Mainstream Green

Y'know...Sometimes I wonder...

2011-03-29T14:38:00.001-04:00

G Whiz

2011-02-28T16:32:00.004-05:00

I have a review blog, but I thought this would go better here - no one's giving me anything to write this (heck, they don't even know I exist), and it IS a product that's touted as being "green".

~The Product: gDiapers

~The Hype (stolen from their own website): "The most eco-friendly diaper available, gDiapers provides parents with a diapering solution that is good for babies, parents and the planet. You can have the flexibility of a disposable diaper with a 100% biodegradable gRefill, or opt for reusability with super soft and trim-fitting gCloth inserts. gDiapers are plastic-free, elemental chlorine free, latex free, and perfume free.

Use a biodegradable gRefill or re-usable gCloth inside our newborn tiny gPants and our cotton little gPants. All materials are breathable, just like sports clothing, so babies are far less likely to get diaper rash. And did we mention they're cute? Babies can flaunt their eco-friendly diapers in a rainbow of adorable colors. Because green diapers don't need to be bland.

No landfill required.

50 million diapers get tossed each day and each one takes up to 500 years to biodegrade. Ick. Home compost, toss, or flush the biodegradable gRefill for the smallest footprint on earth. gDiapers break down in 50-150 days...You can also compost the wet ones or simply toss the soiled refill. It will break down in the landfill a lot faster than the 500 years for a conventional disposable diaper. Or learn more about re-useable gCloth."

~The Price: Variable, but Diapers.com and Babies-R-EverywhereUs were pretty close. Prices quoted here are from Diapers.com.

$17.99 for one pant.nappy, no refills (gPant and plastic liner only).
$14.99 for one pack of 40 biodegradable/disposable refills.
$20.00 for six plastic liners.
$29.99 for 6 cloth refills.
$79.99 for a six-pack of the pants only.
$129.99 for a "Sweet Bundle" with 6 pants (3 orange, 3 green) and 4 packs of biodegradable refills.
$135.99 for a "Sweet Bundle" with 12 cloth refills.
$149.99 for a "gBaby bundle" with 6 pants, 80 biodegradable refills, and 6 tinygPants (sized for newborns).

In other words, not cheap (especially when you realize they come in sizes, so you have to purchase pants and liners more than once as your baby grows), but at about $20 for 60 disposable newborn nappies, it's comparable...and over time it may even be cheaper if you're using the cloth inserts.

~Our Thoughts: We were lucky - several friends were kind enough to gift us with both gPants and refills. Ours came in two-packs (two pants, four plastic liners, and a spatula looking thing called a Swish Stick)(you'll find out what the spatula looking thing is for in a minute). The plastic liners snap in, so if one gets schmutzed or deteriorates, it can be cleaned or replaced. Replacement liners are also available online. We received both cloth and disposable refills - this was the prime reason I was interested in gPants; we travel/camp several times a year, and hauling soiled cloth nappies about with us did not seem like fun...but I didn't want to use conventional disposables, either. gPants seems like a nice middle way.

The pants come in a variety of colors with cute names like Guppy Green and Grubby Knees Grey. We have Goddess Pink, Guppy Green, Gooseberry Purple, and Golly Molly Pink. Check out their website for more color info. The pants have Velcro tab closures, so no pins, awkward buttons, or snaps. Thank you, NASA, for Velcro! The tabs take a little getting used to - where a traditional disposable has tabs that go back to front, gPants have tabs that go front to back (so baby can't get to 'em, remove 'em, and use soiled nappies for painting the walls with)(not that THAT ever happens). They're soft, with lovely knit cuffs so little legs don't chafe, and (because the plastic liner is removable) machine washable. They aren't as bulky as some cloth nappies, either, which I like.

We tried to use them from the start, but the waist-band irritated Sprout's umbilical stump and she hollered about it - dear Goddess, did she holler about it - so we used regular disposables with the little cut-out until the stump fell off and she was fully healed.

We have both cloth and biodegradable refills. I like the cloth ones for home/short trip use and the biodegradable ones for longer trips away from home.

The instructions with the cloth liners called for 6 hot water washings (no soap, no other laundry), then a hot dry before use. I don't know how earth-friendly that is...even though we had 4 sets of 6 refills (2 small, 2 medium), it hardly made a load, and even though our washer has an adjustable water level...that's a lot of hot water! All the washing serves a purpose, though - the liners we got are felted hemp (yay, hemp!!) and needed shrinking before using. Better to pre-shrink, yes? Yes!

The cloth liners are soft...nice for baby's bottom. Sprout likes 'em, anyway. They don't hold as much soil/liquid as a disposable nappy, so you'll need several packs of 'em if you want to use 'em exclusively. We haven't had a poop with one of the cloth refills*, yet, so I can't tell you how easily they come clean...

The biodegradable liners are nifty, but as with the cloth they don't hold as much so you really have to be on top of nappy changes. Sprout lets us know when she needs a change if we slack a bit - little miss does NOT like to be damp or soiled! There are several ways of disposing of these refills - trash 'em, flush 'em, or compost 'em.

Trashing 'em may seem contrary to being green, but they are supposed to break down faster than traditional disposable nappies, and there is definitely less waste. It's certainly the easiest of options, especially when they're poopy.

Flushing 'em requires some dexterity, and isn't a good option if you're squeamish, it's heavily soiled, or you're holding a baby (because it really takes two hands) - first you have to scrape off solid waste with the spatula thing, then tear down the sides of the refill and dump the inner core into the toilet. Swish with the spatula thing to break up clumps, flush, and while it's flushing, drop the outer part on top. Down it goes. Not very useful if you're in a public restroom, but not too difficult at home. I haven't had a poopy one to flush, yet*, so I can't relate the mess factor on that score...but the wet ones haven't been too awful.

Composting was another of the reasons I wanted to try these. They don't suggest you compost poopy ones, but according to their directions wet ones can go into the pile just fine. We haven't had a go at this, yet - in all honesty, we're a little leery of putting them in our garden compost pile, so we're going to start a separate heap for them...just as soon as we get a little more time in the day. Who knew new babies were so much work? Oh, wait...we did...

Some online reviews complained about leaking, but we haven't had an issue with that...yet. I won't be surprised by it, though - in my experience, all nappies leak, even disposables. Usually when you've got the baby all dressed up, or forgot a change of clothes for her, or have just run out of wipes.

~In Summary: I like 'em enough to keep using 'em, although I do think they're on the pricey side. They are a nice alternative to disposables, and while they aren't as budget friendly as I'd like (What can I say? I'm notoriousle cheap!), they do fit into a mainstream green lifestyle.

Check it out:

Sprout, stylin' in her Goddess Pink Little gPants.

*Not that the baby doesn't poop, because then I'd be at the doctor's office, not writing a blog...but we used regular disposables at night until we ran out of 'em, and she seems to like pooping when she wakes up, so the gPants haven't had much of a workout on that front.

Disclaimer - no one at Casa de Crazy was asked to write, nor recevied compensation for writing, this post. gPants, Diapers.com and Babies-R-~~Everywhere~~Us don't know we exist and probably wouldn't care if they did know who we were. All opinions offered here are as biased as they come, because we write what we think.

I've Been Busy Around Here...

2010-11-22T19:26:00.015-05:00

The Year's Penultimate Planted Seed Fruits In January

It's recommended be careful what you ask for... especially when you're two witches involved in Sex Magik.

That aside, this blog is about staying close to the Mother. Not only THIS blog post-- the Blog Entire...

But, you knew that...

Lookie-- some stuffs from Last Spring!!! And-- it'll feed us next 'un...

All the stuffs from this year-- post-Samhain [because, really, would YOU wanna eat the fey food?!?]-- is still there. I hope seeds tilled in spring up next Cycle...

UM...

WHO DAT???

Oh, wait...

HAR!! SILLYSWAN!!! Least he finally look right, Black&Tan in the Maw!!

Above and below; front and back; before and after.

Don't call me tomorrow...

What's the point?

There isn't. Except...

It was nice to have me mitts in the Soil again.
It was -- it IS-- nice to see last year's seed tilled for next year's dream...

Welcome to the Seasons. See Ya Next!!!

Slainte!!!

Cygnus

Perpetual Energy?

2010-06-10T13:07:00.003-04:00

Cool Useful Video Series!

Perpetual Energy? - Click here for more free videos

Put some bigger magnets on some l.e.d.'s and the possibilities are magical...

Slainte, folks!

Cygnus

NO TRASH!!!

2010-06-02T18:43:00.006-04:00

Um, Did I Mention No TRASH???

Recently we wrote of finding a community center that not only took various colored glass off our hand but doled out free mulch as a bonus. Well, we'll still go there for the free mulch, but now our refuse service has one-upped their green...

Hitherto it was thought our service recycle program took only #'s 1 & 2 plastics; a check yesterday revealed #'s 1-7 are accepted.

We no longer need haul glass over the highway to get it recycled. You guessed it-- our service is picking it up now. And cardboard of all sorts. And...

Well, already we reuse, burn, compost and recycle near everything we can, and the end result is less than half a bag of "trash" per week. [Trash being meat and/or dairy substances neither compostable nor feral-critter consumable and other small maknkindmadeweirdos...] Now it looks as if that will be reduced by a whopping75% again!!!

Upon inquiry as to whether we might procure a larger recycling bin or three given their expanded pickup, we were informed that the large 'refuse' containers are being phased out as more sort-friendly bins are phased in...

Sounds like a win-win all the way around!

Slainte, folks!

Cygnus

How Mulch Do I Love the Garden?

2010-05-07T19:21:00.003-04:00

Someone, the Evil Genius and I had a bit of an adventure today, finding the local recycling center. We pay for trash removal and for recycling, but the waste management company only recycles certain things, and those certain things don't include a number of perfectly recyclable items. Unacceptable at Casa de Crazy!

So we loaded up the truck (borrowed from Mum) and went in search of greener pastures.

We didn't have too much trouble - one sign pointing down the wring road sent us in a big circle - and the folks there were really helpful, letting us drive the truck back to the big glass bins instead of making us load each bottle, one at a time, into the smaller one.

We even had a place to put the boxes holding the glass so they'd be recycled too.

And, bonus! They give away free mulch there!! All we have to do is show up within certain hours, sign a waiver, and drive around back. They'll load it up and everything. Sweet! Especially because it gets hot here in Redneck Central, and our ground is red clay, which doesn't hold moisture well. We're hoping to go next week and get a load.

The garden will be thrilled.

What To Do On A Rainy Day?!?

2010-03-29T22:46:00.026-04:00

Well, I had two cool ones pass of late... but I know warmer, sunnier ones are a-comin'!!! So, I been a mite busy...

With Spring about to show true face, and many of the seedlings I started a few weeks ago put out perhaps a bit ahead of Momma Nature's Ideal, I wasted no rainy day moping; I got ground to make up!!!

Well, I did some of that, too, right before the weather went semi-sour...
but I started, day one, lazing about... whittlin' big sticks to make trellises The next few are supposed to bring sunshine and ever-warming temps, and I have miles to go before I eat, and miles to go before...

So I spent a night (yes, the log above says beginning 2230 hrs... the session ran six...) using the tomato, strawberry, gods-know-what plastic containers as planters, sowing seeds in my new Swanmix...

Just joking, folks! It's an easy mixture of 40# good potting soil [trust me and spent the extra three dollars here], 8 quarts of perlite for aeration, and 8 quarts of peat moss for moisture retention. Throw in some worm poop and about four minutes of elbow grease, and you have a really, really nice, nursery-quality medium for direct seeding.

At this stage, I suggest going straight to solo cups ( we found them @ the local Mart, 50x18 oz. for $2.99). Peat pots themselves dry out too fast and often compact, and dixie cups are too-soon root bounding.

I need to finish double-digging my out-back garden space-- another day and a half should see the labor-intensive procedure finis... I look forward to the sun, the exersize... the knowing verk will pay off in massive root developmend downward, allowing me closer placing of plants, so more plants in less space above ground... more utilisation of available footspace, less mulching... less water...
Just glad that the weather is starting to turn in earnest, and more planting here will show what it's supposed to-- more produce...

Slainte, folks!

Cygnus

Compost, Burn, Reuse, Recycle

2010-03-16T01:14:00.003-04:00

It's Not So Much A Matter Of A Conscious Green Footprint...

As, it turns out, a 'marching along with what [color] you have' one.

{an onion that never made it-- to the compost! She got burried, and decided to produce. [Pun intended...]}

[Ashes of junk mail-- a burnt offering kind enough to amend my soil rather than junk a landfill...]

[Ready-to-make tomato cages, or pea trellises, or light-sabres...]

[Even the peat pots are in on the action: No sprout until a second veggie were added. Et VIOLA!!! A plethora!!!}

[Who needs nursery pots!??!]

I'd nearly DIE to have a greenhouse-- a place where I could start all variety of cool-weather stuffs a bit earlier; y'know-- to harvest, consume, sell...

But... the house I'm residing in doesn't have one, nor do I the the fundage to provide the necessity. And yet I cannot abide my patience and wait until mid-April to get stuffs going...

Enter IMPROVISATION...

So... what's a GREENHOUSE??

Too many variations for me to try and define here, but essentially you want to provide a place for plants to retain heat and moisture whilst utilizing every available amount of sunlight.

{Looks open, the busted corner, oui? Ahh... you missed the sandwich baggie, taped thereon for thermal conductivity!!!}

Ain't got a spare 10' x 12' concrete slab driveway, extry four-by-fours, and reams of clear poly plastic lounging about your garage, but drink soda by the 2-litre?

Umn... you have sandwich baggies? Some plastic or styrofoam cups cups?!? Scotch tape???

Well, then--you've got a mini-greenhouse. Or can make several...

The out-of-doors temperature will only climb to about 55 F. today. Sunlight will abound, but the ambient temperature, as well as the breeze, will keep everything on the cool side for any real out-of-door transplantings.

GREENHOUSES solve the problem, foot-space and materials-wise. Some scotch tape and several solo cups and ziplock baggies later... and all so easily transportable!!!

Really, folks, I'm a simple man. I don't have the capitol to invest in my 'dream scape'.
I don't need to.
I have a vision, some spirituality, and a big-big love of food and the processes involved in self-providence.

And I gots stuff lying around that, utilized, provideth mayhap more than I needs can can or freeze this year.

[Um...I seem to have hundreds of tomato seedlings... Anyone wanna lend me a canning book?!? HA!!!]

[Empty take-out containers and storage bins make GREAT impromptu hot-houses...]
[and dixie and solo cups function as wonderful, inexpensive seedling starters:]

This residence now puts out to curb less than ONE BAG of landfill per week. Everything possible is composted-- to help build soil for future growth; burned-- to amend the compost and save landfill space; re-used-- so we aren't spending dollars on designated planters etcetera; or recycled-- merely because it makes sense.

Look around to see if there are ways you can save over both short- and long-terms.

Slainte, folks!

Cygnus

Gardening, Casa de Crazy Style

2010-03-05T16:45:00.007-05:00

Spring is being coy here at Casa de Crazy, showing us glimpses of her color and warmth and then withdrawing, only to tease us again another day. We've had our fill of Winter and decided to try starting some plants. You can read about some of that here.

We're trying to be as green as possible around here, and we've gotten pretty good at it in our own way - we make less than one bag of trash a week. The rest we recycle, re-purpose, compost or burn.

We worry about another kind of green, too - money is tight, the economy sucks, and everything we can do to save the Endangered Greenback around here is important.

We checked out little peat-pot greenhouses...but at six and seven bucks a pop, they were well beyond what we wanted to spend...after all, that's six or seven packs of seeds if you know where to shop! The refills for those greenhouses run about two dollars for twenty or so...much better. Now we needed to find a way to get 'em warm and keep 'em moist.

Hey, wait...didn't Someone see some empty Sterlite bins in the garage?

And we have some Chinese take-out containers hanging around, too.

Nifty - they fit nicely in our available window space, help contain heat and moisture (especially with a borrowed heating pad underneath) and they're portable, so we can put them out on the front stoop when the weather's fine, bring 'em in at night.

They work quite well, I think.

What we have in the Sterlites are cucumbers, eggplant, and one or two million tomatoes. We put several seeds in each peat pot, and wouldn't you know most of 'em sprouted...so Someone use some leftover potting soil and Dixie cups to spread 'em out a bit.

In the take-out container are some catnip seeds...have to take care of the furbabies, too! The sort of upper left one is actually sprouting, and you can see it if you look closely.

Because we'll need somewhere to put all these little darling when they're grown, we spent some time preparing a garden bed out front, today.

First, Someone cut sod squares. Rather than just throw them in the compost heap or the woods, I moved most of them to the other side of the driveway, where rain, cars, and a dearth of sunlight made ruts and mud and a sad state of affairs over the Winter.

The sod clods have a chance to take root and amend all that.

I used the opportunity to talk to Bird about sod houses and whatnot...but I think he found the worms more interesting.

Oh, yeah, worms. Lots of them. We rescued as many as we could, because we knew there'd be tilling going on in a bit, and figured the squirmy fellows would rather be transplanted than pureed.

Later, if we want, we can always take up worm farming - the worms are wonderful for the soil and make fine bait, too, for an afternoon's fishing.

Once the grass was removed, Someone had to chop out a few roots before tilling.

It's not all that easy when you mostly have trusty old hand tools to work with.

Luckily, a kind-hearted ex-mother-in-law loaned us her tiller a while back, so the turning of the soil went well enough.

Someone got to thinking about what else we might plant out here...and melons came to mind.

Now why would melons make a man smile?

We all had a hand in the new bed...even Bird got dirty, not that getting dirty is a chore for a seven-year-old.
We're red clay all the way, here...
...so we'll need to till in some soil amendment to get the best growing conditions...compost sure does come in handy!

After tilling, Someone raked the loose soil to even the bed a little.
Now we just have to wait for those seedlings to grow a bit more before putting them out - we don't plant before Ostara/Easter around here because that's right around when we have last frost.

In another post, I'll show you some more of our garden fun - we have things growing indoors, too, both to help feed us and as a sort of science project for Bird!

Have you started your garden, yet? How's it going?

Mainstream Greenhouse?

2010-01-10T12:06:00.009-05:00

While we're spending the lottery money...I sure would like a greenhouse.

I've recently learned that gardening can be a year-round prospect, that some vegetables actually prefer or need to be planted in winter. We've got some lettuce sprouting here at Casa de Crazy, as well as carrots, peas, and (hopefully) spinach. Without much sunny window space, we're limited as to what we can do in here, which leads me to a long-held dream: Greenhouse.

Now, I wouldn't turn my nose up at a simple little stand-alone like this:

Or its somewhat bigger brother:

Or, if we're dreaming big, something like this:

I know, I know...dream on.

This is Casa de Crazy in July:

Don't let the shade fool you - the front of this house gets fried all day long. I shot these pics late in the evening!

To one side is a nice little spot for a green house:

Right where the trailer and red car are sitting, I figure I could have a respectable little structure, either attached to the house or free-standing...and it would already have the level concrete foundation! Bonus!

However...while crawling around in the Blue Nowhere drooling over greenhouses, I had a thought...why not on the front of the house?

Attached to the lower storey, where those two windows are? Something like this:
Yes, I'd have to level some ground, and yes it would take away some outdoor growing space...but imagine how awesome it would be!

For now, it's windows and doors and any little bit of sunlight we can find...but I don't mind dreaming in green.

How 'bout you? Keen on a greenhouse? What sort would you like to have?

Oh, and if you're interested in perusing a nifty little site, go visit these folks...I like 'em. They have a section on doin' it cheap. My kinda folks.

Through Winter's Night...

2010-01-05T19:34:00.003-05:00

...I dream of gardens.

I dream of carrots and peas and okra;
I dream of spinach and lettuce and cabbage;
I dream of tomatoes and onions and potatoes;
I dream of beans, and artichokes, and broccoli;
I dream of cauliflower and pumpkins and squash;
I dream of zucchini, and wax beans, and cucumbers;
I dream of eggplant and garlic and peppers of all sorts;
I dream of watermelon, cantaloupe, and strawberries;

I feed these dreams with compost and ash
anything organic that isn't an animal product goes into the pile
paper is burned, the ash spread about
leaves collected and given to the pile, too

A friend, a Love, has moved here
and with his strong hands
his capable hands
he stirs the pile,
feeds it,
makes it rich

He talks to the earth, tells her stories of what may be...
and she listens and hopes.

I feed these dreams with Baker's Creek
and the Seed Saver's Exchange

Dreams of heirlooms passed down,
to me
and my son
and (perhaps one day)
his children

I dream of gardens, abundance
of feeding my family
with sunlight and rain
of one day planting trees, groves...

through Winter's night,
I dream...
~~~~~

I am truly blessed - Someone has moved here and sees the yard and its potential, and is happy to be out there even in the bitter cold, making it ready. We pore over catalogs and talk about planting times, sprouting indoors versus dropping seeds directly into the earth, of Winter plants and Spring plants and our hopes that one day we (well...honestly, he) will produce enough to sell or can or give away...

I would love to lessen my dependence on the corporate farm culture, on things produces by bullies and chemicals and laboratories.

So I dream...

How about you?

Have You Seen This?

2009-11-20T23:55:00.004-05:00

I was wandering in the Blue Nowhere and found a solar assisted heat pump!

I have an old heat pump. It sounds like a jet engine when it turns on or off. I am certain I will have to replace it soon. Sigh.

It sure would be nice to replace the old unit with the solar assisted one. I haven't found info on the cost, yet...but I'm betting it's a wee outside my budget of "Free, or better yet, pay ME to use it!"

Kudos to Lennox for getting into the game.

And hey, Lennox? If you'd like someone to test your product, feel free to e-mail me.

Shh, Be Vewwwwy Quiet, I'm Huntin' a Turkey!

2009-11-19T12:57:00.004-05:00

Have you ever read the label on a commercially packaged turkey?

Here's what's in a frozen, whole Butterball Turkey (per their own website - thank you for your honesty on your packaging and for making it easy to find on your site, Butterball!!), a supermarket standard: Turkey (I should hope so!), Water, Salt, Modified Food Starch, Sodium Phosphates, Natural Flavorings.

If you look at any other commercially packaged frozen whole turkey, you are likely to find something similar.

You know what I want in my turkey? Turkey.

That's it. That's the only ingredient I desire.

Have you tried finding a turkey that's just a turkey, of late?

I have.

Good luck with that.

It's not just turkey - plenty of companies who process and package beef, pork, and chicken do it, too. I understand the reasoning behind it - it adds weight which means the consumer pays more, it helps preserve the meat so it will last longer in the cooler, and it ensures that the largely inept consumers buying the stuff won't end up with tough, inedible meals.

I know how to cook, though, and prefer to pay for meat and only meat. I also prefer to buy fresh rather than packaged in plastic, and to season my own meals in my own fashion. I don't want a turkey that has been injected with chemicals that I don't need in my body. I have been roasting these things since I was a teen, and haven't have a dry one yet...and if I should screw it up enough to dry it out, that's what gravy is for. I know how to make that, too, but if I didn't it comes in a jar or powder packet for my convenience (I weep for future generations that grow up on that stuff, though...it's just wrong).

I didn't have the money to order an heirloom, pastured, organic, not genetically altered or manipulated, honest to goddess turkey from Slanker's this year...dang it...but I'm determined to do my best to find a non-injected, non-flavor enhanced bird to feed my family for Thanksgiving...so tomorrow, I am going to hunt turkey like all modern hunter-gatherers...I'm going to stalk the meat departments of every grocery store I can find.

Wish me luck.

This Makes Me Nuts

2009-08-21T17:20:00.004-04:00

Have you seen these?

I just noticed them at my supermarket this week.

At first blush, they seem like a good idea. I like Jif peanut butter. I buy a big jar of Simply Jif when we run low, every couple of months or so unless it's a banner season for PB&Js around here (and the Evil Genius loves 'em, so he'll pack 'em away if I let him). The jars make handy banks, rattles, or leftovers containers if you're inclined to keep them about, and they can be recycled. Small containers to throw into a lunch box, nappy bag, or even your purse with crackers, apples, celery, or bananas seem handy, a real mother's/father's helper.

Except...well...

Look at the packaging. First there's the cardboard, with all that printing, all that ink. I'm sure it's recyclable...but still...

Then, there are the foil lids on the cups. Sigh.

And the cups themselves - more plastic to recycle or end up in a landfill.

The price is much higher per ounce, too, as is always the case - we pay for our convenience.

With planetary resources stretched thin as it is, wouldn't it be wiser to buy the big jar and simply use Tupperware/Rubbermaid/reusable containers instead?

Ah-Shoe!

2009-05-29T19:49:00.003-04:00

I'm staying at a friend's place this weekend, helping her with her booth at the Ren Fest. She got a package, and inside?

Green (as in Earth friendly) shoes! Her husband ordered them, and they're awesome!! Go check them out...Simple Shoes. I have to say E (my friend's husband) looks pretty snazzy in his.

Guest Who?

2009-05-18T10:39:00.003-04:00

Howdy, folks.

I know I don't post often here. Hello? Why do I hear an echo?

Sigh.

It is both an honor and a pleasure to introduce you to a good friend of mine. She has three kids, all boys, all under the age of six. We sometimes play a game I call One Word, wherein we try to think of one word that describes our friend or ourselves. My word for this woman? Granola.

No kidding - she's comfortable, nurturing, healthy, earthy, sweet, and (with three small boys to raise) a little nutty.

She likes to hike, camp, and commune with nature, and she and her husband are teaching their boys to love the trail, too. They take hikes with small children that I wouldn't attempt on my own!

This woman is relentless in her quest to lessen her impact on our beloved planet without making a huge hole in the wallet.

Without further ado, I give you - Kit!
~~~~~
Hello Mainstream Greeners! I am Kit, and I am guest-posting today on Mainstream Green.

SO much of "going green" at home is about small changes. Little differences in our habits and our purchases can add up to a huge difference for the environment. There are a number of ways that I am switching my family to a greener lifestyle, and I'll be telling you about some of them as I get a chance. Some changes are a simple matter of buying different products. Others require a much bigger commitment. I am finding that big or small, the changes I am making make me feel very good- not only because it's better for the environment and often healthier for my family, but also that the whole mindfullness of the endeavor is rewarding. To lead a greener lifestyle means to be more aware of your place in the great web of life- and to me, that's a beautiful thing.

Some examples of how I have gone green:
- We use cloth diapers. They aren't just for hardcore hippies, either- they can absolutely fit in with a mainstream lifestyle. I'll tell you more about them in a later post.
- I also use "mama cloth". . . which people seem to have a harder time accepting, so perhaps that's not as mainstream. But I'm happy with it!
- I use simple natural cleaners.
- I try to purchase natural and biodegradable products (detergents, shampoos, etc) whenever possible. It can be hard to find a balance between what works, what's better for the environment, and what we can afford.
- We recycle everything our county will take, and try to have a minimum amount of garbage thrown away.
- I usually tend a vegetable garden and a compost pile.
- We have changed our habits to help conserve water and electricity.
- I opt for reusable rather than disposable. This applies in lots of situations in daily life.
- I am reducing our consumption of plastics. This one's a toughie- I just do what I can, and don't stress out over it. I'm gradually getting better about it.
- I use a clothesline.
- We pick up litter.
- I try to buy local food when I can. I am working on this one. :)

I am sure there are more things we have done, but that's a pretty good list to start. You'll notice that most of them don't require a lot of effort or money, and most of them will save you money in the long run. Hopefully, as I share some of the things we've done, you'll spot some good ideas and be inspired to try a few more "green" habits in your life!

We Are Go for Compost

2009-04-14T00:20:00.003-04:00

I started a compost pile. I did it the old fashioned way - I found a spot that looked good and started dumping compostables there.

That's right - no bin, no barrel, no box, nothing but a clear spot at the edge of the yard. I don't care if critters get into it and have a feast - at least I'm not putting organic matter in the landfill, and maybe, just maybe, I'll get a bit of compost out of the deal, anyway.

Viva la revolicion, yo!

Let Me Sleep On It

2009-02-12T07:26:00.005-05:00

Last year, T and I (mostly I) decided that we needed a new mattress. We shopped around, weighed our options, and came to the conclusion that we would get one just as soon as we won the lottery. Mattresses - good mattresses - are expensive!

Fast forward to last weekend. The tax refund came in, and we decided to go a-mattressing. We chose a locally produced mattress and box-spring to be delivered, a set that should last us a good twenty years or so unless we each put on weight equivalent to a baby elephant...and I'm losing, not gaining, so there!

Ahem.

Only after we made our purchase did I think about how "green" our mattress might be, and wondered if there was a better choice. A little slow on the uptake, maybe? Maybe - but it was locally produced, and that should count for something, right?

Well, just so you don't make the same mistake, here are several websites that market to the green bedding crowd: Keetsa, Ecochoices, and Lifekind.

I am eyeballing some organic cotton bedding, in case I win the lottery next week...I have a friend or three who can help me dye it any color/s I want...as soon as I find environmentally friendly dyes...

Green Humor

2009-01-07T01:37:00.002-05:00

Who says being green can't be funny??

Thanks to T for sending this my way.

Green For the Holidays

2008-12-24T10:18:00.003-05:00

If you must have a real tree, think about one with a root-ball on it - I grew up with several of these trees in the yard and loved them.

If you must have a cut tree, remember that many organizations will take them for mulch, trade you saplings for them, or (if you have woods behind the house like we do) they make a fine habitat for little critters.

Happy Chritsmahannukwanzikuh!!

Renovate This

2008-12-05T22:50:00.002-05:00

So I'm watching Renovation Nation on Planet Green, and I'm annoyed.

They never seem to show (barely) middle income families like mine...it's always people who have plenty of dosh to go green. Right now, they're showing a family in California that put in in-ground cisterns for rainwater and an in ground watering system for their lawn, a grey water system, and solar panels.

It cost them what T makes in a year to do the panels, although they'll get some rebates so it will end up costing only half his income. Sigh.

Anyone want to subsidize the greening of my home? Please?

Convenience

2008-11-08T23:41:00.002-05:00

Hey there, anyone who's reading this! I know it has been a long time since I posted, but I'm not certain anyone actually reads this, and so am not certain anyone has missed me. Oh, well.

On Halloween I had some friends over. We carved pumpkins and I had a fire in the portable fireplace on the driveway. We ate dinner out there.

I opted for paper plates - I wish I could say I had truly green motives, but honestly, I didn't want to run twelve loads of dishes through the machine or hand wash them all. Paper was easier. When we were finished eating, we threw the plates onto the fire - no landfill, anyway. The utensils we used were compostable plastic - cool, huh?

I used the leftovers from dinner to make soup - recycling, right?

Sometimes, going green is all about the convenience - not having to wash something, knowing it will compost or burn, using a product that will not clog up the septic system or the sewers.

Speaking of septic systems, sewers, and the things we put in them...

I do not enjoy green-friendly toilet paper. The nicest I've used is almost on par with a diner's paper napkin, and the worst is like those brown paper hand towels you find in public restrooms. Is there some reason it can't be soft? I understand why it's not pure white or colored - who needs all that bleaching or the dye? I don't want scented paper, because I am not interested in a perfumed bottom - really, who is? And why? But something that doesn't feel like it's exfoliating my nethers would sure be nice.

Meanwhile, it's slow going around here - our roommate likes to sleep with his giant, almost too big for the room television on, and sometimes the light. He leaves his desktop and laptop computers running all the time, and often doesn't turn off the bathroom light or fan. He has also, on occasion, turned on his space heater to warm the room, then left it running while he turned on the A/C because he was too hot. Whiskey tango foxtrot, y'all - short of a death threat, I just don't know what to do about him!

Want more people to care, to at least make an effort at greening up their lives? Make it convenient, make it comfortable, and make it cheap.

Talkin' Trash

2008-09-17T20:47:00.003-04:00

Ah, trash.

Lots and lots of trash.

All over the side of the highway, secondary roads, and even at the end of my driveway.

What is it with people and their inability to contain their waste? How hard is it, really, to keep a grocery bag, a paper sack, or a rubbish bin in the car? Heck, if you've just hit the drive through, they provide the paper sack to put trash in - the bag wherein your food came!

How on Earth does someone thing it's OK to leave a dirty nappy in a parking lot? Usually right where it will be run over several times, spreading its horror all over tires, pavement, and people's psyches?

How is it that I can neatly bag my trash, place it in the bin, make sure the lid's down and nothing is loose or available for a quiet midnight snack for the local wildlife and pets-off-leash, I still end up with batteries at the end of my drive, flattened and scuffed by multiple tires?

Once in a while, I'll find litter in my yard or in the middle of the cul-de-sac, something random and odd and not at all from my household, a little gift from the trash-fairies.

It is disheartening to see how much is dumped on the side of the road, flung from windows, blown from the backs of trucks, or trickling out of the trash-trucks that are overladen with all of the waste we generate. Cans, cups, plates, clothing, plastic bags and bottles, wrappers, and all sorts of other fluttering reminders that humanity was here and didn't give a damn.

We carry bags with us when we hike the trails at the nature center. They start out empty, but they always get filled. I found a nappy in those woods. I didn't pick it up - I gave it serious thought, but considering its disreputable state and the length of the hike back, not to mention that whoever had so thoughtfully left it had managed to place it far from the path and directly in the middle of a flourishing patch of poison ivy, well...I gave it a pass. But I did report it to the staff at the center...they have tools for picking up litter, tools that negate the need for gallons of hand-sanitizer after. We find many cigarette butts. I won't let the Evil Genius pick those up - do you know how many germs live in saliva? The human mouth can be a cesspit! I pick them up and toss them, and get annoyed.

Hey, litterbugs,

Smoke if you will, smoke if you must - but do not inflict the damage from your addiction on me or my environment!

If you give your kid a juice box, make sure you collect the little plastic straw wrapper thingy.

If you give your kid a piece of candy or any other wrapped food, make sure they toss the wrapper where they ought or give it to you to dispose of. You could try teaching by example.

Don't let your plastic grocery bags get away from you - I see them blowing along in the air, tangled in trees, and floating in the water all the time.

You could even try recycling some of that stuff you've been dumping on the side of the road!

Come on, would you walk into my house and dump your trash?? Would you find it acceptable if someone came into your house and deposited their waste in the living room? So consider the great outdoors our global family room, would you please??

Either that, or I'm going to start following you around, collecting your trash, and dumping it in your bed when you aren't looking.

What's the Point, Part Two

2008-08-11T12:31:00.003-04:00

I've been dragging my feet with this because, well, that's what I do. Also, I hate feeling like an idiot, and trying to make sense of all this greening up from a practical viewpoint makes me feel like a first class dunce.

In the last long blather I covered going green for environmental reasons - carbon footprint and offsets, global warming, and...well, go read it if you want to know. I'll wait.

Wasn't that fun?

So this time, it's all about the money and resource availability, and this is where I feel like I can be more practical and perhaps better make my point.

Can going green help save a buck? Not in the short run. Retro-fitting my house with solar panels will cost tens of thousands of dollars. It won't start saving money on power until I've paid off the panels in twenty years or so. Yowza!

Wind may be cheaper to convert to, but it's not always reliable and still costs more than I've got in my pocket (about four dollars and some change).

Hybrid cars are costly, and may end up presenting an environmental hazard all their own with those batteries.

Converting to bio-diesel is fine, but if you don't know how to do it yourself (and I really don't) then there's the expense of having it done, as well as procuring, filtering, and converting fuel. I can't begin to understand how to go about that!

The best solution I've come up with so far is to start building new houses with green features, making them a part of the building cost and less noticeable to the consumer. When we build our next house, we'll factor in solar, wind, and even geothermal into the costs and it won't sting as much.

This brings us to what I feel is the most pressing reason to be conscious of our consumption - resource availability.

Eventually, oil and coal will run out. It's a finite resource, and even with recycling it'll come to an end. What will we do, globally, when that happens? The same goes for metals - there's only so much in the ground for us to take, and that's it.

When that happens, what will we do? I don't know about you, but I'm not keen on living in the dark ages. I like hot showers and clean clothing more than once a week! If you already have solar or wind powering your home, you're in good nick...but the rest of us will have to figure ourselves out in a hurry, or suffer. Wouldn't it be a better idea to forestall privation now??

We will have to deal with this eventually - running away from it until it catches us is just silly; we need to face it head on, chin up, eyes wide open.

I would go on, but I am informed that my other blog is not loading, but rather showing error messages, and I may have to spend the next year or so trying to figure out why.

What's the Point? Part One

2008-07-26T17:59:00.004-04:00

There's an important question that needs to be answered before we can get groovin' on the green: Why?

To what purpose do you want to get green, or at least a little greener?

I have boiled it down to two answers. No right, no wrong, just answers. There may be more, but these are what I have come up with: You want to go green because of environmental issues, or you want to go green because of practical reasons. Practical can be broken down into two sub-sections - money and resource availability.

Environmental issues are varied in scope and intensity. Two phrases come up over and over again - "carbon footprint" (sorry Mum)(Mum loathes that phrase - it really irks her)(mostly because people throw it around like a bludgeon, I think, and with terrific ignorance as to its usefulness)(she doesn't like ignorant bludgeoners) and "global warming". As far as I can understand it, "carbon footprint" is, loosely, the impact you have on the environment. More specifically, it's the amount of carbon dioxide you and your lifestyle put into the atmosphere on any given day/week/month/year, depending on who's doing the measuring and how they're doing it. There's a mind boggling variety in all that. There are some folks trying to offset their impact, their footprint, by going greener or buying...well...offsets.

What's an offset?

An offset is a tree planted, an investment made in green energy, a bit of dirty water or earth cleaned up, some air filtered - anything that undoes or lessens the impact of modern human living. I find offsets fascinating - I mean, unless you're doing them for yourself, how do you know, really, that people are really doing anything but pocketing your money? And people are paying themselves to offset their footprint, which makes my brain hurt. Al Gore is doing that. He uses more power in one month at home than the average American does in seventeen months. When this was made public last year, many people were outraged on both sides of the green debate - some that he uses so much, some that anyone would dare point out he was a deeply flawed man with deeply flawed behaviors...just like the rest of us.

What interests me about him is his purchasing of offsets...from himself! How do I get in on that? I know...send me a few bucks and I'll plant a tree in your name. Honestly, I'll plant the tree anyway, but if you, dear Internet, are willing to pay me to do it, why not?? For a few (thousand) bucks more, I'll install solar panels on my house, sell excess power back to the EMC and tell you all about it in a quarterly e-newsletter.

Or you can reduce or mitigate your footprint yourself. Drive a high efficiency vehicle, drive less, carpool, use alternative fuels, walk, bicycle, or telecommute. Buy organic, locally produced foods and goods. Turn off the shower between soaping and rinsing. Install greywater collection systems, rainwater collection systems, and low flow toilets. Use low VOC paints, recycled building materials, renewable resources, and insulate, insulate, insulate. Reuse, recycle, and compost. Grow or make your own. Think deeply about what went into producing everything you touch in your daily life, and alter what and how you choose to use.

Hell, just use two cloth bags every time you shop. It'll be a start.

So what's "global warming"?

Well, if our planet were a person, global warming could be seen as a perfectly natural part of the organism's cycle - we humans get warm and cool off on a regular basis - or maybe as a fever useful for getting rid of deleterious organisms in the system...which could just be us.

Our planet is a planet, though. It doesn't have a conscience, a mind, a thinking, reasoning process. It's a ball of dirt rolling along the cosmic lanes, unthinking, unfeeling, unaware. Ouch, that hurt. I love my planet, and I happen to believe that it is alive and does have spirit...but that's another story. For the purposes of global warming, I'm looking at our Earth as a system, not a being.

Stick with me...I know I'm flaky and a bit off-center and in no way scientific or educated in this, but I'm also good for a laugh with my weirdness!

For years beyond counting, our planet has warmed and cooled. I learned recently, despite the dire warnings of the green and crunchy communities, that we are actually in an ice age. It was on National Geographic, so it must be true.

An ice age? How can that be? Everyone's screaming about global warming!!

Well...perhaps we're on the back end of an ice age. I mean, if they're cyclic, we have to go in and then come out, right? And coming out...wait for it...would require...wait...warming, right??

So the two are not mutually exclusive.

What I wonder about is how we humans impact that natural process of warming and cooling. How do we measure that, when we've never been through this before? Should we even be concerned, really? I mean, if it's a recurring thing...why worry?

Except, I'm pretty sure that, warming or no, it's only since humans were around in such abundance that the air was chewable, the water flammable, and the very structure of the earth was altered because of foundations, levelling, landfills, drilling, mining, bombing, draining, watering, and every other thing we do to make the Earth what we want, as opposed to figuring out how to live with it as it is.

The answers to global warming, at least as humans impact it, are not as easy as those to carbon footprint, although some are the same. You see, to keep from influencing global warming, we'd have to give up on oil, coal, and all they produce for us. We'd have to stop burning things, go solar and nuclear, wind and wave powered, if we had power at all. We'd have t give up on plastic, on much of our modern medicine and technology, on food packaging and preservation, even food availability. We'd have to let people die of hunger, thirst, and disease.

To reverse warming? Paint the planet white and pray. White reflects light and heat, helping to cool the globe - that's one of the nifty things the ice caps do, and as they melt, it starts a vicious circle; melt, warm, melt more, warm more...

Ultimately, I haven't got an answer. We are biological beings answering a biological imperative (the biological imperative) by perpetuating and preserving the species. Everything we do is based in that.

So what's a body to do? A body muddling through life hoping not to do too much damage while maintaining a level of comfort?

I have no idea. That's the point of this blog, isn't it? Finding a way to make green mainstream...

We'll get to resource availability next time - I've aired enough of my silliness for one post.

The Meat of the Matter

2008-07-18T14:57:00.003-04:00

Or would that be "The Matter of Meat"? Or "Meat is the Matter"? Wait, now I'm feeling dizzy.

Y'all should know, I'm not getting anything for blathering on about a particular product or service. I'm nowhere near famous, let alone famous enough to garner that kind of graft, so feel free to hit the links I provide over in the side bar and read on without fear of ulterior motives - I'm writing this because I believe what I'm saying.

A couple of months ago my friend Michelle asked me if I'd like to get in on an order for mail-order meat. Yeah, I said Mail-order meat. Before you say "eww, gross" and go trolling for Charlie the Unicorn videos on YouTube, hear me out.

It's a damnit long web address to type in, and I did it wrong the first time or twelve, but eventually I ended up at a site run by the Slanker family in Texas. I'll save you the effort and make a link, because I'm all about making it easy. Go look at the meat, I'll wait.

I checked out the website she told me about, and it looked good. A bit chaotic and old school, as sites go (although still far more than I could manage if I didn't have wonderful Blogspot to do most of the work for me!), but very informative, easy enough to navigate and...most important...the product looked worth a try.

I called Mum and asked her if she was interested - we're always looking for (mostly) affordable organic alternatives to farm-raised, feed enhanced, solution injected, antibiotic and hormone pumped critter products.

We pitched in on the order - the company allows for cooperative orders to save on shipping, how cool is that??? Five families - Mum, myself, Kit, Michelle, and another friend of Michelle's who actually started the whole thing - ordered, and we had it shipped here to Casa de Crazy because among all the accoutrements of my ginormous carbon footprint, I have an industrial sized freezer that will more than hold whatever we decide to order at any given time.

So far, we've all been pleased with what we ordered.

I like the pork chops, but they're tiny. No, really - compared to the regular, factory-farmed ones at the market, these things are miniscule. No worries, though, because in this case size really doesn't matter. They're small but mighty...mighty good!

The steaks can feed a legion. I grilled two while camping in Ohio and fed four and a half people with them. You heard me - two ribeyes fed four and a half people!

The salmon actually converted a woman who doesn't like fish - D ate two helpings. Two. Of fish. And she loathes fish. She only tried it to be polite. Her husband J was ready to grab the whole piece of fish in his teeth and bolt to woods, growling and bear-like (and he's not really at all bear-like, normally) as he gobbled it down. He was really quite funny. I gave them the web address of the company so they could order some for themselves. A warning about the fish - it's not small. It's huge. It's half a wild-caught salmon, and it's not at all apologetic about its size. I cooked it in foil over the fire in Ohio and shared it with many people, because I knew Mum and I would never finish it. Luckily, our friend J was quite happy to take care of any leftovers!

I haven't tried the whole chicken yet, or the roast I ordered, but I am comfortable presuming they'll be the same quality. Some day, when I'm having a few hundred guests over, I may order the lamb.

OK, so here I am on a green-type blog, talking meat. What's up with that? Aren't green-type people supposed to be all about the tofu, tempei, and vegetables that volunteered to be dinner? Uh, yeah. That would be some other green-type person.

See the title of the blog? See where it says "Mainstream..."? That would include us folks who still eat any critter that didn't get out of the way fast enough to avoid being dinner. The whole point to this blog is to share ways that regular folks can reduce their impact on the planet. So, meat.

But don't despair - they have a few vegetables and fruits, too, as well as dairy products and eggs.

Give them a try. I found the prices comparable to organic at the market, and if you can find a few families to co-op with, you'll all save on shipping.

If you order from them, let me know what you think. Meanwhile, tell me about ways you're going organic or green with your food.

Rain Barrels

2008-07-15T16:56:00.003-04:00

I am considering rain barrels for my home. We've had some decent rainfall lately, but the drought isn't over. It's just...paused...for a bit.

So - rain barrels. Hook 'em to the downspouts and use 'em to water the landscaping. I don't really have landscaping - I am not the sort who will put on the effort proper landscaping requires. I have some trees and some grass mixed with weeds (mostly weeds) and a few hers. One of these days I'll have some fruit things - blueberries, maybe, or cherry trees - but that's in the future. Still, I like the idea of watering the iris once in a while instead of watching them get brown and sad and wondering if they'll return next year or if THIS was the season that finished them.

I like the ones that have screens to keep out leaves, pine straw, and weirdoes, and spigots on the bottom for attaching a hose. I have a huge roof - one day, it will be prime space for solar panels - so I should be able to fill a few barrels quite easily with a rainfall or two.

Have you considered barrels? What sort? Wood? Plastic? Covered? With spigot or without? I'd like to know - if you have them, how effective are they?

Water, Water, Everywhere...

2008-07-06T11:43:00.002-04:00

...And that's the problem.

I live in Georgia. We've been living with drought conditions for a few years now. It's dry enough that Lake Lanier, the lake that provides water for much of the state south of Gainesville, is down some thirteen feet. People who had homes with waterfront find themselves suddenly posessed of extra yards to mow.

I have long tried to be aware of my water usage, even before the drought. I've been known to turn off the shower to soap up, turn it on to rinse, off to condition my hair (hey, it's down to my bum, it needs conditioning or I'll blister the paint with my profanity while combing it), on to rinse, and done. Sometimes it was because I didn't want to waste water, and sometimes because there wasn't much hot, and have you ever tried getting conditioner out with cold water??

So I live in a state with a serious problem, exacerbated by the fact that other states also need water and are demanding more. No one wants to conserve, and they wait until the absolute last moment to institute watering bans. Two years ago, only a few granola people and me gave a thought to rainwater collection systems for their homes (I still don't have one, dang it, but I want one!!). Now that water is costing them so much, they're thinking about barrels, tubs, all sorts of things. Hmm. Why does it take a blow to the wallet to make people think??

Let me preface this next bit with a statement: I am a nutter. Yes, I am. Nutsy-cuckoo, me!

OK, now that's out of the way (I was trying to save you some time - nothing but thoughtful!), let me get to something I've been thinking about for a few years, now: bottled water.

Imagine a grocery store. Just one store. Now, imagine walking down the aisle where they house bottled water. See all those bottles? Now, the soft drinks. See all the liquids with water for their base? Now expand that mental picture to include the entire store full of bottles, cans, and packages full of liquids - shampoo, tinned tuna, vegetables, cleaning supplies, even the packaged meat has water in it.

Where did all that water come from?

Now, take that grocery store and multiply it. Add in all the Super-Whatever stores, warehouse clubs, gas stations and vending machines. Don't be shy, think globally. Go ahead, I'll wait.

Get it?

You want to know why so many places have shortages?? Hello? The water cannot flow if it's bottled up!! If you think bottling water in New York won't affect Georgia, or California, or Africa, think again. We have a global system. Let's think - does a bleeding finger affect your feet? Eventually, it will. Lose enough from one place, it will start to hurt other places.

I say we start a movement - the "Free the Di-Hydrogen Oxide" brigade!! Anyone with me? Anyone?

Why do I hear crickets?

Mmmm, compost!

2008-06-28T12:04:00.002-04:00

I have been researching compost. You wouldn't think it needed much research, but you'd be...well, right, ,actually.

When did composting get so complicated? There are dozens, if not hundreds, of sites dedicated just to composting and the finer points therein. When I was a kid, composting meant anything that didn't come from a critter went into the pile and turned into dirt. That simple. Nowadays, it seems you can't compost the "right" way without a bin, barrel, box, or special gizmo for the job.

One of the best things about compost, when I was a kid, was watching the pile every spring just to see what would pop up. We had mystery melons, mystery squash, all sorts of mystery fruits and veggies that happily made their home in the pile. We didn't, as far as I can recall, turn the pile, stir it, water it, lace it with newspaper, add worms, or any of that stuff. Just kept adding to it. When it got tall enough, we might start another, or we might topple it, shovel the soil out from the bottom, and keep going. It was easy.

I'm a little intimidated by composting today. It seems one cannot simply start a pile and let it go - one must have a container for it (plastic, no less, and how is that helping the environment any??), keep it moist but not too moist, feed it the right mix of dry and wet ingredients, turn it, stir it, and play violin concertos to it fortnightly.

Bah!

I had the idea to start a community compost pile with some friends - everyone would have a bucket which would get dumped on the pile weekly. Yes, even leaves and lawn clippings if they wanted to gather them up. I thought my back yard would be a good place, since it's huge and relatively unused (and I'm lazy and don't want to haul my compostables somewhere else when I could just fling them out the back). Hasn't happened yet - I don't have the money to buy one of those fancy barrel rigs, and there are enough wild critters scampering about that I'm not sure about having a pile just...sitting there.

Then again, why not provide a smorgasbord for them? They live here, too! The critters get fed, and their poo will turn into dirt, too - win-win!

What do you think? Would you participate in a community compost pile? Start one of your own? Or is the Dispoze-All just too convenient? Is it OK to just toss the stuff in a heap like I did when I was a kid? Or do we have to use bins and whatnot, now?

Trip the Plastic Fantastic

2008-06-23T21:03:00.003-04:00

I just got home (OK, just may not be accurate - I've been home since around Noon) from my annual trip to Ohio, where I camp, vend the various junk I make, perform with my band, and lead a few workshops.

It's a cool way to spend a week, if a touch (a LOT!!) exhausting. This year, I didn't have the Evil Genius with me, and while I missed him, I was also quite glad he wasn't there. I had too much to do to have a little guy to worry about!

One of the neat things about this community that comes together every year is the way everyone is so focused on community well being, from helping neighbors put up, stake down, and cover over tents to watching each others kids. Hungry? no problem, we have plenty of extra to feed you! Cold? I have an extra blanket, or you may crawl in with me for a snooze! Thirsty? I have gallons of water to drink! It's community wide, and it's a beautiful thing.

Another neat thing is the trash/recycling truck. It's an old RV with the top half cut off, hauled behind a pickup truck. They have bins for non-recyclable trash, as well as recyclables. Cans, bottle, compost, the lot.

Something that puzzled me about the recycling was the plastic bottles. They accepted the bottles, but not the caps. Why? Is it simply that they're different kinds of plastic? In fact, they only recycled numbers one and two plastics, leaving the rest for the trash.

I have recently learned that recycling plastic isn't at all cost effective. It seems that the cost of recycling plastic bags is prohibitive - there's no money to be made in it, and I doubt anyone will do it out of altruism...yet. Several countries have even outlawed the use of plastic bags, they're so destructive and such a danger to the local wildlife.

Do you recycle? Is there a recycling center in your community? Do you reuse plastic bags? Toss them? What's the alternative to plastic bottles, bags, jars, and other containers? Is the alternative any better than the plastic it would replace?

Wind

2008-06-10T17:20:00.003-04:00

Do you think my neighbors would object to one of these?

It's so yellow and happy! I'm not sure there's enough wind here for a turbine, but it would be another way to go.

Oh, or...I could sponsor one in Washington D.C. (all those pompous gasbags must make for some hurricane force winds, right??)(I mean, come on! Politicians, lobbyists, and lawyers, oh my!!!)(Don't get me started on how I feel about the UN in NYC...let's just say if bullshit was our sole energy source, we'd be set for the next thousand years) and get credit for the offsets. Anyone want in on this action???

Gadgetry

2008-06-08T20:17:00.003-04:00

A few months ago, Mum and I wandered around a home show looking for ways to ~~spend her money~~ improve our homes and perhaps be a little gentler on the environment.

We saw lots of rain-barrel systems, patios, garden ideas, siding, windows, and some really nifty solar items.

In fact, some of the coolest items were solar powered. Are you a gadget geek? You might like the new backpack with solar panels built in to charge your cell phone, iPod, or other gizmo. The messenger bag had the same features.

In the works is a laptop bag that will charge your little computing buddy while you walk, pedal, or blade to work or the park, or wherever you happen to be going, and will keep charging while you tap away at your keys outside the coffee shop or wherever.

Am I the only one that wants one??

An angle?

2008-06-06T11:02:00.003-04:00

My local EMC has a program wherein they provide solar panels to local schools. The idea is to help offset the massive amount of power used by these gigantic buildings while simultaneously providing an educational opportunity to the students - they learn to read the meter, understand solar power, and learn about energy consumption in general.

I home school.

Think they'll hook me up??

Small Changes

2008-06-04T21:27:00.006-04:00

A few months ago, I finally made one small change I should have made years ago - I gathered up all of the various cloth bags lingering in corners gathering dust creatures and cat hair, cleaned them, and started using them as grocery bags. They're mostly canvas bags, and they hold far more than a plastic grocery bag would. I am pleased with this, as it means fewer trips up and down the house stairs to fetch groceries in from the car - oh, and of course, less landfill. Woo-hoo, green and lazy!!

Some other small changes that have taken place here at Casa de Crazy in the last couple of years:

I recycle and reuse plastic grocery bags. They make terrific receptacles for cat box cleaning, holders of various items traveling from my home to anywhere else, and excellent packing materials, among other things.

I'm trying to switch our meat consumption to organic, locally produced critters whenever possible. I have also tried a mail order company, and like their products. Also, they permit co-op orders, so families can order together and save on shipping - cutting cost and pollutants at the same time. Woo-hoo, green and cheap!!

Without consulting my family, who probably won't notice anyway (because who do you think actually does the cleaning around here?)(No, not brownies, fairies, or sprites.)(I wish they would.), I started switching our regular household cleaning products with Seventh Generation stuff. Mmm, I like the smell, and our septic tank is probably a lot happier about it. We aren't fully converted, but more than halfway there.

I bought some socks. Go ahead, laugh - but they're knit from recycled cotton, they're funky, and I love them. Also, I rarely wear socks, so less to wash.

I buy organic or recycled goods when they're available and I can afford them.

I have begun using washcloths and dishcloths that I crocheted myself from cotton yarn.

I filter drinking water at home and refill bottles when I can - and I'm looking at various healthy bottles like stainless or glass to see if they'll work for me.

I believe in using it up, wearing it out, and recycling it.

They're small, so very small, my changes...but I have hope that they'll eventually build into something big.

How It All Started

2008-06-04T20:45:00.003-04:00

You could say I was born.

I had an odd childhood, a peculiar mix of wealth and privilege (lobster once a week, leg of lamb often, dining on fine china using actual silver flatware, new clothes just because the old were soiled, and champagne on a regular basis - in crystal flutes, no less) and scrabbling-in-the-dirt poverty that often left our heads spinning and our thoughts wandering along the lines of "A Kool-Aid sandwich on stale bread is perfectly nutritious, right?" Which state we were in was determined by whether we lived with the Grandparents (wealthy) or Mum (not at all wealthy).

I often claim I was raised by feral hippies. And Republicans. At the same time.

I had no concept of environment being something one should be concerned about until I was in my teens, but I often picked up litter because it was just rude not to.

I remember swimming off the coast of Florida and having to stop at a tar removal station before we left to beach to get the sticky black stuff off the bottoms of our feet. Bleh.

I am much more aware of the impact of my life on the world around me, now. I know why the tar was there, and that it didn't have to be. I understand about recycling, both for financial and environmental reasons. I never bought into the idea that there were starving children in China who would be happy for the food I was wasting, but at least I understand why waste is folly.

Being Pagan has added a layer of complication to the idea of being green - the Earth is at once my home, one of my Goddesses, and my temple. I really don't want to use up, deface, pollute, and completely ruin any of those sacred things.

Now comes the fun of reconciling the need for my family to live a realistic life with being as green as can be. In a perfect world, this wouldn't be an issue. There are plenty of people in the world who will scoff at my idea that there's a middle ground, a way to minimize impact while still maximizing comfort and ease.

I have been thinking a lot about this very thing.

I really believe that going green is nowhere near mainstream enough, and it should be. If environmentalists want Mr., Mrs., and Mizz Middle America to get on board, they're going to have to find a way to make green affordable, easy, and comfortable. So far, not so good.

It's all well and good for Ed Begley Jr. to crow about his solar panels and all that...quite another for the average homeowner or even renter to install, maintain, and benefit from solar panels.

Not everyone can compost - we don't all have the space, the time, or the inclination, and composting can become expensive if you don't want a pile of waste sprawling all around the landscape.

Recycling can cause as much damage to the environment as waste, considering the pollutants dumped into the air by diesel powered trucks - and reuse isn't always feasible.

My particular branch of the Pagan tree has a rule...our only one, in fact. In plain English it says "As long as you aren't hurting anyone, do what you like." Think about that. Hurt no one. It's not possible. Just by existing, I am hurting someone. My life is a balancing act - how can I mitigate the harm I do?

Going green is much the same - how can I balance what I consume and how it impact my world (and fellow dwellers thereon) and my desire to be comfortable, my inability to raise my own organic foods, use natural materials for home and living? It's nearly impossible to live a modern life without plastic.

In the coming posts, I hope to share ways my family (and the families of my friends) has found to add a little green to our daily lives.

In the Beginning...

2008-06-04T20:28:00.003-04:00

...there was Shade and Sweetwater.

No, actually, there was MySpace, and that begat Shade and Sweetwater.

A post bemoaning the expense of solar power combining with a regular topic of conversation 'round my life begat Mainstream Green. What Mainstream Green will begat is anyone's guess.

Don't expect daily posts - maybe not even monthly. I just wanted a place to put my maundering about the struggle to balance going green with actually, you know, living a realistic life. I have vague, half formed ideas about having some guest-type bloggers lending ahand if they feel benevolent towards the idea.