Green as a Thistle

I can’t believe I finally get to say these six beautiful words: I’m halfway through my green challenge.

At this point, part of me is thrilled about counting down to when I’ll be able to take a ride on my sister’s motorcycle, drink a cold beer, get a hot shower and blow-dry my hair. But another part of me knows that, in fact, this is a lifelong challenge. Most of the changes I’ve made so far are ones I plan on keeping up, even if they do require some effort.

I won’t be buying a car anytime soon, for example, nor will I be switching back to chemical-based cleaners or beauty products, and there isn’t any reason to fish the water bottle out from my toilet tank. I hope to continue eating organic dairy, free-range eggs and as vegetarian a diet as possible — although I may turn my oven back on to bake a few sustainable pies.

In terms of what August has meant to me, I’d have to say it’s been all about learning. The cycling trip I took through the valleys of Oregon taught me volumes about permaculture, off-the-grid living and the indisputable importance of eating local and organic food — I even managed to get over my aversion to vegans and their weird victual obsessions like quinoa and nutritional yeast.

I also learned, when I was trying to break a $20 bill for some change the other day, that there is nothing, absolutely NOTHING, at the 7-11 that I can eat, use or consume in any way. I felt like I was drowning in a sea of flashy brand names that, in exchange for my hard-earned money, offered only MSG wrapped in styrofoam.

I learned that eggs can last unrefrigerated for up to three weeks, that there’s an organic ice cream store around the corner from me, that dryer lint can go in the compost bin, that Pedestrian Sundays in Kensington Market continue into the fall, and that you can do pretty much anything with some vinegar, baking soda and a jar of coconut oil.

So with that, let’s green on! I hope you all stick around and remind me that this isn’t just about an individual journey, it’s a collective effort — and it’s getting stronger every day.

If there is any product I have a complete and total I-would-KILL-Mother-Nature-for-this dependence on, it’s face cream. Wrinkle cream, firming cream, freckle-fading cream, bronzing cream — anything that promises to magically transform my visage into something resembling a slightly paler, more Canadian-looking J.Lo always makes its way into my shopping basket.

I’ve been pretty good recently about not buying any face cream, and it’s been fine because it’s summer and my skin doesn’t get as dry. But fall is just around the corner and my current miracle cream of choice, Boots No. 7 Protect & Perfect, is running out. So when my friend Jacob told me he ran into this girl Julia, who we both went to high school with, and who was now making her own line of natural skincare products here in Toronto, I knew I had to track her down.

Turns out it’s called Nàdarra, the Gaelic word for natural, and is available both online as well as within biking distance of my apartment. I searched through my drawers to see if I had any reusable containers first, because if there was some way to refill a jar rather than use a new one, I’d obviously do that — but I really couldn’t find anything.

So I dropped the $30 on a fresh new bottle, then dropped Julia an email asking if there would be any way I could refill that one when I run out — and yes, I’ll definitely try to keep using this product because it feels great on my skin and gives me even greater peace of mind knowing there aren’t any synthetic chemicals in it.

Thus, from this day on, only 100% natural face cream.