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Getting less plastic bags. They don't go to waste in my house, I do eventually use them, but I need to stop getting so many and lead by example or something.
Osito--
I reuse the plastic bags as garbage baggies after I get them from the grocery store (if they haven't sprung a hole). But I don't get how people collect so many baggies in their houses. I never have enough - more garbage goes out than comes in, it seems. I'm always finding myself picking up more once every couple months or so.
Now that we're coming to the end of January, I wanted to provide an update on my green goal. Each week I have aimed to reduce the amount of single-use, non-recyclable food packaging my family consumes. I am happy to report that this past week, I bought only two foodstuffs in non-recyclable packaging; a bag of chips and a bag of tortillas. As for recycling, the container was fuller than usual as I'm working my way through products bought before this latest commitment to trash reduction, but as we make this transition to package-free foods, I want to minimize its contents, too. I've managed to find lots of products I'd never imagined buying package-free -- this week's big score was pesto and salsa -- and our grocery bill is about the same as usual. The 32-gallon trash can I hauled to the curb this week was less than a 1/4 full, and a good portion of what was there was vegetable trimmings, because it's winter and my compost container is full. No progress on getting a city compost program adopted.
I'm feeling pretty good about my New Year's resolution. So how about all of you? How are your resolutions coming along?
Does your grocer allow you to bring in your own container for seasoning, nuts and bulk items> Just curious as I plan to ask Whole Foods next time I am there. Otherwise I will just continue too recycle their little brown baggies for transportin hubbies lunches and snacks.
RE you composter can you remove some of the good stuff and spread around shrubs or in a small plot for a future garden thereby making more room? You may have a long er cold season than I becasue my earth machine has never gotten too full in the 7 or so years we hav been composting. I do change up the inputs in the winter and sometimes have to toss inn brown paper bag shreds teac bags and coffee grounds... stuff I don;t usually add in summer. Summer seems to be more rotating and water adding as we consume a lot of smoothies then and so have loads of banana peels that work fabulously.
Yes, I've had much success at our local Whole Foods! I take my own jars, bottles, and bags to the store and have them weighed at customer service. Off the top of my head, here is a list of the foods I purchased package-free in my last two trips:
Dried beans
Nuts
Grains
Spices
Baking soda
Sea salt
Whole wheat flour
Dried fruit
Chocolate chips
Chocolate-covered pretzels
Salsa
Pesto
Capers
Olives
Crumbled feta cheese
Bagels
Croissants
Coconut macaroons
Bacon
Chicken cutlets
Ground turkey
Cod fillets
Maple syrup
Honey
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Loose tea
Bar soap (The rosemary mint is rich lathering and smells wonderful!)
All sorts of produce, including many that are typically packaged (baby spinach, mushrooms, herbs)
As for dairy, we have a delivery service, so we place our empty bottles back into our porch box each week. The driver picks them up and returns them to the dairy for sterilization and refilling. The plastic cap goes into our recycling bin.
Thanks for the tip about the compost. When it stops snowing, I'll shovel a little off the top into my now unused second trash bin to store until spring.
Last edited by randomparent; 01-27-2014 at 04:53 PM..
I live in a corner and I have more lawn in the front yard than houses not on corners- especially the longer parkways. I'll be reducing my total front yard lawn space by 50% minimum by removing grass and replacing it with mulch and drought resistant plants (spaced out) and a drip system. We have severe drought conditions here in Southern California and I will do my part to conserve water. I have already installed low-flow water faucets and shower heads through out the house and the toilets have been low-flow for a handful of years. I will also look into installing solar panels later in the spring. I will also take more trips to the market on my bicycle and will cut down on plastic bags.
I live in a corner and I have more lawn in the front yard than houses not on corners- especially the longer parkways. I'll be reducing my total front yard lawn space by 50% minimum by removing grass and replacing it with mulch and drought resistant plants (spaced out) and a drip system.
This is huge. Xeriscaping with native plants is probably the single biggest thing you can do to conserve water. The average US household "spends" 1/3 of their water on their lawn. But the looming reality is that water restrictions have gone into effect and are going into effect that doom a large number of green grass lawns, so we might as well be proactive and rip them up before the rush.
And yes, it has to be said, in many cases the biggest obstacle to doing just that is obsolete HOA rules, to the first thing many have to do is lobby for those changes.
Here's an idea... if you're going to be taking out the lawn, maybe you can reward yourself by devoting some of that space to fruit and vegetable gardening. A buddy of mine did exactly that in Seattle years ago, and started a community project called "Eat Your Lawn!" to promote the idea.
I am trying to not throw out food that I get "scared" of. I put dates on all packages, and I am also using big glass jars from vintage shops to seal things like beans in. So much food gets thrown out. I also put a list of what is in the freezer taped to the refrigerator. Lastly, I gave up on growing anything in the drought other than trying to keep ONE blooming plant in a pot alive. I bought rocks (big ones) and a brightly painted bench for the yard instead of plants.
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