Fort Negrita Blog

refuse. reduce. reuse. recycle. rot. refusethe first R is the most difficult, and that is REFUSE. like saying no to birthday cake or a second helping of food, refusing more belongings tends to be difficult. when considering a purchase, i always categorize purchases in four categories; 1) will i die without this? in most cases the answer is no. 2) will this improve my essential quality of life? for instance, i purchased a used bike last year, because my old bike was bad for my knees. 3) will this thing make my life easier? these things will save you time...

here’s the basics on how to use reusable menstrual pads. for pre-usewash newly purchased pads. you can wash them normally in a regular wash, or if you like you can place them in a mesh bag before washing to keep lint and hair from sticking to your pads. no specific detergent is necessary for the main wash, however, borax is preferred for the soak. during your cycle watch closely to monitor leaks ((especially when u first use them). how well does your pad absorb your blood and for how many hours? this will give you an idea of when it time...

misconception # 1: i am a zero wasterwhile i do like my food without disposable ware, always carry a reusable bottle, and deliberately request drinks without the straw, i wouldn’t call myself a zero waster and that is because of the elitism that comes with that label. the online zero waste community is very white, especially when i first started blogging about zero waste in 2014. i felt that there wasn't space for both my blackness and my deep relationship with the earth online, and instead of choosing between the two i opted out, and for a long time i...

this is an excerpt from one of my favorite books, that features an article called 'touching the earth" quite aligned with my spiritual relation with nature. here is goes. "when we love the earth, we are able to love ourselves more fully. i believe this. the ancestors taught me it was so. as a child i loved playing in dirt, in that rich kentucky soil, that was a source of life. before i understood anything about the pain and exploitation of the southern system sharecropping, i understood that grown-up black folks loved that land. i could stand with my grandfather...