It's Not Easy Being Green

Within the first week in St. Louis I had already google searched the recycling drop off in my area, bought recycling containers for my apartment (aka storage bins), scouted out local farmers markets, regularly used canvas shopping bags and developed the habit of turning down my utilities when leaving my place. 

When my roommate moved out, she took what I thought was “our” furniture with her, so I relied on a half-filled stability ball and a yoga mat as family-room furnishings paired with an IKEA coffee table also known as…”Lark.” As summer approached, I bought a bike for transportation & resisted to turn on the A/C. I sweated a lot. I bought potted-plant containers to make the perfect vegetable garden on my balcony.

I like the idea of living “green”…I also used “living green” to cover up my financial tight spots. 

I’m going to let you in on a little secret. If this gets out I’ll be so embarrassed: I had no money. I had a bed that caused severe back pain (probably because I took it from my sister who had taken it from my, like, 30 year old neighbor). I needed a new bed. I actually went to the doctor because I thought I had kidney stones/infection because my back hurt so badly from my bed. I bought a bed off craigslist. (It gets worse). I bought a bed and boxspring off craigslist from a girl in a commune who wanted to sleep on the floor. (Even worse) when I arrived, unaware that I was headed to a commune, the place reeked of curry and the girl was wearing tie-dye, no bra with questionable dreadlocks.

The bed had probably been slept on by several commune floaters.

I bought Lysol. I soaked them in Lysol. I covered them into hypoallergenic slips. And finally was back pain free. With a little money to spare.

There was a heat warning that summer-my plants and I both suffered. I decided that my extra “bed” money would go to utilizing A/C and to the farmers market-because clearly I was unable to maintain my balcony garden in the heat wave. 

I was extremely “green” that summer but I guess I lacked the “green thumb.” Even if I never managed to grow fabulous tomatoes and red peppers, it was fun to have a spot of green on my balcony. 

Yesterday I went to the Maplewood Farmers Market at Schlafly Bottleworks. I found a flier for “Truck Farm.” The flier showed a truck with a garden in the flat bed. It looks aaaaamazing!

Truck Farm describes themselves as a “wicked delicate film + food project inspiring young people to participate in rethinking the way we eat, and encouraging schools to plant their own gardens.” It encourages participants to plant seeds in the most creative places they can think of. 

As a parting gift to St. Louis, I think I’ll rip open the hypoallergenic slip cover (with gloves), throw in some soil, plant some seeds, and give back to the commune. That would really be the bed that kept on giving: free floater sleeps, back-pain free nights, and possibly food for a commune. Aka life-to a family of dreadlocks. 

(Stop judging: The mattress was like <5 years old & Lysol kills 99.9%-not a truly "green" cleaning product but it could really kill a lot of green...mold,fungus,curry)