Snacks:
Fresh fruit – strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, grapes, plums, mango, melon, cherries, apples, bananas.
Fresh vegetables – celery sticks, carrot sticks, broccolli, cherry tomatoes, corn. I never outgrew Ants On A Log
Applesauce
Fruit Leather/Fruitabu
Pistachios, cashews
Soy yogurt
Zen Soy chocolate pudding
Purely Decadent ice creams, sorbets, and frozen tings
Chips
Tortilla chips
Salsa
Guacamole
Pita bread
Hummus

Dinner:
Mac and “Chreese” – great with broccolli
Anything from Amy’s Kitchen as long as it’s marked vegan on the ingredients
Pasta!

Lunch:

Breakfast:
Cereal with soy milk
Stephen’s Tofu Scramble

Other:

Price: $3 ish

Where I Get It: Major supermarkets (including some Market Baskets even!)

I love having these plain or dipping fruit into them.

Price: $3 ish for a 4-pack

Where I Get It: Whole Foods

My favorite uses:

• Pasta salad. Pasta, celery, black olives, carrots, and chick peas.
• Veggie dip. Add some favorite seasonings or diced garlic/veggies and take your produce swimming.
• Zing up a sandwich. Sometimes I don’t want just “turkey” on bread, but perhaps I’ve run out of sandwich ingredients. Vegenaise to the rescue. A little bit goes a long way.

Price: $4 ish

Where I get it: Whole Foods or Hannaford

BOTTLES WITH SPRAY TOPS
Use as-is or decorate for a more personalized touch.

Spritzer of all trades

• Paint (watercolors work best).
• Water – styling hair, watering plants, de-sanding at the beach – especially feet.
• Watering or feeding potted plants, garden.
• Cleaning products – homemade products, keep a spare in the car or other rooms, spot cleaner for clothing (Spit, gentle handsoap and a little friction are wonderful at getting stains out of clothes! It’s gross but it works).
• Bug repellant. Check out some natural bug repellants.
• Perfume, cologne, air freshener.

CUT OR ALTERED BOTTLES:

Be careful cutting! This plastic can be nasty when not cut with the right tools.

• Packing material
• Bird feeder
• Tool tray (requires several bottles)
• Wall mounted organizer (bottle halves as “cups”)
• Bead trays during work
• Protective face mask
• Camera tripod
• Beads!
• Plant/flower pot OR . .
• Plamp (way cooler than my idea)

BOTTLE CAPS:

• Pierce and string as outdoor holiday decorations. Secure tightly. ‘Tis never the season to be a litter bug.
• Prop up your laptop to un-trap heat and ease up on the fan. Attach rubber or felt to prevent scratching the table or computer.
• Stampers – glue on foam letters or shapes. You could even cut your own foam designs!
• Fridge magnets -attach magnets, add shapes, words, photos, clippings, pom poms, anything!
• Sail boats. Cut a plastic sail, attach it to a straw/coffee stirrer, poke through cap hole. The Pantene wide caps with gold stripes make really classy bath toys! Too bad Pantene tests on animals.

For some more involved bottle uses, check out Extroardinary Uses . .

Also cool: Studi-Oh

That is my fairly exhausted list of bottle recycling fun. Feel free to contact me with any comments, questions, or requests!

*CLEAN ALL BOTTLES THOROUGHLY BEFORE BEGINNING. If you can still smell the original product or see small bubbles when you let water sit inside, you’re not done cleaning. This is one step you shouldn’t hurry through.
*LABEL any liquids clearly (cleaning products, paints)
*SECURE ALL BOTTLES if they contain small or hazardous materials. Keep children and pets in mind during any project.

Store items in the car

• water (for rinsing hands/cooling engine if overheating)
• hand sanitizer, hair products for touch ups, lotion, overnight items, tampons
• Aloe, Neosporin, calamine lotion, first aid items
• spare change, toll money
• freeze bottle of water for food to go

Organizing small items

• Craft items – beads, buttons, marbles, sewing notions, small paints, knitting needles, crochet hooks
• Tools – screws, bolts, washers, bits
• Office/desk – pens, pencils, paper clips, rubber bands
• Bath – bath salts and beads, leftover soap chips
• Kids’ toys – game pieces, marbles, Legos, doll and action figure accessories – good for toting to Grandparents’ and friends’ houses for play.
• Vanity – hair pins, elastics, nail file etc.
• Travel – mementos, movie stubs, tickets etc. kept safe on the voyage home
• Kitchen – bag clips, magnets, cake icing tips

Time capsules – best with opaque or decorated bottles

• Get a bunch of friends together at New Year’s to make them together
• Give as part of a birthday gift – include questions for the recipient to answer, magazine or newspaper clippings, photos
• Valentine’s Day, anniversaries, newlyweds
• New baby – all of that new baby stuff
• High school graduation, before going off to college
• Beginning of the school year – give at the end of the school year
• New pet – Photos, favorite toy, favorite expensive things to destroy

Bowling! and other games

• Use empty bottles as pins and a pom-pom/sock ball to prevent floor and wall scuffing
• Diving toys (transparent bottles) – fill with colored water (food coloring) or colored sand/sugar (colored by rolling chalk through sand on a tray or plate) – secure cap with permanent water proof glue.
• Fill and use as hand weights. Use velcro strips to secure to hands if needed.

Body soothers

• Hot water bottle – fill with warm water (heat water separately from bottle), cover in soft cloth – cramps, headaches, back aches, cold feet
• Ice pack – fill with water and freeze, cover in soft cloth – swelling, hot summer days, good for lunch too!
• Store home made massage and bath oils, bubble bath, bath products

Party favors/gifts

• Some paint and clippings go a long way for general parties. Comic strips, re-gifted gift wrappings, magazine confetti, whatever is theme/party appropriate
• Chef in the family? Some lentils, beans, peas, or colored pasta look good on the kitchen counter
• “I Spy” bottle – Fill with many small trinkets mixed with newspaper clippings (or something similarly clutter-y) to hide them and an “I Spy” list for the recipient to search with
• Home made cake, brownie, bread, cocoa mixes, tea

Craftiness

• Store home made puff paint, bubble solution, doughs and goos
• Wrap yarn around – easier than those roll-away, cat-attracting balls
• Store yarn inside – leave a tail out to work with. Keeps yarn clean (lint, pet hair)

Around the house

• Place in boots/shoes to keep their shape. Wrap in socks, cloth for extra support.
• Crowded shower? Pierce cap horizontally, knot durable string through holes, and hang over shower head/curtain rod – great in crowded dorms, if you don’t mind being known as the guy with Shampoo on a Rope
• Book end/paperweight. How novel! Keep those flyaway curtains in place when the windows are open, too.
• Store valuables (opaque bottles) – the cheaper and older-looking ones are the best! Think a thief is gonna nab your 2-in-1? Maybe, if it’s kept in your safe box . . Personally, I’d throw it in my bathroom closet with everything else – just make sure it doesn’t rattle like precious jewels.
• Flower vase
• Glass bottle lamp really cool, especially with really nice bottles.

Too lazy?

• Donate to schools, after school clubs, churches for children’s craft projects. Bottle rockets!
• If you’re against kids’ creativity, or if kids are too snobby for old empty bottles, give the bottles away on (Craigslist, Freecycle). Selling will probably infringe on copyright laws. Send this link along with them! In an ideal world, we would all have used up our own bottles and will have moved on to seek other people’s bottles to do fun things with. In an ideal world. . .

If you’re not too lazy, and would like more ideas, stay posted for Part III.
Recycling Household Bottles: Part III

Whether you’re phasing out animal-tested/animal ingredient-containing products, or simply recycling for the good of the planet (hopefully both), here is a three part series on what to do with your bottles to keep them from ending up in the wrong place.

Recycling Household Bottles: Part I

I began this with shampoo, lotion, and other toiletry bottles in mind (because as a girl, one of my huge vices is lotions and things that smell delicious), but many of these ideas can be used with plastic beverage bottles, glass bottles, and other water/milk/juice/detergent jugs. Or even those tiny hotel shampoos.

Before you start: I know you’ll have a lot of fun doing these, but please consider the environmental implications of purchasing a new bottle every time you run out. Try buying items in bulk. Soaps, shampoos, and many others can be bought in very large quantities and you can then refill the one bottle you had originally and it will last a very long time. If you need to replace it any sooner than “a very long time”, you’re just picky and possibly obsessive compulsive. Also, some shampoos and other items can be purchased in solid form, and do not come in excessive packaging. Check out LUSH for these – others are fans. You’ll always be able to find bottles that other people are getting rid off. Keep this in mind so the last part of Part II doesn’t seem so creepy.

Must-have products to cut down on bottle waste:

• High quality re-usable water bottle or canteen (Nalgene, etc.) with a wide neck.
• A nice flask instead of those little nip bottles? Not that you’re an alcoholic.
• Bottle brush – make sure it fits in the bottle’s neck.
• Home water filter (Brita, Pur, etc.)
• Stainless steel mug for coffee or tea
• Single-serving powdered tea (Lipton To Go), and others.

Use up what you have first:

• Brand new toiletry items are welcomed donation at shelters, food banks, churches etc. Check out places to donate near you. Free dental items from your last visit? Throw those in, too.
• DonateYourHotelToiletries works to specifically collect free samples to donate to those in need.
• You could also put together a care package to send to someone in need, or a “grab bag” gift basket for a friend. Get your friends to donate their animal-unfriendly items to collect more if you have a meager supply, then theme by color or scent to disguise your de-stashing motives.
• Try giving away those un-giftable care packages on Craigslist or Freecycle.

Aside from unopened gifts from unaware loved ones, chances are you bought and used these products already. In which case, try to use up what you have and don’t waste it. If you don’t like them as shampoos, etc. in their original state, try these:

• Mix conditioner and shampoo for leg shaving
• Pour body wash into a bath for bubbles
• Cheaper shampoos, ones without conditioner, are great for cleaning paintbrushes
• Dilute most soaps/shampoos to make bubbles! They smell great inside on a rainy day.
• Shampoos are great de-greasers for your hands. Good after pumping gas/checking oil.
• Some well-meaning folks on the internet recommend using baby shampoo on pets, especially in an unexpected “sticky” situation. Do not use any human formulas on pets. Please call your vet first, and for heaven’s sake, just buy a bottle of pet shampoo to keep on hand if needed!

Now, who’s ready for RECYCLED BOTTLE FUN?! Recycling Household Bottles: Part II

. . .Decades of poaching and culling and habitat loss, they claim, have so disrupted the intricate web of familial and societal relations by which young elephants have traditionally been raised in the wild, and by which established elephant herds are governed, that what we are now witnessing is nothing less than a precipitous collapse of elephant culture. . .“

http://anthropik.com/2006/10/elephant-men

*Originally posted on Blogspot 1.10.08

I’ll be the first to admit that the natural world is not perfect, but it has had era after era to become what it has become and it is overwhelming how everything, every tiny little aspect, flows together like a brilliant machine. Even when one tiny “screw” is out of place, it adjusts itself and keeps on ticking.

What sparked me thinking about this was elephants. Some quick irrelevant factoids – an elephant’s brain has greater mass than that of a whale; baby elephants are born almost blind and rely on their trunks to discover the world around them; elephants are born with less instincts than many animals and have to be taught skills and behavior (such as learning how to use their trunk); when you meet an elephant, a proper greeting is to blow into its truck so it can learn your smell. But I digress. . .

Elephants play a huge role in the perpetuation of life on earth. Their size alone gives them great advantage over other animals, thus also making them somewhat responsible for the other animals’ well-being. Something as simple as eating has a great impact. Whether biting off a leaf, a branch, or even tearing up a tree completely – roots and all – space is given to new growth which will then become more food or shelter for the elephants and other animals. This ability to clear brush and debris also gives other animals access to resources they may not have had otherwise. One might argue “So? They eat a lot and they can knock stuff down. No thought required.” Quite untrue. They may not realize they are helping out the termite population with their dung, but who has time to think about poo when there are bigger issues at hand?

Elephants are very altruistic and compassionate (understatement). Female elephants, while not producing their own young, watch over the baby elephants and help them learn survival, social skills, etc. This “babysitting” gives the birth mothers time to eat well enough to provide the babies with nutrient-rich milk. These babies drink 3 gallons of milk a day and to be able to eat enough to satisfy that is a huge time commitment. Elephants sometimes have to travel long distances to find food during certain times of the year. The network of female elephants is a crucial resource for mothers.

One of the most amazing “services” elephants provide is digging underground with their tusks for water sources in dry river beds. This will give water to much, if not all, of the life in that area.

I still can’t comprehend the ways in which wildlife give and take in order to sustain life on earth, and I am both in awe of the earth and horribly disappointed in the human race. We are so self absorbed. It’s a rare person who sacrifices luxury and necessity for another person. It’s a rare person who even thinks of it. In fact, it is humans that are responsible for much of the destruction of our natural home. Selfishly destroying other species’ resources and stupidly destroying our own. Take, take, take, only to produce infinite amounts of unnecessary waste that piles up. We’re slowly converting all that is valuable and reusable, all that is beautiful, into big piles of shit that sit dormant across the world. I have a terrible image of people in the future making homes in these heaps because there is no place to build real homes. No place to keep must-have plasma tvs and pieces of precious Prada, Coach, and Louis Vuitton.

The more I learn about animals and nature, the more I wish I was born into the animal kingdom. Even if I was eaten by a lion at 8 months old, at least I wouldn’t have the guilt of Humanity. With that said, I can’t whole-heartedly hate my species. With our few advantages over other species, we are able to assist them – firefighters to extinguish wildfires, veterinarians and zoologists to provide medical care, and even families to adopt from the quickly-reproducing feral populations. As much as I would love for humans to go full force in learning about animals’ intelligence and behavior, we still have a lot of work to do for our own kind. Perhaps one day we can find the right balance of give and take.

*Originally posted on Blogspot 1.10.08

A while back, I came across this humorous post:

7 Levels of Veganism by Greg Lawson.

It’s a nice little reminder that as long as you’re trying your best, that’s all that matters. (Vegan aside, this rings true for everything.) For me, being vegan isn’t necessarily about super strict, zero-tolerance for animal products. Ideally, that’s what I want, but that’s not my driving factor. What motivates me is not being responsible for the harm to animals and our environment. I don’t want to encourage the practice of using animals for our own selfishness. Would I eat a little non-vegan thing once in a while because I am doing my part otherwise? No. Is it a crime, or would I condemn a lifelong vegan for doing it? No. Personally, I feel as though I haven’t been vegan long enough and done enough for what I believe in yet to start rewarding myself, but that’s my own preference and stance. I’m proud of others for whatever steps they take in the right direction because every little bit counts. What really gets me angry is people who focus on whether or not vegans are staying vegan rather than focus on their own lifestyle, especially when it becomes a hypocritical attack at vegetarians and vegans. “But your shoes are leather. You’re not really vegan. You have no right to tell me not to eat meat.” If I’m not adding to the waste of the Earth’s garbage piles by throwing away “pregan” items like leather shoes, I feel okay about keeping them. I would almost rather keep them and use them as an outlet for discussion than give them away. Giving them away almost condones the existence of non-vegan things in an already non-vegan run society.

What it boils down to is that we have to consider the bigger picture. Hopefully what someone lacks in being vegan or vegetarian, they make up for with other contributions. The world can be a messy place and everyone has their own part to clean up. I personally believe everyone should be vegetarian if their health allows it, but that’s idealistic. I also want to see the world free of poverty, hunger, child abuse, disease, pollution, etc. etc. etc. We have one planet and one life and I want to make the most of it. If I could, I would divide myself and make each part work 100% in its own specialized area, but I’m only one person and I can only make a difference in a few areas of the world before spreading my energy too thin.

“Whatever you are, be a good one.” -Abraham Lincoln