So, next year we are moving to a townhouse (fingers crossed) and we can get a pet! Because we go to school most of the time, a cat is just a much better choice than a dog.
The problem is, pet cats can cause a huge issue, environmentally. Their feces is subject to dangerous bacteria and such because they are carnivores. This means it is imperative their waste be kept out of the ground water.
Cat litter is also a huge problem. Clay cat litter causes extensive mining damage to the environment and the most popular commercial alternative is made of pine chips--not much better for the forests.
Some people toilet-train their cats, but this introduces their feces to the water supply. Some people use a commercial litter alternative made from recycled paper -- this still ends up in the landfill, though.
Could you compost cat feces? Why yes! The temperatures and fast turn around associated with vermicomposting are perfect -- the high temperature kills the dangerous bacteria and large amounts of waste can be broken down on a regular basis. You can dispose of your cats' litter in your own back yard!
But -- commercial cat litters contain anti-microbial agents that can kill your red wrigglers and undermine your whole waste disposal system.
Why not make your own recycled paper newspaper though? Is it possible? Of course!
http://thegreenists.com/pets/tip-of-the-day-make-your-own-kitty-litter/1044
Here is a simple tutorial I found online that uses regular newspaper and turns it into litter! Paper litter (along with pine litter) don't clump like clay litter does, which turns off many cat owners, but it still absorbs it and the whole pan can be dumped into your vermicomposter with minimal fear of hurting your worms or in turn, your plants grown from the eventual compost.
Win-win? I think so!
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Monday, January 28, 2013
HW 3 Update 1
So. No shampoo. I haven't used any shampoo in a week! Yay for determination!
Instead of chemical-laden shampoo, I have been boiling water and stirring in baking soda. Just 1 tbsp of baking powder per cup of water needed! Unfortunately, the first time, I did it right before I wanted to take a shower and then stuck the jar in the freezer for a little bit. It was still hot though -- way too hot. The next time I used it, I just shook it a little to redisperse the baking soda. Not good though -- too cold.
The watery mixture is very... watery. Shampoo is much thicker and much easier to keep on my head. A lot of people have found success using a squirt bottle to disperse the mixture into their hair, maybe I can find one and do that.
Update soon, hopefully!
Instead of chemical-laden shampoo, I have been boiling water and stirring in baking soda. Just 1 tbsp of baking powder per cup of water needed! Unfortunately, the first time, I did it right before I wanted to take a shower and then stuck the jar in the freezer for a little bit. It was still hot though -- way too hot. The next time I used it, I just shook it a little to redisperse the baking soda. Not good though -- too cold.
The watery mixture is very... watery. Shampoo is much thicker and much easier to keep on my head. A lot of people have found success using a squirt bottle to disperse the mixture into their hair, maybe I can find one and do that.
Update soon, hopefully!
Friday, January 25, 2013
Being a Vegetarian
Since January of my freshman year of high school, I have been a vegetarian. SO, it's been over 6 years now! I have learned a lot since then, for sure.
When I first started, I ate a lot of carbs and cheese. Mac-n-cheese, grilled cheese, fried mozzarella cheese sticks! Not super healthy.
As I progressed, though, I started trying tofu, and frozen meat substitutes. I have found I really like sliced tofurkey, for sandwiches, but the tofurkey you make for Thanksgiving is just alright.
I have also found that a lot of "meat" dishes can be made vegetarian with simple substitutions, such as using tofu or meat substitute instead of the meat, or just using vegetable broth instead of chicken or beef stock.
And the labels! I have found the labels to be most helpful. A lot of things can be tricky. Like vegetable soup. You would think vegetable soup is vegetarian, but if it is made with beef stock, then it's a no-go. Baked beans are often cooked with bacon or pork bits, refried beans can have lard in them, and sometimes even black beans have meat. You just have to be careful.
Restaurants have to be the most difficult yet amazing places to be vegetarians. Once you get over your shyness, you can ask for suggestions. Many restaurants, such as Chilli's, won't have a lot of vegetarian options on the menu, but the waiters will have a few dishes in mind that can be made with a few substitutions. Unfortunately though, you can also discover dishes you thought were safe have been compromised when you ask. For example, the mac'n'cheese at Cracker Barrel is made with bacon grease. Who would have known?
When I first started, I ate a lot of carbs and cheese. Mac-n-cheese, grilled cheese, fried mozzarella cheese sticks! Not super healthy.
As I progressed, though, I started trying tofu, and frozen meat substitutes. I have found I really like sliced tofurkey, for sandwiches, but the tofurkey you make for Thanksgiving is just alright.
I have also found that a lot of "meat" dishes can be made vegetarian with simple substitutions, such as using tofu or meat substitute instead of the meat, or just using vegetable broth instead of chicken or beef stock.
And the labels! I have found the labels to be most helpful. A lot of things can be tricky. Like vegetable soup. You would think vegetable soup is vegetarian, but if it is made with beef stock, then it's a no-go. Baked beans are often cooked with bacon or pork bits, refried beans can have lard in them, and sometimes even black beans have meat. You just have to be careful.
Restaurants have to be the most difficult yet amazing places to be vegetarians. Once you get over your shyness, you can ask for suggestions. Many restaurants, such as Chilli's, won't have a lot of vegetarian options on the menu, but the waiters will have a few dishes in mind that can be made with a few substitutions. Unfortunately though, you can also discover dishes you thought were safe have been compromised when you ask. For example, the mac'n'cheese at Cracker Barrel is made with bacon grease. Who would have known?
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Consciousbox.com
Recently I found this website on the internet:
http://www.consciousbox.com/
It seems like a really cool idea! Basically, you sign up and pay a subscription, and the company will send you a box on a regular basis that contains all sorts of natural and organic products. They say they have done all the research on the products and that they are all good things. They support "good" products and in turn you are exposed to these products, supporting the companies in turn! And it is delivered right to your door. Seems like something a consumer could easily buy into, as it takes the guesswork and the research out of the buying process. For a busy family, this seems like a good idea. I'm not sure if there research is real or not, but it is definitely a good idea.
http://www.consciousbox.com/
It seems like a really cool idea! Basically, you sign up and pay a subscription, and the company will send you a box on a regular basis that contains all sorts of natural and organic products. They say they have done all the research on the products and that they are all good things. They support "good" products and in turn you are exposed to these products, supporting the companies in turn! And it is delivered right to your door. Seems like something a consumer could easily buy into, as it takes the guesswork and the research out of the buying process. For a busy family, this seems like a good idea. I'm not sure if there research is real or not, but it is definitely a good idea.
Monday, January 21, 2013
Homework Assignment 3
So, for our third homework assignment, we are supposed to try something new for a month to see if it will develop into a habit. I have decided to try transitioning my hair to a "no 'poo" routine!
Commercial shampoos have a lot of crazy chemicals in them that are terribly harsh on your hair. It takes about 6 weeks to transition your hair off of shampoo. Instead, you should wash with baking soda dissolved in water and condition with diluted vinegar. Eventually, some people wash with water only. Your hair gets to the best it has ever been -- after a few weeks of miserable hair.
This should save tons of money and bottles as well! Even if plastic bottles are recyclable, they are still a waste when I can buy a huge box of baking soda at once and dilute it myself. And plastic tends to be downcycled, trapping those materials in speed bumps.
So, hopefully this works out really well. I will share an update about once a week!
Commercial shampoos have a lot of crazy chemicals in them that are terribly harsh on your hair. It takes about 6 weeks to transition your hair off of shampoo. Instead, you should wash with baking soda dissolved in water and condition with diluted vinegar. Eventually, some people wash with water only. Your hair gets to the best it has ever been -- after a few weeks of miserable hair.
This should save tons of money and bottles as well! Even if plastic bottles are recyclable, they are still a waste when I can buy a huge box of baking soda at once and dilute it myself. And plastic tends to be downcycled, trapping those materials in speed bumps.
So, hopefully this works out really well. I will share an update about once a week!
Friday, January 18, 2013
Litter and Waste
Walking to bus stops or t school, you tend to see a lot of trash, whether it is litter or on the curb for pickup.
At a bus stop, I spied a complex that had many, many, MANY black plastic bags full of leaves at the curb. This really distressed me. Plastic doesn't break down very readily, so the leaves, usually very degradable, are stuck in the bag at a landfill! And I doubt they gathered that many leaves with a rake--they had to have used a leaf blower. Those seem so unnecessary and use so much energy. If that landscaper or complex had a compost bin, they could create rich soil for the spring planting! And there were already leaves all over the ground again, so it didn't make much difference.
Back at home, we have a little grove of bamboo and it tends to shed leaves all year long. There are so many that my mom can't pick them all up. Instead, she tends to just let them fall and they act as mulch in her planting beds underneath. It works quite well. The leaves keep grass and weeds from growing, they fall off and around the larger plants she wants there, and they break down into the soil eventually. Whenever she wants to add a new plant to that bed, she just scoops a bunch with the rake and moves them to the compost bin. And voila! There is a clear place for her plant to go.
On campus, the landscaping tends to change with the seasons, but part of the year, the "mulch" is actually just large amounts of pine needles! These are particularly good because they are acidic (I think) and deter certain pests once they break down into the soil.
Walking to school one day, I say a bunch of styrofoam peanuts scattered EVERYWHERE. At first, I was really upset that someone had littered them all over the sidewalk and grass, but then I realized the alternative was to be bagged and stuck in the landfill. Subject to the elements, they had a better chance of breaking down in the grass. And they might have been those water soluble ones, which definitely shouldn't go in a trash bag -- though I doubt it. Funny how we have this gut reaction to not litter when in reality, some things would decompose better "littered" everywhere than in a plastic bag!
At a bus stop, I spied a complex that had many, many, MANY black plastic bags full of leaves at the curb. This really distressed me. Plastic doesn't break down very readily, so the leaves, usually very degradable, are stuck in the bag at a landfill! And I doubt they gathered that many leaves with a rake--they had to have used a leaf blower. Those seem so unnecessary and use so much energy. If that landscaper or complex had a compost bin, they could create rich soil for the spring planting! And there were already leaves all over the ground again, so it didn't make much difference.
Back at home, we have a little grove of bamboo and it tends to shed leaves all year long. There are so many that my mom can't pick them all up. Instead, she tends to just let them fall and they act as mulch in her planting beds underneath. It works quite well. The leaves keep grass and weeds from growing, they fall off and around the larger plants she wants there, and they break down into the soil eventually. Whenever she wants to add a new plant to that bed, she just scoops a bunch with the rake and moves them to the compost bin. And voila! There is a clear place for her plant to go.
On campus, the landscaping tends to change with the seasons, but part of the year, the "mulch" is actually just large amounts of pine needles! These are particularly good because they are acidic (I think) and deter certain pests once they break down into the soil.
Walking to school one day, I say a bunch of styrofoam peanuts scattered EVERYWHERE. At first, I was really upset that someone had littered them all over the sidewalk and grass, but then I realized the alternative was to be bagged and stuck in the landfill. Subject to the elements, they had a better chance of breaking down in the grass. And they might have been those water soluble ones, which definitely shouldn't go in a trash bag -- though I doubt it. Funny how we have this gut reaction to not litter when in reality, some things would decompose better "littered" everywhere than in a plastic bag!
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Star Metro Electric bus!
The other morning while waiting for the FSU bus to come, I saw an electric StarMetro bus drive by! It looked a lot funkier than the regular ones and said it was electric on the side. Here's an article from the StarMetro website:
Monday, January 14, 2013
Things I would like to do to be green (but that my fiancé won't let medo)
Because we live together, we kind of have to agree about the routines we practice in such a small apartment. So, every time I come up with a great idea, I have to ask myself: Would Matt be willing to do this? This is a list of the things which haven't gotten his approval.
1. Create an old-school grey water system: I would like to plug the tub during showers to collect the water. Then the water could be used to flush the toilet -- all we would need is a bucket! Added benefit? Seeing (and feeling) all the water at the bottom of the tub would be an incentive to take shorter showers!
2. Vermicomposting: Because we are in such a small apartment with no green space, there isn't a good way to compost traditionally. But vermicomposting can take up much less space! I experimented with it back home and had a plastic bin the size of a shoe box for my precious worms. You just have to give them a well-balanced diet of newspaper, food scraps, and plant material and you gets some really rich dirt! And less compostable material in the landfill. It even takes a really short amount of time compared to traditional composting.
3. An Army of House Plants: Plants are incredibly good for the environment. While we cannot have a garden (again, the lack of green space), we could have lots of plants. They are the only pet that won't break our lease :D If I had my way, ever square inch of space in our apartment would be covered with air plants, cacti, and all manner of indoor-tolerant plant varieties. Sadly, Matt wouldn't appreciate living in a jungle.
4. Switching to cloth toilet paper: Matt likes toilet paper. I get it, we all use it, and then dispose of it. But tons of people use cloth diapers--what's wrong with using squares of material instead of paper, and then washing them? I understand his hesitation and I'm willing to wait until we have a washer/dryer in our own apartment (rather than a laundry facility) to make this change. But when we have kids, I will definitely be using cloth diapers and cloth toilet paper. And while I'm at it, cloth paper towels! There are awesome tutorials on the internet for absorbent cloths that snap together into the form of a roll of paper towels. When you want one, just unsnap a cloth instead of ripping. Then, once they get cleaned, just snap them all together and roll them up!
5. Sustainable energy: I would really love to have solar panels or a wind turbine. Alas, again, the small apartment. Someday though!
6. Organic veggies: Matt says the organic vegetables are too expensive at Publix and I totally get it. And the farmer's market is a bit far and on Saturdays when I just want to sleep in. Oh well. One dat it will happen!
1. Create an old-school grey water system: I would like to plug the tub during showers to collect the water. Then the water could be used to flush the toilet -- all we would need is a bucket! Added benefit? Seeing (and feeling) all the water at the bottom of the tub would be an incentive to take shorter showers!
2. Vermicomposting: Because we are in such a small apartment with no green space, there isn't a good way to compost traditionally. But vermicomposting can take up much less space! I experimented with it back home and had a plastic bin the size of a shoe box for my precious worms. You just have to give them a well-balanced diet of newspaper, food scraps, and plant material and you gets some really rich dirt! And less compostable material in the landfill. It even takes a really short amount of time compared to traditional composting.
3. An Army of House Plants: Plants are incredibly good for the environment. While we cannot have a garden (again, the lack of green space), we could have lots of plants. They are the only pet that won't break our lease :D If I had my way, ever square inch of space in our apartment would be covered with air plants, cacti, and all manner of indoor-tolerant plant varieties. Sadly, Matt wouldn't appreciate living in a jungle.
4. Switching to cloth toilet paper: Matt likes toilet paper. I get it, we all use it, and then dispose of it. But tons of people use cloth diapers--what's wrong with using squares of material instead of paper, and then washing them? I understand his hesitation and I'm willing to wait until we have a washer/dryer in our own apartment (rather than a laundry facility) to make this change. But when we have kids, I will definitely be using cloth diapers and cloth toilet paper. And while I'm at it, cloth paper towels! There are awesome tutorials on the internet for absorbent cloths that snap together into the form of a roll of paper towels. When you want one, just unsnap a cloth instead of ripping. Then, once they get cleaned, just snap them all together and roll them up!
5. Sustainable energy: I would really love to have solar panels or a wind turbine. Alas, again, the small apartment. Someday though!
6. Organic veggies: Matt says the organic vegetables are too expensive at Publix and I totally get it. And the farmer's market is a bit far and on Saturdays when I just want to sleep in. Oh well. One dat it will happen!
Friday, January 11, 2013
I cut all of my hair off!
On a whim last night, I cut all of my hair off! YAY!
Here I am, before:
Half way through:
And after:
While my motivations were personal satisfaction and change, with a dash of an internet obsession for pixie hair cuts, having less hair can definitely be eco-friendly!
With less hair on your head, you can use less water, less shampoo, less styling product. You spend less time blowdrying your hair, ultimately saving electricity. You don't have to constantly buy new hair ties and doodads when all your old ones disappear behind beds, under cushions, and at the depths of every bag you use (and some you don't use).
I don't blow dry my hair very often because it can be very damaging, but I would occasionally dry it after a morning shower on a cold day, just to keep my ears a little toastier. Now, with shorter hair, it dries by itself much faster and wet hair on a cold morning is no longer an issue.
Maintenance can be a big issue with pixie cuts, as they must be cut regularly to keep their shape. But seeing as I cut my hair by myself to get the pixie, I am pretty sure I can trim it if it gets too unruly. I plan on letting it grow a little so I can get it shaped some by my preferred hair stylist back home over spring break. You would think short hair is short hair, but there is so much shaping you can do! And little changes can make a big difference with such short hair.
And now I have so much extra time since I don't have to fuss over my hair! All the better to think about being green?
Here I am, before:
Half way through:
And after:
While my motivations were personal satisfaction and change, with a dash of an internet obsession for pixie hair cuts, having less hair can definitely be eco-friendly!
With less hair on your head, you can use less water, less shampoo, less styling product. You spend less time blowdrying your hair, ultimately saving electricity. You don't have to constantly buy new hair ties and doodads when all your old ones disappear behind beds, under cushions, and at the depths of every bag you use (and some you don't use).
I don't blow dry my hair very often because it can be very damaging, but I would occasionally dry it after a morning shower on a cold day, just to keep my ears a little toastier. Now, with shorter hair, it dries by itself much faster and wet hair on a cold morning is no longer an issue.
Maintenance can be a big issue with pixie cuts, as they must be cut regularly to keep their shape. But seeing as I cut my hair by myself to get the pixie, I am pretty sure I can trim it if it gets too unruly. I plan on letting it grow a little so I can get it shaped some by my preferred hair stylist back home over spring break. You would think short hair is short hair, but there is so much shaping you can do! And little changes can make a big difference with such short hair.
And now I have so much extra time since I don't have to fuss over my hair! All the better to think about being green?
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
My Peperomia <3
Last semester, my mom bought me a house plant because she stole adopted my dorm cactus. We went to the Tallahassee Nursery out on Thomasville and I picked out a pretty little peperomia! It gets a little sun through the window and otherwise just looks really amazing. Sometimes, if the weather is nice, I will set it outside on the window air conditioner unit.
Having a house plant is really nice. It improves air quality! That is super important for our apartment because it reeked of smoke when we first moved in. I think the previous tenant was a smoker. My fiancé has a strong sense of smell and any smoke bothers him a lot. Between the air conditioner, the plant, and a few candles, we have managed to fight the smell, but some days it is still pretty bad in the kitchen where the smoke has been painted into the cabinets.
Plants also just look really nice! They update and soften the look of the room. In a sea of artificial and man-made furnishings, it is great to be able to have a breathe of nature in my living room!
Having a house plant is really nice. It improves air quality! That is super important for our apartment because it reeked of smoke when we first moved in. I think the previous tenant was a smoker. My fiancé has a strong sense of smell and any smoke bothers him a lot. Between the air conditioner, the plant, and a few candles, we have managed to fight the smell, but some days it is still pretty bad in the kitchen where the smoke has been painted into the cabinets.
Plants also just look really nice! They update and soften the look of the room. In a sea of artificial and man-made furnishings, it is great to be able to have a breathe of nature in my living room!
Monday, January 7, 2013
This is my first post!
I will be documenting my journey through a semester of living green as I make choices. Who knows how different my life will be after this? Hopefully better! :)
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