Our daughter made a comment the other day that when you really get into the eco-friendly lifestyle, you're more aware of how wasteful other people are. Isn't that the truth. Some of them just don't know there are alternatives, some have limited time and others just don't give a rat's ass.
Recently when Bill and I were at the grocery store, a woman was in the aisle, clutching a handful of coupons, staring at the 'Mr. Clean ' eraser things. She commented that she couldn't make up her mind if she should buy the name brand with the coupon or the store brand, which would still be cheaper. She asked which one I would buy. I was polite when I told her that I was probably the wrong one to ask, as I would use baking soda to clean anything that needed the eraser thing, so I wouldn't buy either one. As she was explaining in great detail all the money she saved by using coupons, I was looking at what she had in her cart. There must have been at least 10 different cleaning products in there. Sure, she saved $4 because of coupons, but she spent $20 or more when she probably had everything at home to make alternatives that would work just as well. I have to admit that I was a little saddened because of all the plastic bottles, too. I hope she recycled, but so many people don't.
I don't want this to be some kind of rant, so I'm putting out a challenge: Can you take ONE STEP, just ONE STEP each month towards a better world for the future? Even something as simple as taking your lunch to work one day a week, eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich instead of a hamburger, is making a difference. Another easy step is to unplug things that you aren't using. Or using a Brita filter pitcher instead of buying bottled water. Or drinking one less soda pop a day. Or using your slow cooker more often. You get the drift, these aren't difficult or truly lifestyle changing, but it all adds up.
I am more extreme than ever since I watched 'No Impact Man', but I'm still looking for ways to be more eco friendly yet not too labor intensive. And there's a comfort level that I want, too.
My latest change is the cat litter. Over the course of a couple of years, I went from purchased, silicone kitty litter to Feline Pine to making my own w/ recycled newspaper and baking soda to now scooping up straw bits and leaf crumbles from the garden into a 5 gallon bucket to store by litter boxes. I have a coffee canister with some pine sawdust to sprinkle over the top after I scoop out the poops AKA composting toilet for kitties. I have five cats inside, but I don't want my house to smell like I have five cats inside, you know? Oh, I also scooped up a trash can full of straw/leaf crumbles and put that in the shop so it wouldn't freeze solid in the winter. It's easy to go out, dip up a bucketful and bring it into the house. A lot easier than hauling 20 lb. bags back from the store, I'm telling ya. Edited 3/9/11: Well, that didn't last too long as the cats tracked it all over the place. I think I didn't have enough dirt type stuff in it. I also quit making the newspaper litter as I had to keep a batch going constantly since I have too many cats. So, it's back to Feline Pine. But I did read that some people use chicken scratch grains, so I might try that next. Or a bale of pine shavings used for bedding.
Another edit 5/1/11: Well, the pine shavings worked as far as odor control, but man, that stuff can travel when it's clinging to a long haired cat! We even found a piece on our bed! So, back to the Feline Pine.
Now, I admit that most people wouldn't go that far, or don't have a garden, etc, but how about makng the switch to a litter that is more eco-friendly like Feline Pine, Yesterday's News or another recycled litter? No huge life changing step there, but it does make a difference.
Just one step - can you find some little thing to change each month? Heck, you'll feel so good about yourself after a bit, the next steps will be easy!
Friday, January 7, 2011
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
More Creative Re-Using with T-shirts
There are those that thrive on finding different uses for 'stuff'. I'm in that category, just in case you haven't noticed. I like learning things, even if they aren't things that I am going to do.
Take the lowly old t-shirt. Most of us have them, right? Most of us have a few too many, too. So, other than going to the rag bag, what do you do with them when they're past their prime?
I have seen or read that you can (and these ideas have been around for a long time):
Tear strips and crochet a rug or bathmat
Ditto on tearing, but then crochet a grocery bag or tote
Make a quilt
Make a dog toy
Other t-shirt stuff that I recently read:
Sew a tote from the t-shirt. Sure would be faster than crocheting. Mine would look crappy either way.
Make diapers for baby. I guess there are patterns online for them, or you can buy them at a luxury price of $8 each!
Sew into sanitary napkins. Lots of patterns online for this.
Cut into wide strips, fold lenthwise a few times and use them for sanitary napkins. The post that I read about doing this pretty much told you that you were stoo-pid to take the time to sew your own personal products. It was kind of funny, she was really ranting about it.
Use them in place of toilet paper, AKA family cloth. Now, this gal had the system down! She had four daughters and was constanly buying toilet paper. She put the cut up t-shirts in a tissue box (easy dispensing and no folding) and kept a plastic coffee canister next to the toilet. Then she added a tablespoon of white vinegar to some water in the canister for easy, odor free collection. When it was fairly full, she'd drain the water off, add water and shake with the lid on for a pre-rinse. Drain and add more water, add a shot or two of liquid hand soap, few more shakes, drain. Then into the washer with her other clothes. With all those kids, she did laundry every other day anyway. She kept TP on the roller so their friends didn't freak out.
The posts that followed hers were interesting, too. (My comments in italics.)
There was the 'ick' factor from poo - she responded that each person was responsible for rinsing out their cloth before it went into the container. You're going to wash your hands anyway, aren't you? What about doing the initial wiping with TP and follow up with cloth? Added bonus would be if the sink was close by so you could use a damp rag, too.
Some were concerned about washing them with other clothes, stating that they should be washed seperately. Her response was that you wash your underwear with other clothes, don't you? And that makes sense. These aren't diapers, completely soaked with urine. There would be just a very small amount of urine on the rag, and it's getting a prewash before it goes in with the rest of the clothes.
The comment that cracked me up was from a gal from another country that had never used toilet paper in her life. She said that using TP was about the nastiest thing she had ever heard of - you wouldn't rub your dirty hands on a piece of paper and then call them clean, would you? She has a point...
It is kind of funny that so many people will spend more for toilet paper that feels as soft as cloth, but freak out at the thought of actually using cloth. I sure wouldn't go buy flannel (or take the time to sew around the edges), or buy any product stated for said use. Use those old t-shirts - I suggest you cut off logos and paint goobers.
Take the lowly old t-shirt. Most of us have them, right? Most of us have a few too many, too. So, other than going to the rag bag, what do you do with them when they're past their prime?
I have seen or read that you can (and these ideas have been around for a long time):
Tear strips and crochet a rug or bathmat
Ditto on tearing, but then crochet a grocery bag or tote
Make a quilt
Make a dog toy
Other t-shirt stuff that I recently read:
Sew a tote from the t-shirt. Sure would be faster than crocheting. Mine would look crappy either way.
Make diapers for baby. I guess there are patterns online for them, or you can buy them at a luxury price of $8 each!
Sew into sanitary napkins. Lots of patterns online for this.
Cut into wide strips, fold lenthwise a few times and use them for sanitary napkins. The post that I read about doing this pretty much told you that you were stoo-pid to take the time to sew your own personal products. It was kind of funny, she was really ranting about it.
Use them in place of toilet paper, AKA family cloth. Now, this gal had the system down! She had four daughters and was constanly buying toilet paper. She put the cut up t-shirts in a tissue box (easy dispensing and no folding) and kept a plastic coffee canister next to the toilet. Then she added a tablespoon of white vinegar to some water in the canister for easy, odor free collection. When it was fairly full, she'd drain the water off, add water and shake with the lid on for a pre-rinse. Drain and add more water, add a shot or two of liquid hand soap, few more shakes, drain. Then into the washer with her other clothes. With all those kids, she did laundry every other day anyway. She kept TP on the roller so their friends didn't freak out.
The posts that followed hers were interesting, too. (My comments in italics.)
There was the 'ick' factor from poo - she responded that each person was responsible for rinsing out their cloth before it went into the container. You're going to wash your hands anyway, aren't you? What about doing the initial wiping with TP and follow up with cloth? Added bonus would be if the sink was close by so you could use a damp rag, too.
Some were concerned about washing them with other clothes, stating that they should be washed seperately. Her response was that you wash your underwear with other clothes, don't you? And that makes sense. These aren't diapers, completely soaked with urine. There would be just a very small amount of urine on the rag, and it's getting a prewash before it goes in with the rest of the clothes.
The comment that cracked me up was from a gal from another country that had never used toilet paper in her life. She said that using TP was about the nastiest thing she had ever heard of - you wouldn't rub your dirty hands on a piece of paper and then call them clean, would you? She has a point...
It is kind of funny that so many people will spend more for toilet paper that feels as soft as cloth, but freak out at the thought of actually using cloth. I sure wouldn't go buy flannel (or take the time to sew around the edges), or buy any product stated for said use. Use those old t-shirts - I suggest you cut off logos and paint goobers.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Getting more from your oven
I love the forum at http://permies.com/ . It's the greatest place to learn new stuff from some really hands on people. The focus is on permaculture - alternative building and energy, critter care, wild crafting, that kind of thing. Head on over there and plan on bookmarking that site as you'll want to check back.
Yesterday someone had posted that they kept their baking stone in the oven. There was more even heat and the oven didn't kick on as much. I have a large square baking stone that was re-gifted to me (hey, I'll take about anything). I put it on the middle rack of my oven before I baked some vegetarian lasagna for supper. I can't say that I watched or rather listened to know if the oven clicked on more or less, but what surprised me was how long that stone held the heat afterwards.
I always leave the oven door cracked after turning it off so the heat comes into the room. I bet there was heat still coming from that baking stone half an hour later! So that's the new storage place for that baby. It won't help when you're baking something for a short period of time as it will take a while for that stone to heat up, so take it out if you're just browning a pie crust. For long time baking, even half an hour, it makes sense that it would help.
Simple stuff, but it works!
Yesterday someone had posted that they kept their baking stone in the oven. There was more even heat and the oven didn't kick on as much. I have a large square baking stone that was re-gifted to me (hey, I'll take about anything). I put it on the middle rack of my oven before I baked some vegetarian lasagna for supper. I can't say that I watched or rather listened to know if the oven clicked on more or less, but what surprised me was how long that stone held the heat afterwards.
I always leave the oven door cracked after turning it off so the heat comes into the room. I bet there was heat still coming from that baking stone half an hour later! So that's the new storage place for that baby. It won't help when you're baking something for a short period of time as it will take a while for that stone to heat up, so take it out if you're just browning a pie crust. For long time baking, even half an hour, it makes sense that it would help.
Simple stuff, but it works!
Make your own Endust & Static Guard substitutes
My latest finds are substitutes for Endust and Static Guard. I gave them both a try and they work great! Saves me money, is earth friendly and I almost always have the ingredients!
The anti-static dusting spray is nothing more than one part of liquid fabric softener to maybe 5 parts water. As usual, I tend not to measure, I just eyeball it. Put it in a little spray bottle, give it a few shakes to mix, spray it on a cloth and dust away. I used this yesterday and by cracky, there is NO dust, and I mean NO dust on the furniture that I used this on. Wahoo! I wiped down one little table with a barely damp cloth so I'd have something to compare it to, and it shows some dust today. I did some light sprays on the recliners and no static pops last night, too! I do get a little nervous spraying fabric softener directly on upholstered furniture, so I'll probably get another spray bottle and water it down a bit more...maybe. I'll see how long the anti static part of this trial lasts. Label the bottle!
I also tried the homemade dust mop treatment this morning and I give that two thumbs up. All that involves is 4 drops of olive oil (or any cooking oil, or lemon oil, etc) in one cup of warm water. Again, into a little spray bottle, shake it up and spray on your dustmop, or in my case, a rag covered Swiffer. It doesn't take much, just a couple of light mists, then dust those floors. Worked like a charm! Grabbed up cat hair and dust just like the purchased stuff. I then took the rags outside, gave them a couple shakes and into the laundry basket. Label the bottle!
What's cool is that I'm not bring more plastic or aerosol cans into the house, thus keeping them out of the waste stream. I'm almost out of spray bottles, so I'm going to ask friends and relatives to save them for me. Some folks just don't want to get on board, but hey, they're willing to help out the eco-fanatic person they know and love. Well, know, anyway.
The anti-static dusting spray is nothing more than one part of liquid fabric softener to maybe 5 parts water. As usual, I tend not to measure, I just eyeball it. Put it in a little spray bottle, give it a few shakes to mix, spray it on a cloth and dust away. I used this yesterday and by cracky, there is NO dust, and I mean NO dust on the furniture that I used this on. Wahoo! I wiped down one little table with a barely damp cloth so I'd have something to compare it to, and it shows some dust today. I did some light sprays on the recliners and no static pops last night, too! I do get a little nervous spraying fabric softener directly on upholstered furniture, so I'll probably get another spray bottle and water it down a bit more...maybe. I'll see how long the anti static part of this trial lasts. Label the bottle!
I also tried the homemade dust mop treatment this morning and I give that two thumbs up. All that involves is 4 drops of olive oil (or any cooking oil, or lemon oil, etc) in one cup of warm water. Again, into a little spray bottle, shake it up and spray on your dustmop, or in my case, a rag covered Swiffer. It doesn't take much, just a couple of light mists, then dust those floors. Worked like a charm! Grabbed up cat hair and dust just like the purchased stuff. I then took the rags outside, gave them a couple shakes and into the laundry basket. Label the bottle!
What's cool is that I'm not bring more plastic or aerosol cans into the house, thus keeping them out of the waste stream. I'm almost out of spray bottles, so I'm going to ask friends and relatives to save them for me. Some folks just don't want to get on board, but hey, they're willing to help out the eco-fanatic person they know and love. Well, know, anyway.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Creative Re-Using instead of Recycling - Yeah!
Our daughter is returning some wicker furniture today. I originally bought the set for our living room over 15 years ago. It was on a summer clearance sale at K Mart and I was desperate for furniture at the time. Years later, the set went to her when she bought her first house and was desperate for furniture. The wicker is still in good shape. It's needed a little glue a couple of times, but that's not bad for something that old.
When I look at my furniture, the best pieces are the oldest ones. I have a wooden rocking chair that I bought new in 1976. It doesn't even have a loose joint. I have a two year old recliner that Bill has repaired twice and now it's sitting crooked again. I hate that chair. I'm not convinced that I should donate it, either. I would hate to pass the aggravation on to anyone else.
A couple years ago we ripped up an old sofa that also wasn't worth donating. That sofa had been the dog sofa for some time, so it wasn't worth trying to do anything with it. It took some time, but we ended up with a pile of wood to use in the woodburner, metal to recycle, a pile of very dirty upholstery fabric and the dirty foam cushions. I tried to wash them with the garden hose and soapy water, left them outside in the rain and sun...and got 'the look' from Bill more than once. Okay, they had to leave. It's all about compromise in a marriage, right? At least it was less bulk in the landfill. And these days, I'm all about not putting stuff into the landfill. But I still didn't feel too good about it.
Some things can be recycled only so many times, like plastic, before you end up with a glop of something toxic or unusable. Perhaps the better course of action is to not put it in the cycle to begin with (especially plastic). So save those plastic salad dressing bottles to use when you make a batch of homemade chocolate syrup. The bottle will be perfect for that. Then look at recipes for salad dressings, too. You'll save money, have fresher ingredients without the preservatives and wa-lah! No more plastic coming and going.
There are tons of possibilities online for fixing up and re-using old furniture, even for the handyman impaired. Get to Googling and you'll see what I mean. I have an old dresser that is slated to be a coffee table eventually. I never liked the thing because of the legs, but cutting the legs really short, or completely off will give it new use.
It might even look pretty cool with my 'new' wicker furniture that's being delivered today.
When I look at my furniture, the best pieces are the oldest ones. I have a wooden rocking chair that I bought new in 1976. It doesn't even have a loose joint. I have a two year old recliner that Bill has repaired twice and now it's sitting crooked again. I hate that chair. I'm not convinced that I should donate it, either. I would hate to pass the aggravation on to anyone else.
A couple years ago we ripped up an old sofa that also wasn't worth donating. That sofa had been the dog sofa for some time, so it wasn't worth trying to do anything with it. It took some time, but we ended up with a pile of wood to use in the woodburner, metal to recycle, a pile of very dirty upholstery fabric and the dirty foam cushions. I tried to wash them with the garden hose and soapy water, left them outside in the rain and sun...and got 'the look' from Bill more than once. Okay, they had to leave. It's all about compromise in a marriage, right? At least it was less bulk in the landfill. And these days, I'm all about not putting stuff into the landfill. But I still didn't feel too good about it.
Some things can be recycled only so many times, like plastic, before you end up with a glop of something toxic or unusable. Perhaps the better course of action is to not put it in the cycle to begin with (especially plastic). So save those plastic salad dressing bottles to use when you make a batch of homemade chocolate syrup. The bottle will be perfect for that. Then look at recipes for salad dressings, too. You'll save money, have fresher ingredients without the preservatives and wa-lah! No more plastic coming and going.
There are tons of possibilities online for fixing up and re-using old furniture, even for the handyman impaired. Get to Googling and you'll see what I mean. I have an old dresser that is slated to be a coffee table eventually. I never liked the thing because of the legs, but cutting the legs really short, or completely off will give it new use.
It might even look pretty cool with my 'new' wicker furniture that's being delivered today.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Dishwasher vs Hand Washing
Oh Bullshit.
That was my reaction when I first heard and then read on Treehugger.com that to conserve water, the winner was the automatic dishwasher. I don't use mine too much anymore.
Researching the topic, I found that the Bonn study that reported the results was funded by manufacturers of dishwashers:
Arcelik
Bosch-Siemens Hausgeräte
Electrolux
Indesit
According to posts, they used the handwashing group from Europeans that tend to leave the water running constantly while rinsing. 103 liters of water? That sounds kind of excessive. I use less than one sink full of water to wash and rinse most days (just a bit of soapy water in one sink, then rinse above that so the water accumulates in the same sink - turning the water on and off). Then the clean dishes go into the dishwasher to air dry. I don't have a drying rack, so that part works out pretty good. In the summer, I use tepid water to wash, mostly cold water to rinse. Most of the time, I'll leave the water in the sink to wash off my hands if they just need a rinse, to wash as I go if I'm cooking, or to soak pots.
Dishwasher or hand washing - Consider the energy consumption of your water heater while it's replacing the hot water used. Consider the amount of energy used during manufacturing the dishwasher, and the freight from moving said dishwasher to a warehouse, then to the store, then to your house.
In 15 years, we had three different dishwashers. We just couldn't keep them going for longer than a few years. Looking back, I see what a waste of money and energy to keep buying them. During that time frame, I did dishes for two of those years. I liked not having to bend over practically to the floor to unload the dishwasher, so it wasn't bad. One cool thing is that you can really pile dishes into that top rack. I have even laid the silverware in the top rack when I didn't have many dishes to do.
So get in gear, save some money, electricity and water by washing those dishes by hand. Just make sure you use enough water to rinse 'em, nothing worse than having your drinks taste vaguely of dish soap.
That was my reaction when I first heard and then read on Treehugger.com that to conserve water, the winner was the automatic dishwasher. I don't use mine too much anymore.
Researching the topic, I found that the Bonn study that reported the results was funded by manufacturers of dishwashers:
Arcelik
Bosch-Siemens Hausgeräte
Electrolux
Indesit
According to posts, they used the handwashing group from Europeans that tend to leave the water running constantly while rinsing. 103 liters of water? That sounds kind of excessive. I use less than one sink full of water to wash and rinse most days (just a bit of soapy water in one sink, then rinse above that so the water accumulates in the same sink - turning the water on and off). Then the clean dishes go into the dishwasher to air dry. I don't have a drying rack, so that part works out pretty good. In the summer, I use tepid water to wash, mostly cold water to rinse. Most of the time, I'll leave the water in the sink to wash off my hands if they just need a rinse, to wash as I go if I'm cooking, or to soak pots.
Dishwasher or hand washing - Consider the energy consumption of your water heater while it's replacing the hot water used. Consider the amount of energy used during manufacturing the dishwasher, and the freight from moving said dishwasher to a warehouse, then to the store, then to your house.
In 15 years, we had three different dishwashers. We just couldn't keep them going for longer than a few years. Looking back, I see what a waste of money and energy to keep buying them. During that time frame, I did dishes for two of those years. I liked not having to bend over practically to the floor to unload the dishwasher, so it wasn't bad. One cool thing is that you can really pile dishes into that top rack. I have even laid the silverware in the top rack when I didn't have many dishes to do.
So get in gear, save some money, electricity and water by washing those dishes by hand. Just make sure you use enough water to rinse 'em, nothing worse than having your drinks taste vaguely of dish soap.
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