Confessions of an (Aussie) Eco-shopper - reflections

When I picked up this book a few weeks ago while browsing at the local library, I didn't know it would take up so much of my thoughts and change some of my habits!

Here I am, at the end of my journey auditing myself against the challenges the author set herself in the book. And fairly pleased with the results. I have made a couple of changes already and have plans to make some more. Overall, we measured up pretty good against the challenges, having already met most of them.

So, here is to future improvements:

* planning to check out the local Farmer's Markets - there are plenty to choose from in our area, so I intend this to become part of my regular weekend activites.

* try and reduce the takeaway meals by planning ahead more.

* revisit the recycled toilet paper section and see if the quality has improved!

* sticking with my new moisturiser, Moo Goo, which I love and discovered via this book!

* sticking with my new crystal deodorant, which I am not sensitive to AND find quite effective :)

* buying fair-trade coffee for work and home.

* buying a stainless steel drink bottle

* awaiting a response to my email to Motto about how and where their fabrics come from.

* investigating worm farming!

It has been great to take another look at our lifestyle in this way and I thoroughly recommend it!




And visit Kate Lord at her blog for more inspiration!!

Aisle 12 - Rubbish Challenges: Composting, Wormeries and magic microbes

* Challenge 35: Is composting the answer?
* Challenge 36: Worms: charming or alarming?
* Challenge 37: Do Bokashis and magic microbes do the business?

Compost, compost, compost! If only the kitchen collection bin would take itself outside automatically, I might say this word a lot less! Kieran is in charge of emptying our indoor receptacles into their outdoor partners and our never-ending compost bucket is part of that process. We compost all kitchen waste, with a bog-standard plastic compost bin down the back garden. The pace of decomposition is usually just that little bit behind our consumption, so it is usually full to the brim! Eventually, it all returns back into the garden.

I am quite intrigued by worm farming and each time it is shown on the gardening programs, I start thinking of starting one. If the children were still children, if life was less busy, then this is something I could see working well. But I am realistic enough to know that it would be my project and mine alone, and I can't promise said worms the lifestyle they need. So, for now, no worm farm.

But a Bokashi has potential. I have stumbled upon them at various community events and would like to investigate further. At least responsibility for the life-cycle of bacteria would cause me less angst than that of worms!

But for now, it is compost, compost, compost!!!

Aisle 11 - Checkout Challenges: Bags, Packaging and Recycling

* Challenge 32: Kicking the plastic bag habit
* Challenge 33: Packaging: can we get radical?
* Challenge 34: Can the "Three Rs" solve the rubbish crisis?

It is very rare for me to ask for, or accept, plastic or other store bags anymore. We have gradually evolved away from considering this acceptable. Our household collection of reusable shopping bags is quite extensive and the stash in the boot of my car meets our needs. I also have some wonderful eco silk bags that scrunch up small into my handbag, so I am rarely "caught short". I was pleased recently, when we returned to online grocery shopping, to discover they now use biodegradable "non plastic" bags for the delivery - this was one area I felt needed improvement. If I do find myself shopping without a bag, I 'punish' myself by buying another reusable bag from the store, which really works as an incentive to remember!

Packaging is the bane of my life. Wherever possible, I choose products with the least packaging, however some things - printer ink, for example, go overboard (no - I tried refillable ink cartridges and they didn't work for me!) While I can return the cartridges to the office store for recycling, there is still unnecessary plastic and paper around the product.

In my controlled workplace, I am able to completely separate my rubbish at my desk and the one main offender is that thermal, shrink-wrap cellophane they plaster on everything, as well as those awful "clam-shell" packages that encase products and need scissors to remove!

At home, although I choose a lot of packaging that is recyclable card or paper, there are still too many foodstuffs sealed into plastic bags, trays and the like. You cannot always avoid these, especially when shopping for others!

I often think that "waste management" should be added to my paid work job description, let alone my unpaid one! At home, we have three wheely bins provided by local government: general waste; recyclable waste and green waste. As the recyclables are co-mingled, it means we do not need to separate into different mixes - all our steel, aluminium, paper, glass and many plastics end up in the one bin. (I saw on TV recently how they sort this at the other end - quite reassured me!). Green waste is for garden refuse (we compost kitchen waste) and anything else goes into the general bin. We took part in a trial a couple of years ago to use a smaller bin and halve the pick up frequency (from weekly to fortnightly) however at that time our household was too large to cope and we had to revert to the standard. At work, I have general waste and co-mingled recycled, which we have to pay to have collected - sometimes wish I could have a compost option there too, however that pushes my dedication too far!

I also try to "close the loop" as much as possible and buy products containing recycled materials. Even though I strive for a paperless office, we still do need some for handouts etc, so I always look for the 100% recycled printer paper.

Aisle10 - Material challenges: clothes, cotton, swapping and shoes

* Challenge 28: Can a girl be eco-smart and still be stylish?
* Challenge 29: Can you find out where your fabrics come from?
* Challenge 30: Handmade and hand-me-downs
* Challenge 31: Shoes and handbags: can a girl ever have enough?

From the time I "grew up", I have not been a slave to fashion. Like everyone else in the 80s, I had my "Colours Done" and that changed the way I looked at clothes. I no longer bought what one must have, but focused on what I believed looked best on me.

As a child, I was dressed by an op-shopping mum who was way before her time and therefore, very daggy and embarrassing. So once I started earning my own money, I ran like mad from the concept of hand-me-downs and secondhand anything.

However, times changed, my income did too and I changed my life perspective on Reduce, Reuse, Recyle.And I embraced the world of good quality, used goods.

These days, my only concern when it comes to clothing is - do I like it?
That means it needs to be comfortable, colourful and ethical.

I source my clothing from second-hand stores, shops which stock fair trade goods from communities who need the income, markets and small online retailers and the like. The only "mainstream" brand I buy new is Motto, which is Australian made and owned - the fabrics are man made and I don't know where or buy whom, which I will now investigate. I love it because it is designed for women, not girls!

Because my daughter works at Savers, a recycled department store, some of my clothes that are purchased there or elsewhere will end their life returning there (if items are unsaleable, they are "ragged" which brings in additional income for the charities who profit.) I also look here for furniture and household items and, of course, books!

There are three things I have learned a woman needs to invest in well - bras, shoes and handbags! I am into quality, not quantity and mourn the end of life of my favourites.That doesn't mean designer rubbish, it means stuff that fits me and won't fall apart in five mins. My bra brands are Intimo and Body Wise, I like Dianna Ferrari shoes and Louenhide bags. And I love my Crocs :)

Aisle 9 - Baby Challenges: Nappies, Milk and Toys

* Challenge 25: Do real nappies do the business
* Challenge 26: Mothers milk or formula?
* Challenge 27: Which toys pass the toddler test?

I hope you aren't expecting anything surprising from this one! LOL! When I turned to this chapter in the book, I read it with even greater interest than the others.

Nappies - diapers for those who don't speak the language - should be far from my mind with children in their early 20s! Except, in my line of work, I get to see and discuss them an awful lot! And in the case of disposables, I am I get to deal with their "disposal" a lot too!

Back in the olden days, when I had babies, this was a hot topic. Cloth meant terry toweling squares, folded into shape and covered with some sort of over-pant. Disposables became mainstream in the 80s and I could watch their design and usage evolve of my years at the front line of nappy changing.

Melissa was wholly cloth-clad, except the occasional outing. Kaitlyn was mostly-cloth, with disposables in the toddler years and Kieran was cloth to begin and then disposables (his skin coped better this way). I used "plastic pants" until Fluffies were invented.

From start to weary end, I had nappies in my life for most of a ten year period!

So, if I was starting now, what would I do? Well, I am in love with what Australia calls Modern Cloth Nappies (MCH) and I hope my children will be too when they have babies, as I would love to start collecting them now! They are so beautifully designed and so much improved on the proto-types I remember. However, I also accept that disposables have a place in the early days (I would rather the focus was on feeding, not washing) and also to use MCH in Melbourne's winter, you would need good drying options.

So - to feeding the baby! Well, no surprise here! I have been an advocate of breastfeeding for all of my adult life and there is no doubt in my mind that it is a health issue, not a lifestyle choice. Any parent who considers it to be a choice that is their's to make must make that an informed choice, fully aware of the risks of formula feeding. However, I also believe that women do not fail to breastfeed, rather society fails to support them to do so. except for a very small minority, most bottle feeding mothers would dearly have loved to establish or continue breastfeeding and I will do all I can to help reduce their numbers.

Now toys should also be relics of nostalgia, except I trip over them three days a week at work AND get to organise them and pack them up! I agree with the book author that wooden toys tend to appeal to adults and plastic ones appeal to children. I did some photography work for a friend who worked at a toy chain wholesalers a few years ago and got to photograph just about EVERY toy in their product range! That gave me a lot of time to ponder what children are offered and what adults pretend they are buying for the children.

I can safely say that, dollar per hour use, Lego and Duplo were the most used toys in our household - used until Kieran was approaching high school and still squirreled in his room! I look forward to grandchildren oohing and ahing over their parents old Lego. And probably their children as well. So even though it is plastic, it is a much better option for the environment in the long term.

From what I see, the toys children love most are the ones they haven't played with before, so perhaps the best bet is joining the Toy Library!

Aisle 8 - Liquid challenges 2: cold drinks

* Challenge 22: Does organic booze beat the hangover?
* Challenge 23: Juicy fruit: squashing your own
* Challenge 24: water: what's the best?

As I am barely even an occasional alcohol drinker nowadays (not compatible with my medication) I will have to take a pass on the first issue.

Now juicing, there's a funny thing. I was quite the avid juicer several years agao, with a (then) state of the art juice extractor and all. But dealing with the pulp got to me in the end, life got too busy and the machine was pushed to the back of the cupboard. I continued juicing citrus though, occasionally and not as regularly as I could.

However, even before reading this section of the book, I have been intending to return to the juicing habit - if nothing else, as a way of dealing with some of that fruit and veg! I got as far as putting the old extractor into storage and making plans to update to a new one soon.

So push has come to shove - I am now researching improved technology (I want one with a separate pulp collector!) and in the meantime, have hauled the old one out of storage AND started today with fresh apple juice! I have also borrowed a book from the library to inspire me and look forward to stocking up on extra goodies next time I shop.

I am back on the juicing thing!

Water - my aunt once commented on the modern phenomenon of carrying water bottles as we go through life. In the past, life was slower and days were punctuated by breaks for tea from a pot. You tended to be at home most of the time, where perfectly good (maybe even from a tank!) water was drunk from the tap, via a glass.

Picnics and excursions included The Thermos - maybe even two! - filled with hot water or cold drinks. If soft drinks were around, they came in a crate directly to your home, delivered by a friendly man and rationed out by parents.

In my youth, nobody drank water unless they were forced to (unless it came from the drinking taps at school!) and drinks away from home were mostly Coke and other soft drinks. I cannot even imagine us asking for a bottle of water, let alone lugging a bottle of the stuff in our bags!

Then we all got conscious of needing to drink less soft drink and more water. Days out became everyday and it was easiest to just buy the bottled water the shops now stocked. Plastic drink bottles were for cyclists - or school kids. But we were not to bask in that rosy haze for long - no sooner had we all started buying bottled water, than we began to be told we shouldn't! So everyone starting buying plastic drink bottles and kitchen cupboards exploded with them. Now, we are told, those plastic bottles are more harmful than the tap water and we should use metal ones - we have gone full circle and I should have kept my old canteen from Girl Guides!!!!

So, my current status is this:
* I avoid buying bottled water unless I have not planned well and brought my own.
* I use water from the tap - except at work where we have a water dispenser
* I mainly use Tupperware Eco bottles, but intend buying a stainless steel one.

And my primary focus is to spend less time lugging it all around and more time remembering to drink it!

Aisle 7 - Liquid Challenges 1: Hot Drinks

* Challenge 20: Does Fairtrade tea make the best brew?
* Challenge 21: Does ethical coffee hit the spot?

I am a tea drinker. A chai consumer. And a coffee hater!

But have I really thought about the ethical/environmental background of my tea?

Not really.

I use a combination of loose teas and tea bags. I am a Twinings girl when it comes to bags and I prefer the individually wrapped ones - with full knowledge of the extra waste this creates. For my loose tea, I mainly buy from T2 (I was startled to learn recently this is owned by the Coca Cola company!) and I buy my chai latte in bulk from a company called Kenteco, either online or direct at expos etc.

So I am taking this challenge quite seriously and doing the research that I should have thought of long ago.

Twinings - I found their website (which has lots I want to explore) and was relieved to read the following statement:

Tea with standards

We want people to be able to drink Twinings tea without worrying about the welfare of the people who picked it.

Twinings is committed to ethical sourcing and it is our responsibility and that of all tea companies to;

- buy from tea estates where social and environmental standards are at an acceptable level

- try, with the means we have available, to work with tea estates, their communities and other stakeholders to improve standards.

Given the size and scale of the tea sector, Twinings believes that the best way to improve conditions is at an industry level and that is why Twinings is a member of the Ethical Tea Partnership (ETP).

The goal of the ETP is to ensure that all of the teas its members buy are being produced in a socially responsible way. Members include many of the world’s best-known tea companies.

The ETP continually monitors 6 areas of estate life ; employment (including minimum age and minimum wage), education, maternity, health and safety, housing and basic rights. The ETP also provides remedial advice and support to achieve these standards which are based on the UK Ethical Trading Initiative and the International Labour Organisation conventions. Click here for a copy of the ETP standard.

To find out more about the Ethical Tea Partnership visit www.ethicalteapartnership.org

I think that is a pretty good result - maybe not specifically Fair Trade, but trading fairly. I will continue to buy.

T2 - when googling T2 and Fairtrade - found this on their Facebook page:

Tea T2 tea and the subject of “Fair Trade” products.
Whilst we scrutinise all our suppliers and their estates to ensure decent working conditions and local sustainability as well as seeking to build long term relationships with fair pricing in developing regions – we do not at this moment align ourselves with any particular organisation and brand ourselves with these accreditations.

mmm ... sounds okay, but I will keep a watch on this one.

Kenteco - Kenya Tea Company

http://www.kenyateabags.com
What makes Kenya unique among tea growing nations is its tea producing and marketing company KTDA – wholly owned and directed by the 370,000 small-holders who skillfully grow the crop in often difficult conditions. For the past 30 years Kenya has produced fine small leaf teas by the CTC(Cut Tear and Curl) method used mainly for teabags. Recently traditional methods of tea making have produced Orthodox Kenyan teas.

I think that is good news - although they don't say anything about Fairtrade specifically. I think I am happy to stay with them.

Coffee - Apart from not buying Nestle products, I haven't really explored the coffee I provide for others at home or work. So I will endeavour to be more pro-active in this area in the future.

Aisle 6 - Healthy Challenges 2: Personal care products

* Challenge 17: Do natural deodorants really work?
* Challenge 18: Sunscreens: what's the safety factor?
* Challenge 19: Girl talk: the gory details on sanitary protection

As per my previous post, I have sensitive skin - and when it comes to deodorant, I am at the mercy of ONE product! Around 18, my body suddenly developed an intolerance to the product I had always used and I began a search to replace it. It seemed I would come out in an awful rash with anything I could buy in the supermarket (this was the early 80s, so choices were limited) but eventually I found a solution at a department store counter - and began a lifetime relationship with Innoxa Free and Easy. If they ever discontinue the product or change the formula, I am doomed (they brought out two variations a few years ago - fragrance free and sports: both restored the rash and were hastily dumped!)

I am open to trying the deodorant crystal discussed in the book - perhaps as a winter option: I suspect it wouldn't meet the need in summer - and will look for one as I am running low. But otherwise, it is that little pink roll-on for me!

Sunscreen is something I always felt guilty of not using enough of, however as I tend to avoid the sun when it is at its highest, I really only get caught on those first few outings in October when I forget sunscreen and hat! But in recent years, as awareness of the benefits of sun and vitamin D for MS, I now actively seek the sun in all but the most dangerous times, when I retreat to the shade. I truly believe if skin cancer is in my future, it will be caused by the hours I spent unprotected as a teenager, not the occasional overdose I get as a wiser adult! So I limit my sunscreen use, wear a hat and use a parasol and sleeves to cover my skin.

Now - sanitary protection! I almost baulked at writing about this challenge, when my blog is so public and posted to my facebook Wall for all to see! However, I have made drastic changes in product use in recent years, so I am just going to say - yes, I have ditched the disposable goods and have embraced the Diva Cup and cloth pads, which should see me through this next few years until it is all done and dusted!

Aisle 5 – Healthy Challenges 1: Beauty Products

• Challenge 15: Staying lovely without chemicals
• Challenge 16: Can you make your own skincare at home?

I have been plagued by sensitive skin since my late teens, so have always been wary of what I put on it. At the same time, I am compulsive about facial and hand moisturising, so have an eternal quest for the perfect products!

I turned away from the mainstream band-wagon more than a decade ago, when I finally could no longer ignore the excess packaging and ethical mistrust I had of many companies. I was a fan of The Body Shop for many years and found my solace in their hemp creams for face and hands, until Anita Rodderick sold out to Loreal, who are owned by Nestle, adding insult to injury. Giving up my beloved products was, however, a step I was prepared to take for my ethics.

For a while I turned to Lush and found a cream that suited my skin and was happy, however I go through this stuff at an alarming rate and couldn’t justify the frequent trip to Chadstone to buy more! Although they have an online option, I really needed something I could rely on getting without planning ahead. So I turned to the local health food store and found not only alternatives for my face and hands, but also discovered Alchemy and Akin products and was able find new shampoo and conditioner that were gentle on my skin and my ethics.

Since reading the book which inspired this blogging, I have now discovered another skin cream and am trying Moo Goo! So far, so good!

I have toyed with making my own products in the past, but came to accept there are better ways to spend my time and I am happy to pay for someone else to do the creating!

Aisle four – Household challenges: Cleaning, washing, Wiping and Wrapping

• Challenge 11: Domestic cleaning without chemicals
• Challenge 12: Green washing: laundry the eco way
• Challenge 13: Does recycled toilet roll pass the test
• Challenge 14: Can a girl live without clingfilm?

Okay – confession time upfront: I pay for a cleaner to come to my home twice a week, for a total of six hours. Have done since I re-returned to the paid workforce again in mid 2006. It is the only way I can balance paid work with my health challenges.

So … if it was just me, then I could say I clean almost 100% chemical free. I am a fan of ENJO cleaning gloves and other microfiber cleaning cloths and when I was doing all the cleaning, that is what I used for everything from the oven to the floors to the windows. And it is my main choice for cleaning in my workplace (for which I am 100% responsible!)

But I accept that whoever does the cleaning has the right to choose the tools for the job. So I provide spray cleaners etc for the paid help. I do, however, select the most- gentle, environmentally-conscious products I can and encourage the micro-fibre cloths in preference.

It is the best compromise I can achieve for now.

However, in the laundry (where my cleaner also does the bulk of the work) we reuse the grey water on the garden, so the detergent of choice is as eco-friendly as possible. No fabric softeners, no bleach and cold water wash for everything. We air dry outside in the sunshine from October through May, on our traditional Aussie rotary clothesline. In the colder months, there is generally not enough sun to dry things unless there is a good wind, so we revert to clothes horses over the heating ducts, hanging rails in the laundry and the clothes drier on occasions when time and space are short. (Drying a king-size doona cover on anything other than a full clothesline is a nightmare!)

Toilet paper: okay, here I fall over completely! We all have our weakness and nice toilet paper is mine! I have tried and failed conversion to recycled paper toilet rolls and the quality just didn’t pass the test. So consider this a fail!

BUT! I hardly ever use cling film, foil or baking paper and only have paper towel for the most icky of tasks. I use cloth hankies and napkins and Tupperware for food storage. Perhaps this compensates for my toilet paper failure???

Aisle Three – Chiller Challenges: Milk, Meat and Fish

• Challenge 8: The quest to find the mystery milkman
• Challenge 9: Going veggie – the one week challenge
• Challenge 10: Fishing for … anything that isn’t cod

Again, I have this aisle sorted! Our home delivery company, Aussie Farmers Direct, deliver our bread and milk twice a week! Both are self-branded and sourced from small businesses, so I feel good on that level. Whilst I really enjoy their bagels, the bread is a little ordinary, however I don’t eat it much anyway, so fine by me – and the others seem happy!

Our meat also arrives on the doorstep, vacuum-packed in portions and delivered into our esky in the early hours. We simply transfer it to the freezer and forget about it. There is plastic packaging to dispose of, but about the same as it would be from the butcher. I am not, have never been and probably never will become vegetarian – my heart is in the right place but I enjoy meat and live with other carnivores. However, we do have non-meat meals fairly regularly and I would happily go without meat in the short term.

Fish is a big requirement for people with MS, so Tasmanian salmon makes a frequent appearance on my plate – delivered by Aussie Farmers with our meat! I also eat a lot of canned salmon, tuna and sardines – which means a lot of label reading to ensure ethical and sustainable sources. Like the UK, Australia faces over-fishing in some species and I am conscious of this and do my best to avoid those species. I also no longer eat flake in my fish and chips (it is the Aussie standard), as flake is shark and shark is a big fish who eats all the little fish and ends up with all the toxins, including mercury.

Aisle Two – Homemade Challenges: Dinner, Dairy, Baking, Preserves and Soup

• Challenge 6: Ready Meals vs Proper Dinners
• Challenge 7: Back to basics: can one woman make her own

Ready meals – those “Light ‘n’ Easy” type stuff you keep in the freezer and pop in the microwave, have never been part of our diet – they just don’t appeal on many levels. We don’t even use much in the way of convenience foods (apart from pasta sauce, ready to heat gravy and the occasional slow-cooker recipe base), with most of our meals cooked from scratch with fresh ingredients. Like our fruit and veg, the meat is home delivered once a week and goes straight into the freezer in meal ready servings, so our biggest challenge is being motivated to use it!

Cooking is shared by all living in the household – currently my husband and I and two of our three adult children. Each has their own cooking style and regular dishes. Most meals create leftovers, which we stuff into Tupperware and fill the fridge and freezer – intended for lunches and “can’t be bothered” meals. We could do better in using these!

We probably eat takeaway once a week – home delivered pizza, fish and chips or chicken and chips. We are not perfect!

We don’t tend to have cakes or desserts on a regular basis and when we do they are home baked. Desserts tend to be based on using up excess produce – apple crumbles, bread and butter puddings – or on a whim (Kieran does a great chocolate cake from his own recipe!).

I create my own breakfast oats recipe most days in the rice cooker, but I am not a jam maker! Have done, but honestly think it is easier to let someone with knowledge and facilities do it! So I do buy jams at the supermarket, unless I stumble across some at a market or fete.

I am the only yogurt eater, so buying it is easiest. We have a bread maker, but the novelty wore of - so we get that home delivered too!

Aisle One – Fresh Challenges: Fruit and vegetables

• Challenge One: Can you do without supermarkets?
• Challenge Two: The vegie box: getting to grips with the mystery greens
• Challenge Three: The organic moral maze and the land of local produce
• Challenge 5: Can you grow your own?

I am feeling smug already on this one! For the past two years or so, we have used a home delivery service called Aussie Farmers Direct and have a box of fruit and veg delivered to our door step every Friday afternoon. The produce is all in season and sourced in Australia – if it isn’t growing here, it isn’t in the box! This more than meets our needs and has forced us to look at ways to use stuff we used to overlook in the green grocer or market (our previous preferred source – supermarkets being last on the list of options)

Organic? Look, my heart is in it but it is just such a grey area. I cross my fingers and hope the farmers growing our food are aware enough to be doing what they can in this area. Could do better, I know, but if I start driving around sourcing organic alternatives, I am going to cancel out the points I get from having it delivered direct!

In spring each year, I plant out pots of herbs and faster growing vegetables (like tomatoes) on our deck. It is certainly worthwhile for the herb factor and the general feel-good factor. We have TWO lemon trees and sadly, more return to the soil than we could ever consume, but they are grown 100% organically! And we use grey water in the garden (not on the herb post though) with a tank diverting the laundry water, so extra points for that!!!! Growing a full-on vegetable garden is not viable on our block of land, as we share it with too many trees (doing our bit for CO2!) so the competition for sun and water is already won!

There are local Farmers Markets in our area and visiting them is on my must-try list. I also work right near the famous Dandenong Market, so have plenty more options available. But we find our box does the trick and I don’t have to think about it at all!

Confessions of an (Aussie) Eco-shopper

I have just read a fabulous book by UK author Kate Lock, “Confessions of an Eco-shopper” and thoroughly recommend it. In 2007 Kate decided to set herself a series of eco-challenges and this is her account of success and failures along her journey.

I have lived and shopped as green as I can for many years – I assess purchases for how they rate in three areas – ethical, environmental, economical – so I was interested to see how I compare to Kate. Although a lot of the issues she addresses are UK specific and don’t cross-over to Australia (and we have challenges of our own – like not enough water – which the UK do not), however Kate and I seem of similar age and lifestyle, so share many issues.

Kate looked at this over a year. I am not! I am simply going to evaluate my lifestyle choices in response to the issues she raises in each chapter – or Aisle, as she called them.

Kate blogs too, so I am thrilled to continue following and learning from her.