My Fair Share

Originally posted at Question Marque, April 28, 2007.
We’ve just returned from visiting cousins on the other side of town, and it was strange to feel our lives had so diverged. The kids entertained themselves in front of Foxtel, we ordered pizza, and they poured my little ones big glasses of Sprite.
I felt overprotective and paranoid, [...]

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Originally posted at Question Marque, April 29. 2007. 
Some weeks ago we ran out of dishwasher powder and I dreaded a return to sharehouse days when bowls could be piled more than a foot high (and none left to use) before anyone did the washing up by hand.
It didn’t happen. We do some handwashing almost daily [...]

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No Impact Man posed an interesting question some time ago about what, in the final analysis, we’re willing to give up in the interests of sustainability: What is the balance to be maintained between preserving our “way of life” and our efforts to keep the planet healthy? How healthy do we want the planet to [...]

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Originally posted at Question Marque, May 1, 2007. 
For those who’d like to start with smaller changes, I thought I’d start a list of what to me have been complete no brainers – having no noticable impact (or a net positive impact) on my lifestyle. It’s cheating really – warm and fuzzies for nothing.
- We don’t [...]

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Originally published at Question Marque, June 7, 2007.
Having been a second-hand-only (almost) buyer for some months now, I’m starting to understand a few things about brands and how they evolved into such powerful beasts.
Because when I search on eBay, there’s little to distinguish wool jumpers – other than the brand. If new, I can judge [...]

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Originally posted at Question Marque, May 14, 2007.
Finally frustrated with my father (whose childhood involved begging storekeepers for bread on credit) for continuing to buy my kids more plastic garbage (and I mean garbage – stuff that breaks the same day, bought at $2 shops) I began a good natured rant at him about peak [...]

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Originally posted at Question Marque, June 4, 2007.
We moved offices and my route to work now takes me through several retail precincts instead of just a food court. So I bought something. I did genuinely need tops (whatever that means) and had been scouting Ebay for some months for them (without success) but needless to [...]

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Originally posted at Question Marque, June 7, 2007.
I tell you what, moving house is a salutary experience. This will be my 8th abode in 11 years, so we have downsized significantly and repeatedly. But there’s still just so much STUFF!
In Don Delillo’s (sp?) book White Noise I remember him doing these fantastic lists of what [...]

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Originally posted at Question Marque, June 28, 2007.
t’s been a while since I’ve posted, what with illness and moving and not having a net connection set up at the new house. I’m pretty amused by the helpline for our internet service provider, whose recorded message repeats, deadpan that I need to send an email to [...]

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Originally posted at Question Marque, July 17, 2007 
My partner, trying to teach the tots about clockwise and anticlockwise, gets annoyed with me when, trying to join in, I get confused about whether I’m supposed to “be the clock” or “mirror the clock”.
Being the change I want to see in the world (and I’m not, by [...]

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