In case you hadn't noticed, I've been less than consistent in my writing lately. I'm distracted. Now, it would be easy to blame my lack of writing on my heirloom plant business start-up. Or the kids' crazy schedules, burning fossil fuels while we run all over town for violin, piano, and horseback riding lessons. Or the stinking cold that I just cannot shake. Or the deep cleaning that I do on a daily basis to ensure a spotless household.
Ha. You know I'm lying if I told you I'd been spending my time cleaning.
Instead, I'm distracted by a mesmerizing tale of history, intrigue, and scandal.
No, I'm not talking about our Governor.
It's Nefertiti. It's consuming. It's deliciously evil. It's historically engaging. It's a lovely escape from bleak winter days.
Yes, I'll admit. I'm a book-a-holic.
Once I'm engrossed in a great read, it's impossible for me to multi-task. I NEED to finish the book. I NEED to find resolution for the characters. Only then can I get back to real life.My reading obsession causes problems in terms of sticking to tasks. I've always been like this, though, since I was little. My mom would take me to the library and leave me there for hours. (This was when it was perfectly safe to do such things. Today, DSS would be knocking at your door, so I don't recommend dropping your five-year-old off at the library alone.) The nice librarian befriended me, letting me stamp the due date on the check-out cards. I read, and read...and read some more...until the librarian finally let me start checking out books from the adult section when I was about six or seven.
It was bliss.
Today, my reading obsession continues. I read when I go to sleep, I forgo sleep so I can read, I read when I should be cleaning the house, I read when I dry my hair, which explains why my hair always looks like crap. Books, magazines, newspapers, online articles...I'll read anything.
Lately, though, reading has become hazardous to my health. Take, for instance, the day my nightstand fell over, with the (very heavy) pile of books and magazines crashing on my toe. Or the time I tripped over the pile of books awaiting storage, when I was trying to avoid falling over the dogs.
Something needs to be done.
The problem is—our entire family is book obsessed. OK, it's not really a problem—unless you're trying to make an effort to become a greener family.
About two years ago, Peter and I bought four lovely, double-doored bookcases. As unorganized as I am about things like laundry—I'm completely OCD about my books. One set of shelves is for Peter's German-language books, one for non-fiction, sorted by genre, alpha by author, a few shelves are devoted to my grandmother's books, and the last two cases store my fiction collection from the past few years. (Again, alpha by author.) Standing in front of the bookshelves is always Zen-like for me—a place that is actually neat and orderly that contains some of my favorite literary memories.
In addition to those shelves, each child has a bookshelf in his or her room, lovingly painted or stained by Daddy. We have a bookshelf in the downstairs hallway for overflow kids books. I have a bookshelf in the office that houses all of my gardening books, and Peter has two bookshelves—also in our home office.
Now, add into the fact that we just recently cleaned out the storage rooms downstairs, where I found boxes and boxes of books from my childhood. Then, the following weekend, while cleaning out my parents' house...I came home with four more boxes of books.
Do you see a theme here?We have no more room for books.
Yet, I continue to buy them. And I can't get rid of them.
As for magazines--it's truly a sickness. Gardening, sailing, current affairs, parenting, organic living, Ranger Rick, American Girl...our mailbox overflows. Our poor maillady.Where once, long ago, I was obsessed with the latest fashion trends, my shopping obsession is now seeds, books, and magazines.
So, in my effort to add a greener hue to our family, what's a girl to do without sacrificing everyone's favorite activity?
I'm not sure.
But remember, this little blog is about baby steps...easy to implement ideas to make a less negative impact on the environment. I know, for instance, that I will not relinquish my Barnes and Noble membership.
Still, there are some steps we can take—and have taken—to get our reading fix without killing more trees.
Realize. Conservatree, a non-profit organization which once was part of the paper industry and now consults with businesses to provide recycled or non-paper sources for products, approximates that 17 trees are cut to produce one ton of paper. Now, granted, there are varying degrees of paper quality, pulp input, thicknesses, etc. But honestly, I just can't cite all of those statistics and formulas to you, because, well...I have a cold, and I think my head will implode if I attempt to explain the math. If you'd like to find information about calculating the number of trees used per various media, visit www.consevatree.org.
Suffice it to say—bestsellers use a lot of paper. Whether it's virgin hardwood, softwoods or recycled paper, the environmental impact of the printing industry is enormous. I know. I used to work in publishing. While recycled paper is a better alternative to deforestation, the energy consumed to produce the end product is high. But so is processing virgin wood into paper.
Reduce. In my young days, the idea of reducing the amount of reading materials available to me would have been unthinkable. Fast-forward a few decades...to the land of Al Gore's Internet (you know I love him, but I just had to say it!), and the feasibility of reducing the stacks of papers and books—and saving some trees along the way--becomes more of a reality.
While I don't think reading a Kindle will ever have the same sensory appeal to me as cracking the spine of a brand new novel, technology's evolution allows for easy access to online news. Magazines. Books. Blogs, celebrity entertainment sites, shopping catalogs. You want to read it or browse it? Google it, and it's yours. Instant gratification.
One of my favorite things to do when I was growing up was to pull out the World Book Encyclopedias. Remember those? I'd pick a letter, start at the beginning, and just read. Today, the Internet serves the purpose of finding quick answers to questions—but does it provide the same ability to browse and stumble upon information that you didn't necessarily NEED to know...but that's good to know? How will today's kids win at Trivial Pursuit if they don't get lost in an encyclopedia?
Does anyone still play Trivial Pursuit?
I swear, the World Book still should be a mainstay in every household. Even though it's not remotely environmentally friendly. Nor very up-to-date.
OK, back on topic. So—what is the Adolf family willing to do to reduce our environmental impact without sacrificing our love of the written word?
Renew the Overdue. I love the library, and it seems like such a simple solution. My children love the library. The library is a haven where anything is possible, where anyone regardless of socio-economic status or education level can learn, read, and grow. Thousands of books, just waiting to inspire...
But right now, we are in serious overdue debt. Why oh why can't I get the books back on time? Yes, I'll admit, to the shame of my sister, who never had an overdue library book in her life—I am terrible at returning books on time. It's not that we can't pay our overdue fees...I'm just mortified, because it happens far too often.
Still—we will get back on track with our library visits. I mean, really—when you can request the latest popular novels through the library's online catalog, reserve them in your PJs, and DRIVE TRHOUGH to pick up the books placed on hold...it's inexcusable not to take full advantage of the library.
Review. And opt out. We cancelled our newspaper.
Honestly, that was not a big sacrifice for me. Our local paper is not The New York Times. It's more like the Hammond Times, my hometown local newspaper that our 11th-grade advanced English composition teacher, Mary Yorke, would hand out during class. We had to take red pens and circle all of the errors in spelling, grammar, and punctuation. So, no—that wasn't too tough to give up.
Or to try to give up.
Although we haven't renewed our subscription, we keep receiving the newspaper EVERY DAY. I've called. It arrives, every morning, mocking my futile attempt to rid our lives of one piece of un-environmental reading material. The irony is—a friend just posted on Facebook about the inability of her paperboy (paper-person?) to deliver her Sunday newspaper.
I can't get ours to stop.
So, I continue to pile it up. The good news about newspaper—I can use it as a weed block in the garden. I lay the thickness of about four sheets of newspaper, wet it, and then put mulch on top. It's an excellent, biodegradable source to smother grass and weeds when you're making a new garden bed—or prettifying an old one.
We've cancelled (all but the most important) magazines.I'm such a hypocrite, though. I love Mother Earth News and will continue to buy it, even though I can access it online. You'd think that would be an obvious choice to cut out of our reading consumption, but no...I just can't. I save them and use them as a resource. Really. Thus the problem with my lack of space on bookshelves.
I know you're rolling your eyes at the irony here.
I did, however, get rid of almost a dozen subscriptions, including my formerly beloved People Magazine. The reality is—I honestly don't know any of the new stars that are about Tyler's age. I think I'm officially above the magazine's age demographic now, although I will always miss the pics of George Clooney. Ah, the sacrifice I'm making for the environment.
But what about the plethora of books?
Recycle. OK, I'm on a cheesy roll right now, with my environmental “Rs”...but with books, I can't throw them away. I also can't stand the thought of recycling just the paper within the book—it seems sacrilegious to tear apart a book.
Still, there are many options to explore for recycling books.
Lend. I'm a lender. I'm like my own little lending library. I always wanted to be a librarian, and this is my chance to play at it. I love to loan books to people, because there's nothing better than sharing a story that I found moving or interesting or crazy—and then getting to talk to the friend about the book. I also feel less wasteful in buying books, because I know I'll eventually share them with someone. Still...it doesn't solve my tree-killing issues.
Swap. A friend recently introduced me to online book exchanges, which I'm going to try out. I've just signed up for paperbackswap.com and bookmooch.com. These sites provide a forum for you to list books you're willing to exchange with other members—for free, only paying postage. In return, you list which books you're looking for. I've heard great things about these online sites, so I'll let you know about my experience. Please—let me know if you've used them!
Donate. Our local library benefits from donated books by holding an annual “Friends of the Library” sale. Not only do your used books support a terrific cause, but you can clean up on some great bargains—and restock your shelves with recycled books. Additionally, many literacy organizations sponsor book sales to support their organizations. Again, a fantastic opportunity to support a great cause and find some good deals as well.
I wonder if there's a way to calculate the carbon offset by donating books to charitable causes? Hmmm...I'm sure someone will think of a way to greenwash it....
If you don't have a local organization who sponsors a book sale, consider donating your used books to schools, used magazines (minus your address label) to doctors' offices waiting rooms, or both to senior centers or assisted living facilities. Additionally, when Kristen was in kindergarten, her teacher was delighted to take five boxes of magazines off my hands to use for class projects. Preschools are another good outlet for used magazines...cut, cut, cut!
Freecycle. Have a bunch of books or magazines that you're ready to part with? Post them on Freecycle.org. If it's free, they will come...and you'll clear some shelf space.
Resell. Want to make a few dollars to help offset your purchasing habits? Look for local used bookstores who will give you credits for the books you give them, allowing you to find new sources of reading pleasure at a discount. Used bookstores are wonderful—you get great books at a fraction of the new price, plus since you're buying used books—you don't need to feel guilty about the amount of trees that met the ax for your book!
E-bay your books, and find used books online. Amazon and Barnes and Noble, two of my favorite online haunts, often show “used” options from third-party vendors. Many of my gardening books, which can often be very expensive new, are through used vendors. The vendors list the price, as well as the condition of the book so that there are no unpleasant surprises upon receipt. Just keep an eye on shipping costs—I've had an instance where I found a book for $1.99—and the shipping was $6.99. Hmmm.
Are you still with me?
It's getting a little long, isn't it?
Ironically enough, Mikey just came and asked me to read a “Jack and Annie” book to him (aka Magic Tree House), and how can I say no? Did I mention that my little pumpkin is now reading as of last week? He read eight beginning reading books to me, and I'm so thrilled.Another reader in the family...
So, I must run and read a bit to my boy. But we're not done with this conversation. Next, I want to figure out how to control the plethora of paper in the house...school papers, bills, clutter, packaging, kids' art projects...it's overwhelming me! I swear, it breeds at night.
But before we begin that topic, I'm curious: do you have a Kindle or other electronic book device? Do you like it? I'd love to hear your opinion...please share!
It’s beginning to feel like fall here in South Carolina. Last night, I covered my newly planted strawberries and lettuces in case we had a freeze. Leaves completely cover our yard...we must have a hundred trees, easily. The jack-o’-lanterns are moldering on the front steps. Don’t you just love when those gorgeous, orange works of art turn black and smooshy? It's not very festive. We so rarely use our front door that I often forget about the pumpkins until they become a very unwelcoming addition to our welcome mat.
I’ve always felt a little blue, tossing the pumpkins in the trash the week after Halloween. Maybe it’s because the kids worked so hard designing their jack-o’-lanterns. Maybe I feel guilty, since it’s wasteful to carve them for Halloween and throw them away a few days later. Maybe my angst is more psychologically driven--tossing the pumpkins signals winter coming--at least, to me. I’m not a happy winter person.
Until recently, I never really worried about throwing the pumpkins in the trash. Honestly, the pumpkins get nasty, the big plastic garbage bag comes out, I hold my breath and roll the disgusting decomposing orbs into the bag, praying that the bag doesn’t break on the way to the trash can.
Think about it, though--why is it OK to throw pumpkins into the trash when yard debris isn’t allowed? In fact, some communities, such as Loveland, Colorado, offer recycling services for pumpkins. My community doesn’t offer standard recycling pick up for newspaper or bottles, so I won’t hold my breath for them to pick up moldy pumpkins.
Still, you can recycle that pumpkin. Compost it.
We’ve been composting for a long time...unofficially. We’d just pile up leaves and grass clippings in the forest, turn it occasionally, and end up with great compost after about a year. Now that we’ve begun our eco-experiment, I’ve become compulsive about composting to reduce our trash output. You know what? Between stepping up our composting and recycling efforts, we are producing only about two 13-gallon bags of trash per week. I’m pretty proud of our reduced trash!
Composting is a fantastic alternative for turning yard and kitchen waste--and even paper--into rich “black gold.” Tiny organisms--bacteria, fungi, and protozoa--break down kitchen and landscape waste into dark, rich, decomposed organic matter. Compost improves soil--add it to clay, it helps break up the heavy soil and enriches it with nutrients. Add compost to sandy soil, and it helps the soil retain water and nutrients. Improving soil is the best way to ensure healthy plants. Take a look at the new garden I’m working on--a potager, aka French Kitchen Garden.
See the soil I’m dealing with? Can’t grow anything in that red clay.Now take a look at what we added:
We’ll be eating well with that rich soil.
I know that not everyone is as obsessive about gardening as I am...but even if you only plant pansies around your mailbox or marigolds in your window box, you can benefit from compost. If you don’t garden at all, you can still compost to reduce the amount of trash you contribute to the landfill--and offer your compost to your gardening neighbors or advertise it on Craigslist or Freecycle. Or send it to me, I always need compost!
I know what you’re thinking: composting is a huge project. It’s expensive, it’s time-consuming, it stinks, we’ll have rats in our yard, the neighbors will complain...I know. I also thought those thoughts.
I was wrong.
Composting is as simple as collecting leaves, grass clippings, and food scraps in an open pile in your yard...or as complex as building a three-bin compost system, with a companion leaf-mold collector. You can invest hundreds of dollars on composters offered by companies that advertise “black gold in as little as two weeks!” www.gardenersupply.com. Or you can pick up pallets free of charge and construct your own rustic composting bin. www.planetsave.com There are even composting systems available for apartment or condo dwellers. www.webecoist.com.
Our composting system evolved, from the open pile hidden in the forest, to a fabulous design of Swiss precision and engineering. When I mentioned to Peter that I wanted an official compost bin, thinking we’d use some spare pallets from our company and slap it together in an hour...little did I imagine the result:
“Slapping together” is not really in Peter’s personality. He gets his perfectionism honestly: many years ago, right after Kristen was born, his parents were visiting. We had just remodeled our unfinished basement, and I mentioned that we needed a handrail for the stairs. I thought--go to Lowe’s, buy a piece of wood, slap some paint on it--voila!
You should see the handrail crafted by my father-in-law...it’s a thing of beauty. I think he painted at least 10 coats of varnish on it.Anyway, those Swiss men don’t do half-assed work. I wanted a compost bin, and by God--I got the premium version.
Your system needs to fit your personality, your needs, and your neighborhood. If you can shake hands with your next door neighbors from your bedroom window, then you might want an enclosed system located near the back of your property to preserve neighborly peace. If you live on a farm or have some acreage, an open pile might be fine for you. If you garden as much as I do, a three-bin system is perfect: one bin contains compost that’s ready for use; the second bin is compost that’s almost done cooking; and the third is the active pile where we deposit our scraps and such.
So, first of all...
What can go into the compost pile?
Leaves, pine needles, grass clipping, flowers and garden plants.
Kitchen scraps--fruit and vegetable peelings or cuttings, crushed eggshells, tea bags, coffee grounds and filters.
Shredded woody yard trimmings, small amounts of sawdust--but add a pound of nitrogen per 100 pounds of sawdust.
Paper towels, shredded newspaper--although I often save my newspaper to layer as a weed barrier under mulch.
Composting no-nos:
Clippings treated with herbicides or pesticides should not be used in a vegetable garden.
Meat, bones and fatty foods--no oils, cheese, or cooking oil. Those will attract critters.
Pet waste or human waste. (Really? Don’t want to grow your tomatoes in Fido’s poop?) Although, if your pet is a herbivore, you can add its waste to the pile--and it enriches the compost.
Weeds that have gone to seed or plants that are diseased. Technically, a compost pile should get hot enough to kill those seeds or insect-infestations...but why risk it? It can be tough managing the temperature accurately enough to eliminate problems.
Green + Brown = Black Gold Ready for biology class? No, me neither. Here’s the basic information that you need to make sure that your compost has the right levels of carbon and nitrogen to ensure those little microorganisms thrive and the scraps break down quickly:
Leaves, straw, and sawdust are high in carbon--”browns”
Grass clippings, manure, and vegetable scraps are higher in nitrogen--”greens”
For the organic materials to decompose easily, the microorganisms that do the work need about 1 part nitrogen for every 30 parts carbon.
If the carbon to nitrogen ratio is too high, it will take a long time for the matter to decompose.
There’s a great chart that shows the average carbon to nitrogen ratio in organic materials, plus extensive information about composting:www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic
How big? Bigger is better...to a point. The larger the surface area, the faster the microorganisms can work to make matter decompose. Chopping or shredding yard waste, such as leaves, helps increase the surface area.
An ideal size for a compost pile is at least 3 feet x 3 feet x 3 feet. Piles smaller than this can’t hold in enough heat for decomposition, and piles larger than 5 cubic feet don’t allow enough air to reach the center of the pile and the microbes. It’s also hard to turn a pile that’s too large...and you’ll need to turn it more often. Stick with a manageable size.
Turn, turn, turn. Turning the pile is essential to supply oxygen to the composting organisms. Without adequate oxygen, you’ll have a smelly pile of material that can be potentially toxic to plants. If your compost pile smells rotten--it might not be getting enough air.
Water, please. Moisture management is also an important element in composting. Too much water and the microorganisms will drown. Too little moisture will result in slow decay, meaning you’ll be waiting a long time for rich soil. You’ll want the compost pile to feel about as moist as a wrung-out sponge, according to the Clemson Extension website. (Which, by the way, is fabulous. You’ll find answers to all sorts of gardening dilemmas.)
Hot enough? The center of the compost pile will heat up as the material decomposes. The interior temperature should range between 90 and 140 degrees. Yes, there are special long-stemmed thermometers to measure the temp. Do I own one? Nope. We've still managed to make great compost without the gadgets.
Is it done yet? Just like any recipe, the final product is the result of its ingredients. Depending on the coarseness of the materials, size of the pile, amount of air and moisture, your compost can be ready in as little as a month--or it might take as along as a year. Honestly, our compost--which is turned minimally and basically left on its own to decompose--is typically ready in about 4-6 months. It’s good stuff...loamy and full of worms. Yum.
Now what? Use compost to amend your soil, top dress lawns, enrich soil around trees and shrubs, or--as we do--create new raised beds. You’ll want to separate any large chunks out of the compost. You can even use the chunky compost to make compost tea--a weak nutrient solution that can be used to fertilize young plants. Put the compost into a cloth bag and allow to soak in a 5 gallon bucket of water for approximately two to three days. The resulting liquid should smell sweet and earthy. If it smells sour or rotten--do not use on plants. Return it to the compost pile.Free, non-petroleum based fertilizer...don't you feel greener already?
Final advice: When you collect your kitchen scraps, you’ll definitely want a container with a lid. You’ll also want to empty it. Often. I, unfortunately, learned the hard way that kitchen scraps, like skin from pears or over-ripe tomatoes, can quickly lead to a nasty fruit fly infestation. Seriously, get a can with a lid. You’ll thank me.
Better yet, keep your container outside if it’s convenient. I have a bowl that I use during food prep to collect scraps, which I immediately dump into the container on our porch. I usually empty the container into the compost pile at least three times per week. Just don't let an open container sit for too long. Fruit flies are a pain to get rid of.
Also, remind your husband/significant other that he/she shouldn't bring the large container into the kitchen after it's been sitting outside with scraps in it to, oh, make it easier to dispose of pumpkin guts. I couldn't figure out why we had a swarm of fruit flies in the kitchen--until someone confessed (after a few glasses of wine) what he did. Argh.
So get ready! Except for the fruit flies debacle, composting is an easy, non-smelly, non-rodent attracting, eco-rific way to reduce your trash output, build fabulous soil, and enrich the environment with your selfless efforts.
Beauty... our family of environmentally-friendly Sigg reusable drink bottles.
Wow...it's been a busy few days. Here’s what I’ve been up to since my last post on Friday:
Sampling cask wine with my wonderful book club girlfriends.
Buying fresh veggies and gorgeous sunflowers at the Hub City Farmer’s Market.
Designing a potager. (pot-ah-zhay; French) A kitchen garden, typically a formal, decorative kitchen garden. We’ve fenced in a section of the backyard so that it’s dog-proof, and I’m trying my hand at a practical but beautiful fall/winter kitchen garden. More on that later this week...
Starting eight varieties of heirloom lettuces.
Sowing seeds for fraises des bois, also known as Alpine Strawberries, a culinary treat.
Shopping in the rain for fall veggie transplants, since my seed growing is behind schedule.
Freezing my butt off after said shopping trip, since I haven’t changed clothes and am soaked.
Checking my Facebook account obsessively, since I’m among the thousands whose accounts have been undergoing “site maintenance” for more than a week. Still no FB as of today.
Polluting the environment with a large styrofoam drink cup.
OK, let’s get the bad news out of the way first so I can clear my conscience.
While I did stick to my resolution to give up Diet Coke cans, I’ve failed miserably in my efforts to forgo my favorite burst of caffeine. Today, being a Monday, felt like a good day to start fresh with my resolution...no more DC. Well, that lasted until 9:30 a.m., when I was between errands and my head felt ready to explode.
So, here it is:Yes, not only did I break down and drive through McDonald’s for a large Diet Coke, I completely screwed up--McD’s large drinks are in--gasp!--styrofoam cups.Now, I need to find a station that recycles #6 styrofoam. Yeesh.
Beast...my inappropriate purchase, a Diet Coke housed in styrofoam.
Oh, but it tastes sooooo good. It’s a sickness, I know.
Obviously, I’m not going to win any “environmental woman of the year” award. It’s amazing how many non-ecological things sneak into your life, and in the oddest places.
As I mentioned, we went to the Farmer’s Market on Saturday. Of course, like the good environmental steward I am, I took my reusable bags. It always bothered me, though, that I put my beautiful, sustainably grown vegetables in plastic produce bags that the vendors provide.
While I was talking with one of my farmer friends, I told him about our family project, and I turned down the plastic bag he offered for our Japanese turnips. He pointedly looked at my sunflowers, which I had just purchased from a wonderful flower farmer, with whom I always spend an extraordinary amount of time chatting. Ummmm...my two bunches of sunflowers were wrapped in--gasp!--plastic flower sleeves. Damn. I’m such a hypocrite.
Here’s the problem: I was trying to keep an eye on Mikey and Kristen, who were a little obsessed with touching all of the gorgeous flowers, and when I looked up--my friend had already wrapped the sunflowers in plastic. I just didn’t have the heart to ask him to unwrap them.
I’m such an eco-wimp.
It’s not the first time I’ve been an eco-wimp. A funny thing happened this spring, when I was selling heirloom veggie plants at the Farmer’s Market. The plants that I sold through my business, Garden Delights, were all sustainably grown from seed, pampered by me, and packaged to minimize the impact on the environment. I sold all of the plants in peat pots. Peat pots are terrific because the plant’s roots aren’t disturbed when you transplant it into the garden--you plant the entire pot, the plant is happy because it’s not shocked during the transplanting process, and the pot breaks down in the soil. No worries about my business contributing plastic flower pots to the landfill. I also found an environmentally-friendly method for customers to carry home their purchases, since most people, thankfully, bought several plants: cardboard drink trays, an easy-to-recycle/compost solution to plastic nursery trays.
The irony is: a very sweet customer visited me every Saturday with a gift--a bundle of plastic grocery bags. Most vendors at the Farmer’s Market purchase these t-shirt bags, as they’re known, for their customers who don’t bring reusable bags. Since I was selling plants in peat pots with recyclable trays...I had no use for the bags. But I never told her. I always thanked her for thinking of me, and took the bags home... where they piled up, waiting for me to take them to the recycling station at Publix.
See? Eco-wimp.
I’m trying to be strong and smart about our purchases without being abrasive. I’m curious, though...what might happen if I took my Sigg bottle into McD’s and purchased a drink--without the cup? How would they charge me for the drink? Would I throw off their cup inventory system, since I would be using my own drink container but my order would show a “large” drink purchase? Can you imagine the havoc I would wreck with the McD’s staff?Hmmm. Might be interesting. Stay tuned to see if eco-wimp turns into Environmental Goddess, Champion of the Earth... Finally, I did promise to share a bit about our cask wine sampling. I bought the Wine Cube, Pinot Grigio, California, purchased at--yes, you remembered--Target. Personally, I thought the wine was pretty good--a little sweet for my taste, but definitely drinkable. According to our book club members--and I asked for honest opinions--they also thought it was good. Of course, I’m not sure how honest these ladies’ reviews were, because they are an awfully nice group. They may have been humoring me, just like I wasn’t very honest with my plastic bag-bearing customer...
So, Peter and I are on the search for another cask to sample. Casks are tricky to find in our area--Publix, Sam’s Club, Target--all have very few choices. We’re going to check out a liquor store later in the hopes of more selections. I’ll let you know what we find.
Ah, my head feels better. Thanks for letting me clear my conscience. I’ll try to behave tomorrow...
Until then, here’s a question for you:What is your favorite eco product?
It’s only been a week since we began our little project, and already I’m learning how much I don’t know.
At Furman’s Parents’ Weekend Saturday, I fell in love.
With a cup.
Apparently, this eco-product snuck onto the market when I wasn’t looking. OK, honestly, how often did I check the green-ness of fountain drink cups? Ummm...never.Except to rant when I got a drink in a styrofoam cup.
Look at this little beauty. She’s perfect. She’s a lovely alternative to the PET cups of yesterday which, while recyclable, were energy hogs.
She’s made from corn. Grown in the United States.
And she’s compostable.
According to the manufacturer’s website, this little lovely is: “...made from PLA plastic derived from corn. PLA [polylactic acid] plastic is a compostable material that when placed in a commercial environment will naturally decompose back to organic elements. Unlike regular cold cups that are made using petroleum, PLA plastic products are made using US grown corn!”
Too good to be true?
In the interest of research, I purchased a fountain drink and brought home my newest eco-find. The company’s website states that the cup is compostable in a “commercial” environment, which is highly monitored and regulated. When I researched the PLA cups further, several sites mention that the cup will compost entirely in 45 days in a commercial composting facility.
But what if I don’t have a commercial composting facility? What if I bury it in our backyard compost pile?
So stay tuned. Today, October 8, 2009...my little lovely cup is getting a new home among the grass clippings and coffee grounds. I’ll let you know how long it takes before she becomes food for my heirloom plants.
(And, yes...that is a bit of Diet Coke in the bottom of the cup.)
