How the Status Quo Protects Itself: Rex Weyler on the Global Consequences of a Compromised Media, and my thoughts on the Importance of Wikileaks

Why is a blog devoted to helping people live more simply and unplugging their fridge posting a video on Wikileaks? Good journalism is a core element to a future society of justice and sustainability. This blog is full of great journalism on related issues. Free information about important issues educates us about the planet, saves lives, and stops corruption. As we know, one of the reasons our planet is dying is because no one can face the facts of how severe the crisis is, and we rarely see evidence of it in the news, or it is willfully denied. Exposing this is hard and needs to be done. The Real News, and independent journalists such as Rex Weyler who kindly shares his work with this blog are all part of a solution to a world where problems get solved. Wikileaks has already dealt with exposing corruption in war, and even oil spills. We need strong democracies (based on free information) to solve our ecological crisis. I encourage you to learn about Wikileaks and support them. Also below is an excellent and important talk about the ecological and human consequences of poor journalism and censorship by Rex Weyler, founding member of Greenpeace.

Robyn Crispe: Life Without a Fridge in Boulder, Colorado

This article was republished and edited for Living Without a Fridge and Beyond with the permission of Robyn Crispe

A couple years ago I came across a post about someone who unplugged their fridge to reduce their carbon footprint. I was intrigued, but I wasn't going to do it. I had recently donated my car and wanted to adjust before making another transition. Yet the idea kept nagging at me. I live in a small condo with a tiny kitchen and the full size fridge took up a huge amount of space. I live alone and kept 5 items, OK maybe 8, in the fridge that all seemed to need refrigeration: canola mayo, lettuce, leftovers, eggs, the jars that say “refrigerate after opening”, etc.

A few weeks ago I decided to see what would happen if I posted my fridge on Craigslist. Everyone was selling their fridge! There were tons (if you weighed them) of refrigerators online. While I waited, I decided to unplug the fridge. I lasted 36 hours. Used to the hum of the fridge, it gave a wasted life it gave to my place. I know, pretty sad. So I took the post off of Craigslist, plugged in and decided I was green enough. Still, the fridge was looking more wasteful every time I opened it. As noted on Living Without a Fridge and Beyond, “Running such a huge machine, larger than a coffin, just for myself and my two-fist-sized stomach suddenly seemed more bizarre than convenient.

Selling the Fridge
I revisited the idea of going fridge-less. I re-posted and immediately made the sale.

So much of what the average western person possesses is a result of culture, convenience, and being convinced we have a need. Often, we don't have a need, but rather a burden.

We’re used to easy (i.e. expensive) transportation. We’re used to hot and cold food. We pay a high price for convenience – again something we’re used to. Now that I’ve gotten very used to not having a car, it would seem ludicrous to take on the expense of car ownership again. Same for a gym membership. Could I be retired now? No blame, I make better decisions now.

The fridge still sits in my kitchen, waiting for the new owner, now unplugged. My remaining food is sitting on the counter until I come up with some storage system.

It is blessedly quiet. I don’t have the same sense of “wasted life” I described above. Maybe my 36-hour trial run was good practice. This is a new path and I'm excited.

8 Days Later
Here’s the thing: It’s No Big Deal.
It’s been 8 days since I unplugged my fridge and I’ve hardly noticed. Well, I must have noticed a little bit, because a few times I opened the door out of habit to see if there was anything to munch on. An empty, dark, cavernous space looked back. I’ve quit thinking of getting a mini-fridge. I threw a few things out – the mustard that I had not used in a couple years; the lettuce that was already going bad, the leftover pasta was tossed.
New Space in the Kitchen
I am even more relieved than I would’ve imagined! It is done. Refrigerator Movers, Tom and his son Jonathan came in their pickup truck, loaded the fridge and took it away to a new home. They did an amazing job of finagling the fridge out of my tiny kitchen, around some tight corners, down the steps and up into the truck bed.

I had no idea how this inanimate appliance – something that I’ve accepted as a part of daily living without question all of my life, never, until recently, considered going without – could take up so much energy.

I’ve moved a small shelf into the space that blends with the cabinets for food storage. The map on the wall is of the Appalachian Trail. It’s only appropriate that it hangs in this new space as it was on that Trail that I spent 6 months having the time of my life — without a refrigerator. My only problem now – where do I put the refrigerator magnets?
What I’ve learned thus far

1) Spinach that is removed from the stem lasts longer than if it is left on. I removed all the stems, put the spinach in a damp kitchen towel and put this in a plastic bag. I was amazed to find that this was just fine after 2 days. It has held up just as well (if not better) than when I stored it in the fridge.
2) I put the kale in a bowl of water, along with the carrot sticks and bell pepper. 3 days later all are in good, edible shape.
3) I am not missing my veggies and salad ingredients being cold. Cool to room temperature is fine.

4) I’m now cooking in smaller batches and only having enough extra food made for one additional meal. This can safely stay unrefrigerated for a day. I’m just getting used to cooking a bit more per week.

5) Eggs don’t have to be refrigerated, same with Butter for those of you who are wondering.
6) I didn’t have many condiments to begin with, but the salad dressing seems fine so far. I have an unopened jar of canola mayo, so once I open it I’m not sure how long it will stay good. Most likely I’ll take it to work and make my sandwiches there, which is all I use it for anyway.

2 Months Later
The transition was easier than anticipated and the absence of the old fridge much more appreciated. I used to cook some things in bulk and freeze them, using them later for lunches. Now I cook as I go. Most things are fine at room temp for an overnight, I can take leftovers to work for lunch. I don’t buy soft cheeses unless I’ll be able to use the whole block in a few days. The Parmesan cheese will last a fairly long time. My biggest gaff so far is timing the use of my spinach lettuce. It lasts fine up to 4 days, then tends to go bad. I’ve adjusted to using it right away. Canola Mayo isn't something I buy anymore. I cook rice and beans, quinoa, eggs, tortillas and pasta. I also buy a variety of fruits and vegetables. I will purchase or bake a loaf of bread on occasion. It’s been liberating and enjoyable to see that I can have the sort of meals that I like without depending on a fridge. I thought I’d be shopping a lot more, but I still go as much as I always did. Although I appreciate not having a fridge, I rarely think about it.

Robyn Crispe is a writer and teacher who lived without a fridge for 8 months before moving to China. She would still gladly live sans fridge. She also lives without a car. She writes about her adventures on her new blog: This Open Road. A more detailed account of her fridge story can be found on her old blog Nomad Needles.

Andrea Peloso: Welcome!

Welcome! The table of contents below will give you articles according to each month. Click on the month on the right that corresponds with the one you want to read. Please have fun and share your ideas. Let's keep our food fresh and un-wasted, and the cold where it belongs - at the poles!! Our world leaders must make big changes, we can show them how. As Arne Naess says: "Richer lives, simpler means."

"We share this planet, our home, with millions of species. Justice and sustainability both demand that we do not use more resources than we need."
Vandana Shiva, Earth Democracy

Table of Contents

On the right or sometimes at the bottom, you will see the Table of Contents according to the month. Here is a list of what you can find in each month.
November:
Gulf Residents Speak Out: Hell No, Its not Over
Public-Private Partnerships: The Biggest Joke Around
Save 95 gallons of Water per day, and 34 398 gallons per Year
The Simple Pleasure of Viewing Food on your Table
Tonika Morgan on Building Inclusive Environmental Movements
Dr. Vandana Shiva on Earth Citizenship and Growth as an Illusion of Human Well Being
David Suzuki on Consumptive Appetite and Beyond
Simple Squash Roast – A good dish 5-10 days after the Market
To hear the Wild: Ousting the Fridge for Compact in Wild Salmon Country
Lest we Forget the Earth/Soldiers who Ended Wars
October:
Dr J: Victory for Cancer Awareness as BPA declared Toxic
A List of Things you'd think you need a fridge for - But don't
September:
30 is the New 50: On Car Speed, Ecology and Safety
August:
Plankton Declines Across Oceans as Waters Warm
July:
Air Conditioning: From our Pockets to our Planet
June:
Jared Diamond: And Excerpt from Collapse
May:
Cancer: It's not just Genes
Tooker Gomberg: Plugging in to Nature's Grid
Rex Weyler: Cars, Corporations, and Society
Albert Koehl: The Joys and Sorrows of Cycling
April:
Earth to Lovelock: Democracy Works
March:
World Water Day
Febuary:
Living without a Fridge in Nebraska by Brent La Rue
Real Sustainability by Rex Weyler
January:
Living with no Fridge and a Zeer Pot in Adelaide, Australia
Dona Ditches her Fridge
If you Live without a Fridge I would like to Profile you
Copenhagen: Moving Onwards
George Monbiot: Canada's Image in Tatters
The Environmental Cost of War
November:
Sustainability and Justice: Do the Math
Plug into Self-love, Unplug Corporate Greed
October:
12 things to ditch before the holidays.
Protect the Earth by Ending War
September:
Vandana Shiva - Earth Democracy
July:
Preparing to Unplug your Fridge
Iran, Jackson, Global Warming: The Press Fails Us
Grow Garlic Chives Indoors
Overshoot and Tech Dreams by Rex Weyler
Preserving Lettuce
The Unplugged Home
Using a Compact Fridge
Global TV, Mount Rushmore Banner
June:
Vegetables, Greens, Sauces, Milks
Weight of a Snowflake
Book on How to Live Without a Fridge
May:
Maple Sugar in a Fridge Free Home
Suburb Without Cars
EE. Cummings on Blindness to Nature
April:
Ani Difranco, Television, and Global Dimming
Stomach VS Fridge Size, Beetroute Article
Article in Today’s Metro
Killing time and Injuring Eternity: Thoreau
March:
Terracotta Pots as Clay Fridges
Drying Food by Needle and Thread
Architect Donald Chong: Small Fridges make good Cities
Star Article: Link and Reflections
February:
How to Ditch your Refrigerator and Be Happier
Peak Everything by Rex Weyler
Peak Oil
Keep your Food Fresh and Healthy
Salmonella: A Risk With or Without a Fridge
“How-to” Article from Briarpatch Magazine
Ditching Frosty – NOW Article
Messages: Tokyo, Germany, India, London, the 1940s.