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GARDENING & LIVING GREEN |
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Being green in the kitchen and garden: Start recycling and make a difference! Recycling doesn’t end with cardboard and #1 plastic, you can recycle more than half of your weekly garbage while creating your own nutrient rich, organic compost. It is easy to do and with the right composting bin, you will be amazed at the amount of trash you don’t have! What you will need: 1 composting bin, or access to a friend or community garden’s bin 1 recycled large yogurt container, or any large plastic container that you were planning to recycle-It must have a lid! An organic mix of 50% carbon rich material (brown) and nitrogen rich (green) material-a.k.a. your garbage Voila! You have all you need to reduce the amount of waste that you create! Purchasing a compost bin is well worth the money you spend. Whether you get a bin that cost $50.00 or $500.00 the reduction of your carbon footprint will be well worth any money spent. Why not go in on one with a neighbor or relative? Great things to add to your composting bin: • Any unused vegetables, grains, fruit and scraps from food preparation • Egg shells are excellent for the compost, add the carton too as long as it is not plastic, or Styrofoam • Coffee grounds and tea bags • Shredded paper and newspaper • Woodchips • Twigs, leaves, perennial and grass clippings, dead plants • Add an organic starter to speed up the process, too What you should not put inside of your compost bin: • Meat or dairy products of any kind • Pressure treated wood • Dog or cat waste • Grease or oil • Large branches • Diseased plants • Charcoal ash Make sure that you do not add too many of one item on the list and not enough of another! Aim for that half and half balance of materials. Have some patience, in warm climates you may have compost ready in just two weeks! In cold climates you will have to wait much longer. You want a rich soil like mixture when you are done! Add an inch thick layer to gardens and houseplants, or give it to your friends who garden, your neighbor, school or community garden, or a local farm! |
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| Did you know: • About 61 million tons of food scraps, shredded paper, and yard waste are dumped into U.S. landfills per year! • Organic material does not compost in a land fill because there is not a proper balance of oxygen, carbon, and nitrogen • In an area with no wild animals, a pile in a shady spot of your yard will work just fine. • Your compost will not attract pest or have an odor if done properly • You will be doing everyone a huge favor by reducing the amount of waste that you produce • You can buy a converter for your car or truck to change over to a biodiesel fuel…go to local bars and diners for their grease. Those French fries were never as good for us as they are now! • You can clean almost anything with a mixture of half water and half vinegar? All of those products in plastic bottles are just a gimmick, and they are hazardous to our environment! Just use a spray bottle and get a rag…for mirrors, use newspaper and then toss it into your compost! |
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| Other ways to reduce the amount of waste that you produce: • Invest in 1 to 6 re-usable canvas grocery bags (depending on the size of your family) • Recycle your vegetable bags (the clear plastic ones from the grocery store,) just put them back into the canvas bags after you use the produce! • When getting your coffee beans or ground coffee each week, use the same bag if possible! I have used the same bag for over a year! The beans go from the store to the jar on my counter…so why waste a new bag every time? • Wash Ziploc sandwich and freezer bags, dry inside out and re-use them over and over! • Wrapping celery in tin foil will make it last for over a month….try it, I dare you! • Do not let your automobile idle while you talk on your iphone. Better yet, ride the bus or your skateboard • Take action against unwanted paper mail (email and phone, too!) go to www.reduce.org • Use bulk bins whenever possible. Not only will you save money, but you will not pay for packaging, nor will you throw away packaging! Chances are the bulk bins are organic, too! Store the food in recycled pasta sauce jars, pickle jars, salsa jars…you get the gist! Reduce the amount of packaging you take home from the grocery store! • Buy in bulk. You don’t always have to pay to buy bulk! Research to find stores with bulk items and low prices with no membership fees! WinnCo is the one closest to me! Besides, the Sam Walton family has enough billions! • Can you afford a new car? Invest in a fuel efficient car and save the ozone while you save money on gas! • Fold up plastic wrap, tin foil, or parchment paper and re-use it whenever possible • Use empty juice bottles as your new water bottle! When it gets worn out or gross, move on to your next juice bottle! |
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Get creative and think of more ways to recycle! |
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Email us your tips or new ways to recycle. |
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Trinity St. John |