Don't let perfect get in the way of better

I have dozens of articles saved to share, dozens of topics to discuss on this blog but it never happens. Partly because of the many competing commitments (including writing and blogging commitments) of life and partly because I feel like a charlatan, a hypocrite - yes, there are many categories in which my consumption is ethical but there are also many categories in which I am filled with a neurotic and paralysing sense of guilt. I still bank with one of the "Big Four", I haven't divested from carbon in any of my other financial interests either, I buy a lot of single use plastic bottles and aluminium cans through my current addiction to a Coca Cola product, I still haven't got a bike, I have private health insurance, I'm still buying books instead of using the library, I eat a lot of meat and fly a lot more than the average person. This is obviously not an exhaustive list.

This year I'm trying to live by the motto that "done is better than perfect". I'm trying to overcome impostor syndrome and get shit done. So I will continue making steps towards more ethical living and share some of my thoughts here. Rant over.

Sunday Links

• I think it's fun seeing fashion week looks recreated from charity clothing stores, as in the above video from London's Back of the Wardrobe
• Still in the UK,  Treading My Own Path shares her eco-inspiration from travelling to the UK and Europe
• I love the concept of building schools cheaply with rubbish-stuffed plastic bottles as insulation. (Also love the name of the nonprofit, Hug It Forward.) via Unconsumption
• More upcycling: German Artist Tino Seubert Dyes Clothing With Airborne Pollution (Ecoteurre) 
• Clothes that charge your smartphone? Yes please. (The Guardian)
• Big Food with regional flavour: how Australia's food lobby works. (The Conversation)
• Did you participate in Zero Waste Week? Me neither. But The Double Life of Mrs M did and shares some advice here.
• On the same theme, The Rogue Ginger shares her top movies about plastic that will change your life. 
• I previously promised a post about evidence-based charitable donations. That still hasn't happened but the Australian Medical Students Association (AMSA) Global Health Conference gives a good summary of the issue.
• Philanthropy: reclaiming the "P-word" for a modern world. (The Guardian)
• What happened to the Make Poverty History movement? (Sydney Morning Herald)

Sunday links

video via Unconsumption

For the past six months, I have been collecting links to share on this blog. It is a very long list. Here are some of the more recent reads:

• "Admire success. But do not praise excess." 7 Reasons Why We Should Stop Praising Excess by Joshua Becker. (Becoming Minimalist)
• I would like to master The Elegant Art of Not Giving A Shit. Imagine how much worthwhile stuff I could get done. (Raptitude)
• Lifestyle blogger Sarah Wilson has written a Slow Food and Outdoors Guide to Perth and Fremantle. While I am certainly not planning to quit sugar (she authored the best-selling I Quit Sugar program), I do enjoy Sarah's blog and will be trying out some of her recommendations of places to visit in my home town. It's worth checking out the comments for further suggestions. I'm excited to try some new places that popped up while I was out of town for six months.
• Australian blogger The Rogue Ginger recommends some sites for collaborative consumption.
• 'The Great Fish Swap': How America Is Downgrading Its Seafood Supply - NPR interview with Paul Green, author of American Catch: The Fight for Our Local Seafood, about how the US exports a lot of its best quality fish (eg wild Alaska salmon) and imports poorer quality seafood.
• Two Economic Concepts That Might Just Save Us ( or at least help us make better decisions) by Aussie doctor Alessandro R Demaio. (The Conversation)
• A supermarket in the UK is planning to power one of its stores completely off food waste. I hope it works and becomes standard practice. I wonder if other businesses could be powered off their waste? (Unconsumption)
• While we're on food wasted, closer to home, a "campaign for ugly fruits aims to end food waste". Personally, I prefer ugly fruit and vegetables. They usually taste better and I like ugly things in general. Wabi sabi. (ABC) The video at the top of the post addresses the same subject.

Life in a Mini

Bunker Bay, WA

The last time I blogged here was six months ago, which coincides with me moving from Perth to Bunbury (175km south) for six months. I can't explain the lack of blogging during that time - it might have been distraction by work, hanging out with new friends (including housemates!), making the most of my time "down South" by travelling, or general despondency about political events during that period. While I was away, I was staying in furnished accommodation provided by my employer, while a friend house-sat for me in Perth.

What struck me on arriving home yesterday, with six months worth of life (clothes, toiletries, bedding, towels, exercise equipment, books, cleaning equipment, kitchen essentials, computer, lamp, radio, wooden coathangers) easily stacked in the back of my small car (a baby blue, 2-door Mini Cooper) is that I was returning home to an apartment empty of people but overflowing with my stuff.

My wardrobe was overflowing, even though all of the clothes I'd worn for the previous six months (in my own version of Project 333) were still sitting in bags on the living room floor. The bathroom counter was similarly overflowing with half-used make-up bottles, brushes and toiletries (but not hair elastics - I can never find them when I want them) despite the fact that I had a full complement in my suitcase waiting to be unpacked. Most of the items waiting to be unpacked had travelled from Perth to Bunbury and back again. In fact, only a few of the items I brought back from Bunbury were new - bathers (Aussie made), some pottery I made in a beginners' class (ah -that's what I was doing instead of blogging), a pair of warm boots, a warm blanket, some warm slippers (do you see a theme?), pillows (Aussie made of course), some gifts from workmates, two new artworks, and some food and wine I picked up on my travels.

The upside is that most of the clothing, shoes, accessories, toiletries, bedding, etc that I abandoned for the last six months will be leaving the house to allow for a much more minimal wardrobe. I have no desire to shop for anything new (besides books...although I am getting better at giving away ones that I've read) and am already dreaming about the extra space in my apartment...remaining empty.

Easy, ethical resolutions for 2013 - revisited

As with most New Year resolutions, I did not stick to all of my easy, ethical resolutions in 2013. Now seems a good time to reflect on them, as I am starting a new job, in a new city, on Monday.

1. I've donated >5% of my income to humanitarian charities, although I am yet to do my taxes (apologies to my accountant) so I can't give an exact percentage. I donate to five charities on a monthly basis and make one-off donations to other charities throughout the year. For more on why I do this, see my post on The Life You Can Save.

2. I have been following Michael Pollan's food rules pretty well but want to do better. I lent his book to someone so I can' t check them one by one but I've followed the main rules and also read his new book, Cooked. My main food aim for this year is to cook more! I will be sharing accommodation this year, which may encourage this habit.

3. I have continued to purchase and eat free-range or organic meat when available, and gone meat-free when those options are not available. I was limiting meat consumption to one or two days per week for most of the year. I haven't frequented the local farmers' market often because it is too darn busy. However, I buy my groceries from my local independent grocer.

4. I continue to use the Shop Ethical app. They have included new categories including clothing (and underwear, swimwear and footwear). I remember my reusable grocery bags (I have finally developed the habit) and carry a spare tote bag in my handbag most of the time in case I pick up some groceries on the way home.

5. I have had some clothes mended and continue to have shoes resoled. I have not purchased any new shoes this year. I recently lost about ten per cent of my body weight and a lot of my old clothes now fit a lot better. When I have purchased new clothing or accessories, they have been from small local businesses or ethically made in Australia. I haven't bought many used items. Overall, I have purchased far fewer clothes and accessories this year than in the past. I still haven't managed to host a Clothes Swap party.

6. I participated in a few "Buy Nothing New" months, including the official October BNNM. I have kept myself accountable all year by recording all purchases of non-food items. I have been a far more thoughtful and discerning consumer when it comes to buying "stuff", especially non-consumables.

7. I haven't purchased bottled water, except once when I was stranded in an airport for 5 hours.

8. I have increased my exercise levels! This has included a lot more incidental walking (easy when you live walking distance from work, which I have for the past six months) plus intentional exercise doing group sessions with my personal trainer. Doing group sessions rather than one-on-one has allowed me to attend far more often and I've enjoyed the group environment. I'm feeling much fitter and stronger. I'm moving to a new job in a new city for six months, so I have to make sure I keep up the exercise.

9. I didn't get a bicycle. I did walk and use public transport often.

10. I have piles of things to give away but they have stayed sitting in my living room/spare room/wardrobe/store room for almost a year now. Whoops.

11. I think I have used less water and electricity, although I haven't made any drastic lifestyle changes to achieve this.

12. I did not grow any plants. I think more of my cacti and succulents died through neglect.

13. I did not blog here often at all. I know, you're devastated.

Not resolving, just doing

I am working on a review of my 2013 resolutions.

I don't have resolutions for 2014 but am trying a bit of this, a bit of that, and this too. You may also wish to try these.

I will also do this and this, which I already do anyway but should do more publicly now that it has a higher profile. I'll write more about these in future.

It's seems particularly pertinent due to the news today that striking garment workers in Cambodia were shot dead by police.

Sunday links

I'm a big fan of the older crowd - I am inspired by their stories and wisdom. Fabulous Fashionistas is a British documentary about six such inspiring women, with average age of 80.

Tim Minchin gave a great graduation address at his old (and my old!) university. You can read the transcript here or watch it here. I would tell you my favourite parts but it's all good. Fantastic advice for life.

Australians are the richest people on Earth! Based on median wealth, that is. However, most of the growth in income goes to wealthiest, not those who need it the most. There is an increasing body of evidence (admittedly, small psychology studies) showing that wealthier people tend to be less nice people.  The world's richest woman (and fellow Western Australian) Gina Rinehart is an exception, if her lawyer is to be believed. He recently told the NSW Supreme Court that she's "...so selfless that she could not retire or pour her billions into philanthropy." (Sydney Morning Herald "Rich people couldn't care less", "The biggest victim here is Gina, says her lawyer"; ABC Dr Karl's Great Moments in Science "Greed is not good")

Meanwhile, "Moneyless man finds happiness", about the guy who started Freeconomy and has lived without money for the past five years. The comments say it all. (ABC Environment)

And from the sublime to the ridiculous, a look inside a temperature-controlled warehouse that stores clothes and accessories for the ridiculously rich, including Ivanka Trump and Gwyneth Paltrow. (Mail Online)

More "fashion": scrunchies and perceived obsolescence. (Waste Not)

Also, in case you're wondering, Buy Nothing New Month has been very easy so far. I browsed a few op shops but didn't buy anything. Unlike last year, I am allowing myself to buy groceries but I am not buying any staples or bulk items, just fresh produce. I think I need to follow up with "Get Rid of Heaps of Shit" month. There's so much more to share but I have to go deal with a silverfish problem.