I was having coffee with a friend who took me to an olive oil boutique. I know, really? Why not devote a store to designer ketchup? It turned out they weren’t quite as specialized as they seemed, they also carried vinegar. The woman who worked there convinced me to taste some of their wares and OMG the stuff was amazing! Before I knew what I was doing I had purchased a four bottle “gift box” of two oils and two vinegars. Last night I mixed a Persian Lime olive oil with Blackberry Ginger balsamic vinegar to dress a spinach salad. This is like another galaxy of salad dressing. I could eat this every day of my life, but I don’t have to because they make other fabulous flavors that I cannot wait to try. I will not be returning to premade bottled salad dressing packaged in PLASTIC.
I didn’t switch back to white processed sugar because I can’t. I just can’t. I did discover that the store three blocks away sells raw sugar in a paper 2lb bag and I am committed to buying that from here on out. I also made the switch to Farina, which comes in cardboard. I realize that these are tiny adjustments which are unlikely to make a big dent in my output, but I am convinced that change begets change and over the course of many months I can begin to reduce discards without any accompanying resentment.
MyTrashYourTrash 
It seems to me that big changes come most often when the status quo becomes unbearable. As long as the idea doesn’t become an obsession, frequent small changes lend themselves better to imagination, make a livable situation more livable and can make progress feel more like a routine. And it’s much more interesting to view the big change that comes only over time with a continuing series of small ones.
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