We've all made New Year's resolutions. Drink less, get skinnier, get out of debt. Half of America practically follows a checklist of obligatory self-improvement goals, which, usually by mid-year, are all for naught.
This year, I'm changing it up a bit. I'm ditching the usual stand-bys and instead I've chosen two things that I'd like to do this year to make my life a little greener. No matter how lofty our eco goals, we all probably overlook some little things we could do better. After a lot of thought, I've chosen to set two goals for myself for 2008:
1. Reduce the number of plastic grocery bags in my life. Yes, I always mean to use canvas totes at the grocery and to tell the cashier to please not double-bag my gallon of milk. (It has it's own handle, why do I need a bag?) but I'm not always forceful enough on that front. I see lovely canvas totes all around, but I manage somehow to talk myself out of getting them because I don't want to spend the money. I'm giving myself a cheapache and as a result I'm up to my eyeballs in plastic bags.
2. Start composting. Indecision got me on this one. I've spent months agonizing over what kind of compost bin I should get : The fancy $200 plus one with the handy crank, a worm bin for vermincomposting, or should I build my own cheap bin and spend the rest of my life turning it with a shovel twice a week? Well, I need to decide quickly, because it's a waste to throw out broccoli stems and banana peels that, with a little love, could become FREE mulch for my vegetable gardens. American households throw away 26 million tons of food a year. Think of all the wasted landfill space. And all the free mulch.
So those are my "little change" goals for 2008. Maybe you can think of one or two little changes you'd like to make?
4 comments:
I took the plunge with canvas grocery bags about 2 months ago. I still don't use them every single time I go to a store, but the difference in the number of plastic bags I have is still amazing. Some clerks will look at you like you're nuts, and others ask you to bag your own groceries since they're too dense to figure out how to load a canvas bag, so be prepared for that! I got mine on ebay; I think I paid $28 for 4 grocery bags and 1 monster shopping bag.
I inherited a very DIY compost bin when I bought my house. I hardly ever remember to turn the pile (maybe a few times a summer) and yet I still get compost in a fairly timely fashion. I've also read that you can just stick a garden fork in the pile and jiggle it so that air gets down into the pile. Now I did naively expect the entire pile to be ready at once, but that doesn't happen. Since I only have one bin, I have to move the un-composted stuff and dig down to the good stuff. I need to make a sieve to make this easier.
Composting is turning out to be a LOT more simple than some books and articles make it sound. And it definitely helps my clay soil. Just thought I'd mention it in case that changes your opinion of the cheap option. ;)
If I were building a bin I'd build two or three bins to make for easier turning and to allow piles to be in different stages.
(I stumbled here from houseblogs btw...)
I second what minhus has said....composting is not hard. Just throw the stuff in a pile somewhere. The lazier you are, the longer it will take to get black gold, but it still keeps the stuff out of the trash.
Etsy has some really cute canvas bags; I bought some as xmas gifts. (Check: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5289362) Look for ones with wide bottoms as they're much easier to pack. I've been using mine for about 2 years now and wouldn't have it any other way. Of course, I usually walk to the grocery store and canvas bags over my shoulder are way easier to transport than 347 plastic baggies.
Good luck with your resolutions!
BTW - I have two "foot-powered" compost mixers. I prefer my haphazard pile as it will eventually break-down. The tumblers don't do anything if I don't pay attention to them.
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