Category: Renewable Resources

My Ten Year Old Toothbrush

Part of a hardcore sustainable lifestyle means reducing waste in every action you take.  That’s why I use a toothbrush that’s over ten years old.  How can you possibly use a toothbrush for ten years? You’ll find out when you watch this video.

In a consumer culture where throwing things out after using them briefly has become the norm, reusing something seen as disposable seems odd.  Disposable products require more extraction and waste of resources, and in many circumstances these products could easily be made to last.  Disposability is just another cultural and economic trend that does incredible damage to the environment.  And it increases corporate profits in the short term for sure, but in the long term, wasting resources is actually bad for the economy.

Fossil fuel free scrubbing with the luffa

Why buy scrubbies and washcloths when you can easily grow your own supply from a small garden plot?  This season I grew two luffa plants and ended up with enough dish washing fiber for the next 5 years.  This unique plant has been selected over the millennia for its fibrous fruit and it should have a space in your garden if you want to be more self sufficient.  Easy to grow and prolific, the luffa provides an alternative to manufactured abrasive cleaning products, many of which are produced from or using fossil fuel.  And when the luffa reaches the end of its useful life, you simply compost it.

The luffa plant looks a lot like a cucumber and it climbs in the same way.  However, it’s more disease resistant and it requires a longer season.  So start the seeds indoors in spring if you want to get a good jump on the season.  Although it has somewhat of a reputation for its high fiber content, in some parts of the world it’s been selected for eating.  It’s only eaten when the fruit is young, before the fibrous skeleton has formed.