Doing your part during the drought

A good rain hasn’t hit our town since May, and farmers and families alike are feeling the pinch. Area businesses are having serious conversations about whether to use disposable items or continue washing reusable ones.


While it seems like water reduction is a futile thing in a family of four, but these days, every drop counts. And while our efforts seem small, they could make a difference in extending the availability of water in the coming days and weeks.

Some low-cost and low-effort ways to reduce your water use inside your home:

Reuse your water when you can. While it seems strange to save the water from steaming your broccoli or cooking pasta, cooling and reusing it can add nutrients back into your garden’s soil. Lately, given my garden fiasco, I’ve turned to pouring that water – as well as my husband’s leftover coffee – onto my compost pile to keep it moist.

Watch your leaks. Replace washers on dripping faucets and fix that annoying leak in the toilet.

Take shorter showers. I’ve been even plugging my bathtub and using that water for my kids’ baths. Or place a bucket in the shower to catch excess water for watering plants.

Replace your showerhead with a low-flow version.

Turn off the faucet! Don't let the water run while brushing your teeth, washing your face or shaving.

Avoid flushing the toilet unnecessarily. Dispose of tissues, insects, and other similar waste in the trash rather than the toilet.

Fill up that dishwasher or washing machine before you run it.

Compost your kitchen scraps instead of using your sink disposal.

What are you doing to reduce water usage at home?

Having faith in your actions

“If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men.” – St. Francis of Assisi

Sustainable living, living green or any other catchphrase of the week, in part, can be argued a part of living out your faith. After all, what is more appropriate to living your faith than caring for God’s creatures? (Which, in case you forgot, includes us.)

Yet, for as vocal of a person as I am about the little things in life, I’ve always struggled with the idea of pushing my values onto another person. The people who shoved politics or religion down others’ throats – the “my way or no way” types – were the ones I’d avoid the most. So not preaching loudly is (hopefully) what I’ve not practiced this many years.

I do believe actions speak louder than words. For as trite as a saying as that is, it’s true. I can tell you how plastic is choking the fish in the ocean – but I can far easier show you that it’s simple for you to do something about it, that it doesn’t take much time or resources to make a difference in these uneasy times.

Hopefully seeing our very small examples might rub off on you in some small way. After all, our family is living proof that even a one-year-old can grasp the most basic concepts of caring for the earth. Does he understand it all? No. Does he make an impact? I believe so.

I’ll be honest too, that I do hide behind my blog and in real life often have to hold my tongue. I tolerate the husband of a friend who truly thinks being green is a conspiracy. We simply agree to disagree. And there’s too little time in the world to nag a person for sending their kids out with a disposable milk container or single-serving bag of pretzels. Instead of worrying about the little details in life, I focus on the ways we can make small changes to make the biggest difference. That mostly ends up in slight tweaks in our lifestyle, rather than a overwhelming “event” that impacts our extended family.

Which leaves me once again with the words of St. Francis: "Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible."

This post is part of the APLS October Carnival on "Proselytizing Green,” hosted this month at Greenhab. Check out the carnival posting on Oct. 19. Want to participate? E-mail greenhabgoods {at} gmail {dot} com.

One less gift card in the landfill

I love gift cards for their ease of use - particularly when it comes to running to the gas station. I also love it because I'm able to buy them at church and support our youth programs while buying things I know I need to buy.

The reality of this arrangement is that most of the cards come in $20 or so denominations. Fine if you're buying a gift, not so fine if you're buying groceries or a tank of gas. So I struggle with balancing my desire to help others out on my limited budget versus generating more plastic junk out there.

Who knew I can recycle them? I just learned on No Plastic for a Year that gift card recycling is available. I'm very excited. Read on...

One month down...

It's hard to believe we're already a week into February. Time flies when you're sleep-deprived!

So how am I doing on my resolutions for 2009? Here's my confessional:

Curb my passion for paper: D. Um, well, to be honest, a 38-or so page site map project at work, and all of its requisite revisions and approvals, isn't helping my problem. (Unfortunately my office hasn't caught on to the fact you can set PDFs for comments.) To tell the truth, I spent two hours on a Saturday sorting and recycling and filing in my office to no avail. But you now have a less trecherous path to my dusty Mac, if needed.

Grow a little more: A. We're working on plans for this year's garden, and my lovely husband is already trying to figure out where to put in raised beds. (We're not allowed to have just a garden plot in our subdivision!) We've got the order ready to place as soon as the details are worked out, and I'm trying to figure out how to fix my pH in my yard so I can grow blueberries for my other two required bushes. (Hint: Contact your extension office if you're stumped about growing, too!)

Give greener: B. My one gift-giving occasion involved maybe not the greenest gift, but I get points for a second life for gift wrap and a homemade card.

Plan my menus: C. I've tried, we just hadn't stuck to it the last two weeks due to other distractions in life.

Spend wiser: B. I've had a few oops'es, including a sanity lunch that I probably shouldn't have splurged on but did. And the Diet Coke thing isn't budging yet. But overall, I'm buying fewer things that we don't need in the pantry.

How are you doing on your resolutions?

Ten steps on the path to being green

Low Impact Man recently asked readers what their recommended first steps for going green were. Here are 10 great ideas from reader comments to get you going:

1. Read. Find something that sparks your passion. Beth Terry writes: “I'd give him/her the article "Plastic Ocean". That was my way in, the piece that broke my heart and made me realize I had to do something.” Brandon Watkins recommends another site: The Story of Stuff.
2. Explore your passions. Writes Jenn: “If you're a foodie, start with good food and using less. If you love to bike, work that into your routine. If you're already a bit wiggy about water use, then explore all those options first. It's much easier to start on a change if you're already inspired.”
3. Take small first steps. Switching to CFL bulbs, buying reusable bags and limiting your paper towel use are three examples of quick wins.
4. Be mindful of how you spend. Saving a few dollars or cents may not be worth any long-term damage. I was reminded of that very thing a few weeks ago when I mentioned I’d swapped aluminum cans for plastic cups of Diet Coke to save some cash. Adds Hanna: “Buy less things. Don´t buy on impulse. Ask yourself if the thing your [sic] buying is something that you REALLY need. If something you own works don´t buy a new one.”
5. Go local. Frequent the local farmers market. Writes Brandon Watkins: “I feel like there's something genuinely mind-altering about knowing where your food comes from, meeting the people that grow it, and getting a reminder every time you make a meal about your impact on the world and your own effort to be ‘green.’ …It forces you to think and build localization into your mindset.”
6. Go even more local – grow in your own backyard. Onions, lettuce, tomatoes and herbs are simple things that can even be planted on a balcony container. “Getting in touch with your own food by getting your fingers dirty is the quickest way to change your thought patterns about other green issues,” Gavin writes. “A little bit of action to feed yourself goes a long way in the change to a more sustainable lifestyle and to help solve one of our planetary issues.”
7. Put off plastic packaging. Avoid plastic bags and non-recyclable containers. Look at what items you purchase that can be not packaged in plastic (i.e. buy in bulk, visit the local market or don’t rewrap produce in another layer of plastic.)
8. Change your transportation. Look into bicycling, walking, carpooling or anything that doesn’t demand one person, one motorized vehicle.
9. Make changes at home. Shorten your shower; unplug electrical items when not in use. Limit your dryer use. Turn down the water heater.
10. Recycle what you can. You might not have the luxury of curbside recycling for everything, but look at what you can do. At my home, we recycle #1 and #2 plastic and cans at home; drive the office paper, junk mail and newspaper to a freestanding drop off on the way from daycare and leave the plastic bags in the drop-off contained in Kroger. It is not always convenient, but it works for now.

One last thought: A comment by arduous: “Being mindful of how your actions affect others. Everything else stems from mindfulness.”

Bagging the plastic habit

I pledged to bag the plastic bag habit for July. In truth, it's a lot harder than it looks.

One week into my experiment, I've still acquired four shopping bags and rescued a newspaper bag from work (thinking it's just right for dirty diapers on the run).

Lack of planning was the culprit in each instance. I'd run into the store thinking I'd just grab one thing and come out with several cloaked in plastic.

The latest time was the result of great intentions. I darted into Goodwill after work, hoping to pick up a serving dish or two that I could carry meals to a flood victim at our church later this week. It was that or buy disposable, and I reasoned that if the couple couldn't use these temporarily, the clients at their homeless organization might.

So I saved some dishes but at the price of bags. But at least Goodwill does #2 recyclable.

I do realize that my small effort has paid off somewhat in our cleaning closet, which typically showers us with a sea of yellow, white, brown and purple bags.

Still, I have plenty to reuse or recycle. If you're like me, here are just a few things you can do with your shopping bag supply:

• Use it as packing material. There's a wierd satisfaction in shipping them off to be my mother-in-law's problem!
• Use it for diaper (or dog waste) disposal. Far better than those wastes of space and bags, the Diaper Genies. We even reuse or bread and newspaper bags for this.
• Take your lunch. It's not exciting, but who cares?
• Use it for a trash bag in your vehicle.
• Line your trash can. I haven't bought a can liner for my bathroom trash can in years. Sure, it's not scented like flowers. I can deal with that.
• Hang it on the door knob of a room for a fast place to store your recyclables as you clean up.
• Leave a few in the back of your car for those unexpected filthy shoes or clothes that inevitably happen with your children (no matter how old they are).
• Bring them back to the store - whether to house a return or to reuse again.
• For the good planner, save them up and return them to the store for recycling. Locally, our Kroger and Wal-mart are now accepting plastic bags and packaging.

Possibly the coolest green bag ever

Reusable shopping bags are everywhere these days. It seems like every store is trying to make a buck with bags with their branding on it.

Generally, I try to avoid paying for other people's advertising, but I have really become interested in using reusable grocery bags as part of my daily living.

I recently found my exception to the rule. Trader Joe's offers fun surfer-themed reusable grocery bags that I just had to snatch up! And for only $1.

The only downside is that these bags take more space than the cloth ones I've found at the local grocery stores, and they don't compact as well. But they are fun and eye-catching, and remembering they're there is the first step to using them and eliminating just a few plastic bags.

Beating bad habits, revisited

I have a problem. A big problem. And it comes in 44-oz. containers.

Diet Coke is my problem. I get that. I realize that. But I am trying to take steps to someday recover from my craziness. I liken it to a smoker in a bar - it's one part habit, one part pure addiction to caffeine.

I made the mistake of trying to make big cutbacks last month. The idea was that I'd cut back on my cans from my four-a-day habit. It didn't go so well. In fact, two, count them, two days I was able to only drink three. In fact, several days, my consumption just was worse than ever.

The other day, Chile asked if others were up for this again. I think I am. I'm still unsure how to make that change and cut back, but I'm determined to do something. So here's my three-step plan for small changes for the month of July, for those of you who have stopped laughing uncontrollably at the idea of me cutting out sodas:

1. I will keep a large glass for water in the office and try to keep that filled.
2. Much like I piggyback errands, I am going to make a list of tasks I need to do on the computer as to avoid the constant turning on and off of it all day.
3. I plan to seriously watch my plastic bag intake. I have reusable bags, but occasionally I forget to have them on hand. So I'm going to have to duct tape them to myself or something! Apparently storing them behind the car seat just isn't quite clear enough for me.

Green birthdays in a pink-and-purple world

"My pink birthday." "My purple birthday." Turning the big 3 has been the talk of the house for the last few weeks. OK, months.

Birthdays and Christmas has always conjured up images of piles of plastic packaging, wrapping paper, tissue, bows and about 4,000 wires to tie every possible moving component in place. As my baby becomes much less so, I fear that's a trend that just won't quit any time soon.

Take my friend's son's birthday last weekend, where no less than 15 neighbor children crowded the place with presents galore. (The interesting thing was he was far more interested in the interactive stuff or even a book on submarines than the action-hero equipment that would likely break within days.)

Our own gift-giving for our child has been obscenely practical - this week, she'll receive PJs and shirts from us, chapstick (a huge deal for preschoolers!) and ponytail holders from the baby, with the "big gift" being an apron and chef hat for my budding cook. It's been hard convincing others that my child doesn't know what she wants for gifts - she doesn't know she has that choice! - and that she isn't big on any cartoon or other marketing character. It's not like we visit the toy aisle at Target, or watch Saturday morning cartoons. Yes she knows Elmo, Dora and High School Musical (thanks, Aunt Stacy), but she doesn't have to have them in her eyes yet.

My sitter: What would she like for her birthday? Does she like Dora?

Me: Well, I guess she likes it, but she hasn't really asked for anything.

Sitter: (Confused expression.)

Me: Honestly, she likes my scrapbooking stuff to play art with. Or cooking.

Sitter: Oh, does she like toy dishes to pretend?

Me: No, she likes the real thing.

Sitter: (Silence).

Me: She always likes to cook with me, and she also likes playing with her "baby 'matoes" in the garden too.

Sitter: (Pauses.) Well, maybe I'll get her some Crayola stuff.

Excellent!! In fact, nothing would please her more than things that tap into her creativity, particularly if it will divert her from trying to experiment with the ink-stamps-on-carpet look again.

My in-laws, however, were determined that she needed a little toy kitchen. Aside of the huge amount of space that one of those things take, I was a little concerned. After all, kids' interests change so quickly. Not to mention, where do little plastic toy kitchens go once they're outgrown? They have to go somewhere. As they sent us the money, we ended up going to a used kids' store, where we found the ultimate kitchen in her eyes. ("Mommy, let's take this home," she uttered breathlessly as we saw the kitchen from the store's doorway.) One kitchen saved from the landfill, and we had enough left over to buy some dishes - real ones and pretend - and she's been slaving away at such culinary creations as strawberry soup, salads and cupcakes all weekend since.

It's one little - or in this case - large thing I can do to foster my child's imagination and still make a small difference toward the massive amounts of junk we create each day. So maybe my daughter's "pink birthday" isn't the greenest in the sense we won't have spudware or recyclable plates. But by thinking creatively in our gift giving (and reusing those gift bags and tissue papers just one more time) we're taking one small step.

Finding hopes among frustration

Graced with challenges. It's a hard notion to cope with, that a frustration, large or small, might play out for a greater good.

It's a notion though that I'm watching time and time again play over as I watch the victims of the recent floodings in our county.

"Sometimes God's blessings are hard to see. This was certainly true as many of us were watching the waters come through our homes," noted the founders of a local organization devoted to getting the homeless on their feet. The couple themselves lost everything in the floods.

But, they wrote in this week's church bulletin, they can see the blessings in it: "We did not need the stuff we had anyway, and we thank God for making it easy to throw it away."

The couple's amazing attitude is a strong lesson for myself, as we are ending month two of being an unexpected single-income family. With this, I'm forcing myself to take serious stock of what we own, what we need and how we spend the resources we have. I've become a more creative cook, cleaned out my freezer, squelched my desire to stock up on handmade candles or soaps at the farmers market (and admittedly, am still using the ones in the freezer from last summer). Free time has been reassessed. Netflix is gone; instead, we go to the library or, heaven forbid, play outside. Making positive changes in our lives, however small, makes a larger impact on our children's developing attitudes towards "stuff," and hopefully, how we take care of the world around us.

A time of crisis, large or small, is an opportunity presented to take stock of your lives, whether spiritual, emotional or even environmental. It's a chance to see the waste we create and see how they might more positively impact those around us.

• The clothes, still in great condition, that you never wear? Send it on to someone you need.
• The baby items you've hung onto "just in case" or for sentimental reasons? Find it a loving home.
• The extra furniture that just clutters up your room? It would make a happy home for a family re-establishing itself after losing everything in the floods.
• That morning Starbucks, added up over a week, could be $20 that is needed at a local food pantry.

This week, I encourage you to find a little more gratitude toward the gifts we have, great and small, and look to find ways to stretch our resources to help those in need. When headlines such as the American Red Cross, which responds to disasters in this country, is going broke, we all need to reassess how we might use our resources for the greater good.

What's your office's environmental impact?

The joke around my office is that I keep things out of the landfill. It's not because of my oft-used blue paper recycling can; it's because of the stacks of documentation and project files I'm cursed with.

Even with a "Web" job, which one would assume is paperless, there are significant paper trails that do develop. System documentation. Printouts of approvals from "problem" clients. Publications that you struggle to keep up with. Memos. Hard copies from proofing from when I can't stand staring at the screen any longer. And more.

The reality is, in a lawsuit-crazy society, and particularly in the industry I work in, we have a major paper trail. And I'm stuck in it, particularly when projects can drag on for months or even years. Even though most of my "trail" is electronic, housed on my personal folder on our file server, there's still a lot of waste.

Paper can't just be recycled; it must be shredded due to privacy regulations. Who knows where it goes. The papers that are "safe" and don't have to be filed (i.e. drafts that I've edited) or shredded come home for a second life as a Sesame Street or Pigglywinks coloring page before they move on for recycling.

For a company that prides itself on community stewardship, recycling has not yet become a serious part of the equation. There are no boxes for can or plastic bottle recycling at the cafeterias or vending machines. Our can container's contents have on occasion found their way to the garbage bin. Our newspapers and magazines, left in the break room, find their way to the trash can. I sheepishly pack any empty plastic bottles into my lunch bag to take them home. And my coworkers were floored when I suggested that I'd take the cardboard boxes to get recycled rather than pitch them in our most recent storage room cleanup.

Thankfully, my employer is working on developing a recycling program, and I can't wait to see the rollout. But it's an interesting contrast when I read today's post on Crunchy Chicken's blog. At her employer, they go so far as to have a worm composting system and, now, food waste compost pick-up at work. Each kitchen will get its own compost container along with posted rules about what items are acceptable for composting. And a Massachusetts public library utilizes rain collection barrels.

What does it mean for us?

Maybe nothing. It may well be that those of us who are committed to small changes keep making those small changes and accept that as enough. (I for one, know worm composting would never happen when we have to worry about the state health department.)

Or, it may be that those of us wanting to reduce our carbon footprints demand more from our employers.

According to the UK's Labour Outlook, published last summer:

• Seventy per cent of organisations say that they could do more to encourage
  employees to reduce their travel.
• Ninety-one per cent of organisations encourage recycling, while 83% promote
  the case for reducing energy consumption.
• Employees actively use the recycling facilities while at work at around
  two-thirds of organisations. This compares to 59% of organisations who say that
  their employees are energy-conscious.
• Thirty-nine per cent of organisations believe that an environment policy is
  an important recruitment and retention tool for younger workers.

In the States, other surveys are finding that employees are demanding a more environmentally friendly workplace. According to the Christian Science Monitor (as cited by the Vancouver Green Business Journal):

In a new survey by Randstad and Harris Interactive, 87 percent of employees say
it is at least “somewhat important” that their employers offer “green-friendly”
programs at work.

...Whatever approach companies take, three factors motivate them, says Madeline Turnock, vice president of Hill & Knowlton, a public-relations consultancy in Portland, Ore. The first involves altruism; employers know their efforts are good for the environment. Second, they realize that going green makes good business sense. Energy-efficient practices lower costs. Third, they find that green policies help them recruit and retain talent. “People want to work for companies that have strong values and care about sustainability,” Ms. Turnock says.

What can you do today?

So maybe your workplace isn't the greenest, and perhaps it will take a committee or more to move that mountain. That doesn't mean all hope is lost. Take a look at the little behaviors that can reduce your organization's environmental impact.

For starters:

• Turn off your monitor or computer when you are out for extended periods of time. I am very guilty of neglecting to turn off the monitor myself, but it uses energy even if it's not projecting anything.
• Likewise, turn off your office lights when you leave.
• When possible, recycle your newspapers, printer paper, soda containers and anything else, even if it means taking it yourself to the recycler. (Maybe it's worth turning in mileage for that?)
• Skip the plastic silverware and paper plates in the breakroom and bring your own reusable ones.
• Likewise, carry your own coffee cup and spoon to avoid styrofoam cups and stir sticks.
• Make sure you're signed up for direct deposit.
• Sign up for a carpool or look into public transportation to work.
• Look into conference calls or video conferencing rather than adding to travel expenses.

Are there other ideas you've seen or tried in the workplace?

Turn off your $@%# car

Gasoline prices are jumping 30 cents today to $4.21 a gallon, and people are jumping too.

My co-worker came in with the news - she's signed up for a text message update on gas prices - and, being currently in a single-income household, I went to go fill up my tank.

I did find a station relatively close to my office that was still under $4 a gallon. The problem is that everyone else seized the same opportunity to get out of the office. Lines were starting to snake around the building, and cars scooted back and forth as people jockeyed for the "next" pump.

Here's the irony: In racing to get a relatively cheaper gas price, you're wasting gas money.
Turn off your $@%# car! Idling engines waste more gas than turning them off and back on again. If that's not reason enough, you release less fumes into the air - particularly important in the summer months, when we struggle with Ozone Action Days in our city. And, it's always worse on the air quality to fill your gas tanks up in mid-day, when temperatures are higher.

So here's my plea: Exhibit a little patience today, or any day you see the gas prices rise. Turn off your engine and wait a minute. And hold off on using drive-throughs and other gasoline wasters. A little common sense can make a big difference.

Fix your morning coffee fix

It's amazing how much our seemingly little habits add up over time. My brother estimated the other day that by packing a lunch each day, he'd save $1,500 a year between eating out and the gas costs associated with getting there.

But, as I mention regularly on this blog, you can take even smaller steps that can add up to making a big difference.

Take your coffee habit. Now, I'm not asking anyone to give up their daily fix - just rethink it a little (as much as you can first thing during the day.)

Rather than use those little stir sticks, grab a spoon from your kitchen drawer and stash it at your office. By getting rid of one stir stick a day, you'd save roughly a pound of plastic with little effort. And, if we all trashed our habit of those little plastic stir sticks, we would save 69 million pounds of plastic each year, according to CNET.com.

Cutting out consumption

About a week or so back Chile Chews posted a challenge to reduce your consumption of something you're addicted to.

Apparently, in a moment of weakness (though I can't find the actual comment), I admitted I should give up my addiction to Diet Coke.

Addiction is such a strong word. "Way of life" is much better.

The joke in college was how much I consumed. Six glasses with a meal in the cafeteria (hey, Kansas heat is brutal). A 2-liter would accompany me when I worked overnight doing security in the dorms.

Today, with two little ones and a full-time job, Diet Coke jump-starts my day. And while my well-meaning friend Kari will send me the occasional e-mail on how it will rot my bones, I honestly need the caffeine. Particularly now that we're teething.

Yet I'm on Chile's roll call being publicly called out to cut it out. And I wonder if I can cut it.

I write this with my 79-cent 44-oz. drink from Speedway at my side. It's my only Diet Coke of the day, and it is half and half, with a lot of ice. I do try to limit my caffeine intake to the safe levels for pregnancy (since there are no guidelines for breastfeeding).

There are a number of benefits to reducing or eliminating my consumption of Diet Coke. You can go through all the environmental factors: transportation, production, paper from print advertising and labels, plastic or aluminum containers, you name it. And I'm sure on some level we'd benefit too: less out of pocket expenses ($5 a week adds up), better sleep, a better appreciation of other, healthier beverages (water anyone?). But giving up something that's one part habit and one part physical addiction is a challenge, to say the least.

Any suggestions?

PS: I'm putting out a public challenge to my mother to do the same. Don't worry, it's Diet Coke, not scrapbooking supplies!

Green on the cheap: Baking soda’s benefits

What if I told you about a natural cleaner that you could buy in bulk for about $6? That you wouldn’t have to worry if your children got into it, and even better, that it actually worked?I have one for you: Baking soda.

These days, baking soda is considered for little more than cooking. But it’s a cheap and effective – and green – way to get many of your cleaning tasks done without buying another bottle of green cleaning products.

Turns out, baking soda (with a little white vinegar) is the only thing that’s making a difference with my hard water stains in the bathroom. My child loves to help me “clean” with it, and it’s actually making a difference in the shower.

Here are other cleaning tasks that you can tackle with baking soda:

• Unclogging drains
• Removing strange smells from your fridge
• Preventing odors in the litter box or trash can
• Removing stubborn stains from coffee cups
• Removing tarnish from your silver
• Brushing your teeth

Want to know more? Here are a few links to get started:

• 27 Ways to Clean with Baking Soda
• Many uses of baking soda
• Wikipedia – sodium bicarbonate