some Christmas ideas for sustainable living

Yesterday’s sourdough bread turned out better than just edible. It went nicely with the french onion soup we reheated for dinner. I’ve noticed that, over the past decade or so, the Better Half and I have been tending more and more to eating “from scratch” meals and looking more and more toward artisanal products as well as those from more sustainable companies such as Patagonia. The incremental changes have been so gradual that I’ve barely noticed until recently, when we received a CSA share box of mostly kernza products from Perennial Pantry.

Tomorrow we’ll go pick up a load of lamb meat. In the past we’ve partnered with the Daughter Person and Son-In-Law to buy a half beef or a whole or half hog, locally raised. Although we don’t avoid all transactions with big box stores, we keep searching for, and finding, more and more ways to support a local, rather than a global, economy. That also means we do more to support local producers and artisans rather than corporate entities. It’s not always convenient. It doesn’t always work, but it is one way we do what we can to help create the kind of world we want the Granddaughter to be able to enjoy.

kernza products

Photo by J. Harrington

We are fortunate, privileged even, to be able to afford to eat more sustainably. If we don’t like something, we don’t have to eat it. That’s the way I understand markets work. Early adopters take risks and if enough folks like a product, more can be and will be produced. Cutting corners to make something inexpensive (cheap) to begin with is more likely to create greenwashing than to actually reduce environmental problems.

If you’re interested in exploring some of the other options we’ve come across, you can take a look at:

• Greener Pastures (look for their Regenerative Gift Guides)


• Land Stewardship Project (look for the Robin Wall Kimmerer event January 20)


• Women’s Environmental Institute (we’ve bought shares in their CSA for years)


• North Woods and Waters of the St. Croix Heritage Area

as well as the options in the righthand sidebar.

One of the regrets I have in life is that I didn't follow through years ago and stick with learning how to tie flies. This winter I won't be ablle to rectify those missed years, but I can sit myself down at the tying vice I have and tie up the flies in a kit I bought months ago. That would be another Christmas present to myself that will be more satisfying than going and buying more toys. I want to learn how to play better with the toys I already have.

Before Christmas

By Landis Everson

Almost

the first reindeer

shipped North by boxcar from Lapland   

but a toy model

got there first.

A dwarf invented reindeer on his own.   

He was Santa’s favorite. He

hadn't known

they already existed.

This discouraged dwarf

was close to taking his life but

Santa showed up

encircled by snow.

He said, “I will use the real reindeer for my sled

always in yoke

to your original invention.”

That night the gears that turned the Pole   

stopped

and began to turn the other way,   

so it be so.

My love is a toy model waiting

for a reindeer to carry me.

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