Our Greener Life

Does the thought of swaths of plastic Easter grass and dozens of plastic eggs make the environmentalist in you cringe? Here are some ways to make Easter green without festooning the planet with fake grass!

1. Give your children a decorative cloth bag with a set of child’s garden tools, seeds, or other gardening supplies instead of an Easter basket. A bucket of sand box toys or “nature kit” bag are other alternatives.

2. Choose eco-friendly materials for Easter baskets, such as hemp or jute. Or purchase hand-made, fair trade certified baskets that you can find other uses for after Easter (how about toy storage?).

3. Make your own Easter basket from materials around the house, such as hand-decorated bags, totes, wastebaskets, laundry baskets, etc.

4. Fill the baskets with biodegradable material that can be composted, such as natural straw, hay, moss, or simply grass from outside. You can also shred up the Sunday funnies or colorful scrap paper. Shred some of those colorful catalogues and magazines that come in the mail.

5. Make your own treats for the basket – bake special cookies, cupcakes, and candies.

6. Re-use what you have. Do you already have plastic eggs from last year, from well-intentioned friends, or from your children’s school projects? Glue them onto a round frame to make a wreath. If you already have plastic grass, use it as a base for a centerpiece or creative springtime scene.

7. Decorate using scrap paper and junk mail – cut out bunny shapes and string them onto colorful yarn, or cut out Easter shapes into a chain.

8. For your Easter feast, serve eco-friendly meats such as organic ham and free-range turkey. Serve vegetables from local farmers or from the wild – cooked dandelion greens are an early spring tradition that goes back many years.

9. Dye eggs using natural dyes -mix a tablespoon of white vinegar per cup of boiling water and add onion skins (yellow), red cabbage (light purple), shredded raw beets (deep red), spinach (light green), coffee grounds or tea (brown), etc.

10. Use free-range eggs or, better yet, obtain your eggs from a local farmer or urban chicken-keeper. If the eggs are brown, you can use eco-friendly paints on them instead of dyes.

11. Fill your children’s Easter baskets with enduring wooden toys (such as puzzles, trains, or cars), pocket-sized board games, a deck of cards, dominoes, etc. Take your child’s personality into consideration rather than just giving the “usual” stuffed bunny and plastic trinkets. Then you can build a basket theme around your child’s interests.

All of these ideas will help reduce waste this Easter season.

There seems to be a growing interest in earth-based buildings these days. There are several possibilities for the attraction – earth-based structures are eco-friendly, the building material is plentiful, and as the toxic nature of conventional building materials becomes more well-known, many people prefer the non-toxic nature of natural building materials. Poured earth is one type of earthen construction that is enjoying a resurgence.

What Is Poured Earth?

It sounds like a fancy term for mud, but it’s more than that. Like concrete, poured earth uses a combination of aggregate (hard, inert, binding material) and dry cement. Many people confuse the terms “concrete” and “cement” – they are not the same. Cement is a component of concrete, not vice versa.

When concrete is mixed, the aggregate is sand and gravel, which is mixed with dry cement and water. Poured earth uses soil as the aggregate, which is then mixed with dry cement and water. Thus, poured earth is somewhat akin to concrete (not cement).

The soil used in poured earth structures needs to meet certain specifications, which require testing to discern. If you are planning to build using poured earth and your soil does not meet the specifications – say it’s too high in clay – then soil amendments, such as lyme or magnesium oxide can be added to bring your soil up to specification.

How compatible your soil is for poured earth will determine how much cement you will need to mix in – the less clay, the less cement is needed. Mixing in a material known as flyash can reduce the amount of cement you need.

What Else Do You Need?

* You will need some way to pour the earth as you would concrete, such as a traditional cement mixer or concrete pump. Try to rent or borrow one from a local construction company.

* Frames are necessary to hold the poured earth walls as they dry. You can use concrete frames, steel, or wood.

* Plaster, cob, or other finishing material will be needed for indoor and outdoor walls.

Is It Expensive?

Initially, yes, it is a bit more expensive than conventional construction. At this point, poured earth structures are customized buildings, which makes any project more expensive. Bear in mind, however, that poured earth buildings are inexpensive to maintain (more on that below). Also, as poured earth becomes more widely known and utilized, the cost will likely go down as standard types develop.

What Are the Advantages of Poured Earth Buildings?

* Poured earth buildings are extremely durable, comparable to concrete.

* The thick walls of poured earth create a peaceful interior.

* Poured earth is free of chemically-treated wood, synthetic insulation, formaldehyde, and other toxic building materials.

* The durable nature of poured earth means that it is highly resistant to the wear and tear that occur in typical homes. It is very low-maintenance.

* Heating and cooling are aided by the radioative effects of the earthen walls, which have “inherent thermal mass.” They absorb heat and release it gradually, making the internal temperature inexpensive to maintain and far more constant.

* Fast construction is another advantage of poured earth buildings.

Once you construct a foundation, the frames are erected and filled with the poured earth mixture. For extra insulation, some builders will construct a second wall with a space between the two, which is then filled with eco-friendly insulation. After the walls dry and “cure,” you can finish them with plaster or cob (a mix of mud and straw). Then the interior and exterior walls can be painted as you like.

Image credit: www.greenhomebuilding.com

With Spring rapidly approaching, you may be starting to get things cleaned up for the season. Check out these helpful tips for dealing with garden waste.

When garden waste is composted, it decomposes aerobically – that is, using oxygen. Unlike landfills, which decompose waste anaerobically (without oxygen), garden composting produces few greenhouse gases. And when you recycle your garden waste, you are providing yourself with useful, organic compost, thus eliminating the need for synthetic fertilizers.

Here are some ideas for how you can recycle your garden waste:

* Grass clippings can be left on your lawn after mowing. They will act as mulch, helping to hold in moisture. As the grass clippings rot, they will enrich the soil of your lawn. Rotting grass clippings contain nitrogen, which is an important fertilizer for your yard and garden.

You can also rake up your grass clippings and pile them up where they will rot. You can add bits of this rotting matter to your compost, or even sow seeds into the grass clipping pile. Squash and pumpkins are possibilities for plants that will grow this way, as long as the clipping pile receives enough sunlight.

* Prunings and trimmings from brush, trees, garden plants, etc. can be added to your compost pile. If they are large or woody pieces, you will need to chop them up a bit before adding them to the pile. If you have a flower garden, compost the pinched-off blooms and cut stems. If you have a vegetable garden, compost peelings, rinds, and leaf and stem prunings.

* Fallen leaves can be piled onto your compost, or composted alone to make something called leaf mold. This is a kind of compost that is high in nutrients. You can use it for mulch or fertilizer, depending on how you decompose it. Just chopping or shredding leaves produces mulch that you can use immediately, and it will enrich the soil as it breaks down.

To make leaf mold, you must let the leaves rot much longer, from 6 months to 1 year. If you do not chop the leaves first, making leaf mold may take 2 years. Simply compost the leaves in a pile, bin, or other container that allows for ample air circulation and turning.

* Biodegradable bags can be used for yard and garden waste if you have trimmings from weeds or other materials you do not want to recycle. Some communities will gather garden waste and return it as mulch or fertilizer.

* Creative uses for branches and twigs include home-made herb-drying racks, natural fences, or crafts. Use natural twine to lash the branches together and reinforce with nails if necessary.

So you have decided you want to live a more eco-friendly life, but don’t know where to start? Check out these small steps that can add up to make a big difference. Don’t worry about trying to do everything you can – it can be overwhelming. My advice is to pick one and go from there!

Use less water.

Saving water is all about small steps, here ar

e a few that will help save big.

- Shut off the water while you brush your teeth
- Take showers that are a minute or two shorter
- Only run full loads of laundry and dishes
- Buy from sustainable producers. These are farmers, ranchers, and other producers that use techniques that pollute less and use less water. You can do some research online or ask at your local organic market to find these products.

Use less energy.

If you don’t have the money to buy a hybrid car or convert your house to solar power, you can make a big difference with small changes.

- Buy energy efficient appliances. They may be more expensive, but make up for the increased cost in lower energy bills.
- Unplug chargers when you’re not using them. Cell phone and other chargers use up powers even if there’s nothing attached to them.
- Put devices with remotes, like T.V.s, VCRs, and stereos, on a power strip and turn it off when you’re not using them. These devices use a lot of power to run the remote receiver even when the device is off.
- Walk or ride your bike for short trips.
- Buy local products. It takes energy to transport food and other products across the country. Buying local not only supports your local economy, it helps them use less energy.

When it comes to saving energy and water, it’s a great idea to get the kids involved. You can even make it a game. Have them track how much water and electricity everyone is using. You can compete to see who uses the least water. You can often count on your kids to help keep you on track when given the task.

Reuse.

Most of us know the three R’s: reduce, reuse, recycle, but when we work on conserving, we often leave reuse out of the picture. While you can often find tips on how to reuse common products from other people, what you need most is creativity. With a little thought there are many items around your home that can be reused ñ toilet paper holders can be used to sow seeds for the vegetable patch. And old yogurt containers can be cut into strip to make plant labels. Old food jars can be refilled with homemade foods or can make great impromptu vases.

Use environmentally friendly products.

When you go to the grocery store, you probably see more and more “natural” or “eco friendly” products every time. There are generally two big problems with these products: 1) Just because they’re more natural than regular products, doesn’t mean they’re entirely natural. 2) They’re often expensive.

If you want inexpensive, natural, safe products, why not just make them yourself. Vinegar is a great way to clean and disinfect glass and other surfaces. Need to remove stubborn stains? Just add some baking soda to your vinegar cleaner. Some quick searching online will lead you to hundreds of other natural safe home-made cleaning products.

We all knowing that going green means better for the environment, but it’s also better for you. Conserving resources also helps save you money, which is something most of us are happy to live with.

Why stop at home? Try these tips for creating a greener office. You can share them with co-workers, or provide a more eco-friendly working environment for your employees.

Happy plants make happy workers
It is proven that plants make people happier. They also can help clean up the air in your workplace. Give some plants a new home in your office.

Get rid of bottled water
Bring in a reusable water bottle and refill from the office water cooler. Perhaps the company can purchase reusable bottles for everyone with the company logo.

Recycle that ink
There are many options for recycling ink and toner cartridges. If you can refill your own – even better.

Reuse your lunch
Well, you lunch containers that is. Choose reusable containers or sandwich wraps and avoid the disposable plastic bags.

Go paperless
If possible, send out documents via email, rather than printing. When you really think about it, there are many times when an electronic copy makes better sense than a print copy.

These are just a few ways to move towards a greener office. If you have other tips to share, please post in the comments.