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Today's Haul:
- 1 fedex box - repurpose
- 1 piece tape - garbage
- 1 strip from fedex box - worms
- 2 aluminum tuna cans - recycle
- 1 emergen c packet - garbage
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Day 361 - Saturday 12/27/08
Friday, December 26, 2008
Day 360 - Friday 12/26/08
Today's Haul:
- 1 movie popcorn bag - garbage
- 1 soda can - recycle
- 3 plastic straws - garbage
- 1 small bag of cookies - garbage
- 1 plastic take out top - recycle
- 1 tin takeout bottom - repurpose
- 1 cardboard bread box mix - recycle
- 1 plastic bag from bread mix - recycle
- 1 cardboard box frozen fish - recycle
- 1 plastic bag from frozen fish - recycle
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Day 359 - Thursday 12/25/08
Today's Haul:
- 2 plastic bags from toys - recycle
- 1 bunch of newspaper from packing - worms
- 1 cardbaord box - repurpose
- 1 cereal box - recycle
- 1 plastic bag from cereal box - recycle
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Day 358 - Wednesday 12/24/08
Today's Haul:
- 1 cardboard candle box - recycle
- 2 dog chewed candles (ahh the dog again) - garbage
- 1 margarita mix bottle - recycle
- 1 torn egg carton - worms
- 1 cardboard donut box - worms
- 1 foil top from wine bottle
This Is Sand
This has nothing whatsoever to do with wasting less, or anything that this blog has to do with. That said, its really cool and a lot of fun, so I thought I'd pass it along as a little gift to everyone who's been reading and become part of this blog. Thanks for everything.
Check out www.thisissand.com click on your mouse and see what happens ("c" will change colors).
Dave
Holiday Tip #23 - Go For A Walk Outside
I know, that's an odd tip, but it's Christmas eve and things are pretty much where they'll be this holiday season. That said, I like the idea of stepping out side of your environment for a bit to get a taste of what's going on around you. As i've mentioned before, if you are reading this right now, chances are you are better off than most. It's easy for us (myself included here) to forget this from time to time. So head out for a neighborhood walk tonight. Who knows what you'll find. You'll get some fresh air, clear your head, maybe even meet a new neighbor. Whatever happens, it will put you in touch with your surroundings, where you live, who you live with, and on a certain level, who you are.
I'm rambling because I'm tired, but the idea is in there somewhere.
Happy Holidays to everyone who is celebrating and thanks for tuning in.
Dave
Going a Bit Too Far?
A reader sent me a link to this article about a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon who is using liposuctioned fat as biofuel. I can't decide if my favorite line is
or
And how great is it that there is a law on the books tht outlaws medical waste as a fuel source. I don't remember that proposition passing but Id be interested in seeing where the money came from for it.
Wild times.
Dave
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Holiday Tip #22 - Thanksgiving Redux
The Thanksgiving tips were such a hit that i figured I'd bring them back up to the top of the order. A big meal is a big meal right? Enjoy.
Dave
As Thanksgiving here in the good ole US of A is right around the corner, I thought I'd throw out a few simple ideas on how to waste less during the holidays.
Cheers
Dave
As Thanksgiving here in the good ole US of A is right around the corner, I thought I'd throw out a few simple ideas on how to waste less during the holidays.Cheers
Dave
- Consider your food miles - I know I just posted about this, but try to get your food locally if you can. Check out farmers markets and CSA's and you'll save some money, save on fuel spent getting those eats to your plate, and help support your local community rather than some big corporation 1000 miles away.
- Bring and Use Live Flowers - A lot of people like to bring flowers as a present, and/or use them as a decoration for their holiday table. While this definitely spruces things up, wouldn't a live plant from a local nursery be better? You can find really nice seasonal plants and rather than ending up in the trash, a year from now your friends can still be enjoying them. If you're sending rather than bringing, at least check out some organic possibilities which are a little lighter on the environment.
- Skip the wrap - If you're planning on bringing a gift with you, skip the wrapping paper and deliver your gift inside another gift. A re-usable bag with a gift inside of it only makes you cooler (woooeeeee, two gifts in one) and you can always go with a nice bottle of wine wrapped up Furoshiki style! And if you can't decide on what to bring them, what's Thanksgiving without a worm bin?
- Don't Forget the Three R's - Refuse, Re-Use, Recycle - I know it's the holidays, and everyone from Bob the guy down the street to your Aunt Fanny and her weird dog are coming over, but just because you've got a houseful of guests, it doesn't mean you need to take a day off from the 3 Rs. In fact, by asking your friends to help you clear the table accordingly, you can teach them a thing or two and pass some things on ("Yes Aunt Fanny, Fifi can have the turkey scraps but the squash you didn't eat should go into the worm bin...what's that? Oh, its that square thingy on the center of the table.")
- Can the cans (and bottles) - A lot of people like to put out bottled water and cans of soda or beer when company comes. Bottled water is horrible for a number of reasons and cans are not much better. If you are going with soft drinks, at least buy larger bottles and have people pour their own, or if you are really industrious, how about making juice or (gulp) serving water out of the tap?
- Skip the paper - You've got company coming over for crying out loud, what are you breaking out the paper plates and paper napkins for? Go for the fine china and if you don't, at least use your regular dishes. It makes no sense to buy a plate, use it once and throw it out. As far as napkins, try and find some cloth napkins. They may cost you a bit more, but think how much you'll save over the long term, both in resources and in cash, not to mention that your sister in law Agnus will think you're the bomb!
- Give your leftovers to someone who really needs it - Most people make a ton of food when company comes and often there are more than enough leftovers to go around. Freeze what you'll eat and save it up for the weeks to come (tupperware rather than plastic or foil please) and if you have more than enough, why not make up a plate or two, put it in an extra re-usable container you may have lying around with some silverware, and give it to someone on the street who may be down on their luck. Sadly, I fear many of us live near those that need some help and if Thanksgiving is really about giving thanks, shouldn't we extend that to helping others?
- Craigslist your oil - Thinking of deep frying that tofu turducken and don't know what to do with the ten gallons of barely used peanut oil? Don't throw it out for heavens sake, pop it onto craigsilist and some oddball greaser like myself will gladly come and take it off your hands.
- Plan Ahead - As you are making your dinner pans and deciding what to cook, think about where your ingredients came from, how they will be used and what will happen to the scraps and leftovers when you are done. If you take a few minutes and consider it, I can promise you you'll keep your holiday waste down to a minimum and feel better when you are done.
Day 357 - Tuesday 12/23/08
Today's Haul:
- 1 wrapper from chocolate coin - garbage
- 1 dog chewed plastic bag (ahhh the dog) - garbage
- 2 plastic bags from sink matts - recycle
- 2 paper inserts from sink matts - worms
- 3 shreded sink matts - garbage
- 1 cardbaord from new batteries - recycle
- 1 plastic front from new batteries - recycle
- 1 plastic wrap from toilet paper pack - recycle
- 1 package butternut squash soup - recycle
- 1 bag pasta - recycle
- 1 cardboard fish stick box
Talk about Re-Purposing!
Wow, talk about 101 uses for a beer bottle! Someone posted this in the comments and I thought it was too cool to leave there. This whole site is about houses that people have made out of glass bottles! Check it out.
Dave
The Answer To Plastic Water Bottles?
OK, the real answer to the plastic water bottle problem has been with most of us all along. Its coming out of the tap in your house and you can drink from it any time you'd like (right now even). Fill up a steel water bottle and you're good to go. But there are those areas of the world where bottled water is still a necessity and thankfully, a company named Brandimage has the answer.
I had the good fortune to interview Jim Warner, the designer of the fabulous bottle you see here (video will be up in a few days) and what I learned is truly amazing.
They have designed a bottle that can be made out of paper, bamboo, sugar cane, and all sorts of other locally sourced materials. It is recyclable and/or biodegradable depending on which resources are used, has the same strength as a plastic water bottle, and is definitely much cooler to look at.
And if you are redesigning a sustainable water bottle, why stop there right? They've even eliminated the need for packing pallets and plastic wrap by designing the bottles so they can be linked together into their own carrying case. How amazing is that?
This is exactly the type of design that we need to see in order to move forward and tackle the problems at hand. Bravo Jim and if anyone from a bottled water company is reading this, will you please call them now!
Dave
Monday, December 22, 2008
Holiday Tip #21 - Why Buy Tinsel
I've never really understood the whole tinsel thing. You pay money for little strips of mettalic film that then get caught all over everything. That said, I;m obviously in the minority on this one. But who needs t spend good money on new tinsel? Grab some of your old chips bag (I have some in the basement if you want) and cut them up. The inside looks exactly like tinsel.
Whadya think?
Dave
Day 356 - Monday 12/22/08
Today's Haul:
- 1 plastic ring form milk jug - recycle
- 2 cardboard baking soda containers - recycle
- 2 parking passes w stickers - garbage
- 1 cardboard wrapper from new socks - recycle
- 1 plastic hangar from new socks - garbage
- 1 aluminum tuna can - recycle
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Week 51 Pics
I think my week count is thrown off somewhere as at the rate I'm going there will be 53 weeks in the year. Such is life. Here's the basement. As you can see, I threw a light up for these last few weeks. Much more inviting don't you think?
I actually haven't really shown this shelf that much. It's not full but i keep a bunch of tetrapaks and other stuff that doesn't fit anywhere else here.
E-waste and haz waste.
The bag o boxes. This is sort of a black hole kind of thing and I'm kind of afraid of it at this point. Every time I put another box in there I fear it will either explode or implode, either way, it won't be good.
Ye Ole bag o bags.
The garbage box that is presently being added to.
The open misc recycling bin (the third one) and my foot.
A bunch of stuff. The paper box is in the lower left hand corner and the three stacked boxes represent all of my garbage for the year.
The bottles.
And finally, the lads hard at work eating my paper and food scraps. Mmmm Mmmmm Good.
Holiday Tip #20 - Homemade Potato Pancakes
In honor of the first night of Hannukah I thought I'd throw out a recipe I found for homemade potato pancakes/latkes. Now for those of you reading along carefully at home, the irony of the fact that we just had pre-made potato pancakes a few nights ago is not lost on me. But there, dear reader, lies the rub in all of this. We are none of us perfect, yet striving for perfection, and I'm at the front of that line.
So fry up some latkes, spin that dreidel, and make sure to save all of your oil for your neighbor's veggie car!
Happy Holidays
Dave
Day 355 - Sunday 12/21/08
Today's Haul:
- 1 piece aluminum foil - recycle
- 1 take out food boat - worms
- 1 styrofoam take out container - recycle
- 13 ozs paper from mail, bills, receipts, etc - worms/recycle
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