Month: March 2015

Zero Waste, Is it Possible?

Bulk purchasing exactly the amount needed for zerowaste
Bulk purchasing exactly the amount needed for zero waste

I have just spent the morning in a seminar learning about the new organic compost program in Minneapolis. With an obsession for reducing trash I work on this daily, but just can’t see how to get to zero waste. We purchase in bulk using compostable paper bags, and refill every bottle with items that are available.
One woman, Bea Johnson, has been able to accomplish zero waste. What is the most amazing of all, she and her husband have two sons!

Here are Bea Johnson’s 10 easy steps to zero waste living:

Some co-ops have fabulous selections of soaps and lotions for bottle refills.
Some co-ops have fabulous selections of soaps and lotions for bottle refills.

Refuse

  1. Fight junk mail. It’s not just a waste of resources, but also of time. Register to receive less at org,optoutprescreen.org and catalogchoice.org.
  2. Turn down freebies from conferences, fairs and parties. Every time you take one, you create a demand to make more. Do you really need another “free” pen?

Reduce

  1. Declutter your home, and donate to your local thrift shop. You’ll lighten your load and make precious resources available to those looking to buy secondhand.
  2. Reduce your shopping trips and keep a shopping list. The less you bring home, the less waste you’ll have to deal with.

Reuse

  1. Swap disposables for reusables (start using handkerchiefs, refillable bottles, shopping totes, cloth napkins, rags, etc.). You might find that you don’t miss your paper towels, but rather enjoy the savings
  2. Avoid grocery shopping waste: Bring reusable totes, cloth bags (for bulk aisles), and jars (for wet items like cheese and deli foods) to the store and farmers market.

Recycle

  1. Know your city’s recycling policies and locations—but think of recycling as a last resort. Have you refused, reduced or reused first? Question the need and life-cycle of your purchases. Shopping is voting.
  2. Buy primarily in bulk or secondhand, but if you must buy new, choose glass, metal or cardboard.Avoid plastic: Much of it gets shipped across the world for recycling and often ends up in the landfill (or worse yet, the ocean).

Rot

  1. Find a compost system that works for your home and get to know what it will digest (dryer lint, hair, and nails are all compostable).
  • Turn your home kitchen trash can into one large compost receptacle. The bigger the compost receptacle, the more likely you’ll be to use it freely.

http://ecowatch.com/2015/03/10/bea-johnsoon-zero-waste-guru/

What do you do to reduce your waste?

It’s the Only Water We Will Ever Have!

Do we take our drinkable water for granted?
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wpid-wp-1416885608659.jpegThe water we have here on earth is the ONLY water we will ever have! Our water moves through the incredible water cycle by evaporating, and then returning to earth in some form of precipitation. We reuse, reuse and reuse the same water. I have gratitude that, my state, Minnesota is a water rich state.  Unfortunately, even in proud Minnesota we don’t take care of our water.

Seelink: http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/295353031.html    Streams and lakes in southwest Minnesota unsafe for fish and swimming

If this is the only water we will ever have on earth, shouldn’t we treat it better?  What we do on the land affects what happens in our water. Rain through polluted air brings those chemicals into our water bodies. Rain washes chemicals off our houses, lawns, sidewalks and fields into our rivers and lakes. Micro-beads and triclosan from our cosmetics and cleaning products wash into our waters. Litter from landscapes and streets and highways can find it’s way into our streams, lakes and oceans. Our water does have some ability to clean itself, but with the amounts of pollutants we put into it, it has become impossible! It is very expensive to clean polluted water and impossible to remove plastics and Styrofoam. What can we all do to ensure clean water?  If we all work together we can make a difference.

Easy ways to protect our water:

* Never litter,  pick up litter, and all waste from your dogs.

* Never put salt on your sidewalks

* Don’t put chemicals on your yard or plants.  Reduce the size of your lawn with a few easy to raise native plants.

* Never use Styrofoam and recycle all plastic, paper, cans and glass.

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Do Not Use the Chemical Triclosan

What Products Contain Microbeads?

Our Living Beautiful Oceans

 

The Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea

I love lakes, I love rivers and I love the ocean.  This blog from the point of the view of the sea and tide shows a deep appreciation of the ocean and made me happy. It is so real.   I worry about the way we are taking care of our all water bodies, and feel hope when others think about how important and unique our oceans are to all of us.  I think you will like it also:

https://smallthingsmakeabigchange.wordpress.com/2015/03/12/sea-and-a-tide/

 

My Toast to Women

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In celebration of International Women’s Day, I make a toast to some of the women I think are our best role models. Angela Merkel, Elizabeth Warren, Arianna Huffington, Michelle Obama, Gwen Ifill and Judy Woodruff rank among my top choices.  They educate and care about how the world functions. They know that we all must to work together to find the best solutions possible.

Let’s look beyond ideology, power and money. Look to the women of the world for ideas, and new solutions for our world’s problems.

When girls are educated, their future children are healthier and better nourished” —President Obama:

18290_846385088761470_657816334823573546_nWho would you add to my list, and why?479715_844852902248022_9171346449218983255_n