INTERVIEW #150 LUCI PETLACK

Name: Luci Petlack

Occupation: Blogger & Cookbook Writer

Based in: Sacramento, California

Website: http://www.lucismorsels.com/

Instagram: @lucismorsels

Welcome to A Sustainable Closet, can you tell us about yourself?

I'm a sustainable living blogger based in Northern California. I've been blogging about fashion and food generally since 2012. I turned to more sustainable living in late 2019 after buying our first home and having a baby. Since then, I've focused on learning how I can live a happy (and stylish) life while making conscious decisions around fashion, food, travel, home decor, beauty, and, occasionally, parenting. I'm a Virgo, an extrovert, and a good listener! I love cooking and travelling and always try to find the happy (drama-free) path in life!

When did you get interested in sustainable living and what are you mostly passionate about?

Growing up in California, the concept of sustainable living has always been in my periphery. The thing that really flipped the switch for me, however, was cloth diapering. I registered for cloth diapers after hearing how wasteful they were. 4 months into our little guy's life, I finally decided to give them a try. I was searching online for tips for washing them and ended up going down a lot of rabbit holes. I also started stumbling on tips for eco-conscious decisions at home. One tiny thing led to another and I quickly became consumed by the notion of buying less, buying smarter, and thinking long-term. 

My biggest "thing" about sustainable living is that it doesn't look the same for everyone and it even looks different for all of us at different times. There are a few things, like buying less and avoiding food waste, that we all can do, but our lives are different, so the ways in which we practice sustainability are going to be different. I try to cover all sorts of content to share and be a source for people to get inspired and ask questions - no matter where they are on their path to sustainable living.

You are also a cookbook author, in what ways do your sustainability aspects influence the cookbook and what is it that you want to achieve with it?

I love this question. The idea to write my cookbooks actually came from my efforts to avoid food waste. After a year or so of blogging about sustainable living, I realized just how expensive and exclusive "living green" seemed. In reality, it isn't. Sustainable living focuses on buying less, using (and fixing) what you have, etc., but the marketing around buying glass, bamboo, reusable, etc. is intensive at times. At this point, I tried to come up with messaging that wouldn't be exclusive to any person or group of people - avoiding food waste was the first one that came to mind. And what better way to avoid food waste than to focus on learning how to pick out and store produce; understanding what was in season and therefore would taste better and, likely, not travel as far to get to us? And so came the cookbooks. They're organized by ingredient with yummy recipes as well as some information on storage, varieties, and food waste hacks.

Any good green sustainable tips for the kitchen?

Do you know what my favourite "low waste" recipe is? Food scrap broth. I keep a big container in my freezer and throw in chicken bones, eggshells, and veggies ends (most, not all). When it's full, I dump it all into my crockpot, cover it with water, and put it on low for 24-36 hours and get homemade broth, which I then freeze to use later. I love this because you can control the ingredients and besides water and seasoning, it costs practically nothing. You can also grab flavour and nutrients from items otherwise heading to compost bins or landfills.

What are your views on the fashion industry?

This is a tricky one! I've never been good at thrifting or upcycling my clothes, and I knew this wasn't going to change when I started living sustainably. I am, however, mindful of so many aspects of the fashion industry now. My biggest message to people is that regardless of what they have or where they buy their clothes, plan to wear them for a decade. We have to get away from this "disposable" approach to fashion, thinking we always need new items. 

When it is time to add to your wardrobe (ideally replacing a piece already worn a lot), then it's time to make sustainable decisions - secondhand or just sustainable brands. There are so many companies out there using sustainable materials and focused on ensuring fair labor treatment in the garment industry. Whatever your aesthetic, there are options out there. 

Amidst all this, it's important to remember that our previous (current, really) constant demand for new garments is supporting economies and families around the world, so just buying less isn't really a big picture solution. I'm still learning about this component, but the reality is that we live in a global economy and can't focus just on our immediate surroundings. If we buy less, there also needs to be a component of ensuring that garment workers around the world can still live happy and healthy lives, while supporting their families. More oversight and a change in compensation has to be part of this larger plan.

What are your recommendations for anyone seeking to embrace a more sustainable living?

Start with the easy things! Starting to live sustainably is much like dieting - long-lasting changes require thought and time, so making more comfortable decisions first is what will really bring change. Start with bringing your cup to the coffee shop and taking your own bags to the market/grocery store. Work on focusing on what you have, rather than what you don't. And begin learning - whether it's understanding raw materials for clothing, third party certifications to help make sustainable shopping easier, or understanding your local waste and recycling systems, just start asking questions and learning more!