Any suggestions for "The Pope Francis Waste Not Club"?

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Bonnie said:
Thrift stores sometimes have fabric, and many of the clothes are of a quality I can’t afford to buy new. A friend who sews helped me alter a couple of very nice skirts that didn’t quite fit. Now they do & look great. We bartered for the work - she got books in return for the work.
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Tailoring used clothing is often much cheaper than buying new. Also, if you want straight fabric, look at sheets and blankets - I’ve gotten wool for a warm cloak from a blanket and fabric for a nice top out of some used sheets.
 
lynnvinc said:
I’m planning to write up all the suggestions from this thread, and perhaps some more. Of course, there are lists and books on such “waste not” tips, but some of the suggestions here I have not seen elsewhere :).

If they have closed the thread, then I’ll private mail each of you…
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Awesome! If you need any assistance just shoot me an email!
 
DorthyBlueBird said:
I am a huge fan of re-use. Unfortunately, some of the “green consciousness” has actually made this harder. They try to “use less material” for packaging which makes it deliberately trash, and therefore cannot be reused. I’m thinking of cardboard tubes that come in paper towels. (Yes, I know that using them can be problematic. But I only use them in instances where to do otherwise would be unsanitary-- such as cleaning up after pets. Yes, I know he’s not a fan of pets, but that’s another discussion.)

There are also applications for bottled water. I wish I could reuse those, but they have been depleted of material so much that the only thing you can do when they are empty is to throw them away. Such a waste! They can’t even be turned into planters anymore!

I think that moderation is the key. It is too easy to be penny wise and pound foolish in matters like this.

For example, buying fabric in the store is often more expensive than buying finished clothes. Unfortunately, though, those store bought clothes are often made of fabrics that don’t mend well-- they either fall apart because the thread itself pulls out of shredding/unraveling fabric, or the fabric is wearing out, literally,. These are hard, if not impossible, to mend with those flimsy fabrics. You not only have to avoid waste, but purchase wisely in the first place. Learning about the things that you do use and what makes them best for eventual reuse and recycling is key to avoiding problems.
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Pope Francis is against having pets?! I don’t want to hijack the thread, but I’m just interested/surprised. I’ve only ever met one family who was against pets - one of my Muslim friends’. I’ll have to see what Pope Francis says.

You make a good point and articulate something that perhaps hadn’t risen to my overt consciousness yet. It seems that what my parents and grandparents used to be able to do, we can’t, simply because things aren’t made the way they used to be made.

There are skills I wish I had that I just feel too overwhelmed to tackle. Clothes-making is one that I don’t see happening bc as some mentioned, it’d be cheaper to buy used clothing (or frankly, keep using what I’ve got until I can’t anymore, and then buy used or graciously accept gifts). Plus, my parents were tailors and there was lots of sewing in the house too, and I just never caught on. I’m not good with my hands 😊

I would love to grow a little garden, learn to can/jar my own food. I remember this from my great-grandmother’s cellar, but I just don’t know how to get started. I’ve had bad luck with any plant I’m in charge of dying :eek:
 
anilorak13ska said:
I would love to grow a little garden, learn to can/jar my own food. I remember this from my great-grandmother’s cellar, but I just don’t know how to get started. I’ve had bad luck with any plant I’m in charge of dying :eek:
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Can’t help with the gardening (I don’t have a green thumb either) but canning & other preserving is right up my alley! I’m a long-time Food Safety/Preservation Information Assistant. That’s our latest job title - we used to be Master Food Preservers.

When you are ready to get started, call your local Extension office. If they don’t have an Information Assistant, they will have all sorts of informative phamplets free or low cost. Good books are the Ball Blue Books, the little one that comes out every few years & the great big one, Complete Book of Home Preserving, Canning and Preserving for Dummies, and the National Center for Home Preservation website - uga.edu/nchfp.

If you have farmer’s market near you, you can usually buy large amounts for canning.
 
anilorak13ska said:
Pope Francis is against having pets?! I don’t want to hijack the thread, but I’m just interested/surprised. I’ve only ever met one family who was against pets - one of my Muslim friends’. I’ll have to see what Pope Francis says.

You make a good point and articulate something that perhaps hadn’t risen to my overt consciousness yet. It seems that what my parents and grandparents used to be able to do, we can’t, simply because things aren’t made the way they used to be made.

There are skills I wish I had that I just feel too overwhelmed to tackle. Clothes-making is one that I don’t see happening bc as some mentioned, it’d be cheaper to buy used clothing (or frankly, keep using what I’ve got until I can’t anymore, and then buy used or graciously accept gifts). Plus, my parents were tailors and there was lots of sewing in the house too, and I just never caught on. I’m not good with my hands 😊

I would love to grow a little garden, learn to can/jar my own food. I remember this from my great-grandmother’s cellar, but I just don’t know how to get started. I’ve had bad luck with any plant I’m in charge of dying :eek:
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A lot of people dislike pets. It’s ironic since St Francis is often associated as being a lover of animals.

My dogs are great companions and definitely worthy of being given food and shelter and being part of our human family.
 
Bonnie, pardon my ignorance, but what is my Extension office?
Country Gal, I was specifically surprised about Pope Francis, precisely bc of the St. Francis of Assisi connection. It’s one thing not to like pets or not to want the responsibility or what not, but to be “against” it, as in there’s something morally or ethically wrong with it? That’s what confused me.
 
anilorak13ska said:
Bonnie, pardon my ignorance, but what is my Extension office?
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They are an “extension” of the state university or college in each county. They do all the 4-H stuff, Master Gardeners, and Food Safety/Preservation Information. If you know people in 4-H, they will know who the Extension agent is and where the office is. Or call the county offices.
 
I just moved and am finding out I have too much ****. I plan to avoid that in the future.
 
Country_Gal said:
Oh, I see the word that starts with cr and means junk is not allowed . My apologies.
:o
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Yeah there are several words that they will ****out of a post due to being not allowed. You could also try the man’s name which is short for “Richard” and they will even *** that out!
 
Cotton or synthetic clothes? I’m not sure which is best re “waste-not.”

Synthetics do not need ironing (at least most that I buy), and they usually last a lot longer.

OTOH, cotton often feels better to wear, expecially when it’s hot – and they are expecting it might get to 130F here in the Rio Grande Valley this summer – but then you usually have to iron it, and it usually doesn’t last as long. However, I do have some tops that do not need ironing (prints don’t show tiny wrinkles much), esp if I drip-dry them, or hang them up immediately out of the dryer.

Also not sure about the life cycle differences (growing/extracting, processing, etc).

Anyone have any ideas. I have both, but gravitate towards clothes that don’t need ironing (I’m lazy). OTOH, hubby always irons his shirts, which are mainly poly/cotton blend.
 
Here’s something that may help reduce destruction of trees – treeless paper products. I discovered that Walgreens is now carrying the brand “Ology” treeless paper products (paper towels, toilet paper, facial tissues, paper plates) made from sugarcane husks and quick growing bamboo. We’ve tried all their products and they’re fine, even the toilet paper…quite soft. 🙂
 
lynnvinc said:
Cotton or synthetic clothes? I’m not sure which is best re “waste-not.”

Synthetics do not need ironing (at least most that I buy), and they usually last a lot longer.

OTOH, cotton often feels better to wear, expecially when it’s hot – and they are expecting it might get to 130F here in the Rio Grande Valley this summer – but then you usually have to iron it, and it usually doesn’t last as long. However, I do have some tops that do not need ironing (prints don’t show tiny wrinkles much), esp if I drip-dry them, or hang them up immediately out of the dryer.

Also not sure about the life cycle differences (growing/extracting, processing, etc).

Anyone have any ideas. I have both, but gravitate towards clothes that don’t need ironing (I’m lazy). OTOH, hubby always irons his shirts, which are mainly poly/cotton blend.
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If you can pull it off, things like broomstick skirts can be a lifesaver. Basically, anything cotton that’s not meant to lie flat. My cotton maxi skirts aren’t supposed to hang completely straight, so they look perfectly fine wrinkled. I have more blends with tops because I’ve found a lot of cotton tops are too sheer - though I admit to a fondness for a cotton blend tank with a very sheer, typically short shirt over it in summer.
 
LegoGE1947 said:
We often see people putting out old electronics to the garbage but it is illegal to do so in Illinois. There have been places set up where you can legally dispose of those such as Best Buy stores and other places like that. But lots of time when people put those things out, the scavengers will take them to sell for scrap.
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I’m not sure if it’s all over the place, but I’m in the Diocese of Joliet, and SVdP has just announced it’s an electronics recycling center! So bring it to the truck pick-ups at your parish or give them a call!
 
Pew7 said:
So the farmer throws them away as imperfect. Note that what is thrown away is perfectly edible and healthy, It just looks imperfect.

And the poor get poorer.

This mentality not only takes food from the poor, but it results in less a supply of fruits and veggies, so the prices go up, further taking the goods from the poor. Effectively it doubles the stealing.

We need a religious order as big as the Jesuits to raise organic foods, mill them, and market them to the poor.
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That which is thrown away on many farms is actually composted or ‘recycled at the source’. Supermarkets and such are fearful of getting sued.

The poor get poorer due to other reasons than the above

There is nothing wrong with regular fruits and veggies. I but both organic and non-organic.

What I plan to do is drop off my excess garden produce at a homeless shelter always looking for food. But to suggest that there’s a problem with conventional food is quite a 1st world problem.
 
Very excited to announce that our certified, highly recommended solar installer arrived today and is up on my roof installing panels! I hear his drill and footsteps 🙂

We’ve been on Green Mountain 100% wind-generated electricity for 11 years, but solar has now gone down in price to such and extent it is a really great investment (and I really like contributing to the solution). It is an investment one can’t refuse (to paraphrase The Godfather).

In Texas our AEP provider (which Green Mountain uses to supply our electricty) is giving us a $7500 rebate, then we will be getting our 30% tax break next year (between $8000 & $9000), and the solar company is giving us $7500 off. So with the cost at $29,000 minus all that it comes to between $8000 & $9000. Considering that it will be saving us about $100 a month, that is about a 12.5% return on investment.

They will be installing the reversible meter tomorrow – which goes in reverse when we generate more electricity than us use. And if we generate more electricity in a month than we use, Green Mountain will allow us to apply that to next month’s bill (at the same rate).

All I can say is if you (a) have a south facing roof slope, (b) earn enough to be paying more than $5000 in taxes, (c) have some money to invest (maybe from doing all the great money-saving env things over the years), and (d) you live in a state with a similiar set up re alt energy as I do, this might be for you.

I’m looking at it this way. We will be retiring in a year or so, and at now at the very peak of our earning (and taxes), with our home mortgage paid off, etc. When we retire we will be saving about $100 on our monthly electric bill and maybe $90 with our Chevy Volt (it costs us about $1.25 to drive 35-40 miles, depending on whether we use the AC).

This is a great set up for retirement planning to lower one’s living expense.

And if the Vatican can go solar, then why not us laypeople 🙂
 
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