Ever since I finished college 8 years ago and started cooking my own meals, I’ve been trying to have as close to no-impact diet as possible. I’d been vegetarian since I was in middle school, but gradually started giving up dairy and eggs and went vegan for my New Year’s resolution in 2003. I usually stay away from takeout, but in the past I did sometimes buy micro-wave meals, and though the ones I bought were organic and vegan, I still felt bad about all the packaging and processing, and the expense, so I decided to stop buying those and do all my own cooking, mostly with local fruits, vegetables, breads and other non-animal based foods obtained from farmers markets and our local organic grocery store. This has been a lot of fun for me, since I really enjoy cooking and it has helped reign in my grocery bill. Also. when my partner is around to help out, it’s a great way to catch up and spend time together. The trick is to keep on trying new recipes, so you don’t get too bored. I’ve been in graduate school the past few years, so it will be a challenge to keep up this home-made cooking pledge once I stark working full time again, but I think I’ve become so enamored of the taste of home-cooked food I can’t imagine ever enjoying mediocre processed food again.
I’ve also paid more attention to the impact of my wardrobe. Having a soft spot for animals, I’ve never been interested in fur, and stopped buying leather and wool the same time I stopped eating animals products. After buying some dress clothes at the mall for my new job, I decided to stop buying new cloths and stick to hand me downs from friends and family. If I really need a clothing item, I’ll go to my local thrift store, which actually has some really terrific clothing. Though I’ve stuck to this resolution, I still feel like I have too many clothes and have to borrow closet space from my partner!
This post was submitted by Andrea.
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