As Green As You Can Be

The absolute best thing you can do to reduce the amount of garbage you send to the landfill is composting. We have been recycling for years but just started composting last week. When we started the recycling program, it cut our trash volume by two thirds at least! Now that we have a compost bin, our trash collector only picks up very small bag of non recyclable/non compostable items. And it was so easy!

Composting, for me anyway, has always been the “final frontier” in green living. It was always too complicated or too gross to deal with. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Its easy as having a separate, small trashcan with a lid next to your regular trashcan. We put everything organic in there, banana peels, food scraps, paper towels, even coffee grinds and filters. Don’t put meat scraps or dairy items in there, you will invite bugs and or a really bad smell. Neither of these things are welcome in my house so we avoid them.

We used an old “Rubbermaid” storage bin with a tight fitting lid and some holes poked in it. You want some ventilation, but make the holes small enough so that a lot of bugs cant get in there. You don’t want flies in your compost bin, they will lay eggs and nobody wants to deal with maggots. I don’t anyway. We punched a screwdriver through the plastic bin to make the holes.

In my opinion, too much emphasis is placed on the “layering” of the proper composting materials. I think this might even be why some people might be apprehensive about starting. Its really no big deal, if you start with the “proper” layering, it may break down a little faster, but its not a race, and its not anything to stress over either.

That being said, I think its best to keep the correct approximate ratio of different materials in your bin. We compost lawn and tree clippings, food waste and paper towels, you wouldn’t want too much of any one of those things in there because that will really slow things down. It will all break down, but it may take a while.

Chances are, you will have more grass clippings than food waste at any given time, If you are wondering what to do with it, just put a pile of clippings next to your compost bin and put some in every time you put in some food waste.

Some people have a compost pile or a very open container made with pallets or wood. There are a few reasons why we didn’t go that way. The first reason is that we live in a development where the neighbors would certainly have something to say about a pile of rotting waste in the yard. Another reason is the bugs like I mentioned before.

Animals can also be curious about your pile of waste, raccoons are notoriously curious and will make a pretty big mess if given the chance. Open piles also don’t breakdown as fast as a closed bin because they don’t get as hot and when it rains, all the good nutrient rich stuff gets washed away from the top of the pile. Our little compost bin is tucked neatly under our deck no mess, no smell, no worries. I don’t know why we didn’t do this sooner. Now if I could get our town to allow us to stop the trash pickup all together we could save a ton.

The only things that we throw away now are meat and dairy food waste and items that our recycler doesn’t want. That really isnt too much. So I’m feeling even better about our impact on the environment. We can afford a huge solar array or a wind farm (yet) but we can do something, and the feeling you get when you are as green as you can be, makes it all worthwhile.

According to statistics compiled by the United Nations, every American, on average, is responsible for 22 tons of carbon dioxide emissions every YEAR!  In contrast, the world average is 6 tons per person per year.
You can save a ton of energy by working from home! Offices light the common areas, hallways, lots of places that people don’t even need light, all day long everyday.  Do you leave every light on in your house all day long? Of course not, but I bet your office does.  Most offices burn lights 24 hours a day 7 days a week.  Can you imagine the cost of that?!  It’s staggering.  Office buildings are notoriously less efficient than even the least insulated home.  You already have the energy efficient florescent bulbs installed, don’t you?  Replacing 3 bulbs will save you $60 a year and if everyone did it, we could keep a TRILLION pounds of CO2 out of the atmosphere.

Pack a lunch and save the environment. Face it, going out for lunch 5 days a week not only costs you quite a bit of cash but you also pay more frequently at the gas pump.  You may only be paying $5 for that sandwich and a drink, but you may be paying as much for the gas you used driving to and from the fast food joint.  Buying your groceries for the week or two weeks all at once saves gas, wear and tear on your car, and puts your money into your local businesses. In many cases this helps the local farmers, who desperately need our support.  When you are shopping for your groceries think about where they are coming from.  I just read a statistic that New York State produces more apples than its inhabitants can consume every year, but the majority of apples purchased in that state come from Chili or Washington.  Shipping all those apples 3 thousand or 9 thousand miles wastes a huge amount of fuel and this only happens because people don’t think about buying locally.

Eating at home is also better for you anyway.  I won’t pretend to be a nutritionist here but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize a ham & cheese sandwich made at home is better for you than a triple quarter pounder with cheese.  Even if you do order the diet coke.

This summer has really been a scorcher, but my home office is in my basement.  Being underground makes it much cooler because its insulated by the earth.  I suspect underground offices are a common occurrence in today’s homes, so turning back the air-conditioning during the summer work day shouldn’t really be a comfort issue at all, and you can save the environment as well as a bundle of dough!  Its a win win!

Working from home may not workout for everybody but in the upcoming articles I will show you how you may be able to supplement your income from home and possibly work from home full time.