Mental Grafitti

buynothingnewforayear:

Back in 2009 a Swedish filmmaker made a film documenting a lawsuit in which Dole (yes, the fruit company) was accused of using chemicals to spray on their banana crops which they knew were harmful to human/workers health. These chemicals, manufactured by Dow Chemical, were pulled off the market by…

simplifyyourlife:

I like the fact that my favorite minimalist blogs summarize at the end of the year. Worth reading. Go read the whole article or dive right in to Leo’s best posts:

1. Shaken by Life’s Beauty, Shaken
2. The 39th Lesson
3. A Guide to Eating a Plant-Based Diet
4. A Primer on Full-Screen Living
5. Simplify
6. How to Live Well
7. The Habit of Starting
8. Crazy Talk: The Do-What-You-Love Guide
9. Creating Silence from Chaos
10. Be Inspired
11. The Tiny Guide to Being a Great Dad
12. Empty-Handed, Full-Hearted
13. The Pause Upon Which All Else Relies
14. The Beginner’s Guide to Unschooling
15. The Way of the Peaceful Parent

simplifyyourlife:

Here’s another of my favorite minimalist blogs. Click on the link to read the whole thing. To get a taste of it, here’s the top 2012 posts as determined by readers:

1. Don’t Just Declutter, De-Own. 
2. 7 Common Problems Solved by Owning Less. 
3. The Simple Guide to a Clutter-Free Home.
4. The Man Who Quit Money: An Interview with Daniel Suelo. 
5. 10 Creative Ways to Declutter Your Home. 

Joshua’s personal favorites:

1. We’re All Trading Our Lives for Something. Trade Up. 
2. Why Helping Others Succeed Can Be Your Greatest Success. 
3. 35 Things I Hope My Kids Will Say About Their Dad. 

Here are the most popular posts by guests:

1. The Story of Enough: Giving Up (new) Clothes for One Year. 
2. How to Negotiate Downsizing. 

For 2013, I would like to suggest that you subscribe to Joshua’s newsletter. Worth it.

buynothingnewforayear:

I recently received some tea samples in the mail. One of the packages is called Berry Berry. “Yum!” I thought, “this sounds delicious.” And then I read the ingredients: Hibiscus, Elderberries, Currants, Natural Flavors.

Hold the phone. What the $%#@ does Natural flavors mean?

According to…