Preparedness

I'm always thinking ahead. What will be my next project? When do we go on a trip next? How should be plan the garden for the upcoming summer? If I;m finishing this, then when can I start that? Well, I'd like to think this is to my advantage (although, possibly this is a disillusion :)). One way I believe it came to my advantage is when we were shopping a fun and learning store in the area. All the products the store sells are learning toys, and also they have a lot of "natural" products. Products made with wood and non-toxic paint, rather than plastic. While we were there, we spotted on display a cute kitchen set up for a child. It was completely wooden (eco-friendly rubber wood) and was on display with some wooden foods that can be cut. Although Flora is only 4.5 months old, I was thinking ahead. How awesome this would be for her to learn and grow with! If this were the right sale price, we should get it now and give it to her a few years from now. I turned the corner and there was one in a box, never opened, and about 40% off the original price! What a deal! However, it was still a bit too expensive. So, I asked if they'd be willing to sell the display item, which was in great condition and no assembly required. She would, and for over 60% off the original price. Sweet! So, we now will have a kitchen set for Flora, along with some fun food to cut with it. The extra bonus is that when we decide to give it to her, no shopping needed for that birthday or Christmas :) Call me a geek, but I love thinking ahead, and being frugal about it :)

Drying Clothes, Saving Money

Since we live in a village, we have sewer and water. We get a bill quarterly for our usage and it's typically only within dollars of the month prior. We had a bit of a surprise this past bill as it was almost $20 more than usual. Since in the past three months we had baby on the way, we were doing a lot of laundry. All the clothes we received used or new were washed, all bedding, etc. Lots of wash! And, now that Flora is here, I'm still doing just as much laundry. It's amazing how many clothing changes this little gal will have in one day! The bummer about being hooked up to the village sewer and water is that you pay for the water that comes in AND the water that goes out. At this point, I don't see any decline in our water bill.

The good news is that we have a process that helps offset this new cost! This past summer, we purchased an outdoor clothes hanging dryer for under $40. We successfully hung about every load of laundry on it to dry in the warm sun and fresh breeze. Now that the weather has quickly turned from summer to fall, the opportunity to dry laundry outside has pretty much disappeared. Time to move clothes drying inside...without using the dryer. For our baby shower, we registered for a drying rack for drying Flora's cloth diapers. Air drying is supposed to help them last longer. We actually received two racks and were happy to keep both. We can hang more than just diapers! Then, we received another, larger drying rack for Flora - so we have three. I am so happy we do! We have a perfect space for these drying racks right by the patio door where they can get sunlight to help dry. We have enough drying racks to hang 2 loads of laundry. Although you need some patience for the drying process, it saves the cost of 2 - 60+ minutes drying cycles in the electric dryer.

It feels good to offset costs, and be good to the environment. In the process, we are also putting some free humidity into our home now that the heat is on and drying things out. Here's a shot of our drying set up.

10 Things You Should Avoid

"What you choose to buy or not buy has a tremendous impact on the world we share. Every year, the average American household will spend $17,000 on basics including food, clothing, body care, housewares etc. Now imagine that every dollar spent went toward promoting healthy, organic food; ending sweatshops and promoting Fair Trade; and creating a national marketplace for green products. That’s what buying green is all about." Read More.

The World's Largest Dump: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

I know that I've posted on this before, but I think it's so important for people to understand this.  Here's the story: Floating in the Pacific ocean is a massive island of trash. Now, researchers have decided to map the size, content, and density of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

read more | digg story

A simple idea...

Although some people might describe me as a little on-edge (admitedly I have been in the past!!!), I truly feel that over the past couple of years I have just calmed down. I think most of this is thanks to Tim, who is the yin to my yang! For my level of anxiety, Tim has just that much calmness! I think it's finally rubbing off :) I feel more relaxed. I was just thinking how many people I know are caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. They aren't "done with their shopping", they have so many parties to attend, they dropped $200 on gifts for ONE child...and all of it sounds like work, rather than fun. How miserable, living your life caught up in the expectations of everyone else. My mindset is that we should just keep it simple. Life doesn't need to be complicated and stressful. Let's volunteer ourselves for Simplicity! We should live our lives in a deliberate fashion, in which we make educated choices that are based on what is best for not only us, but for the people around us and the environment! The more simple we are, the better off things will be - at least for me. I don't need to spend a lot of money to feel happy. I don't need to be stretched in several directions in one time, meeting the demands of everyone but myself. I will take life at the pace it delivers, always trying to remember that life is best when it's SIMPLE! -L

Subway Reefs

Subway Reefs - what? I just read an article at NY Times about how we are destroying cold water reefs, which are necessary reefs for sealife reproduction and habitat. Here us humans go destroying things again....but wait?!?! We have a solution. It might sound weird, but what if we sink a bunch of old subway rail cars in the ocean, giving back the sealife a habitat. Apparently after some scientific study the state of Delaware decided to drop 48 old rail cars in to the ocean. I'm being a skeptic about this, but I think that there are probably chemicals galore on these subway cars from paint, etc. But, who am I to judge this to be a bad idea? I'm not a scientist afterall. Well, now Delaware has another problem since they dumped these rail cars into the ocean - growing pains. The good news is that the sealife is actually increasing! However, the area where the rail cars are has a growing traffic problem with fisherpeople. Commercial fishers are are dragging nets across, and their nets are tangling with local anglers who are MAD! Surprisingly, someone must have asked some questions about the asbestos found in the old rail cars. State and Federal officals state that asbestos is not a threat to marine life, and has to be airborne to pose a threat to us innocent humans. Yes, and haven't they also said that DDT was safe, only to change their minds after our countries symbol, the eagle, starting dying off at a rapid pace - directly related to DDT? Yuk! I am so disgusted by the idea of dropping human junk into the ocean. Although the ocean DID need repair, is this really the most reasonable solution? I have an idea, let's put all our old cars, ships, airplanes, buses, and other forms of public transportation in the ocean too. Then we can watch the poison take over the sealife, while we continue to consume it and wonder why we are dying of cancer and other diseases.

I hope you can sense my sarcasm here, I'm feel a bit cheeky today! :) But seriously, doesn't this just seem absurd?! Funny thing is, the place this is all taking place is appropriately called "Slaughter Beach, Del."

Getting excited about what we don't know!

Hi everyone!  It seems like a lot of the eco websites and blogs I read are a lot of doom and gloom.  There is no doubt in my mind that we are doing bad things to this planet, but we have to remain hopeful for improving our ways, as well as remain hopeful for that which we do not know.  I was recently reading the December issue of National Geographic and they had a snippet about some of the fieldwork that is being done by scientists, archeologists, and the like.   I read about a group of scientists on the island Vanuatu (which is in the South Pacific).  Over 5-months 150 scientists went over the island studying species.  Over 10,000 species were found, 2,000 of them may be completely new to science.  It is quoted by French mollusk expert Phillippe Couchet that "80 percent of the world's species remain to be discovered."  What an amazing thing to think about since most of the animals, plant life, etc. we hear about are going extinct!  Hopefully we can continue to discover WITHOUT harming natural habitats.    Reading that article made me hopeful for what our future here on earth holds.

In effort to be green...

Funny story about this weekend.  It was an extended weekend due to the Thanksgiving holiday.  So, we had to keep ourselves busy.  One project for Tim was to add insulation to our attic.  It's currently insulated, but no as up to par as it should be.  The insulation up there is something from the 60's.  We decided we would get "Green Fiber" which can be blown in, or dropped in by hand in selected areas.  It's completely recycled material...basically looked like pocket lint.  Why didn't I think of that?  Anyhow, I was taking a shower.  I heard Tim up in the attic and a big noise, but thought nothing of it.  Well, Tim knocked on the bathroom door to inform me that his foot slipped and that it when careening into the attic floor, which happened to be the ceiling in our kitchen.   I looked on the floor, there was a pile of the old insulation on the floor.  Then I looked to the ceiling, where there wasn't a clear break, but obviously sustained some damage due to his foot slipping.  Thankfully, he didn't come crashing through the ceiling, but the work that came next would have been pretty much the same.  Since the ceiling was cracked Tim had to cut it out and replace the hole with drywall.  Nothing like looking at the ceiling in your kitchen and seeing right into the attic!  As an after thought I should have taken a picture of the damage, but all I have is a picture of the drywall replaced, taped, and putty.  Now Tim has a week long project of finishing off the ceiling.  Funny!  It's laughable now, but neither of us were very enthused about it in the first place.

Whatever happened to anti-litter campaigns?

I have a recollection of some anti-litter campaigns, maybe in the 80's?   Maybe some of you readers remember.  I specifically have this memory about  learning about cutting the plastic of six-pack beer or soda rings so that they six-pack rings don't get washed out to waterways and strangle birds and fish.  Seems like I haven't even seen those plastic six-pack rings in ages.  I also haven't seen many environmental campaigns as of late, including anything about not littering.  

Lately I feel like I've had this extra awareness about what littering does to the environment.  I have the benefit of working on the East River, where I watch fish, waterfowl, woodchucks, squirrels and some feral cats enjoy the environment.  However I wonder how much they are enjoying the environment since I also have watched plastic bags, balls, shoes, and a Labatt Blue cooler float up and down the river for the past year and a half since I've worked at my window.   At home, we live on the Fox River, where we've had deli containers, balls, styrofoam, toys, and other junk wash up on our shoreline.  Yesterday on the East River I saw a dead goose float by...maybe it was a natural death.  

Today, I was more disturbed.   I had a half day at work and I decided to take the dogs for a walk mid-afternoon down our road which parallels the Fox River.  About halfway through our walk I heard some fluttering from above.  I looked up and gasped.   I saw a bird's nest and hanging from the bird's nest was a blue jay, completely wrapped up on fishing line which was wrapped around it's head.  It was flapping it's wings, but couldn't go anywhere because it was  being strangled by the line.  I looked like a bird had made a nest in spring, partially with fishing line instead of grass.  The blue jay was by the nest and an unfortunate comedy of errors took place.  I didn't know what to do.  I'm not sure if somehow cutting it down would allow it to survive?  It was in a tree in someone's yard and they are people I don't know.  I continued on the walk just a little more and turned around to go home and call the village offices.  Upon calling the village, I explained the situation and she transferred me to the police department.  They said they would send someone out.  I'm not exactly sure what they ended up doing, but I did see the police drive by.    If some idiot wouldn't have littered fishing line behind, this situation never would have happened.  

In present time humans are littering in ways beyond the obvious.  An obvious way of littering is leaving your trash behind, or throwing something out the car window.  We can see the result of this.  Now, we even litter in ways we are unable to see (and have been for a long time).   We recently watched a PBS special about a nonprofit that treats sea lions and seals  that are left to die on the California coastline.  They have researched these animals that are coming in with similar problems like seizures and brain damage and have found that all that exhibit this behavior have a levels of an acid (that develops by chain reaction) which is essentially caused by fertilizer and sewage that flows into the ocean from area rivers, mostly along the shores where the seals lives.  It is just absurd that although fertilizers are clearly deemed as hazardous chemicals continue to be legal, consumed by people, and dumped all over the environment.  

I wonder what it will take for people to realize this planet is not invincible. For people to realize, this is not OUR planet...we share it will all kinds.    

Go Further

Go Further is a movie that was made in 2003 starring Woody Harrelson.  Tim and I just completed watching it.   The movie is a documentary focused on the idea that a single person can make large-scale change.  Basically, Woody and some friends rode their bicycles followed by a biofueled bus down the west cost from Washington through Oregon and California and stopped at local colleges along the way to raise awareness about the environment.  Although it wasn't a big learning experience for me, it was great to see people who have positive mindsets about how to save our environment.  Some of the topics explored were paper, meat, milk, renewable energy, vericomposting and organic farming.  The whole trip they ate following a raw food diet (yum, lots of fresh veggies and fruits!)  I found much about their eating to be inspiring.  I mean really, some of the food we consume we can't even pronounce the ingredients on the label!  And supposedly 2/3 of all the food on the shelves at the grocery store has some sort of genetically modified ingredient(s)...and it's not even required by law to label them saying so.  Scary!    In the Extras of the DVD,  Woody read a poem that he wrote that I think is nicely done.    The poem is too long to post here, but here is an excerpt:

Thoughts from Within by Woody Harrelson:

..."I sit on the grass under a tree 

dreaming of the way things used to be 

Pre-Industrial Revolution 

which of course is before the rivers and oceans, and skies were polluted 

before Parkinson's, and mad cows 

and all the convoluted cacophony of bad ideas 

like skyscrapers, and tree paper, and earth rapers 

like Monsanto and Dupont had their way 

as they continue to today. 

This was Pre-us 

back when the buffalo roamed 

and the Indian's home 

was the forest, and God was nature 

and heaven was here and now 

Can you imagine clean water, food, and air 

living in community with animals and people who care?"

...

On spending...

So, we all know the economy is in the pits. Lately, I've been hearing the media pushing people to get out, start spending for the holiday season, and give the economy the boost it needs. Although I understand the reasoning for this, I'm not sure it's quite the final answer. I do know I won't be "playing along." Each day, I am surrounded by people who believe that the holiday is about gift giving, and gift giving means spending money. I just think that if we will be spending money this holiday season, we should be aware of where and how we are spending it. First off, if you believe that shopping will give the economy a boost, please SHOP LOCAL! This doesn't mean driving to your nearest wal-mart. This means supporting the shop who's owner lives on your block. If you want to gift a tool, instead of going to wal-mart, go to Bob's Hardware. Bob lives in your town, and therefore you are supporting your local economy. Or, what about gifting a used-item? I know, this is absoultely absurd!! Heaven forbid we RECYCLE rather than demand for greater production of cheap plastic crap (equaling greater consumption of energy, resources, etc.). If you know someone who likes teacups and saucers, would it be wrong to find unique one at the local thrift shop rather than buying one from Macy's that is just like the other 500,000 teacups being sold at Macy's all over the country? Personally, I would prefer the unique one that shows, "this made me think of you!" Here is a last idea. What about instead of buying gifts for people, decide with them use the same amount of money to donate to your favorite cause. That way you avoid spending $20 on a crappy gift for them and they avoid spending $20 on a crappy gift for you. This year at work my department (3 of us) are chipping in $10 each to purchase hats, mittens, and scarves at Goodwill that we will donate to underprivledged kids who don't have these needed goods for the winter months.  I'm glad we are doing this rather than a secret santa type of thing.  What's the point of basically trading up money for something you probably don't want from someone that doesn't really know you? I just don't understand. If you do have to participate in a a secret santa, what about donating the $ to some special cause (like a local society that raises money for children) under the secret santa's name?

This holiday season we are limiting our spending and we are staying local with our purchasing. Between Tim and I, we will chose to spend time together rather than buy a gift for each other. This is always nice, and more memorable.

I recently learned about an initiative that a group in the UK has. A coliation group in the US called AdBusters also has run a similar thing. It's called Buy Nothing Day. Although this is an interesting campaign, it's not practical. Today, we live in a mode of ease and immediacy. I can't imagine the buy-in for Buy Nothing Day is very good.

What are you doing for the holiday gift giving? I think it's hard to break out of the excessive gift giving rut, but a few of us can help break the cycle. This year Tim and I have 1 thing on our list. A year pass to the Wisconsin State Park system. -L

Learning about Permaculture

As Tim and I continue to realize our dreams of someday having a large property where we can be mostly self-sufficent, we have been researching many things, as well as learning them by doing them. We have several reference book about homesteading, country living, gardening, land management, and so on. Through the reading and research I've recently been introducted to the term "permaculture." One of my goals for the next months will be learn more about permaculture. What is permaculture? Well, in a nutshell I guess you could describe it as the design of ecological landscapes that produce food. Emphasis is placed on multi-use plants, cultural practices such as sheet mulching and trellising, and the integration of animals to recycle nutrients and graze weeds. However, permaculture entails much more than just food production. Energy-efficient buildings, waste water treatment, recycling, and land stewardship in general are other important components of permaculture. The key is sustanability and harmony with the land. You could call it earth ethics. We hope that someday we will be able to practice the type of land management that is suitable not only for the earth, but for us! Right now, we do it on a small scale...consider it practice!

Making Clothing Detergent

For the past year or so we've been buying earth friendly, chemical-free detergent for washing our clothing.   At first, it took a little getting used to because there was some sort of temptation over the synthetic fragrances like "Cool Breeze", when washing clothes.  Once I got over not having fake scents on my clothing, I realized that the eco-friendly detergents were just fine.  The brands that we've purchased that have worked have been Seventh Generation or Ecos detergent powder (cheaper than liquid). They are non-toxic, biodegradable, contain no chlorine, artificial fragrances, or dyes.  At around $8 for a box, I felt it was kinda pricey.  I decided that after using up the last bunch, I would make my own.  We feel that whenever possible, we should be using products that are as natural (from the earth) as possible.  So, instead of using a synthetic fragrance with a lot of words we can't pronounce in it, why not just use an essential oil, which is plant derived, non-chemical?  So, for the first time I made our own clothing detergent.   I am very happy with the final product!  It took just a little bit of work and it's great!  The first ingredient for the detergent is baking soda, which is a very safe product used in many "green" cleaning products.  It has been used for ages in cleaning and baking!  The second ingredient for the detergent is borax. Borax, although sounding a bit scary, is a naturally occurring mineral in the earth.   Borax is bad if you eat it, but safe for cleaning. It softens, disinfects, and deodorizes.  The third and final ingredient is castile soap.  Castile Soap is a soap that is made exclusively from vegetable oil.  I used Dr. Bronners Magic All-One Hemp Lavender Pure Castile Soap (organic).  It's vegetable base is Hemp oil and it is all natural and organic.  Since my detergent is a powder, I had to grate the soap to make it from bar to powdered form.    The differences are clear!  

Here is the list of ingredients from Dr. Bronner's Soap: Saponified Organic Coconut, Organic Palm & Organic Olive Oils (w/Retained Glycerin), Water, Organic Hemp Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Lavandin Extract, Organic Lavender Oil, Salt, Citric Acid, Vitamin E

Compare that to a soap that is touted to be the most "simple", Ivory Bar: Sodium Tallowate and/or Sodium Palmitate, Water, Sodium Cocoate and/or Palm Kernelate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Glycerin, Sodium Chloride, Fragrance, Coconut and/or Palm Kernel Acid, Tallow Acid, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Tetrasodium EDTA, Yellow 10, Green 3.

Compare that now to yet another soap, Irish Spring Bar: SOAP, SODIUM TALLOWATE, SODIUM COCOATE, SODIUM PALM KERNELATE, WATER, STEARIC ACID, COCONUT ACID, PALM KERNEL ACID, GLYCERIN, FRAGRANCE, SODIUM CHLORIDE, TITANIUM DIOXIDE, PENTASODIUM PENTETATE, BHT, D&C GREEN 8, FD&C GREEN 3

Here is the detergent recipe if you are interested in trying it out.  I have been satisfied with it!  The clothes come out fresh smelling, wrinkle free, and clean!

1.) In large bowl, grate down 1 bar of Dr. Bronner's Castile Bar Soap (I picked Lavender scent, but the clothes come out fresh, but not smelling distinctly of lavender.)

2.) Add 2 cups Baking Soda.

3.) Add 1 cup Borax.

Mix well.  Store in plastic bag that can be sealed and reused for the next batch.  I use about 1/4 cup per Large load of laundry.  It will not make bubbles in the laundry, but it will clean it!  I have stopped using laundry sheets in the dryer, and the clothes have been coming out wrinkle and static free!  Enjoy!

Canning Tomatoes

We now have 8 jars of home canned tomato sauce. This year was our first attempt at canning, and I have to say that so far it has gone really well! We decided to can for a few reasons. 1.) Saves money. We'll probably get another 8 jars once the tomatoes are done ripenening. So let's just say that in the store a jar of sauce costs around $2.50 (or even more expensive if you buy organic). If we get 16 jars, that's a savings of $40. Doesn't sounds like a lot, but the more you can, the more you save! 2.) Convenience. So many times we wonder what to make for dinner that isn't going to be a lot of work after a long day. Now, we can pop open a jar and have "fresh" tomato sauce for pasta, pizza, etc. 3.) Organic! Who knows what's in some of the stuff you buy at the store. Preservatives. Pesticides. When you are putting your own tomatoes into the sauce, you know exactly what you are putting in. Just plain 'ol yummy tomatoes! 4.) Local. Imagine the amount of energy it takes to get a jar of Ragu on the shelf at the store? First the tomatoes have to be picked, then transported to the Ragu factory (energy). Then, they have to go through an entire huge process to be made with machines, etc. (energy). The sauce has to be put into jars with more machines, and then the jars have to be labeled (more energy). The labels were made from trees which were cut down, shipped, processed, printed on with ink (chemicals) and then have to be stuck with some sort of glue onto the jar (energy, resources). Then the jars of sauce have to be driven around the country to get to their destination. More energy. You get my point. Our tomatoes grew from a packet a seeds that cost $1.50. They grew from water, sun, and nutrients in the dirt. The energy it took to make them was physical labor on our part and a bit of stovetop time. And, after we use the sauce, we get to save the jar and reuse it! What an efficent process! Maybe I'm a geek, but that get's me excited.

Tonight, we try Apple Butter. More updates to come...and pictures too!

-L

About books!

Tim and I love books!  We enjoy reading both fiction and nonfiction and our book shelves show this.  I have to admit to even having some what of an addiction to buying books.  I look at the amount of books we have an wonder how I will ever get through them all?! (maybe winter?)  I do have to say however, that we are "smart" book shoppers.  Rarely do I spend full price on a book, or even CLOSE to the cover price!  Most of the books we have (including best sellers from favorite authors) are hardcovers and cost a mere 99 cents!  Now when you read a book that you didn't really like, you can't feel guilty about spending the money on it.  You can't really go wrong since the book only cost a dollar!  Here is where I get to make a plug for the place that we get the majority of our books from.  :)  Goodwill.  Have you visited your local Goodwill lately?  We are so lucky to have a Goodwill down the road (in Darboy) that has a "GoodBooks" department.  It's like a small bookstore in there!  You can find anything from cook books, to travel guides, to kids books, to best sellers.  The majority of the books are at least 1/2 price from the cover price.  They have both hardcover and paperback.  Where you'll find me is in the clearance section.  In the clearance section - all paperbacks are 49 cents, all hardcovers are 99 cents.  Fiction to nonfiction, best sellers to obscure.  I have seen plenty of really stupid books in that section, but if you just spend some time, you can find a variety that may fit the type of book you like to read.  So, before you go and buy a book online or spend full price at a store like Barnes and Noble...try Goodwill!  By purchasing, you are recycling a book that someone else didn't want AND giving money to an organization that helps your community!  Oh, and you walk away with a something to read!  It's a great thing all around!

Living Like Ed

A Little Book Review

Hi!  This is Tim.

This is actually my first entry here in our blog, so I hope you like it.

Lisa recently came home with some books from the library, and one of the books she borrowed was "Living Like Ed".  The author is Ed Begley, Jr.  He is an actor probably best known for his role in St. Elswhere in the '80's.  The book was rather good.  Basically, the book is about what Ed has learned about green living since he started being very conscious of the way he lived in the early '70's and how it effected the environment.  He hits upon the major areas where green living are important: home, transportation, recycling, energy, garden and kitchen, and clothing and skin care.  Much of the information is fairly common sense, but the book is well put together and an informative read.

One part I really liked was the simple metaphor of a tree.  Much of the information in the book is like picking the low-hanging fruit on the tree, like cleaning your furnace filter and conserving water.  Some of the information is like picking the fruit on the mid level of the tree.  You need a ladder, but not a very tall one.  Some of these are using a bicycle for transportation or buying things made from recycled materials.  Finally, there is the fruit on the top of the tree: installing solar/wind or buying a hybrid or electric car.

Another part I really enjoyed was blurbs every so often from Ed's wife Rachelle.  She is not quite as green as Ed but is learning to be.  She really puts the average person's opinion into effect.  Many of the things Ed suggests she is not very fond of, but she understands why many of these things are important.

The last part of the book is a workbook where you can write in all of the things you have changed and keep some dates and expenses to see the cost benefits of some of the green living changes as well as how much some of the more expensive changes cost.

I really liked the book and would definitely recommend it to anyone.  I know it's available on amazon.com and I imagine at Barnes and Noble as well, or you can borrow it from the library and be even more green.

What's a freegan?

Freeganism, according to Wikipedia, “is an anti-consumerist lifestyle whereby people employ alternative living strategies based on limited participation in the conventional economy and minimal consumption of resources.” From what I understand, people who consider themselves die-hard freegans could be seen dumpster-diving (ie. picking around in other people’s garbage), using a barter/trade system with neighbors, or foraging through land-fills. A bit radical I’d say, but what a novel idea! Now, DON’T get this wrong – you will NOT see me dumpster-diving or digging through other people’s garbage, but DO think about how much money and waste you could save if sometimes you just thought a little more like a freegan, than a consumer. I can think of a few times this year that Tim and I have been a bit freegan. Just recently Tim was able to talk to a business he works with that has 55 gallon plastic drums they are willing to get rid of. We bought spigots for the drums and now Tim will install them under the downspouts to collect rain water. Besides the cost of the spigot, the drum was free, and so is the rain water (hopefully this will put a nice dent in our water bill!). Another free thing is sharing flowers, bushes, or sapling trees with others. For instance, I have several perennial plants around the house. Once they get bigger, I would gladly divide and share for the exchange of a different plant. By doing this you can get a variety of plants in the yard without dropping money at the store on plants that aren’t established (and who knows if they will survive). These are just some ideas to recycle, share, and save money. There are lots and lots of opportunities out there. If you have any, please share on the “comments” link below.

-L

The Consequence of Plastic Bags

It's probably impossible to not be aware of the green movement.  People of all ages are participating, this isn't just a youth only generational movement - everyone can make changes for the good of the earth, the population, and themselves!  I admit, we are still leaving a footprint on this earth that bigger than it needs to be, but little by little we are making changes to shrink it.  Since the US government hasn't done much to regulate environmental policies yet, we need to take responsibility ourselves.  I found out the other day that some countries have banned Plastic Bags.  The city of San Francisco recently banned plastic bags at grocery stores: SF GATE.  Click for the full story - here is an excerpt:

"People are used to getting free bags and thinking there is no real consequence to them, but there is a cost," said Jack Macy, commercial recycling coordinator for the city's Department of the Environment, which is implementing the new policy.

The 180 million plastic bags city officials estimate are handed out in the city each year end up as litter on city streets, clog storm drains, harm wildlife, and contaminate and jam machines used in recycling, Macy said.

And then there is the giant patch of plastic floating in the Pacific Ocean that scientists are monitoring, estimated to weigh 3 million tons and cover an area twice the size of Texas. The patch is about 1,000 miles west of San Francisco, but plastic dumped in the ocean here can end up there.

Wow!  So, if 180 million plastic bags are handed out each year in just San Francisco, imagine over the entire US?  Imagine over the entire world?!   If you purchase just 5 reusable bags to take grocery shopping, to the mall, etc....imagine what an impact you could have.  If you hang onto your plastic bags, don't throw them away and clog up the landfills.  Find a store locally that will recycle these bags.  Recycled plastic bags can make materials like composite boards for long lasting, sustainable building materials.   If you live in Wisconsin, Festival Foods is a location you can recycle your plastic bags.    In our house, we have about 10 reusable bags made out of cloth.  We take them grocery shopping and so forth.  We turn down plastic bags whenever possible. 

I hope you find the information available posted here compelling enough to get some reusable bags, or at the very least, choose paper over plastic.    If you are interested in getting reusable bags, go to reusablebags.com They have a nice choice of practical/usable bags and if you want something fashionable they have that too!

-L