For Christmas this year, me and my lovely boyfriend got a whole bunch of books on the Zero Waste Lifestyle and living more simply. I was whipped into a passionate, eco-friendly frenzy by them, and that’s the short version of why this blog exists at all.

This blog is an account of my journey into the wonderful world of low-waste/zero-waste, sustainability, and for me, mindfulness, or the act of becoming more aware of the world around you; slowing down to allow life to happen and to enjoy that happening.

This is not a blog about hippy, crunchy granola no-meat meet-the-meat Portlandia transformations. I am a proudly omnivorous, beer-drinking, ordinary American consumer.

This is a blog about my adventures in slowly (and possibly agonizingly) changing my thought processes and my lifestyle to live as a steward of this world that we live in. From the amazing book by Deborah Eden Tull, The Natural Kitchen: Your Guide to the Sustainable Food Revolution, there is an old Navajo proverb that says:

“The frog does not drink up the pond in which he lives.”

This is my goal: to not drink up the pond in which I live (figuratively, of course, because I am neither a frog nor do I live in a pond. Or distribute swords).

I feel like I am a pretty simple person already. I’m not like this girl:

Which I’m going to go ahead and put in the “win” column. Sorry Snooki. But for the last time, ladies…duck lips = not attractive. Ever. 

I drive a Prius. Smugly. Because that’s the only way you *can* drive a Prius, as it turns out. 

I don’t have a television in the bathroom, which can make bathroom time stultifyingly boring, but sometimes you have to make sacrifices. 

What I do have is a passion for homemade, homegrown, all-natural, chemical-free, healthy, cruelty-free, environmentally friendly…any of those words. But above all, genuine. I want to be able to look at my life and say that I lived genuinely, graciously, and purely.

What you will find here is my inspirations, my setbacks, my struggles, and my triumphs. I will share thoughts, philosophies, encounters, recipes, ideas, and hilariously awful pictures of Snooki. This is a REAL blog…it is not how to build a micro-home in twelve easy steps using only leftover newspaper and your cat’s spit. 

Eco-enthusiasts, start your solar-powered, wind-driven, ultra-light, no-plastic engines…here goes the Year of Sustainability! Enjoy!