How do you measure progress, is it how much you accomplish, how many things you can change or is it the fact that a seed has been planted and now we tend it as it grows? Probably all of the above. But in my particular case as I strive to live more sustainably, I would have to say that the last one applies to me. I've planted the seeds of what I am learning and I have to take care of them til they take root and grow.
I wanted to let you in on my progress so far. I have to say that recycling has been my biggest success. I am pleased to report that I have almost doubled the amount in my bins. I've learned that a few of the items I use to recycle didn't belong, like those waxy frozen food boxes, medicine bottles and yogurt containers. But I have taken the time to rinse out the glass containers that maple syrup comes in, cooking oil bottles and bring my laundry detergent boxes up from the basement when empty. I've picked gatorade bottles out of my son's wastebasket in his room. I've rinsed cans and bottles and dog food containers and saved old foil and recycled it all. Honestly, there are times I just want to throw something away, especially if it's greasy or hard to clean, but then my conscience starts talking to me and I get with the program. I know I still have work to do, like buying products that come in containers that can be recycled, plus buying things in less packaging. Baby steps.
I've been making some headway in the area of reusing. Last week as I was throwing out some stale bread (if it had been summer I would have put the bread out for the birds, but this time of year all I would attract is possums and raccoons) I started to throw away the bag, then I had a V8 moment. Wow, I could save this bag and use it for my dog's business when we go walking, that way I wouldn't have to get the plastic bags from the supermarket. I'm a little slow sometimes! So now I'm saving those bags to reuse. I also buy these frozen rolls that my son likes and in the past I've always thrown out the aluminum pan they come in along with the plastic bag that covers it. Now, I've been saving the bags for the dog and the pans to use in some of my own baking and when they wear out I can put them in the recycle bin.
Now, what to do about the plastic bags that I put my produce in at the grocery store? I haven't yet found something like a lightweight cotton or mesh bag to use for that. So last week I did put some produce in the plastic bags, but I am proud to say that when I got home, I carefully removed the produce, rinsed out the bags and I will take them with me on my next trip to the store and reuse them as many times as I can, until they fall apart. I have to say that I was kind of proud of myself for figuring that out. Eventually, I hope to have my own reusable bags just for that, but at least I'm reusing!
Now I have to admit my failure.....the dreaded paper towels. I just cannot get a handle on it, they are so easy to grab to wipe up a mess. Oh and the dog with muddy feet everyday, lord help me, I'll grab paper towels before I can even stop myself. And I like to wipe up the kitchen counter with my homemade mixture of water and bleach with a wet paper towel and then toss in the garbage. Whether true or not, I feel like it's more sanitary. I must find an alternative, And I also have to admit....shhhhh....that sometimes I don't even feel guilty when I use them. This is going to be a hard addiction to beat, but I will press on and hopefully have better news in my next progress report....maybe....surely.
So that is my progress so far, and I feel pretty good about it, especially since it's only been one month since I've been trying to be more mindful of my impact on this earth. Well, I've always been aware of what I should do, but now I'm trying to put it into practice. Remember.....recycle and reuse!!
Kathy
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Unexpected Ideas
These ideas are unexpected, for my anyway, and were not what I had planned to blog about today, but sometimes ideas just pop in your head. And sometimes you get an idea by something seen on TV that inspires you.
Yesterday morning as I was drinking my coffee and getting ready to run some errands, I was flipping through the TV stations trying to find something to watch other than infomercials and "whose my babies' daddy" shows and I came upon the local metro council and the sustainability committee. Who knew they had a sustainability committee? Naturally I started listening as I was getting ready, unfortunately I only got to see about 15 minutes of it, but what I heard got me to thinking.
They were talking about "urban heat islands", which translates into "it's always hotter in the city than in the country". After listening to what the council was saying and looking on Wikipedia, it seems this problem has been going on for quite some time. In a nutshell it's how the roads and highways, the sidewalks and the concrete and brick buildings hold onto heat, even in the winter. I'm sure you've heard your local weathercasters say the temps in the county are colder at night than in the city.
Then there are the lack of green spaces in urban areas. A lot of the old trees have been cut down to make room for more buildings or houses. Some trees are damaged by weather or get a disease then are taken down without another one to replace it. We have some wonderful parks, but can that outweigh all the concrete and blacktop that radiate heat. It seems we need the trees and green spaces to help evaporate some of that heat that gets soaked up by all the structures. I know this is a simple explanation for what is probably a complicated issue.
I'm lucky in that I live in an older neighborhood where there are still lots of very large trees. I have a large tree in my yard and my neighbors have several and I can really tell the difference in the summer, the front porch is shady and cool. The backyard gets all the morning and early afternoon sun which will be good for my garden this summer. Sometimes when I go through new neighborhoods I'm always taken aback to see no trees, sometimes not even the small decorative ones put in by the landscaping companies. It kind of makes me a little sad to see such barrenness.
There seem to be lots of cause and effect of an urban heat island, but just one of the solutions seem to be adding more green space. Whether it be planting more trees, roof gardens, building materials that don't hold so much heat and of course controlling auto emissions. So what can I do about any of this, overall maybe not much, but I can take care of my tree, make my greenspace healthier and maybe add more natural and/or native plants to my yard. Maybe we need a modern day Johnny Appleseed to go around planting trees. I just really found this whole subject interesting and food for thought.
My other inspiration came this morning when I was throwing away my prescription bottles, because they cannot be recycled as we have found out. Suddenly I thought that maybe I could use them for something, I'm not sure what yet, but the idea is to reuse. So I carefully picked them out of the garbage (here I go again) washed them and set them to the side. I have to think about this for awhile.
Kathy
Yesterday morning as I was drinking my coffee and getting ready to run some errands, I was flipping through the TV stations trying to find something to watch other than infomercials and "whose my babies' daddy" shows and I came upon the local metro council and the sustainability committee. Who knew they had a sustainability committee? Naturally I started listening as I was getting ready, unfortunately I only got to see about 15 minutes of it, but what I heard got me to thinking.
They were talking about "urban heat islands", which translates into "it's always hotter in the city than in the country". After listening to what the council was saying and looking on Wikipedia, it seems this problem has been going on for quite some time. In a nutshell it's how the roads and highways, the sidewalks and the concrete and brick buildings hold onto heat, even in the winter. I'm sure you've heard your local weathercasters say the temps in the county are colder at night than in the city.
Then there are the lack of green spaces in urban areas. A lot of the old trees have been cut down to make room for more buildings or houses. Some trees are damaged by weather or get a disease then are taken down without another one to replace it. We have some wonderful parks, but can that outweigh all the concrete and blacktop that radiate heat. It seems we need the trees and green spaces to help evaporate some of that heat that gets soaked up by all the structures. I know this is a simple explanation for what is probably a complicated issue.
I'm lucky in that I live in an older neighborhood where there are still lots of very large trees. I have a large tree in my yard and my neighbors have several and I can really tell the difference in the summer, the front porch is shady and cool. The backyard gets all the morning and early afternoon sun which will be good for my garden this summer. Sometimes when I go through new neighborhoods I'm always taken aback to see no trees, sometimes not even the small decorative ones put in by the landscaping companies. It kind of makes me a little sad to see such barrenness.
There seem to be lots of cause and effect of an urban heat island, but just one of the solutions seem to be adding more green space. Whether it be planting more trees, roof gardens, building materials that don't hold so much heat and of course controlling auto emissions. So what can I do about any of this, overall maybe not much, but I can take care of my tree, make my greenspace healthier and maybe add more natural and/or native plants to my yard. Maybe we need a modern day Johnny Appleseed to go around planting trees. I just really found this whole subject interesting and food for thought.
My other inspiration came this morning when I was throwing away my prescription bottles, because they cannot be recycled as we have found out. Suddenly I thought that maybe I could use them for something, I'm not sure what yet, but the idea is to reuse. So I carefully picked them out of the garbage (here I go again) washed them and set them to the side. I have to think about this for awhile.
Kathy
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Good Things Come in "Less" Packages
I don't know if you want to call it a rule, commandment, a suggestion or just plain ol common sense, but part of living a sustainable lifestyle is not only recycling and reusing, it's buying less. It's buying less "stuff" that you don't need (ahem..I'll make an exception for shoes, I'm just sayin') but also buying stuff with less packaging.
For instance, frozen meals. While I've never been a huge fan of frozen dinners, I would buy a few just to have on hand if I needed to grab something quick at the last minute. Besides being heavily processed and full of sodium, I've discovered that the box it comes in is not recyclabe, at least in my area it's not. I was really surprised to know that the waxy boxes that these dinners come in were a no-no in the bin. I've thrown quite a few of them in there over the years.
Apparently the "overpackaging" of food seems to have started a few decades ago. As both parents working in the family became the norm, convenience started becoming more important. Higher living standards meant that more people wanted exotic foods from around the globe which meant more packaging not only to hold the food but allow it to be shipped great distances. Some families were having less children and the prevalance of more singles setting up households meant the they wanted things packaged in smaller portions, therefore more packaging. Of course more people live in urban areas now, so we are further away from our rural source of food and now it takes more packaging to pack and ship to grocery stores. A lot more households have large refrigerators and freezers to hold more convenience foods. I agree that some packaging is necessary, By law you have to have ingredient lists, nutrition information and foods need to be kept sanitary and to maintain freshness. And of course, the prevailing wisdom is that packaged/convenience food is heavily processed and not good for you. But the solution to this is to buy more fresh foods.
One of my goals is to start buying more fresh, local foods. I do like to go the the farmer's market and there is a place in my neighborhood that has opened up a "store" that sells local food throughout the year. I want to start buying more from these places. I can use my cloth and reusable bags and eliminate most packaging.I guess I might feel a little self concious bringing a bunch of plastic bags to my regular supermarket, but I might bite the bullet and give it a try. (gulp) I wish my supermarket had bulk bins then I wouldn't feel as strange about bringing my own containers because I have seen people do that in other stores. I'm not going to say that I won't ever buy any convenience foods or other items with lots of packaging, but this process is small steps and hopefully I will get better at it as I go along.
Kathy
p.s. my struggle with paper towels continues........
For instance, frozen meals. While I've never been a huge fan of frozen dinners, I would buy a few just to have on hand if I needed to grab something quick at the last minute. Besides being heavily processed and full of sodium, I've discovered that the box it comes in is not recyclabe, at least in my area it's not. I was really surprised to know that the waxy boxes that these dinners come in were a no-no in the bin. I've thrown quite a few of them in there over the years.
Apparently the "overpackaging" of food seems to have started a few decades ago. As both parents working in the family became the norm, convenience started becoming more important. Higher living standards meant that more people wanted exotic foods from around the globe which meant more packaging not only to hold the food but allow it to be shipped great distances. Some families were having less children and the prevalance of more singles setting up households meant the they wanted things packaged in smaller portions, therefore more packaging. Of course more people live in urban areas now, so we are further away from our rural source of food and now it takes more packaging to pack and ship to grocery stores. A lot more households have large refrigerators and freezers to hold more convenience foods. I agree that some packaging is necessary, By law you have to have ingredient lists, nutrition information and foods need to be kept sanitary and to maintain freshness. And of course, the prevailing wisdom is that packaged/convenience food is heavily processed and not good for you. But the solution to this is to buy more fresh foods.
One of my goals is to start buying more fresh, local foods. I do like to go the the farmer's market and there is a place in my neighborhood that has opened up a "store" that sells local food throughout the year. I want to start buying more from these places. I can use my cloth and reusable bags and eliminate most packaging.I guess I might feel a little self concious bringing a bunch of plastic bags to my regular supermarket, but I might bite the bullet and give it a try. (gulp) I wish my supermarket had bulk bins then I wouldn't feel as strange about bringing my own containers because I have seen people do that in other stores. I'm not going to say that I won't ever buy any convenience foods or other items with lots of packaging, but this process is small steps and hopefully I will get better at it as I go along.
Kathy
p.s. my struggle with paper towels continues........
Friday, January 18, 2013
Waste Not...Want Not
I swore I wasn't going to do it, I didn't really want to do it, but I have. I've started picking things out of the garbage (mine, not other people's) that can be recycled. When I see a plastic soft drink bottle that my son has thrown in his wastebasket in his room, I'm digging it out, rinsing it and putting it in the bin. I'm use to throwing ad and coupon flyers in the garbage, out of habit, now I go back and pick them out. Before, once it was in the garbage, it stayed there. My conscience has always been very vocal.
I have noticed something that troubles me though. Since I have increased my recycling, the 13 gal. bag in my kitchen trashcan is never full when I take it out every evening and that seems awfully wasteful. But when I think that I should wait several days to take it out, I worry about any food that may be in it. Will it stink, will it draw bugs or *gasp* other creatures?
One way to fix that problem is to compost and I have been thinking about that, especially since I want to start some kind of a small garden this spring. I already have a half barrel in the yard that I had tried to grow tomatoes in a couple of years ago but I don't think the soil was very good. So that is the perfect setup for composting, right? Except that the dirt in it is frozen solid. I tried one day to put some coffee grounds and eggshells in it, but it was a no go, I couldn't turn it over.
I want to start a "container" garden and maybe a small herb garden this spring. My yard is very small so it wouldn't be practical to have a regular garden, plus the dog would have no place to "go". Any composting I do will be on a small level. I thought I would keep an old coffee can in the kitchen and put scraps in it and then every evening take it out to the containers. Hopefully that will take care of a lot of food scraps that would normally go into the garbage, but I'm not sure it will take care of it all. I have never thought about garbage so much in my life.
For the next few days I will have to pay particular attention to what is actually going in the garbage, maybe I'm missing something that can be recycled or used for another purpose. Until the ground warms up there is not much I can do about the food scraps as I have no sophisticated composting system, just a coffee can. But I will figure this out.
Kathy
I have noticed something that troubles me though. Since I have increased my recycling, the 13 gal. bag in my kitchen trashcan is never full when I take it out every evening and that seems awfully wasteful. But when I think that I should wait several days to take it out, I worry about any food that may be in it. Will it stink, will it draw bugs or *gasp* other creatures?
One way to fix that problem is to compost and I have been thinking about that, especially since I want to start some kind of a small garden this spring. I already have a half barrel in the yard that I had tried to grow tomatoes in a couple of years ago but I don't think the soil was very good. So that is the perfect setup for composting, right? Except that the dirt in it is frozen solid. I tried one day to put some coffee grounds and eggshells in it, but it was a no go, I couldn't turn it over.
I want to start a "container" garden and maybe a small herb garden this spring. My yard is very small so it wouldn't be practical to have a regular garden, plus the dog would have no place to "go". Any composting I do will be on a small level. I thought I would keep an old coffee can in the kitchen and put scraps in it and then every evening take it out to the containers. Hopefully that will take care of a lot of food scraps that would normally go into the garbage, but I'm not sure it will take care of it all. I have never thought about garbage so much in my life.
For the next few days I will have to pay particular attention to what is actually going in the garbage, maybe I'm missing something that can be recycled or used for another purpose. Until the ground warms up there is not much I can do about the food scraps as I have no sophisticated composting system, just a coffee can. But I will figure this out.
Kathy
Monday, January 14, 2013
Paper Towels..My Kingdom For Paper Towels
Yes, I admit it, I'm addicted to paper towels. I use them willy nilly for everything from wiping up the kitchen counter, cleaning mud off the dog's feet to using them instead of a plate to eat a sandwich at lunch. They are just so handy to grab off the counter for a quick cleanup. Even though I use dish towels and a dishrag in the kitchen, I still go through two large rolls of paper towels every week. Shocking I know, but I obviously have to change that habit in order to live more sustainably. This is going to be a hard one to change.
At least I've become much more aware of my wastefulness so that now everytime I reach for one, I pause to think if there is an alternative that I can use. I have to admit that it doesn't always stop me, but I have changed some of my habits. It's a slooooooow process, in my case anyway.
I've always used paper towels when I peel and cut up potatoes and other fruits and vegetables, but I've been using my cutting board for that now, although I still start to reach for a towel. I found some old dish towels that I'm going to use to clean the dog's muddy feet. When I do use a paper towel to wipe up a spill, instead of throwing it away, I'm trying to remember to rinse it out and use it again. I've even been known to clean house, wipe off the furniture, clean the floors with paper towels. That definitely needs to change, bucket and mop......here I come.
One thing that I can't quite get a handle on is cleaning up a greasy skillet or pan. I always wipe them out with a paper towel then wash. I thought about wiping them out with a rag, but then it seems like I would waste a lot of water cleaning the grease out of the rag afterwards and then I would worry about grease going down the drain. Any ideas? Anyone?
Reducing waste, buying things with less packaging, and just using less is a big part of a sustainable lifestyle. The steps I've been taking are small. They say that when people want to lose weight, the best thing to do is start with small changes that are easy to stick to and once that change becomes a habit, go on to the next until it is a lifestyle, not a diet. I feel the same way about what I am doing. If I tried to change everything at once I would never be able to do it.
Will I ever be able to give up my paper towels, I don't know. Right now I'm just striving to cut way down, maybe instead of using two large rolls each week, I will only use two rolls a month. Then after that, who knows.
Kathy
At least I've become much more aware of my wastefulness so that now everytime I reach for one, I pause to think if there is an alternative that I can use. I have to admit that it doesn't always stop me, but I have changed some of my habits. It's a slooooooow process, in my case anyway.
I've always used paper towels when I peel and cut up potatoes and other fruits and vegetables, but I've been using my cutting board for that now, although I still start to reach for a towel. I found some old dish towels that I'm going to use to clean the dog's muddy feet. When I do use a paper towel to wipe up a spill, instead of throwing it away, I'm trying to remember to rinse it out and use it again. I've even been known to clean house, wipe off the furniture, clean the floors with paper towels. That definitely needs to change, bucket and mop......here I come.
One thing that I can't quite get a handle on is cleaning up a greasy skillet or pan. I always wipe them out with a paper towel then wash. I thought about wiping them out with a rag, but then it seems like I would waste a lot of water cleaning the grease out of the rag afterwards and then I would worry about grease going down the drain. Any ideas? Anyone?
Reducing waste, buying things with less packaging, and just using less is a big part of a sustainable lifestyle. The steps I've been taking are small. They say that when people want to lose weight, the best thing to do is start with small changes that are easy to stick to and once that change becomes a habit, go on to the next until it is a lifestyle, not a diet. I feel the same way about what I am doing. If I tried to change everything at once I would never be able to do it.
Will I ever be able to give up my paper towels, I don't know. Right now I'm just striving to cut way down, maybe instead of using two large rolls each week, I will only use two rolls a month. Then after that, who knows.
Kathy
Friday, January 11, 2013
Bag Lady
I carry my own bags to the grocery with me. I've got about 5 or 6 that I use when I do my weekly shopping. I try to take one with me if I'm just stopping in to get one or two things, but I don't always think about it, it's a habit I have to learn. I need to put one in my carryall that I take to work with me so that I am ready for those quick stops on the way home from work. How many times do you have to do something before it becomes a habit?
What I really need is some good cotton or canvas bags, I feel like those would be more sustainable. The bags I have are store brand bags, I'm not sure of the material, some poly blend, made in China. I have a couple of small canvas bags and they might be good for a quick stop, but what I need are larger ones for my weekly shopping. I found some fairly inexspensive canvas bags (also made in USA!) at Overstock.com and Amazon.com, in different sizes from small, regular to extra large.
Of course it would be wasteful to just throw out my old bags in favor of new ones. But the bags I have are probably a least 10 years old and a couple of them are starting to wear thin in places and getting a rip here and there. So as these bags wear out I will purchase some replacement canvas bags. Now if I can just get the baggers at the grocery to use them and not only use them, but use them efficiently, instead of putting two items in one and overloading another and then have bags leftover!
Now I'm not going to say that I never get plastic bags, either without thinking or sometimes.......gasp....yes, on purpose. But when I do get them, they are reused for garbage bags in the bathroom wastebasket or, and even more importantly, to use when taking my dog for her daily walk to clean up after her. I have found no other efficient way to clean that up. I guess I could take along a glass container to clean it up, but no, no, no, I'm sorry, but not going to do it!!!
Are plastic bags bad for the environment, definitely, and I'm trying to use as few as possible. Plastic bags can be seen hanging in a tree when it's windy, floating in the gutter after a rain storm and littering parks and other green spaces. I know I'm only one person, but I'm trying to do my part.
Would I like to come home one day to a completely sustainable, environmentally friendly, organic house, maybe. But I think the journey to try to live a sustainable lifestyle is more important. Learning why we need to make changes, make conscious decisions and the reasons behind it are equally important. Slowly making changes will make it a habit that will last. I have to admit that I think about my actions more than I did before.
Kathy
What I really need is some good cotton or canvas bags, I feel like those would be more sustainable. The bags I have are store brand bags, I'm not sure of the material, some poly blend, made in China. I have a couple of small canvas bags and they might be good for a quick stop, but what I need are larger ones for my weekly shopping. I found some fairly inexspensive canvas bags (also made in USA!) at Overstock.com and Amazon.com, in different sizes from small, regular to extra large.
Of course it would be wasteful to just throw out my old bags in favor of new ones. But the bags I have are probably a least 10 years old and a couple of them are starting to wear thin in places and getting a rip here and there. So as these bags wear out I will purchase some replacement canvas bags. Now if I can just get the baggers at the grocery to use them and not only use them, but use them efficiently, instead of putting two items in one and overloading another and then have bags leftover!
Now I'm not going to say that I never get plastic bags, either without thinking or sometimes.......gasp....yes, on purpose. But when I do get them, they are reused for garbage bags in the bathroom wastebasket or, and even more importantly, to use when taking my dog for her daily walk to clean up after her. I have found no other efficient way to clean that up. I guess I could take along a glass container to clean it up, but no, no, no, I'm sorry, but not going to do it!!!
Are plastic bags bad for the environment, definitely, and I'm trying to use as few as possible. Plastic bags can be seen hanging in a tree when it's windy, floating in the gutter after a rain storm and littering parks and other green spaces. I know I'm only one person, but I'm trying to do my part.
Would I like to come home one day to a completely sustainable, environmentally friendly, organic house, maybe. But I think the journey to try to live a sustainable lifestyle is more important. Learning why we need to make changes, make conscious decisions and the reasons behind it are equally important. Slowly making changes will make it a habit that will last. I have to admit that I think about my actions more than I did before.
Kathy
Monday, January 7, 2013
A Broth By Any Other Name.....
Wow, this whole recycling thing is confusing, but I'm starting to get the hang of it.....maybe.....I think. A friend did correct me on bottles, at least here locally. Bottles can be clear, brown, green or blue, remove the lids and rinse out, but you don't have to take off the label anymore. Good news for my wine bottles!
I made potato soup Saturday and bought a couple of cartons of organic chicken broth. I know there has been a question about the possiblility of recycling them. I saw on the lower back of the carton it did say "Recyclable" but...only where facilities exist. It gave a website, recyclecartons.com, where you can check to see if facilities exist in your area. I checked but none exist in my area as of now. So now the question remains, do I keep buying that brand of broth with wasteful packaging, or buy broth in cans which can be recycled, or do I make my own homemade broth and eliminate having any kind of packaging at all?? I like making my own broth, it's fairly easy and tastes a lot better, but man, that packaged stuff is a lot more convenient!
But then again, I haven't seen any organic chicken broth that comes in cans. If anyone has seen any let me know. When I make homemade broth, I only do it with an organic, pastured raised bird, free of hormones, chemicals and has been raised the way God intended, on pasture, eating bugs and some grain, like they are supposed to. Affordability keeps me from buying that kind of chicken all the time, I wish I could, but if I'm going to make broth, that is what I use.
So do I buy a broth that I don't really want in order to be able to recycle the can, buy the organic broth in a box that I can't recycle, but that I feel better about or always spend the extra money and buy the organic bird and make my own broth? Of course, there is always bouillon cubes, but I've never used them and I'm not quite sure it would be the same and I think there may be a lot of sodium in them.
The dilemma here is, for instance, if the store that has organic chicken broth in a can is, oh say, ten miles away, is it more sustainable to drive the ten miles, put more carbon emissions in the air in order to recycle the can. Or, go to my usual store that I can walk to, buy the boxed broth, walk home, get some exercise and have the healthier broth? For me, I will go for the second choice.
I will sacrifice recycling the cans in favor of cartons of broth and making my own. But on the plus side, I have upped my other items that I put in the bin. I never did wash out plastic cooking oil bottles, seemed like a lot of trouble, but I'm doing it, the box that my laundry soap comes in, I'm now recycling. Before, I just threw it in the garbage instead of bringing it up from the basement....my own laziness. So I think I am still doing a lot better than before. I think it's a matter of doing a little more eveyday until it becomes a habit. I do know that my bins are filling up faster than they use to.
Kathy
I made potato soup Saturday and bought a couple of cartons of organic chicken broth. I know there has been a question about the possiblility of recycling them. I saw on the lower back of the carton it did say "Recyclable" but...only where facilities exist. It gave a website, recyclecartons.com, where you can check to see if facilities exist in your area. I checked but none exist in my area as of now. So now the question remains, do I keep buying that brand of broth with wasteful packaging, or buy broth in cans which can be recycled, or do I make my own homemade broth and eliminate having any kind of packaging at all?? I like making my own broth, it's fairly easy and tastes a lot better, but man, that packaged stuff is a lot more convenient!
But then again, I haven't seen any organic chicken broth that comes in cans. If anyone has seen any let me know. When I make homemade broth, I only do it with an organic, pastured raised bird, free of hormones, chemicals and has been raised the way God intended, on pasture, eating bugs and some grain, like they are supposed to. Affordability keeps me from buying that kind of chicken all the time, I wish I could, but if I'm going to make broth, that is what I use.
So do I buy a broth that I don't really want in order to be able to recycle the can, buy the organic broth in a box that I can't recycle, but that I feel better about or always spend the extra money and buy the organic bird and make my own broth? Of course, there is always bouillon cubes, but I've never used them and I'm not quite sure it would be the same and I think there may be a lot of sodium in them.
The dilemma here is, for instance, if the store that has organic chicken broth in a can is, oh say, ten miles away, is it more sustainable to drive the ten miles, put more carbon emissions in the air in order to recycle the can. Or, go to my usual store that I can walk to, buy the boxed broth, walk home, get some exercise and have the healthier broth? For me, I will go for the second choice.
I will sacrifice recycling the cans in favor of cartons of broth and making my own. But on the plus side, I have upped my other items that I put in the bin. I never did wash out plastic cooking oil bottles, seemed like a lot of trouble, but I'm doing it, the box that my laundry soap comes in, I'm now recycling. Before, I just threw it in the garbage instead of bringing it up from the basement....my own laziness. So I think I am still doing a lot better than before. I think it's a matter of doing a little more eveyday until it becomes a habit. I do know that my bins are filling up faster than they use to.
Kathy
Friday, January 4, 2013
My Head Is Spinning
I don't know when the seeds were sown, but when I was growing up there was a commercial about being a litterbug. At the end, there would be a closeup of a Native American with a tear rolling down his cheek. The message being, I presume, how sad he was to see his natural habitat being ruined with litter. I can still see that as plain as day all these years later.
My Mom has told me that, as a child, my pockets would be full of empty candy wrappers, scraps even sticks and leaves. She would always find this when she would check the pockets before doing laundry. She always said that I would never throw anything down. Maybe I was ahead of my time, hmmmm, ya think?
When I first started recycling a number of years ago, my Mom started doing it too, now my 78yr. old mother out recycles me! And she is also very good at reusing things, bags, plastic wear etc. She will even wash plastic forks and spoons we might use for a family cookout, where I am just tempted to throw them out to keep from doing dishes.
I've always recycled the easy things, cans, bottles, orange juice and milk jugs, cardboard containers that cokes and pre-packaged food comes in. But.....I've been known to throw something in the trash if I just don't feel like rinsing it out......call me lazy. Whereas my Mom, will pick things out of her trash can that someone has thrown in that can be recycled. She's making me look bad!
So I downloaded a list of things that can be recycled, and I'm surprised by the amount of things that CAN'T be recycled. I though maybe prescription bottles could be, no. Although my bottle of Extra Strength Tylenol can be thown in the recycling. Box milk cartons covered in that waxy finish, nope. Aluminum foil, yes, yogurt and sour cream tubs, nope. Seems some packaging has other materials in it that can't be or is too expensive to recycle. There is a code on the bottom of a lot of products that lets you know if it can be recycled or not. It will be a number inside of a triangle on the bottle of plastic products. Numbers 1 and 2 are usually accepted, type 4 is sometimes accepted in bag form. Seems type 7, usually not, because other materials are mixed in with the plastic.
Plastic grocery bags can be recyled, but aren't usually picked up with regular recycling, but a lot of grocery stores take them back. They usually have bins to put them in. Seems clear glass bottles are good to go, but colored glass bottles are iffy. Hmm, what will I do with my wine bottles? Juice boxes and other boxed products, soy mile, broth etc. cannont be recyled. It seems the recycling process for those are expensive and only done in very few places.
There's a lot to learn about recycling, put I am still digging into it. It seems that the answer to items that cannot be recyled is to be aware and change things that I buy and use. More on that at a later date.
I have become more aware of what I'm throwing away and I'm recycling more than I was before, but it's a learning process, so I will keep you updated.
Kathy
My Mom has told me that, as a child, my pockets would be full of empty candy wrappers, scraps even sticks and leaves. She would always find this when she would check the pockets before doing laundry. She always said that I would never throw anything down. Maybe I was ahead of my time, hmmmm, ya think?
When I first started recycling a number of years ago, my Mom started doing it too, now my 78yr. old mother out recycles me! And she is also very good at reusing things, bags, plastic wear etc. She will even wash plastic forks and spoons we might use for a family cookout, where I am just tempted to throw them out to keep from doing dishes.
I've always recycled the easy things, cans, bottles, orange juice and milk jugs, cardboard containers that cokes and pre-packaged food comes in. But.....I've been known to throw something in the trash if I just don't feel like rinsing it out......call me lazy. Whereas my Mom, will pick things out of her trash can that someone has thrown in that can be recycled. She's making me look bad!
So I downloaded a list of things that can be recycled, and I'm surprised by the amount of things that CAN'T be recycled. I though maybe prescription bottles could be, no. Although my bottle of Extra Strength Tylenol can be thown in the recycling. Box milk cartons covered in that waxy finish, nope. Aluminum foil, yes, yogurt and sour cream tubs, nope. Seems some packaging has other materials in it that can't be or is too expensive to recycle. There is a code on the bottom of a lot of products that lets you know if it can be recycled or not. It will be a number inside of a triangle on the bottle of plastic products. Numbers 1 and 2 are usually accepted, type 4 is sometimes accepted in bag form. Seems type 7, usually not, because other materials are mixed in with the plastic.
Plastic grocery bags can be recyled, but aren't usually picked up with regular recycling, but a lot of grocery stores take them back. They usually have bins to put them in. Seems clear glass bottles are good to go, but colored glass bottles are iffy. Hmm, what will I do with my wine bottles? Juice boxes and other boxed products, soy mile, broth etc. cannont be recyled. It seems the recycling process for those are expensive and only done in very few places.
There's a lot to learn about recycling, put I am still digging into it. It seems that the answer to items that cannot be recyled is to be aware and change things that I buy and use. More on that at a later date.
I have become more aware of what I'm throwing away and I'm recycling more than I was before, but it's a learning process, so I will keep you updated.
Kathy
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