Before "going green" was coined as the latest rage, envionmentalists worked hard to spread the message about the 3 R's. It's a mantra well known by even the least green out there: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. The first two Rs are straight forward-use less, and reuse what you've got already. Recycling is where many of us throw up our hands in protest, and for a myriad of reasons. I was always too busy, or it was too inconvenient.
When I finally decided to go for it and give recycling a try, I stood by the sink with a yogurt container and a steel can, wondering if either of them could be recycled. The whats, and hows of recycling can be daunting, but implementing a recycling routine in your family is an important step in the greening process. Here are some basic tips to help you succeed:
What to Recycle
Start with the items that have the fewest "rules":
Aluminum: just a simple rinse will do
Steel Cans: no need to remove labels, rinse
Newspaper: keep it dry
Magazines & Glossy Inserts: seperate and keep dry
These are all items that are almost all universally recyclable in any community. The next items will vary in recyclability by your locale's services.
Plastics: PETE 1 & 2 are the most recycled plastics & include milk jugs, shampoo bottles, soda bottles, etc. Look for the symbol. Take off caps, unless coded 1 or 2.
Glass: You may have to seperate by color, but never include light bulbs, Pyrex, or windows in this mix. Also take off lids and caps. This would include: beer, soda and wine bottles, as well as glass jars. (Oh, and don't worry about getting the lime out of the beer bottle, it won't ruin the mix!)
Paper & Paperboard: office paper, cereal boxes, etc. Be careful of wax & paper lined milk cartons and food boxes. These are not recyclable.
Corrugated Cardboard: keep dry & clean
Plastic Bags: Keep these dry and clean, and turn them in at your grocery store. Hopefully you don't collect many of these because you have switched to reusable bags.
Where to Recycle
Check with your local waste services for common options:
Curbside Recycling: generally involves a small fee, however you are provided with bins and it can't get more convenient.
Recycling Center Drop-off: This is the more common option, and does require a new routine. We were suprised at how close our drop-off really was, and connected our trips with a weekly trip to the library that was close by. Many grocery stores and schools also have these in their parking lots.
How to Collect Your Recycling
It is important to set up your recycling station at home to be convenient and easy to use. Paper bags & makeshift containers will get frustrating very quickly.
Post a Quick Reference Guide: This helps other members of your family know what to throw in the garbage can, and what things are eligible for recycling. Great cheat sheet here.
Invest in some Plastic Bins: We use 5 that stack together from our local home improvement store. One of them stays in the kitchen to collect recyclables and is taken to be sorted into the others at the end of the day.
Assign Recycling duties: Rotate this chore like you do any others in your home. My kids love doing the sorting at the end of the day, and it takes the stress off me!
Important to Remember:
This is a process!Don't sabotage yourself by demanding perfection, every little bit counts. Your little bit does make a difference, and shouldn't be taken lightly!
Precycle: Before you buy in the store, take a look at the packaging. Can it be recycled? Could you buy it in a larger container, instead of individual packagings? This is a helpful way to combine reducing and recycling into one step.
With our current economic situation, there are some concerns over recycling. Definately precycle and reuse as much as you can. But I still feel more comfortable recycling my waste when I can, than throwing in the landfill. Working to make recyclables in demand will go a long way into making recycling a great option for the economy and our planet!
Happy New Year! We are fully entrenched now in 2009, and many of us are reflecting on 2008. Our 2008 was full of "new" things. We planted our first garden, started a new business, and changed our routines to make them green. Looking back at my handwritten goals for 2008, I am happy to report we accomplished most of what we set out to do.
This year, my husband and I are sitting down together to write out our personal and family goals. I prefer the word goal to resolution, because it keeps me focused on the process it takes to get to my goal. I'd love to hear from you: Do you make resolutions, or goals in the New Year? Care to share any? Here are some of mine for this year:
Continue with the green/healthy habits started in 2008
If anyone knows me, they know how I feel about coal. It's the main environmental issue that I've taken a stance on, because I believe it's where the green rubber meets the road, so to speak. There is a major disaster that is not gaining quite the national attention you would imagine, and Christmas festivities are all but making it go unnoticed. Below is a repost from http://www.dirtycoaltva.blogspot.com/, a You Tube Video to view, and a link to an article with more information. I encourage you to read these and inform yourself about coal and the lives that are destroyed by it. If you Twitter, you can search #coalash for more updates.
Dear folks, December 25, 2008 (Please post to any and all websites, blogs, and online news sources.) For most of my life Christmas morning was a time of hanging out in my pajamas, opening presents, eating really good food, and spending time with my family. This year was a little different. I spent Christmas in the man-made disaster that used to surround TVA's Kingston Coal Burning Power Plant. Due to TVA's negligence a HUGE coal ash pond exploded into the surrounding countryside dumping HUGE amounts of toxins into the local environment. I awoke around 9am to begin the day's work. I was greeted by an online edition of a front page article in the New York Times which ran today covering this breaking news story. I was happy to see the article listed on the front page but I was dismayed to see that the writer had missed some of the most important information that we had offered. United Mountain Defense's Volunteer Co-ordinator had spent nearly an hour on the phone yesterday getting the NYT up to speed on the issue and when I read the article there was no mention of United Mountain Defense or our Volunteer Co-ordinator. The NYT got it wrong when they said, " On Swan Pond Road, home to the residences nearest the plant, a group of environmental advocates went door to door telling residents that boiling their water, as officials had suggested, would not remove heavy metals." At no time did we tell people that their water had heavy metals in it as we have not done any laboratory testing and have not seen any test results that claim otherwise. We merely suggested that other coal impacted citizens have had problems with their water and that heavy metals were found in other people's water. The info that we have been passing out to the people is pasted below and is found in the above attachments. *******Please we want national, international, and intergalactic media coverage on this issue, but we want to keep the facts straight and we want United Mountain Defense to get credit for the work that we are doing.*************** Just think if the NYT called GreenPeace, Rainforest Action Network, or Coal River Mountain Watch don't you think the NYT would write the information correctly and give these groups written credit for their work. What is the difference here? So once I was able to lasso United Mountain Defense's volunteer force away from their families during this holiday season we headed down to ground zero, Harriman TN. The time was nearly 1pm. TVA had promised everyone that they were so on top of it that they would continue to work through this holiday in order to fix the problem. The work that we observed TVA doing today was continuing to work to clear the railroad track. This is a necessity to TVA because if they can't get more coal to the Kingston Coal Plant then they can't produce more coal ash to dump on people's front lawns. We also observed a trench being dug to place water pipes for a large water pump that was being brought in pump the Frost Hollow Spring water out of a local farmer’s backyard before it floods any more of his barn and threatens to flood his house. This farmer wanted to plant a garden in the fertile ground of the flood plain near the fresh water spring in about 4 months. After we gave him info about what may be in the coal waste he asked me if I would plant a garden on that coal waste floodplain. It was like a knife in my gut when I said I would not. He thanked me for my honesty. After the work of the past three days delivering info, water, friendly smiles, and handshakes we began receiving phone calls from local residents who were confused, had questions, concerns, and were very mad about the destruction and disruption of their lives. We had an hour long meeting with a resident who feared the impacts to the property value of her house and property. She was concerned about the fact that selling her house would become practically impossible because who wanted to buy a house next to an industrial superfund site. I think this was a valid concern. She also understood that this was not going to be a problem that would be over in 4-6 weeks as TVA had originally told the media. As we chatted, the bigger picture began to unfold before her eyes that this problem would most likely persist for a decade or longer. She also informed us that her cat had vomited after drinking the tap water. No one in her neighborhood had received any notices that their drinking water was impacted by the spill. They had not received any notices to boil their water. She and her cats were now drinking bottled water. She also informed us that TVA had lied when they stated," Every one of the affected residents has been contacted." She had not been contacted by anyone from TVA, the water department, or the sheriff's department. She lives within a mile radius of the disaster zone. As we continue to learn more we are seeing that this story is not an isolated one. TVA is a liar, liar with pants on fire! As we have been traveling within the disaster zone we have encountered some residents who are very mad about the continued police presence at the entrances to their homes. These residents are shocked to see Independent Media making it through the check points when locals can’t make it through without showing identification and being interrogated. At the same time some of these residents want the media to be allowed through to help get the story out. The media just hasn’t been there for them. I assured them that Independent Media was on their side and was sharing their stories without divulging their identities unless they gave permission. This is what media solidarity looks like! After our chat we set out to find the silt screens, Coast Guard, gravel berm, and live fish that TVA has been advertising as truths in the Emory River adjacent to the spill site. We launched a boat after witnessing three kayakers yesterday. To our surprise we were not chased down by the Coast Guard. We did not have to paddle over any silt fences. We did not have to portage over any gravel berms. We did not have to look hard to miss the fisherman or fish. Fortunately we took the digital video camera and captured almost an hour of spill footage from the river. The number of seagulls hanging out on the newly formed islands was incredible. Hopefully they were not scavenging any dead fish floating in the ash laden water. The water was very shallow in some parts. There was cream colored film floating on the water. At some times it looked like chocolate milk and may have been almost that thick. This ash was floating downstream unhindered as the current was strong enough to push our boat through the muck with some force at points. The flow was directed at the intake valves of the Kingston Water Utility. As we floated along we were trying to figure out where TVA would store all of this toxic waste. We figured out they were probably planning on storing a good portion of it in the bodies of Kingston residents. A few times while using the camera and framing the ash piles correctly it appeared as though we were looking at a twisted version grey version of the Bad Lands in South Dakota. While being surrounded by the oldest mountain range in the world we were floating amongst the youngest mountain range in the world. We named the highest peak Mt. Ash. We also gathered a sample of the ash using a paddle. As the sun set behind the Kingston Coal Plant Smoke Stacks we cleared the channel, packed up and headed home for the night. Today has been a Christmas that I am not likely to ever forget. I didn't get to stay in my pajamas but I got to help sharpen the stake that will non violently be driven through the heart of TVA. East Tennessee and Appalachia has always been a stronghold of revolutionary movements and I am proud to continue in that long history!!!! Hey want to help??? 1 You need to begin sending requests to the Environmental Protection Agency, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, TVA, State of TN, Congressional Hearings, and anyone else you can think of to request public hearings. United Mountain Defense is mobilizing people here and they are plenty mad. We are ground truthing to provide accurate info to inform you, the public. We need your help in bringing the TVA criminals and their crimes into the light. 2 United Mountain Defense needs money to purchase water for these coal impacted residents. On Dec 24, 2008 United Mountain Defense Volunteers passed out over 50 gallons of water to 30 households. We are going to deliver more water tomorrow. We are buying water at $1.39 a gallon at the local Krogers. 3 United Mountain Defense needs general support funds as we are an all volunteer run organization. We mainly get funds from bake sales, spaghetti dinners, and dance/ house parties. Any funds you could send would be used for our valuable work only. United Mountain Defense is a 501c3 non-profit. You can read what we spend money on and we keep all receipts. Alright, Thank you for your time. Till then, Matt Landon Full time volunteer staff person United Mountain Defense Contact 865 689 2778 or 865 257 4029
I was frugal way before I was a greenie. The hunt, and the thrill of saving hundreds of dollars made me giddy and a bit light headed! In fact, Garage Sale Saturdays became a family tradition of sorts, with stops at the local bakery for croissants! My children have always been dressed in high quality clothes for less than I would pay at Wal-Mart, and our house has been furnished by second hand Potterybarn and antiques. You can imagine how thrilled I was when our family started going green, and I realized how green being thrifty really was!
With our country's economic troubles, many people are focusing on making it through this crisis, and being green is making its way to the backburner. But being frugal and green living are lifestyles that often walk hand in hand. High priced eco-fashion has good intentions, but second-hand duds are actually more eco-fabulous! Gardening at home is so rewarding, and can save you tons on organic produce! This year we have saved money while making the environment cleaner by: using less water, buying second hand when possible, using less energy, driving less & walking more, and consuming less.
Even if you don't have the resources for a hybrid car, or solar panels on your roof, we can all take these easy steps that helps us save money, and make a big impact on the environment at the same time. Don't be discouraged by the doomsdayers! Work on keeping it simple, and using your green tricks to save some green!
With Christmas on my heels, and more snow already than all of last year combined, many posts in my head have gone unwritten. So to break my silence, I thought I'd share some great posts I've enjoyed lately. Enjoy your reads!
Christmas season is in full swing, so where does that leave us greenies, who are trying to avoid waste and mass consumerism? The statistics don't look good. Consider that we produce 25% more waste during the holiday season, and that Wall-E DVD looks more like a prophecy under the Christmas tree than a simple gift! As a family, we have been trying to take deliberate steps to simplify our Christmas, enjoy eachother more, and celebrate in a green fashion. This is what it looks like to us:
~Meaningful traditions: These include baking cookies, choosing a local tree from a tree farm, caroling and an Advent calender. My kids will remember these traditions long after they forget the glitter of the gifts. They are nearly free, they spread Christmas cheer and have low impact on the environment. Crunchy Domestic Goddess and Green Bean have great posts on these traditions.
~Buying Less: We want to make sure our gifts serve a purpose, whether it's functional or aesthetic. Simple, Useful, Beautiful & Eco-Friendly are our requirements. Great gift ideas: Handmade items, Baked goods, Canned goods from the garden, or low impact eco gifts. This may sound like a conflict of interest for me as a store owner, but I don't want you to buy things just to buy. Buy things that are needed, and will be a safe alternative to traditional options. NatureMoms has some good toy ideas, and we love to offer recycled jewelry for a special touch.
~Reusable Wrapping: We like to reuse newspaper and other items from around the house as much as possible. When that runs out, we go for the post-consumer recycled paper, and natural sprigs of holly and twine. This is a much eco-friendlier options than synthetic bows and virgin paper. Once it's all said and done, Compost and recycle as much as you can! Another great option is using a reusable bag to wrap your gift, fabric or other reusable options.
~Simple Holiday Parties: This is my favorite part of the holidays! Sitting around with friends, a glass of wine in hand, chatting all evening. Try to make your party a waste-free one, with reusable or compostable utensils, by buying local foods, using natural decorations, and sending e-vites. This article on Ecologue has some great tips.
I'd love to hear more of your ideas for greening your Christmas traditions, please comment! Also, for more tips, check out my post from last year. To celebrate the Christmas we're offering 15% off and all products on MamaGoesGreen thru Wednesday~ Shop Simply!
I have always admired people who tried to make a positive impact on this world, so I've decided to be one. I am combining my loves for writing, my family, and a simpler life here and sharing our results.
