Tag Archives: compost

Getting Wise(r) About Waste

Posted on by

Green Goes Simple: Family Footprints

Getting Wise(r) About Waste

By Amy Levin-Epstein for Green Goes Simple

You already know to carry around a reusable tote. They’re not only better for the earth, but also cuter to carry! But there are so many other small changes that can make a big difference in the amount of waste we create. Here, green lifestyle expert Sara Snow, author of Sara Snow’s Fresh Living: The Essential Room-by-room Guide to a Greener, Healthier Family and Home, shares her five best tips for adhering to the adage “Waste not, want not.”

Use Reusable Pouches

Plastic baggies are super-convenient — and super-wasteful. But cute reusable baggies (such as Posh Pouches) are the equivalent of lunch bags for your leftovers. You buy them once and use them over and over.

“These are fully lined in a BPA-, lead- and phthalate-free lining that allows you to wash out PB&J spills, with a strong Velcro closure that will keep even the crumbliest cookies in place,” says Snow. “Use them for snacks, lunches — even makeup and art or craft supplies.”

Buy in Bulk

Plastic, metal and paper packaging is a huge contributor to household waste. “Instead of buying another box of cereal, simply fill a reusable bag with the cereal of your choice from a bulk bin and slip that back into the original box,” suggests Snow. “You can do the same for pasta, beans, rice, crackers, dried fruit, nuts, olive oil, vinegar and many other items.” Bonus: You’ll likely spend less money in the process!

Recharge Your Batteries

Nope, we’re not talking about a day at the spa. Bottom line? Stop buying disposable batteries. “Batteries are a tricky little trash number because they’re tough to recycle and not supposed to be tossed with your regular trash,” says Snow. “A simple way to solve the dilemma is to invest in reusable, rechargeable batteries.”

Go E for Everything

Paper bills, bank statements, greeting cards, business cards, magazines, newspapers, letters — oh my! If it seems like you’re perpetually recycling or throwing out paper, go paper-free, suggests Snow. With computers — and maybe tablets or smartphones — at your fingertips, sending your paperwork through cyberspace has never been easier or safer.

Share Your Treasure

Ever heard the expression, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure”? Make sure you’re sharing the wealth. “The next time you clean out your basement or attic, think twice before you declare something garbage; it takes just a little effort to drop those bags at Goodwill instead of in your garbage can,” says Snow. “If you live in a neighborhood, try leaving it at the end of your driveway for a day or two. Most things will disappear overnight, off to a good home where someone has the skills and time to fix that broken wheel, mend the tear or replace the electronics.”

Amy Levin-Epstein is a freelance writer who’s been published in magazines like Glamour, Self and Prevention, on websites like AOL, Babble and Details.com and in newspapers like the New York Post and the Boston Globe. You can read more of her writing at AmyLevinEpstein.com. Her articles have previously appeared on Green Goes Simple.
{lang: 'ar'}

Reusing and Recycling 101

Posted on by

Green Goes Simple


Green Goes Simple: Conservation at Home

Reusing and Recycling 101

By Dana Goeglein for Green Goes Simple

You want to be green, but it’s hard to know the difference between reusing and recycling. Fortunately, it’s not that complicated. Recycling and reusing have the same goal: to keep items out of overflowing landfills. The two tactics just go about it in very different ways.

Recycling involves reprocessing an old item — such as a can, glass or newspaper — and turning it into something new. Recycled paper products may be reprocessed into toilet paper and old tires may become a compound used to resurface roads.

Reusing, on the other hand, means avoiding the reprocessing plant altogether. Old items like containers, bags and appliances can be used again in their current condition for a similar — or completely different — purpose. Takeout containers can be turned into food storage (think: free plastic containers!), and plastic bags can be transformed into waterproof liners for planters or drawers.

“Reusing extends the lifetime of a product, from the time it is purchased to the time it goes to a landfill [or recycling plant],” explains Janine Kubert, director of operations at iReuse, a company that helps businesses and individuals become better reusers.

When you extend the lifetime of a product, you not only reduce the need to buy something new (which takes energy to produce), but you also save on the energy it would take to recycle that product. “Reusing allows us to get the most out of our virgin products and raw materials, and aside from reducing consumption entirely, it is our best resource for waste reduction,” says Kubert.

Whether you’re an avid recycler or new to waste reduction, here are some simple ways to reuse and recycle every day:

Reuse

  • Reuse bags, boxes and containers. For example, turn old shoe boxes into storage containers, packaging for gifts or a treasure chest (have kids cut out pictures from magazines and glue them to the outside of the box for a customized container).
  • Rather than buying a new product, borrow, rent or share items you use infrequently or for a short period of time.
  • When babies and kids outgrow toys, books, cribs, high chairs and strollers, sell or donate the items rather than throw them away.
  • Invest in quality, durable products. You may spend more initially, but they’ll last longer, which saves you money over time.

Recycle

  • Become a full-circle recycler. Buy products that can be recycled; sort and discard them according to your community’s standards; and finally, purchase products made from post-recycled materials.
  • For more information about recyclable materials, check out the EPA’s website: Epa.gov/waste/conserve/rrr/recycle.htm.

Going Above and Beyond
While waste reduction starts at home, communities nationwide are forming around the premise that less is more. Freecycle (Freecycle.org) — started in Tucson, Ariz., before spreading throughout the U.S. — helps people be the best possible reusers. Through the Freecycle network, members are able to donate — or pick up — used products, such as appliances, furniture, toys and bikes.

In need of a reduce, reuse and recycle tutorial? Companies like iReuse (iReuse.com) give personalized consultations to help you reduce waste, donate reusable products and save money.

If you’re not sure about your community’s procedures or standards for reusing and recycling, check your town’s government Web site or ask a neighbor. Through community boards, donation banks and home and school recycling programs, it’s getting even easier to do more to waste less.

Dana Goeglein received a bachelor’s in creative writing from Sarah Lawrence College and a master’s in food studies from New York University. She is a writer, yoga instructor and whole foods educator in New York City, where she strives to help others create harmonious, connected lives.
{lang: 'ar'}

Kid-friendly Conservation Lessons

Posted on by

Green Goes Simple


Green Goes Simple: Conservation at Home

Kid-friendly Conservation Lessons

By Rachel Bertsche for Green Goes Simple


School’s out, the weather’s warm, and kids are ready to get out and get dirty. Take advantage of the summer months and teach your children a lesson in eco-education. Call it “Camp Conservation”!

With this comprehensive syllabus, kids of all ages can learn to be a little bit greener, every single day. The best part? They’ll have so much fun getting back to nature that they won’t even notice that class is in session. Who said summer school isn’t a blast?

LESSON ONE: REDUCE WASTE

  • Get Sluggish: Composting is a great way to reduce household waste. Well, worms are nature’s composters — they break down organic scraps and turn them into fertilizer.

Assembling a worm bin is an easy alternative to the traditional backyard compost pile, plus it takes up less space. Setup is easy with these simple instructions from the University of Illinois’ Urban Programs Resource Network.

“Once the bin is set up, kids will have great fun collecting and saving materials to feed their new pets, and they’ll love watching the transformation of garbage into worm castings and rich compost,” says Crissy Trask, founder of GreenMatters.com and author of It’s Easy Being Green: A Handbook for Earth-friendly Living.

LESSON TWO: CONSERVE ENERGY

  • Bye-bye Dryer: According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Americans dedicate about 5.8 percent of residential electricity use to the clothes dryer. If we all used a clothesline year-round, the savings would be enough to close several power plants!

Summer is the perfect time to switch to line-drying. “Take a family pledge not to use the clothes dryer,” suggests Trask. “Instead, let the kids help you find the perfect spot in your yard for a summer clothesline, and hang one line low enough that they can hang their own clothes.”

  • Re-cycle: Americans consume about 140 billion gallons of gas annually, according to the Laboratory for Energy and the Environment at MIT. If you cut down on driving by just 10 miles a week, your family will save about 340 pounds of CO2 emissions annually.

So try leaving the car in the garage and breaking out the 10-speeds. “As a family, discuss some nearby destinations that you’re willing to bike to as a group,” says Trask. Try riding to an outdoor picnic or to do some errands. Trask suggests using Google Maps to find safe and direct bike routes.

LESSON THREE: SAVE WATER

  • Tear out Some Lawn: “Most homes have more water-needy grass than is necessary,” says Trask. “It’s reasonable to have a small area of grass for pets and small children to enjoy. The idea is to limit grass — which is a water-needy species compared to most plants — and also practice water conservation when maintaining the grass you have.”

Removing patches of unnecessary grass is easy with a sod cutter. Let the kids roll the sod, which is a simple and fun job. Trask suggests leaving the sod rolls where they sit and placing a “Free sod” ad online, with an estimate of how many square feet you have. “In most cases, the sod will be gone within a day,” she says.

  • Nursery School: Of course, now that you have less grass, you’ll want to put something in its place to keep your lawn looking great. Take a family trip to a local nursery that specializes in native plants. Because native plants are well-adapted to the conditions in your region, they’ll need less water.

“Using the plant information cards, let kids pick out the plants that are suited for the exposure and rain they will receive,” suggests Trask. Bonus: This is an easy lesson in your local environmental conditions, and it will create a lawn that will reinforce the beauty of your natural landscape.

Rachel Bertsche is a Web producer, blogger and journalist who lives in Chicago. She’s written for O, The Oprah Magazine, Marie Claire, Every Day With Rachael Ray, Outside and Fitness. Her first book, MWF Seeking BFF, will be out next year.
{lang: 'ar'}

Conservation with Kids

Posted on by


Green Goes Simple: Family Footprints
Conservation With Kids

By Cynthia Ramnarace for Green Goes Simple

“Mommy, you’re not saving the Earth.” Mira folded her 6-year-old arms at me as I cleaned the stove while the water ran idly in the sink.

She was right. I told her so and turned off the tap.

My kids — Mira and 3-year-old Miles — have turned out to be excellent ambassadors for the three R’s: reusing, recycling and reducing. They know that a pair of scissors, a rubber band and some markers can transform a paper towel roll into a fashionable set of binoculars. And when we’re out and about, we never toss an empty water bottle in the trash simply because a recycling bin is out of sight; Mira, for one, advocates bringing the plastic bottle home and disposing of it properly.

These are great first steps, but I’m continually in search of new ways to encourage earth-friendly activities around the house. After all, just last summer I still fielded requests to fill the kiddie pool daily, and I often caught a little one standing in front of an open fridge leisurely assessing its contents.

So I asked some eco-minded moms for tips on encouraging conservation and reducing waste among the younger set. Here’s what they said.

1. Enlist your kids’ imaginations.
Before you recycle a soda bottle, cardboard box or glass jar, ask your kids if they think there’s a way to reuse it. For inspiration, consider what Sheri Amsel’s kids created with a 2-liter plastic bottle. Amsel, author of 365 Ways to Live Green for Kids: Saving the Environment at Home, School, or at Play — Every Day!, helped them create terrariums filled with plants and the occasional small creature. They also used them to store marbles, rocks and action figures.

2. Give them responsibility.
Looking for the perfect starter chore for your young kids? Put them in charge of recycling. Let them decorate each bin — paper, plastic, glass — with pictures, stickers and designs. Then make a game out of recycling, suggests Morgan McKean, blogger at TheGreenChick.me and mother of 5-year-old Jamil.

“Gather several disposable items from around your house, hold them up in front of your children and ask, ‘Recycle or trash?’” says McKean. This teaches kids about recycling, but it also shows them how much waste winds up in the garbage bin. And that might spark ideas for ways to use less!

As kids get older, they’ll outgrow sorting games like this one. Amsel suggests putting older kids in charge of collecting the redeemable recyclables. Their incentive? They can keep whatever money they make at the recycling center.

3. Make it fun.
To get her 5-year-old son to use less water, McKean uses a game called Beat the Timer. Whenever he’s watering plants in the yard or using the shower or sink, McKean sets a timer and challenges him to finish before the buzzer goes off. “This makes water conservation fun and establishes a pattern for respecting water and our limited supply of it,” she says.

“The same can be done with the refrigerator door, I realized. Now my kids count to 10 once they open the door. If they haven’t figured it out by then, they get what mommy picks.”

4. Lead by example.
Last but not least, be a good model. “As much as we want kids to do it on their own, they really model after us,” says Amsel. “So if we reuse things and talk about why we’re reusing them, kids pick up on that.”

Cynthia Ramnarace is a freelance writer in Queens, N.Y. She is a regular contributor to iVillage.com and AARP Bulletin. Her work also appears frequently in American Baby and Kiwi magazines.

{lang: 'ar'}

The Planet Friendly Kitchen

Posted on by


The Planet-Friendly Kitchen

By Cynthia Ramnarace for Green Goes Simple

Without a doubt, the kitchen is the most popular room in my house. From meal prep to mealtime, homework to crafts, it’s the center of our family life — and the ultimate candidate for a recent eco-makeover.

In the interest of increasing my sustainability IQ, I first took inventory of what I knew about conservation in the kitchen:

1. Don’t leave the water running. (This one’s easy — if I slip, there’s a 6-year-old water watchdog always ready to remind me.)
2. Recycle.
3. Stock up on non-disposable plates and utensils and embrace the durability of reusable shopping totes.

This is a good start, but my kitchen — and I — clearly needed professional assistance if we were going to take it to the next level. This is where green living expert Annie Bond came in. The author of Home Enlightenment: Create a Nurturing, Healthy and Toxin-Free Home shared some surprising tips for transforming everyone’s favorite room into an environmentally savvy space:

The Dishwasher is a “Do.” A full dishwasher uses less water to clean a day’s worth of dirty dishes than hand-washing them in the sink.

DIY Dishrags. “Let’s say you’ve got a pair of old, unused pajamas made from beautiful soft fabric,” says Bond. Grab a pair of scissors and give them new life as dishrags and hand towels. But get ready for a bigger laundry basket — these need to be washed daily to prevent bacterial growth.

Compost your Scraps. Vegetable peels, fruit rinds and coffee grinds make excellent garden fertilizers. If you have an in-house compost bin, you can keep unwanted odors away by cleaning it out every couple of days.

Downsize your Oven. When you can, bypass the energy-guzzling oven and stove in favor of smaller cooking appliances. Look beyond toast, and you’ll find that a toaster oven is ideal for heating up or cooking small amounts of food. Slow cookers and electric kettles are also everyday energy savers.

Use Natural Critter Control. Bond recommends trading chemical pesticides for the homemade variety. Drop a few cotton balls into a small glass jar and fill it halfway with a mixture of 1 part Borax (a natural pesticide), 1 part sugar and 3 parts water. Watch as the ants go marching one by one into the jar, where they take their final swim.

I took Bond’s suggestions for my kitchen and found an added bonus: These tips are time savers too! Filling the dishwasher is faster than washing dishes, and toaster oven cuisine is refreshingly speedy. Saving time and the earth — what’s not to love?

Cynthia Ramnarace is a freelance writer in Queens, N.Y. She is a regular contributor to iVillage.com and AARP Bulletin. Her work also appears frequently in American Baby and Kiwi magazines.

{lang: 'ar'}

Conserving at Home

Posted on by

Green Goes Simple: Conservation at Home

Go Green — and Save Money

By Amy Levin-Epstein for Green Goes Simple

Sure, protecting the environment can sometimes mean spending more, but there are plenty of ways that greening your life can help keep more green in your wallet. “Living green and healthy can be done on a budget and, in many cases, can actually save you money,” says Sara Snow, green lifestyle expert and author of Sara Snow’s Fresh Living. Here are six tips from Snow on how any family — with any budget — can start helping the planet and saving money today.

Make Time for a Tune-up
Next time you get your oil changed, spring for a new air filter, which can improve fuel efficiency by 10 percent. Driving around with a clean air filter, properly inflated tires and working spark plugs can save you as much as $600 a year in fuel and maintenance charges.

Be a Biker
If you haven’t already joined the ranks of the two-wheeled, you can start by buying an inexpensive used bike online. Assuming you spend about $30 a week in gas, you could save up to $1,500 a year in fuel costs by peddling from point A to point B. Even if you only bike once or twice a week, it will still add up to some serious dough. The bonus? You’ll get nice toned legs along the way.

Go Veggie
Not only does meat cost more money than vegetables, it costs the environment more resources, including water and feed. Even if you can’t quit turkey, well, cold turkey, try going veggie a few days each week. If you spend about $20 on meat each week, you could save around $500 a year by eating it half as often. Plus, a healthy plant-based diet may reduce your medical bills as well.

Streamline Your Stuff
Be the ultimate antihoarder by selling valuable household items that you rarely use. The Belgian waffle maker gifted by your Aunt Suzy last Christmas? Let it go. The vintage roller skates you never got around to using? Say goodbye. If you sell your I-made-one-juice-last-year $300 juicer for $100, you’ll be recycling the product — and cycling some money back into your bank account. You can host a garage sale or offload used things to new owners online.

Buy a Better Bulb
Compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs) use 75 percent less energy and last 10 times longer than standard incandescent lightbulbs. Plus, each CFL can save you about $30 in energy costs over the lifetime of the bulb. Figuring that a CFL bulb will last about 10 years, that’s $3 per year per bulb. By replacing 20 bulbs in your house, you’ll save $60 annually in lighting costs — clearly, a bright idea.

Take Control of Your Thermostat
Your thermostat no longer calls the shots automatically. A one-time investment of $30 will upgrade your old device to a programmable version that will allow you to control when and how intensely your home will be heated or cooled. You can also set the thermostat to turn off when you’re away or asleep, saving around $100 a year in energy costs.

Amy Levin-Epstein is a freelance writer who’s been published in magazines like Glamour, Self and Prevention, on websites like AOL, Babble and Details and in newspapers like The New York Post and the Boston Globe. You can read more of her writing at AmyLevinEpstein.com.

{lang: 'ar'}

How Does It Work? Composting

Posted on by

Blog

How Does It Work? Composting

By Amy Levin-Epstein for Green Goes Simple

I’ve always known my plants could benefit from the fertilizing effects of my family’s cooking scraps, but for me, the idea of composting usually conjured up images of stinky containers bulging with fermenting cucumbers and rotten tomatoes. The process seemed complicated — and intimidating! But instead of continuing to guiltily toss my carrot peels and apple cores in with the rest of the garbage, I asked Deb Martin, co-author of The Complete Compost Gardening Guide, for some tips on using waste wisely.|

How exactly does composting work?
Compost gets made by organisms — from earthworms to bacteria — feeding on organic material and breaking it down.

Why is composting green?
Composting takes the nutrients in parts of food we don’t use and gives them back to the soil, where they can support the growth of more food. Also, it reduces the amount of trash that will never break down in a landfill.

How do I get started?
For outdoor use, you’ll need one part wet waste (like veggie scraps) and two or three parts dry waste (like newspaper), plus air and water. In an area of your lawn or garden, combine the ingredients and dampen them until they’re about as wet as a squeezed-out sponge. Stirring or turning the ingredients circulates air and keeps the process moving, which prevents the “rotten” smell.

How can urbanites compost if they don’t have room for a garden?
For apartment dwellers, there are several options: worm composting bins; under-the-sink units that grind, turn and aerate the materials; and even composting cooperatives.

For more on composting, visit CompostGardening.com.

Amy Levin-Epstein is a freelance writer who’s been published in magazines like Glamour, Self and Prevention, on websites like AOL, Babble and Details and in newspapers like The New York Post and the Boston Globe. You can read more of her writing at AmyLevinEpstein.com.

{lang: 'ar'}

Who am I to Have an “Eco” Blog?

Posted on by

This thought has crossed my mind a few times. See I have the curse. The curse of perfectionism. I don’t do green perfectly, duh right? Well every so often I have this voice in my head that says I am suppose to do it perfectly.  Impossible.

Thankfully I have another a voice in my head(the voice of reason) that says “Hey, small changes do make a difference, keep it up!”  That is what I believe in my heart. I believe that everyone of us can make a difference, everyday. Walking a little bit out of your way to recycle a cup or bringing your bag to the grocery store – these actions make a difference.

So I will keep this blog and I will keep composting, looking for eco-friendly products, bringing my bags when I shop, using my canteen, driving less, unplugging electronics not in use, buying local and organic when possible, and teaching my son to respect and appreciate the earth.

{lang: 'ar'}

Want to convert waste into a usable resource? Compost

Posted on by

We are composting up a storm at my house. We have one of those little ceramic compost jars on our kitchen counter.

American households generate a lot of kitchen and yard waste each year. Instead of bagging it and taking it to the landfill for disposal, why not convert it to a usable resource – compost? In addition to being environmentally friendly, many states have laws banning yard waste from landfills. San Francisco has a law that all food scraps must be composted. I think it’s great and I hope other cities follow.

When we first started composting I was shocked at how much food waste we had then I was annoyed at the smell from the compost bin. Months later we have reduced our waste and the smell is gone(we stopped eating meat and that helped)

If you don’t already compost here’s a place to get started http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/rrr/composting/index.htm

If you can’t afford a compost bin you can use empty milk cartons or other paper based items that have had food in the them.

{lang: 'ar'}