the convenience addiction 1.

The way I go about my life is driven solely by expediency: what's the most amount of stuff I can get through in the least amount of time? - Because I have more stuff to do next. This causes me permanent anxiety. Instead of convenience, allowing a little more time will help me get organised, enjoy my current activity and breathe!

Minutae

The detail I hoped to never grow up enough to experience. But this is my reality if I am seriously persuing a sustainable lifestyle. Knowing the plumbing layout provides insight into greywater possibilities; deciding whether to install gas for hot water, I have to think about pipes; to maintain my bicycle I have to learn to make fine adjustments with an allen key; and to make progress with my community garden, it will help me to learn about strata rules. Changing the world, relies on changing our lifestyle, which means changing my attitude about tiny things which I have always hated. But, it's the most important thing I can do.

Permaculture

There's a lot to learn before I can get the community garden happening, it's very daunting.  I was refered to a permaculture group Permaculture North to assist with developing the garden.  Attending the meeting was really interesting, lots of people interested in the same thing and a particularly interesting guest speaker, Nicholas who has started: http://permaculture.tv/ website. Lots to learn and I love the principles. But, I just want to get started!!
 
  http://permaculture.org.au/what-is-permaculture/

Screen time

I have been babysitting my nieces and nephews and am astounded at the amount of screen time they engage in: almost every minute is on computer or tv. This means that they spend most of their time passively and reflexively responding to a program rather than playing and creating. It certainly makes me appreciate my own childhood in treehouses and outside, and so I resolve to have my own time screen minimal.

Barefoot cycling

I feel like a child, what pleasure! The best I have done recently is change my bike from a road bike (because it didn't fit me properly and was unsafe), to a ladies comfort bike. It's cheaper, doesn't need special shoes or special clothes, so it has become a practical mode of transport. The barefoot part is just an added pleasure when I'm in quiet areas.

Stains

I've always been quite rough and tumble and so have never worried about how dirty I get, no matter what I'm doing. On top of that I am no domestic goddess, i have had no time or patience for housekeeping. The practice of looking after things so they last means I need to consume less, so doing laundry is no longer a mundane practice. Stain removal means that clothes and carpet last longer, and napkins and handkerchiefs can replace paper versions. The most valuable prinicple is that every stain has a solvent - for example detergent 'cuts through grease' as the ads tell us. So far I have learnt that facial soap and cold water, rubbed in with a toothbrush removes protein stains and is the first step. Meat, gravy, milk, blood - in fact most food related stains respond to this. Then, I put it into the wash with a commercial powder, because detergent removes the next level of stains which are oil and fat based. There is much more to learn, and the books by Shannon Lush and Jennifer Fleming are fantastic, because most of their cleaning solutions are simple and environmentally friendly.

Community gardens

I'm advocating to have a small unobtrusive herb plot in a common area. A small request which one would achieve in their own yard within days. So it's frustrating to submit plans and jump through hoops. Then I've realised: as much as I don't like it, politics is integral to making change. If I want to live differently without dropping out of city life, I'd best start working through it.

Bathroom Renovation

The bathroom is dated but functional so I've been shopping around for renovation ideas. The imaginary dream bathroom has a vanity and shower water collection pan which flushes used water through the toilet. There's a feature wall which pumps the water up to a waterfall and water runs onto a series of ledges with ever finer purifying stones, finishing on a ground level catchment of plants. The dream goes on. The reality is that my greenest option is to leave the bathroom as is (just replace the vanity which is the eyesore), which eliminates my need to consume new resources; and to remember that it's how I use the bathroom that makes tje difference.