Composting is a super way of reusing. The simplest form of composting is when a person puts aside organic materials instead of throwing them away they throw them into their garden. Apple cores, banana peels, coffee grounds and other organic materials can put them aside in a bucket or directly into the soil you will use for your garden. You can include earth worms, insects and bacteria to speed up the process. Putting these things into your garden dirt will enhance the soil and put nutrients into it. For some families this can cut down up to 30% of their household waste.
Worm composting is an option that is popular among people who want to compost but live in an apartment. Red worms are used because they eat organic waste. People recommend two pounds of worms to every pound of garbage. There are special worm bins you can buy that are highly recommended but it is possible to create one on your own using a container such as a Rubbermaid bin. The bin should be kept at a temperature between 40 and 80 degrees. Soaked newspaper or cardboard should be used as a type of bedding. This will take up to 1/3 of the space in your worm compost bin. Something gritty or rough should be used to help the worms grind down their food (your waste) this can be sand or sawdust for example. Worm castings will be formed when it is time to bring the contents of your bin to your garden. It is likely that this will happen somewhere between 2 to 6 months. Remove the worms from the compost and provide them with new food to compost.
Another form of composting is Grasscycling. It saves money and time too. Essentially all you do is leave your grass clippings lay on your lawn. The grass clippings settle between living leaves and break down and feed important nitrogen to your lawn. Grass cycling cuts the time it takes to mow and take care of your lawn by 1/3rd. There are so many awesome opportunities with composting I’m ready to give it a try! Let me know how it goes when you do!
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Welcome To Being Green Beyond Recycling
Welcome to Being Green Beyond Recycling. Relax, if all you do now is recycle then you are among the millions of billions of people to be doing just that. You have thought about the impact you have on earth but to really make a difference we are going to need to move beyond recycling and work on creating new earth friendly habits. Let’s start simple. You may have heard of the phrase “reduce, reuse, recycle” , this article will focus on reducing our affect on the earths resources.
Saying no to unnecessary packaging is be a very effective way to help eliminate waste. To go containers, paper cups and plastic forks are all things you should avoid if possible because they are not easily recycled and often are contributed into the garbage. Using your own mugs, water bottles and reusable containers can be a refreshing change of pace and can sometimes even earn you rebates when stores reward you for your efforts. Another easy habit is to bring a reusable bag grocery shopping. It is estimated that each year 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are used worldwide. There are so many fashionable options of reusable and affordable bags you could use. Again some stores will give you a rebate reward for bringing your own.
Learning to use less water has been a challenge for me. I am still not perfect but there are many ways to begin to try to be more aware of the water we use. Don’t run the water when you are brushing your teeth, make sure clothing is really dirty before washing it and showering instead of taking a bath are all simple things we can do to make a difference. A more drastic approach, in my opinion, is not flushing the toilet every time it is used. I am open to the idea but for many it seems less than ideal. Toilets use between 1.6 and 5.5 gallons of water per flush, imagine the progress made by just not flushing as often. Try just one of the idea’s in this article and you will begin to be green beyond recycling.
Saying no to unnecessary packaging is be a very effective way to help eliminate waste. To go containers, paper cups and plastic forks are all things you should avoid if possible because they are not easily recycled and often are contributed into the garbage. Using your own mugs, water bottles and reusable containers can be a refreshing change of pace and can sometimes even earn you rebates when stores reward you for your efforts. Another easy habit is to bring a reusable bag grocery shopping. It is estimated that each year 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are used worldwide. There are so many fashionable options of reusable and affordable bags you could use. Again some stores will give you a rebate reward for bringing your own.
Learning to use less water has been a challenge for me. I am still not perfect but there are many ways to begin to try to be more aware of the water we use. Don’t run the water when you are brushing your teeth, make sure clothing is really dirty before washing it and showering instead of taking a bath are all simple things we can do to make a difference. A more drastic approach, in my opinion, is not flushing the toilet every time it is used. I am open to the idea but for many it seems less than ideal. Toilets use between 1.6 and 5.5 gallons of water per flush, imagine the progress made by just not flushing as often. Try just one of the idea’s in this article and you will begin to be green beyond recycling.
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