goes on. 

So naturally, because of these frustrations, I'm going to challenge myself because I like quests. Also I'm inspired by Cait Flanders and all the geniuses at r/ZeroWaste. 

So here's the rules for my 6 month shopping ban: 

1) I can purchase necessary consumable items from the allowed list below but only when needed. 

2) I can also purchase anything on my pre-approved shopping list. I have a few things I do actually need but haven't purchased yet. 

3) I can also make a purchase if an item wears out and legitimately does need to be replaced. Caveat - aim for used or responsibly produced replacements.
4) Travel souvenirs are allowed when abroad (non daily special instance). I like to buy earrings, fridge magnets, and books when abroad and these things bring me much joy and daily use. 

5) Everything else is a no go! 

Allowed Shopping List:

Toiletries, cleaning supplies, pet supplies, bike parts, gifts, used books, home improvement supplies.

Not Allowed Shopping List:
Music, new books, decor, media, electronics, shoes, kitchen stuff, clothes, pretty much everything else.

Approved Item List:
Prints for existing wall frames
Smart thermostat for the house
NOLS course supplies that are required for the course
fabric to make curtains
stick vacuum for all the dog hair

I predict that my weaknesses will be impulse buys at the shop, new books, and outdoor gear and clothing.

I would also like to clarify that a shopping ban does not equal a spending money ban. I'd rather spend money on an experience - eating dinner out with friends, traveling, competing in a race, etc. It's the unnecessary impulse buys and retail therapy that I'm eliminating.

So if Step 1 is to reduce the amount of things coming into my life, then Step 2 is to reduce the amount of things currently in my life. I will do a major purge - clothes, kitchen, storage space, gear room, everything. Things will be donated/sold as necessary.

Step 3 is to start the journey towards zero waste. There are other adults in my life, and I can't control anyone, but I can do my own personal best. For example I will start composting again. I don't like vegetable gardening and I'm really bad at it but I can use the compost for my yard and native plants instead of it ending up in a landfill. I'll outline my zero waste goals in another post once I make a systematic plan. Exact details TBD! 

You can read about other people's experiments in these realms below:
My Year of No Shopping by Ann Patchett NY Times, 12/15/2017

Save Money and Reset Your Financial Life With a Shopping Ban NY Times, 2/23/2018

r/ZeroWaste Reddit sub Zero Waste

It’s 2018! Time For A Shopping Ban Tiny Ambitions Blog, accessed 10/4/2018

The Six Month Shopping Ban (And How It Jump Started My Path to Financial Freedom) GenTwenty Blog, accessed 10/4/2018

Weekly Science Roundup: 10/5/2018

Cigarette butts are the single biggest source of ocean trash, according to a new report Business Insider UK, 9/12/2018

In China, a deadly strain of bird flu now easily infects ducks Science News, 9/27/2018

Congress Allows Fund That Supports Florida Parks And Natural Areas To Expire WLRN Miami, 10/2/2018

Dozens of endangered baby sea turtles hatched in New York City and crawled to the sea ABC News, 10/2/2018

The answer to coastal flooding is not more cement The Hill, 10/2/2018

Jelly-like bubbles of liquid could be answer to problem of plastic waste Columbus NBC News 4, 10/2/2018

Latest conservation challenge: preserving Endangered Species Act The Hill, 10/2/2018

After Hurricane Florence, state to restart its buyout program for hog farms in the flood plain NC Policy Watch, 10/2/2018

Why What You Recycle May End Up In The Trash Capital Public Radio, 10/2/2018

How "Zero Wasters" trim their trash to nearly nothing CBS News, 10/3/2018

Great Barrier Reef: forest three times size of ACT cleared in past five years The Guardian, 10/3/2018

Climate scientists are struggling to find the right words for very bad news The Washington Post, 10/3/2018

Waterkeeper Alliance manager calls Cape Fear coal ash spill 'much worse' than previous spills Spectrum News, 10/3/2018

Cameras detect ‘surprising’ predators prowling in backyards in NC and DC, study shows The Herald-Sun, 10/3/2018

Gulf Restoration Network helps kill controversial Elmer’s Island airport project Gulf Restoration Network, 10/3/2018

Flowing salt water over this super-hydrophobic surface can generate electricity 10/3/2018

State says Neuse arsenic levels safe after flooding at Duke Energy coal-ash ponds; Utility, environmental groups still at odds Charlotte Business Journal, 10/3/2018

Trump races against clock to roll back major Obama-era environment rules The Guardian, 10/3/2018

Cooling effect of preindustrial fires on climate underestimated Phys.org, 10/3/2018

Commercial fishing banned across much of the Arctic The Guardian, 10/3/2018

Japan kills endangered whales for ‘science’ and sells the meat. That’s illegal, regulator rules. Washington Post, 10/3/2018

'You Just Don't Touch That Tap Water Unless Absolutely Necessary' NPR, 10/3/2018

Recycling roadblock spurs King County re-education campaign. Are you ‘Recycling 

Right?’ Seattle Q13 Fox News, 10/3/2018

City-dwelling blue tits may lay bigger eggs because of what they eat Science Daily, 10/3/2018

Disposable nappies: What's their environmental cost? BBC, 10/3/2018

A warmer spring leads to less plant growth in summer Science Daily, 10/3/2018

The outdoor recreation economy is reaching new heights Denver Post, 10/3/2018

Coming Unstrung: Would a plan to alter the Pearl at Jackson damage the downriver Louisiana area? New Orleans Magazine, op-ed, accessed 10/4/2018

‘Terror being waged on wildlife', leaders warn The Guardian, 10/4/2018

Arctic sea ice reaches 2018 minimum EarthSky, 10/4/2018

This corrupt, illegal war on wildlife makes losers of us all The Guardian, 10/4/2018

Scientists say halting deforestation 'just as urgent' as reducing emissions The Guardian, 10/4/2018

'Crowds, congestion, no parking': should Canada limit visitors to its majestic parks? The Guardian, 10/4/2018

Fur Seals Overcome Extinction On 'Resurrection Island' – Ep. 1 | Wildlife: Resurrection Island National Geographic YouTube, 10/4/2018

Paddling through plastic: one woman’s attempt to clean up the world’s rivers The Times UK, 10/4/2018

>>> see also: Why Environmentalist Lizzie Carr Is Paddleboarding 170 Miles Down the Hudson River, Self, 9/7/2018

A MUSHROOM EXTRACT MIGHT SAVE BEES FROM A KILLER VIRUS Wired, 10/4/2018

Conservation Book of the Month October 2018 - Firestorm, Edward Struzik

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It's October so time to start a new book for the OC Book Club! For October we are reading Firestorm by Edward Struzik. This will be my first time reading this but it is well reviewed and sounds really interesting so I'm excited to get started! . We have a Goodreads book club (info on my blog, link in bio) so come join the conversation! . #ocbookofthemonth #firestorm #edwardstruzik

A post shared by @ outdoorconservation on Oct 1, 2018 at 3:43am PDT

Bike Commuting Update

So far, since I wrote "Cycling for the Planet" on 13 September, I've biked exactly 1 time to work. ONE TIME. And that was on 14 September. In the last 2 weeks I haven't bike commuted at all. My reasons are varied - I have to be at work at 6am at a different office to go out in the field, I went to the gym first, I have to run errands after, it's pouring down rain (that's a major one) for days on end. Partially valid but also probably I'm making excuses because I'm terrified of it.

Louisiana has the 2nd highest rate of bicyclist deaths in the US at 3.9/100,000. Since 2015, 93 cyclists have been killed in Louisiana [source]. It's currently 2018, so that's ~30 a year just for Louisiana. THIRTY. That's 30 too many. Nationwide, 840 cyclists were killed in 2016. For comparison, only 206 cyclists were killed in the Netherlands in 2017. However it's important to note that cyclists are far more common in the Netherlands, and 2/3rds of the deaths are seniors over age 65 [source].

I knew all of this already, but the anti bike culture has rapidly gotten worse. Drivers just plain have it out for cyclists. Baton Rouge city councilman Buddy Amoroso was killed by a driver while cycling, and he's not the only one.

West Feliciana Parish responded by putting the onus on the cyclist to make the roads safe for drivers, instead of vice versa. The new rules require cyclists to wear a certain amount of high vis clothing, have front and rear lights with 0.5 mile visibility (is that even possible?), ride within 2 feet of the edge of the road, and ride in groups of <10 and with at least 0.25mi between groups. What?

There's been so much outrage about it that I don't understand. Drivers saying they are tired of being inconvenienced by cyclists, and "arguing that people who visit West Feliciana just for biking shouldn't get to dictate how residents use their own roads" [source].

Drivers are tired of being inconvenienced, and would rather complain and have road rage than advocate for a solution that benefits all. The solution is bike lanes. Drivers should want them so cyclists have their own space, and cyclists want them so they have their own space. It's safer for everyone. But in these backwards times anger and restriction is apparently winning.

So long story short, I'm scared of it. I was all excited to reduce my carbon footprint and be a better environmental advocate but I'm plain scared. I often get to work pretty early so I'm nervous about riding my bike in the pre-dawn times, even with my LED lights. I was recently participating in a road cycling even in West Feliciana Parish and was almost hit by a truck on the same highway Buddy Amoroso was hit on. I had to pull over in somebody's driveway so I could get my composure back. And then another group of cyclists arrived and I jumped in with them. It was terrifying.

I've been anxious about cycling since my near miss, and I'm doubly anxious about increasing my time on theses dangerous roads. I have friends and friends of friends who have been hit by cars. It's probably only a matter of time. So is it better to cycle or be safe? I'm going to choose safe and hope that someday Baton Rouge changes it's tune or that I can live in a far more bike friendlier place.

I've biked in the Netherlands, and it was fantastic. Bikes are the majority, drivers are safe, bike lanes are literally everywhere, and it's just such a rewarding and enjoyable experience. In Baton Rouge it's terrifying, the roads are awful, and there's just so much stress, anxiety, and anger. I may still ride occasionally when the weather is nice but I am too nervous otherwise and don't want to risk everything.


More information:

Baton Rouge Councilman Buddy Amoroso killed in West Feliciana crash; man arrested
The Baton Rouge Advocate, 6/30/2018, accessed 10/3/2018

West Feliciana council passes new bicycle ordinance despite heated criticism from cyclists
The Baton Rouge Advocate, 10/3/2018, accessed on 10/3/2018

The Most Dangerous Place to Bicycle in America
The Wall Street Journal, 9/25/2018, accessed 10/3/2018

Risky riding? Report says Louisiana second most dangerous state for cyclists
The Baton Rouge Advocate, 10/1/2018, accessed 10/4/2018

More cycling fatalities than deaths in cars
Bicycle Dutch, 4/25/2018, accessed 10/4/2018

Biking Pol is Killed, So Louisiana Parish Blames Cyclists
Streets Blog USA, 8/6/2018, accessed 10/4/2018

Jeff Sadow: Amoroso's death highlights need for better bike safety enforcement in Louisiana
The Baton Rouge Advocate, 7/7/2018, accessed 10/4/2018

Deadliest States For Cyclists: Per Capita Fatality Rates
Governing.com, accessed 10/4/2018

The Land and Water Conservation Fund

Yesterday, 1 October 2018, the Land and Water Conservation Fund expired. It's insane to me that programs like that do expire, but that's another point. ESPECIALLY programs that don't cost the taxpayers any money and are for the good of all people.

If you've never heard of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), here's the basic primer. 

The LWCF "is a Federal program that was established by Act of Congress in 1965 to provide funds and matching grants to federal, state and local governments for the acquisition of land and water, and easements on land and water, for the benefit of all Americans. The main emphases of the fund are recreation and the protection of national natural treasures in the forms of parks and protected forest and wildlife areas." [source] 

So the whole point of the LWCF is basically to secure land for the enjoyment of the general public. Which is pretty awesome, in my opinion, and those politicians in the 1960s maybe got a few things right. 

So far, in the last 50 years, the LWCF has protected 5 million acres of land all over the country. You can see a map of all the projects HERE that was put together by The Wilderness Society.  

Funding for LWCF comes energy company royalties. Oil and gas companies pay royalties to the federal government to conduct offshore drilling. A portion of those revenues goes to fund the LWCF. That money is then used to buy land for public access and use. So at no cost to me or you the taxpayers (and at no additional cost to the energy companies - because they were paying this money anyway), we get funding for conservation works, parks, public lands, and other related projects. This is everything. 

And Congress got lazy and let it lapse. It isn't the first time. And maybe it won't be the last time. But honestly it SHOULD be the last time. Permanent reauthorization of the LWCF is a no-brainer and tell your Senators/Representatives as much. 

There are currently multiple bills that have been introduced. 

1) S.569 "Land and Water Conservation Authorization and Funding Act" 

2) S.896 "A bill to permanent reauthorize LWCF"

3) HR.502 "To permanently reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund"

4) HR.6759 "Land and Water Conservation Authorization and Funding Act"

Less legalese updates can be found on the LWCF Coalition page HERE. 

It seems likely that they will come to an agreement, and permanent funding could be possible. But continued support and action is important so keep telling your Senators & Reps!

Take action by signing the LWCF Coalition Letter HERE.

News articles: 

Expired: Congress Fails to Reauthorize Land and Water Conservation Fund GearJunkie, 10/1/2018

Congress allows parks program to expire over the weekend Think Progress, 10/1/2018

More information:  

LWCF Coalition

Mapping the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF)

The Wilderness Society, accessed 2 October 2018

Why LWCF Matters

Continental Divide Trail Coalition, accessed 2 October 2018

It's time to #SaveLWCF

Pacific Crest Trail Association, accessed 2 October 2018

LWCF: A Win for Conservation and Our Economy, but Only if Congress Acts

The Nature Conservancy, accessed 2 October 2018

Land and Water Conservation Fund

The Wilderness Society, accessed 2 October 2018

Land and Water Conservation Fund

Wikipedia, accessed 2 October 2018