ZERO WASTE

Okay we are midway through a clean out - but the true focus has been on new purchases.

On display over the kitchen sink I have a bottle dated 1904 my husband recently dug up.  The kids are amazed with the idea the something lasted that long under the earth for all those years.  No matter what we buy will end up in the earth - Shoes, Clothes, Toothbrushes, Coffeemakers, Furniture - everything.  Whether it is burnt up with gasses put into the atmosphere the ashes will be buried or whether they are recycled eventually it will be part of a discard process.  So we are thinking before we are buying, pondering before throwing and questioning if there is a better way to do things.


Do we want to purchase plastic snack bags or wax paper ones?  We have definitely switched from purchasing the snack size packages for school to bulky ones that we can separate with the wax bags.   The kids have really starting helping with the compost and asking if something can be recycled before throwing it away.  We do have a large family so somethings aren't ideal but we'll keep trying.  


As far as the clean out is concerned we have been donating, donating and donating.  My youngest has been bringing her toys and books to school for her pre-k buddies, my son is relinquishing the shoes that are brand new to Good Will and a big tag sale is planned for.  Those pots left over from last years garden are replanted and the lettuce has sprouted very well.

I love April - New Beginnings - a time for for renewal and looking forward to warmer weather!!

March In like a Lion out like a Lion

Typically in March our family starts a clean out.  We start going through the closets figuring what we will use next winter, what won't fit next year and we can donate and what we will need for spring.  This year is different. In March we have started a new approach to waste - the less the better.  After reading recent articles about Zero Waste in homes suddenly all the old papers and shoes heading to the trash can doesn't make any sense.  Can someone use those cleats my kids outgrew, should I send that jacket with a broken zipper to the local donation center, and what about the bathroom draws - should I throw out those old tooth brushes?

Research, Education and more Research.

With April here tomorrow, Earth Day in a couple of weeks and good weather around the corner I have used March to rethink our family habits, educate my children on where all those papers go, and try to find out myself what to do with almost everything that you would typically throw away.

Through our high school I have found a business that accepts old electronics and electrical items for recycling.  What a find, that typewriter (no my kids have never used it) that has sat there with a broken "n" key for the last 25 years - just in case we might need it - can be recycled.  The old tape recorders/vcrs and chargers for I don't know what - recycled.  Zerowasteamerica.org will point in a direction to recycle.  Check with your local public works - I noticed they are having paper shredding events at ours which is a great time to reduce all that you have saved and haven't looked at in 10 years.  My smartest purchase this year is a toothbrush from Whole Foods that you can mail back to them for recycling, now if I can find that sleeve to mail it back that I saved somewhere in this house!!

In the past I would clean the insides of draws and cabinets with a good disinfectant and remove all finger prints with a well known polish. Not this year, it is all natural citrus cleaners and lemon oil polish.  I never realized how many chemicals I have sprayed into the atmosphere until this year all the time thinking I was doing a good thing by keeping my house clean.

So for  today we are still working on the big clean out  which will probably continue through April.

As I learn more it will be passed on but for now - remember tomorrow is April 1 - my husband always switches the sugar with salt for my coffee, hopefully I won't be too tired to remember not to use the sugar tomorrow.

Thank You ABC

Next week ABC News is focusing on made in America products.  They actually started the story this evening with a preview of is the plane they flew actually made in America, could they get a rental car that is MIA.  That is poetic -  MIA is missing in action.  Did you know that 88% of all of your footwear is made in China.  We need to get back to basics and stop helping other countries economies and help our own.  Watch this story, take the challenge it is not so easy to buy MIA.  Almost everything I needed at Staples was not MIA.  The grocery store - same thing - where do those beans in the can come from??

Good Luck Everyone!

A New Year - A Better Life

     This fall I was inspired by my soon to be chef daughter and decided to become more green, and a more local consumer.  Upon discussion with a First Selectman  I found out there is the Connecticut Farm Fresh Express, kind of like a pea pod only with local produce, meats, seafood and even laundry soap.
I have ordered from them and the produce and products are excellent.  This is a great new endeavor for Connecticut.

     During the Christmas season I decided to try and purchase most gifts locally and to make sure they made in the US.  This was not easy.  After having the same pair of LL BEAN winter boots for 20 years I asked the kids for some of the new UGG boots but I did not want anything made in China.  If the boots came all the way from China - I don't think it helped the Connecticut economy or the enviroment at all except for sales tax.  I was pretty upset that almost every toy, video game, piece of clothing and decoration was made in China.  No wonder the Chinese Economy is Booming!!

    We visited the local outfitter who carries some great names to find  a great pair of American Made boots and the salesperson told me 88.9% of shoe wear is made in China.   In no way do I mean to disown China but really I only think a minute percent of what surrounds me in my home should come from there - not over 80%

   Almost every great American Named Company makes their products in China.  I am disappointed in these companies.  America is not doing well - our economy is not robust.  The owners and major shareholders should bring everything back home.  I know there are so many hurdles to this and the profits aren't as high but the blessings will come back.  Now that I know new LL Bean boots are "imported"  there is no incentive for me to buy them.

    This is only a start for me - it is all about awareness and making sure the world is better for my children after I leave.