|
Waste not
By SUSAN SMALLHEER Lisa Farino and Peter Luyckx
want to help save the world — even if it’s a penny at a time. The “Because being green
doesn’t have to be expensive,” is their motto. They say the quarterly
magazine is neither preachy nor self-righteous, which environmentalists are
often accused of being. The question they ask is, “Are there cheaper
alternatives that help protect the environment?” It could mean something as
simple as buying local organic Or using old newspapers and
a $10 chimney starter, instead of expensive and polluting charcoal lighter
fluid. Or using old peanut butter
jars for drinking glasses, instead of throwing the jars away or buying new
glasses. (If you keep the lid, it makes a great traveling mug, she adds.) Or using those ubiquitous
plastic shopping bags for trash instead of buying expensive, recycled plastic
garbage bags, Luyckx says. It is not about being
perfect, he stresses during a recent interview in a Farino, who grew up in
Connecticut and has degrees in biology and professional writing, talks a blue
— maybe green — streak. Her husband, a native of The couple met at a youth
hostel in “I asked her if she were
Polish,” Luyckx says. “She went out to dinner and ignored me. So much for my
pickup line.” They later met over
breakfast, brought together by a mutual love of Czech literature. They were
married within the year. They launched The Frugal Environmentalist magazine last
winter as their personal effort against the Bush Administration’s war on Born of war For Farino, 33, and Luyckx,
32, the war was about “natural resources” — oil. So, they decided that the
best way to lessen the demand for oil, and war, was to reduce Farino and Luyckx moved to But that hot, dry summer
triggered their asthma problems; Farino in particular was laid low by smog
levels. So she found herself inside the apartment thinking of ways to make a
difference. Farino, a professional
writer and editor, and Luyckx, who worked for a technology company outside The 20-page magazine accepts
no advertising and it is full of articles and tips like “Make Your Own Bug
Spray,” “Drop Drain Cleaner Forever,” “Please Take Your Shoes Off,”
and the myth-busting “It is now safe to turn off your computer.” (If you are
leaving your post-1990 computer idle for more than 15 to 20 minutes, turn it off
and save electricity and money. It’s safe and won’t hurt the machine.) The summer issue of The
Frugal Environmentalist features an article about low-cost and low-impact
computing, which includes some of Farino’s research into electrical uses of
various computer components, and where to buy a “green” computer. (That’s
not an oxymoron.) Future issues will include
articles about a favorite target of environmentalists (sport utility vehicles),
how to purchase a car and how to cut your food bill while still eating organic. The Frugal Environmentalist
has published two issues so far, and costs $4.95 on the newsstand, with
discounted annual subscriptions still in effect. Bookstores and newsstands in While the magazine has about
350 subscribers, neither Farino and Luyckx have any delusions that the magazine
will support them. Luyckx, who was laid off by his dot.com employer last year,
now works for the Brattleboro Housing Authority. Farino until recently worked
for adult basic education and is looking for new work. ‘Glass-Jar Chic’ In the first issue, the
couple championed what the magazine called, tongue-in-cheek, “Glass-Jar
Chic.” Farino said this tip came
from her father, who had complained that restaurant portions were getting bigger
and bigger, with most people leaving their leftovers at the restaurant. The
take-home, take-out containers often leaked, making a mess in your car. The solution? Keep a bag of clean glass
jars in the car and use them for restaurant leftovers. “Worried about looking
silly?” Farino wrote. “Don’t be. The waitress will be just as happy not to
have to pack up your leftovers for you, and everyone else will be too busy
eating and socializing to care about your containers. And if anyone does notice,
great! You can take credit for starting the movement of glass-jar chic.” The magazine doesn’t
include stories about what they call “the politics of environmentalism,” nor
will it have stories detailing environmental problems. Those stories can be
found in other publications, they said. “The Frugal
Environmentalist will focus almost exclusively on solutions,” Luyckx promised
in the first issue. The couple have also started
what they are calling “The First Annual Brattleboro Environmental Film
Festival,” which will run during two successive weekends in October at the
Hooker-Dunham Theater in downtown They have already rented the
theater a few times and screened movies. One documentary, “Blue Vinyl,”
about the American phenomena of vinyl siding, was sold out, Luyckx says. “They call it a toxic
comedy,” he says. “We just screened ‘This
is Nowhere,’” Farino says. “It’s about retirees who travel in RV’s,
camping out in the parking lot of Wal-Mart. It’s so wacky. It’s a funny
movie but with cultural commentary.” In conjunction with the fall
film festival, the couple is lining up an alternative building fair and an
alternative healing fair. “The lower the barrier is
for people, the better,” Luyckx says. “People believe 100 percent this or
100 percent that; the image of the environmentalist is ‘picture perfect.’
But that creates a big barrier. What we are trying to do is encourage people to
make small changes. Some things in an article, maybe you can only do two or
three, but you could keep adding things. So it’s not a matter of being
perfect.” Farino adds, “We’re
trying to shatter the idea that everything that you can do for the environment
is expensive. We’re not going to save the environment by buying organic juice
boxes.” Farino and Luyckx can be
reached at frugalgreen.com. Contact Susan Smallheer at
susan.smallheer@rutlandherald.com. |