By the time I reached Boston, I’d been on the road for ten months. I’d already worn through a pair of boots, and repacked my entire bag with summer clothes. But one thing that happens when you’re traveling is that clothes just don’t last as long.

Part of it was due to the fact that I was washing things however I could: hot water, cold water, river water, bathtub water, laundry soap, shampoo, Dr. Bronner’s, scrubbing-with-gravel… and yes, that was wearing my poor threads to shreds.

But mostly, the demise of my duds was due to the fact that I wore the same thing every gosh-dang day. New outfit? Ha! Not on the road, not when you’re broke. Now, I’ve never been much of a clothing horse, but still… a girl’s gotta dress up sometimes.

And so there I was in Boston in my worn-out hand-me-downs, pirate pants, threadbare socks and stained shirts—and I said to myself, “Hun, it’s time for a new look.”

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Read the rest of Boston's Best Thrift? $1-A-Pound at the Garment District. (315 words)

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Post tags: alternative, cheap, counterculture, diy, dumpster diving, ecotravel, fashion, green living, recycling, reuse, starving artists, sustainable, thrift, tourism

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Remember when you got your first bike? Was it a Christmas present, or maybe a birthday gift? Remember how much fun you used to have on that bike, how fast you went, how great it felt?

Well, these days, most kids want an Xbox for their birthday; their parents ride around in cars with seatbelts, talking on their phones. Cycling is a thing of the past: a sport, a hobby, but rarely a mode of transportation. But I’m here to tell you: riding your bike is still fun, and still fast, and it’s the cheapest and most socially responsible workout you’ll ever get.

And there are no two ways about it: if you give a kid a bike, that kid will ride.

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Read the rest of Save the World, Ride a Bike (883 words)

© jessicareeder for Uprooted, an eco/travel blog, 2009. | Permalink | 5 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: alternative, art, bicycle, biking, buy nothing, citizen science, community, counterculture, dumpster diving, eco travel, ecotourism, ecotravel, education, energy-efficient, environment, free sources, freegan, garbage, green living, how-to, politics, radical, recreation, recycling, reuse, starving artists, sustainable, teaching, transportation, travel, volunteer

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Kevin and Nicole are good friends of mine, and pretty amazing people. When I visited them in Louisville, Kentucky, I was completely impressed at how well they live. In the few years they’ve been together, they’ve created a lifestyle that’s creative, comfortable, and rather fabulous—but cheap and environmentally conscious too. In short, Nicole and Kevin’s little world is an excellent example of how we can all approach green living on a budget. So I took notes, and now I give you:

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Read the rest of The 5 Principles of Living Green on the Cheap (as demonstrated by Nicole and Kevin) (1,701 words)

© jessicareeder for Uprooted, an eco/travel blog, 2009. | Permalink | 9 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: alternative, art, buy nothing, community, dumpster diving, energy-efficient, environment, featured, featured posts, free sources, freegan, gardening, how-to, Kentucky, Louisville, organic, recycling, reuse, starving artists, sustainable

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Because it’s still pretty chilly out, I’m not back on the WWOOF train yet. Still, I wanted to do some volunteering while I was in town, so I signed up to spend a day working with Habitat.

Volunteering is easy: you just sign up on habitat.org, show up at the build site, and they put you to work. I’m definitely going to be doing more of these Habitat days in other cities: it’s a great way to learn a few construction techniques, plus you get to feel good at the end of the day.

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Read the rest of Try This at Home: Volunteer with Habitat! (360 words)

© jessicareeder for Uprooted, an eco/travel blog, 2009. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Colorado, Denver, dumpster diving, energy-efficient, environment, freegan, green building, habitat, habitat for humanity, recycling, sustainable, voc, volunteer, voluntourism

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Upon my return, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the Oakland kids have started dumpster diving in earnest! The freezer is full of ground turkey; there’s produce and fresh bread; and nobody’s trying to subsist on cornmeal and coffee. Plus, a new connection for food: a store where you can pick up the goods before they even make it to the dumpster. I can’t post the details here since it’s a well-guarded secret, but I can say that the grub is plentiful, and clean. Jen’s offered to take me to the new spot, maybe tomorrow night…

I am officially declaring this dumpster-diving thing a success. Surprisingly bountiful. I feel kinda proud that I worked up the courage to try it, and that it’s benefited my friends too.

And now I’m going to go eat some free turkey.

Related posts:

1. Dumpster Diving in West Oakland
2. One Year Ago: Dumpster Diving in West Oakland
3. The 5 Principles of Living Green on the Cheap (as demonstrated by Nicole and Kevin)

© jessicareeder for Uprooted, an eco/travel blog, 2009. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: buy nothing, California, dumpster diving, free sources, freegan, Oakland, starving artists

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This is what I found in Oakland dumpsters this morning. Well, this and a croissant which I burned already in the toaster oven.

Today’s grocery run took about an hour and cost me $0, plus I got a workout biking across town. I came home with 3 loaves of artisan bread (sour, sweet, rye) and half a loaf of sliced sourdough; a head of organic lettuce; a bunch of organic sweet baby broccoli; 3 peppers; a half cantaloupe (still shrinkwrapped); a bunch of fresh sage and parsley; and a container of mango-papaya salsa.

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Read the rest of Dumpster Diving in West Oakland (303 words)

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Post tags: buy nothing, dumpster diving, freegan, Oakland, outdoors, starving artists

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