One Small Step for Man...

OK, somehow, I made it! Last Friday my brother, cat, dog, Toyota Camry, U-Haul trailer and myself took off to begin my newest adventure. With a short detour in Wisconsin for camping and Costa Rican rum consumption ("but why is the rum gone?!"), we made it to Minneapolis Saturday afternoon. Each day since then has consisted mostly of socializing, room decorating, dog walking, and getting lost trying to make it into the cities (thanks for nothing, Siri).

I won't bore you with more details about my somehow incredibly smooth transition from country roads to city sidewalks, but I do need to get mushy here for a sec and send out some heartfelt thanks. To my parents and family, for their remarkable and unwavering support through every chapter of my life. To Kerrin O'Brien and the MRC, for making this last year of opportunities and self-discovery possible for me. To my friends, because I can still feel their love from here. To my new roommates, who took me in no questions asked. And finally to my brother, for being my courage and my pride when I can't seem to find any.

Alright, ew. Now we can get to the exciting stuff. First of all, this city is amazing. Pedestrian friendly, dog friendly, earth friendly. The only things I miss about Michigan are Kroger, Meijer, and the bottle deposit law. I guess Target, Trader Joe's and awesome recycling will have to do. When I say awesome recycling, I mean it. I have a single stream recycling cart sitting in the alleyway behind me that was emptied by the city on Tuesday; today is Friday and it's already full again. My roommates already recycled, and have been 100% receptive and supportive of doing more. We now have 6 bins for recycling in the kitchen, and compost in the works. 

My personal trash can suffered minimally from the move, additions mostly consisting of 3M Command strips. I'm keeping it in my room for now to avoid confusion and chaos.

Brother and I spent some quality time with tools this week, making new compost bins:

 

 And here we have Tommy Mac, modeling this season's latest trend in poop composters

This was SO easy. I don't know why I bothered with making them from pallets before. I picked up two 32-gallon "trash cans" from the store, about 20 bucks each. For the food scrap composter, we drilled aeration holes around the sides and the bottom, and I placed it next to the vegetable garden today. The poop composter used the same concept, but we cut off the bottom of the container, as demonstrated in the last picture (don't worry, he's actually wearing pants). Assuming it doesn't rain tomorrow, I'll be digging a hole in the yard to sink this into. Keeping it underground should control odors and aid in the composting process...but I've never done this before so it should be a fun experiment.

Well, there you have it. Of course I'll continue my regular update here, but follow me on Instagram for picture updates from around the cities! @alittlegreenlife

And so begins the rise of my many suns...

Captain's Log

Time is such an incredible thing. I've been training myself to enjoy the hours in a day; to fill and explore them instead of count them. Empty time feels like a burden. 

Time is on my mind. There are 7 days left until I uproot to Minnesota, which feels like an eternity, but is actually less than 175 hours. Not that I'm counting.

I've packed, unpacked, and repacked multiple times already. Inventorying my belongings is such a struggle...I imagine those cute little devil-angel duos as I argue with myself:

"Aww, notes from my middle school boyfriend professing his love for me. Too bad we were 12. Toss." "...but what if you bump into each other in 5 years and rekindle your love?? You can show these to your kids!!" 

"I haven't worn this in over 3 years, time to give it away." "...but what if you make a lot of fancy friends and they invite you to fancy parties and you need something fancy to wear?!?"

Sometimes I let the irrational/sentimental side win, but I think I've done a decent job of convincing myself that if I get rid of things, I have a really good excuse to go shopping later.

What I have been able to part with has caused some issues. Most of it goes in the give away box or the recycling bin (yes, I did get rid of those middle school love notes)...but the moldy bow from a flower arrangement at my Nana's funeral in 1998? The stack of Oregon Trail and American Girl CD-ROM games; the various cosmetics given to me as gifts by people who hadn't noticed I clearly have no idea how to use them; the plethora of Backstreet Boys and N*Sync albums?

Most of this random, #throwbackthursday-worthy crap went in the trash, or is sitting around in the basement because I can't decide what to do with it. Seven days to figure it out, right?

So, speaking of trash, it's about half-way full:

Like the pics? Follow me on instagram for more! @alittlegreenlife

I've been slightly more liberal lately about the products I use and toss, since it's not as full as I thought it would be by now. I know that's probably not the right attitude to have about this project, but to be honest I'm mildly overwhelmed by the current happenings of my life and some days I just need a f*%#ing individually wrapped protein bar, okay?!? Phew, sorry for the aggressive escalation...but you see what I mean. 

I've done some digging into recycling services offered in Minneapolis. As you can guess if you've heard anything about the progressive nature of the city, they offer both recycling and composting at the curb...score!! I'm so used to dragging all my recyclables to the nearest drop off center that the thought of only having to roll a cart to the curb is especially exciting.
We may do some backyard composting too if I can get the roommates on board, since they already have a vegetable garden going. Pet waste will be a challenge again...I'm certainly not dragging the outhouse-composter all the way to Minneapolis. I've researched some other methods, so we'll see what will work when I get there. 

Alrighty then...that's it for now. Stay tuned for an update from MPLS!

A comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there. 

Pura Vida!

Somehow it feels like I've been back from Costa Rica for much longer than a week and a half. It was a 10 day whirlwind of long bus rides, bathroom breaks, early mornings, posing for photographs, anxiety, and too many people. Hmm...does that make it sound like I didn't have any fun? I think I left out the part about hiking, kayaking, zip lining, horseback riding, white water rafting, swimming in the ocean, seeing a whale, touching a crocodile, planting trees, close encounters with monkeys/sloths/iguanas/birds, learning new things, making new friends...and getting an awesome tan.
So, despite my aversion towards humans in general, I actually had a pretty good time with some pretty cool people.
The best part? Recycling! Almost everywhere we went had a convenient recycling and/or composting station- hotels, restaurants, street corners...even the beach!

As you can guess, I was overly and outwardly thrilled every time I saw a new recycling container, and had to take pictures of them all. I got plenty of "must be another tourist" looks from the locals...and from my American counterparts. As far as waste goes, we didn't directly accumulate much because we ate out for every single meal. I'm still struggling with how to make a meal on my own now that I'm back home...

What I wasn't able to discern was where the recycling goes when it is hauled away. My limited research (typing "Costa Rica recycling" into Google) gave me many different answers- but it seems as though there are some recovery facilities, thanks to efforts from organizations that value the role recycling plays in keeping the country sustainable. This little country accounts for about 0.03% of the Earth's landmass, and 3-5% of the biodiversity. In other words, sustainability is a big deal in Costa Rica. I can dig it. 

As I've witnessed regularly over these last few months, literally nothing in life ever goes to plan. 5 year old me planned on being a rich, world renowned, supermodel veterinarian by now. 20 year old me planned on being a financially stable, has-it-all-together wife and mother by now. 24 year old me wonders what the in the hell those other Anna's were thinking. 

I've learned a lot about myself and about life in the last months: Life is hard!! It's OK to get to know people, and maybe-possibly-if-they-continuously-annoy-you-until-you-give-in, let them get to know you too. Taking risks is fun. Shovels make the best therapists. Happy memories will always be happy memories. Sweat is sexy. I am strong, smart, confident...hell, I'm even kind of cool.
You're wondering: why am I babbling on, sharing my infinite wisdom, when I'm supposed to be talking about recycling? Well, this project is about more than recycling. If you recall in my first entry, I explicitly stated that this project is about my life.
So, here we are again, the part where I make an important announcement about a change in "the plan". After learning all of the above about myself, I've discovered I'm constantly craving these changes. My brain tricks me into incessantly planning everything, but what I really need now is a challenge, a chance to be brave. In order to satisfy this craving, I'm moving to Minneapolis, MN (I know, I know, I made it seem like a really dramatic announcement was coming...sorry). I do have a few friends there and a place to live, but no job lined up, and no idea what is coming for me once I'm settled. The uncertainty is what scares and excites me. Anyone can slip on a harness and bungee jump...but this will be harder for me than putting trust in a rope. I have to put trust in myself.
Hopefully this will be the first step on the path that gets me to wherever it is I'm going!

I'm on the hunt for who I've not yet become.
-Sara Bareilles

Life Block

Life Block: With distracting tendencies similar to writer's block, this disorder seems to be a surreal form of nostalgia that occurs sporadically during daytime hours, peaking in severity around 9 pm. Sufferers first report symptoms after an extended and particularly enjoyable time spent away from real life. Indications of the disorder include daydreaming, erratic episodes of happiness or sadness, continual rambling about the experience, and the repeated phrase "I want to go back". Treatments have limited effectiveness. No cure at this time. 

OK, so I made all that up. It's still a pretty accurate medical description of what I am experiencing at the moment. If you hadn't already gathered, I had a wonderful, amazing, unforgettable time working with WisCorps. Disclaimer: this entry will contain many photos. Sorry, not sorry. If you want to see more, catch up on the WisCorps Facebook page. Here's our good-looking crew on the first day:

After this was taken, we all got much darker, stronger, and more badass. As if you weren't impressed already.

A brief synopsis so as not to bore you with all the awesome things we did...

Week 1: spent in Bayfield, WI building two boardwalks for Wilderness Inquiry. Deet in excess. Beautiful sunsets over Lake Superior almost every night. Power tripping with power tools. Finished products:

Week 2: Two days in Eau Claire, WI. Planted 300 Elm trees with the US Army Corps of Engineers. Cut down an outrageous amount of Box Elder yearlings. Moved to LaCrosse, WI (WisCorps HQ). Set up camp on a bluff with this view: 

The rest of Week 2, 3 and 4 were all spent there working on various projects. Learned about and moved UW-L's vermicomposting system. Helped finish a HoopHouse for Grow Your Brain. Worked with Kane Street Community Garden, Washburn Community Garden, and Clearwater Farm. Did household and neighborhood projects for elderly citizens. Toured Western Technical College's passive house. Made friendship bracelets. Ate A LOT of cheese. 

Don't worry, it wasn't all work and no play. Evenings and weekends were filled with music, laughter, fun, food, and even wine:

Four weeks of living, working and playing with 6 other people definitely gives you time to get sick of each other, but in the end I wish it had been much, much longer. I made great memories with lifetime friends, learned a lot about myself, and developed biceps that have shadows. I couldn't have asked for anything better. 

I know, I know, you're on the edge of your seat waiting to hear about the most important part of the trip- recycling! It didn't turn out as challenging as I had expected. Wilderness Inquiry had a recycling bin provided on site, so we didn't have to pack anything out. The WisCorps offices have recycling as well, so every few days we would stop by to empty our "trash can" (a 5 gallon bucket) and separate out the recyclables. We also kept a bucket for compost, which we added to the pile at the office. With 7 of us sharing food, etc, there was no good way for me to keep track of what I was contributing. Overall, we didn't accumulate that much waste, so I think my impact was minimal.
The City of LaCrosse also has recycling bins next to almost every garbage container, so recycling while we were "out and about" was easy. 
The hardest thing for me to get over was the lack of a bottle bill in Wisconsin. I panicked the first few times I watched someone crush an aluminum can, and was in pain seeing valuable bottles get thrown away. I worked hard to suppress my trash picking urges on every street corner. Instead, I hope I inspired the members of my crew to make small changes to reduce their waste. Our crew leaders should be getting plenty of practice at that right now, since they left this week with another crew for a 5 week session in Isle Royale. You're in my state now guys- don't mess it up!!

Experience is the teacher of all things.
-Julius Caesar

Blood, dirt and bugs

Bandaids. Bandaids are my arch nemeses. Now that it's warm and I'm allowed to play outside, I'm constantly bleeding. Bandaids are wonderful for staunching any gooey, oozing, seeping stuff; they're so small and convenient! That's what they want you to think, until you tear off the wrapper and think "oh no! I can't recycle this!" every, single, time.
Not to mention gauze, blister packs, gloves, and all the other stuff my mom is making me take in my first aid kit to Wisconsin. It takes up half of my backpack! Here's to hoping I won't need to use any of it.

Ever regret a purchase 30 seconds after making it? That happened to me the other day when I bought mosquito spray out of desperation, and then realized it was in an aerosol can. I used it all in 2 days, and now have to take special consideration for recycling the can. I've chosen a regular spritz bottle loaded with deet for my trip.  

Since I'll be gone over Father's Day, we celebrated last weekend. My dad isn't really a golf gear and ties kind of guy. His requests usually involve kayaking, going for a walk, planting trees or "just having his family together". This time, it was "I want that concrete patio torn out...by hand".

Enter my brother, Tom, and me. I call us the "concrete heroes". Those blocks we're sitting on are only the bits from others that were too cracked to save. We hauled and stacked about 90 whole blocks in a pile in the woods, where my dad is "saving them for future projects". So in other words, he'll have a really cool concrete Jenga game for years to come. Anyway, we had multiple discussions about what to do with the extra bits. Renting a dumpster and putting them in the landfill? Not in this family. Having a concrete company haul them away for aggregate? Sounds like a lot of work. Dad came up with the brilliant idea to use them as erosion control under the bridge he built when they bought the house. Genius! He gets to do that part by himself.

Now that I'm physically prepped, I'm ready for a month of isolation in the woods. Heck, I'm always ready for anything in the woods. See you in July!!

"What the country needs is dirtier fingernails and cleaner minds"

        -Will Rogers

Without Fear

Wow, I've been putting off writing this entry for so long! People are starting to whine at me about it, so I figured I couldn't procrastinate any longer.

I'll start with a (brief) recap of the conference...

It was pretty awesome. Even though I didn't get to attend a single session, I learned some valuable lessons:

• Cute shoes are not worth having 10 blisters and blood everywhere (...or are they...?)
• Remembering to eat is important to survival
• My natural instinct to shower and go to bed instead of staying up socializing can actually pay off
• That "how is it possible to feel like I can't stay awake when vital information is being given" feeling does not go away after college
• People are not so bad...not this group of people anyway

Plus an array of work related lessons to take away for planning next year's conference, but let's not talk about that.

As far as accumulating trash, that isn't really happening. I did get food poisoning and thought Goldfish crackers sounded good during recovery, so I bought them without thinking...the bag is paper/foil, so that had to be thrown away. Other than that, not much. I changed my oil the other day and thankfully was able to use part of a shop rag instead of repeating the paper towel fiasco. I've also cut way down on my "out and about" purchases, so the materials accumulating in the car are pretty minimal. 

A couple things I'm doing that I forgot to mention previously...

- Dryer lint. Didn't think about that, did you?? Turns out if you fill empty toilet paper/paper towel rolls with lint, they make great fire starters. Bring it on, summer!

- Cloth napkins. My mom is an RN, so she's very germ conscious. I finally convinced her that it would be ok for me to reuse a cloth napkin with my meals for a week...(I do this with my bath towels too, she hates it). I've also started yelling at her if she gives me food on a paper plate...I think she might just stop giving me food.

There are some other things that have been brought to my attention I am not dealing with due to circumstances:

- Household crap. Meaning: I don't own a house. So furnace filters, paint, drywall, garage accessories, etc, are not my concern. I'm totally ok with this, but I realize it makes this project unrealistic to those that do own a house. However, I would like to point out that there are outlets for recycling or re-purposing those items I listed above, so the project is actually not impossible. 

- Feminine hygiene. Ewwwwww. I'm really not interested in handing out TMI here, but I'm on a certain medication that rids me of the need to think about use or disposal of these products...thank you, science!

- Restricted space. Even before I moved back in with my parents, I had plenty of space for recycling and composting...but not everyone has that freedom (and I hear some people don't want it...crazies). I'm a firm believer that you can recycle, compost, and grow gardens even if you live in a van down by the river.

Aaaaanyywhoo, I do have an announcement that may or may not throw a wrench in the plan for this project, again. I'm headed to Wisconsin from June to July to serve with a WisCorps conservation crew. This potentially makes my project difficult for a month because I will be backcountry camping the entire time. Pack in-pack out is the general policy;  I'll have to be careful about what I pack in. I don't want my bag to be full of Clif bar wrappers on the way home, but I also don't know what kind of recycling is available in Wisconsin...so we'll just see what happens. The trip is, of course, technology free, so I won't be able to update you until I get back. 

A couple weeks after that, I'll be headed to Costa Rica for 10 days- just for fun. I have no idea if recycling even exists in Costa Rica...but most likely I'll be eating out for all my meals so hopefully I won't directly generate too much waste. Otherwise, I'll be explaining to US customs that I don't intend to make bombs or transport drugs with all the empty plastic containers inside my bag on the way back into the country.

I'll update before I leave and when I return from my adventures! 

"The purpose of life is to live, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience."

         - Eleanor Roosevelt

Talkin' Trash

Happy Earth Day!  

I'm celebrating by giving you a look inside my trash can. Sounds like fun, right? This is the approximate volume of stuff:

I just eye-balled it, really, but I think it's pretty close to accurate.

This is what's inside!

So far, it's mostly packaging. Paper-lined foil, foil-lined paper, and other silly combinations of materials that can't be separated. Hot cocoa packets, lint roller sheets, casing from heartworm medications, etc etc etc. I've limited my use of these things to avoid putting them in here, but sometimes you just have to have some hot cocoa!

I've been able to feel less guilty about eating snacks like chips and protein bars because we've started collecting them to send to Terracycle. However, I still consider the crappy packaging as a reminder not to eat that stuff anyway, so it's working out in my favor twice. 

I think there are probably some small things I can pull out to be recycled or reused, but I'm going to wait until I have more exciting trash.

The cats have successfully been transitioned to 100% corn litter, which is super cheap and breaks down easily in that poop pile we have going. I'm pleasantly surprised Sabian is actually using it...he's usually very particular about what touches his paws (I'm rolling my eyes as I type).

As far as updates go, that's about it. Once you get into a routine, things flow pretty easily. 

I do, however, have to plug the conference while I can...it's next week!! If you or anyone you know want to go, check out the program and registration on our website. Even if you don't have any fun or learn anything new (doubtful that you won't), you'll at least have a good time watching me awkwardly interact with crowds of people.

On Earth Day, and most every other day, I'm so glad I was an agriculture and natural science student. Sometimes, understanding and appreciation make all the difference. I hope you got outside for a little while today before you sat down to read this. If not; stop reading and get out there now!

“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”  

     -Jane Goodall

Situation Normal....

Everything is so much fun! I'm in a particularly good mood today, so this post may be a bit more enjoyable to read. Maybe it's all this sunshine and warmth at 7:30pm...

I was going to say I've run into a couple of SNAFU's, but when you break down that acronym I'm not sure it's entirely accurate. It's pretty vulgar, and my life isn't that bad.

Firstly: I cleaned my car. Ugh. I've been trying not to generate much in there- it was mostly tissues and crumbs, but there was the occasional candy or protein bar wrapper I had to decide what to do with. Seems easy; just throw it away like normal. However, I got into a lonely debate with myself about whether or not I had to. What I mean is, I'm measuring the amount of waste I generate at home, in my kitchen trash. When I cleaned my car before this project, all that stuff went into the garage or gas station trash bin...so where does it belong now? I decided I will count it as "home" waste and try to minimize it in the future.

The real challenge came when I changed my oil. It's easy and fun until it's time to clean up. Usually I wipe up the funnel and drip pan with an old absorbent t-shirt or some type of rag, and then that gets thrown away. There were none of those laying around this time, so I had to use multiple paper towels. My hands were kind of tied here...I couldn't compost, burn, or throw them away in the house because used oil is just bad for everything, so I had to put them in the garage trash. I'm not quite sure how to remedy this situation...insert guilty conscience here. 

Another problem: I'm addicted to dog toys. Well, I'm addicted to buying them, for my dog. She just gets so happy when there's something new to chew on! The issue here? She literally chews up everything...so in the trash it goes. Maybe one day I'll catch on.

The MRC puts on all kinds of cool events (yep, I'm plugging a little here), and last week we had our first Materials and Recycling Management training session, which I attended. Since I clearly radiate confidence and a love of public speaking, our trainer made me get up and talk about this very project. During my spiel, I admitted I was thrilled that individually wrapped candy had been provided, because I'm not allowed to eat it at home (can't recycle the wrappers). This begged the question from one of the attendees: "so you're allowed to throw things away when you're out and about?", which stopped me a little. I save recyclables and take them home, but I haven't thought about saving my trash to take home and throw away. Mostly because, well, that's gross, but also because it's not fair. Sometimes it's not possible for me to decide what I can throw away and what I can recycle. Sometimes recycling bins aren't even provided. Sometimes my drink is served to me in a really stupid, half foam/half paper cup, and there's nothing I can do. So, I've decided that bringing home anything recyclable and making smarter decisions about what I purchase while I'm "out and about" are just part of the project. Yes, I'm generating waste outside of my home, but I had no way to measure that waste before this project and the same problem exists now. Maybe next year I'll have this dilemma solved and perfected, but for now, "it is what it is".

The last thing I'd like to say is that I have the most wonderful, supportive, amazing parents. Anything that is important to me becomes important to them. Of course, they recycled as much as possible before I invaded their home a month ago, but they are striving to do even more now that I'm here. My dad is looking into ordering multiple Terracycle boxes, and my mom put a really heavy plant on top of my garbage bin. I'm not sure if it was on purpose or if it's her compulsive need to cover every flat surface, but either way the thought of having to lift the plant just to throw something away horrifies me. Anyway, they are just awesome, and I wouldn't be where I am today without them, and I just thought they deserved some recognition and love on here. You guys rock!

Ok then, until next time!

Challenges.

This entry is about new challenges, and I'm thinking as I sit here that it will probably be a challenge to write, so bear with me.

Kyle and I decided a few weeks ago that it was time to separate. Nothing terrible happened, it was just time. So about a week ago we made the decision final, and since I'm having so much trouble finding a place to rent that's safe, has enough room for the dog, and is in my price range, I'm staying with my parents.

So, mental and emotional challenges aside (because that's not what this blog is about), here are some of the other challenges I am facing regarding my waste project:

1. THE CAT. He's always a damn problem. He used the recycled paper litter just fine, by the way, until we came here. My parents have a very old cat that uses regular clumping clay litter, and Sabian is ignoring his own litterbox for hers. Although it seems like this doesn't pose a problem because technically I'm not doing the throwing away of the litter, my cat's bathroom habits are starting to make me feel very guilty. I think I'll replace the old cat's litter with the recycled paper once my parents have run out of the regular stuff, but she might die before that happens. Who knows.

2. The dog. Not as big of a deal. My parents live on quite a bit of property and the dogs run off leash. Basically all this means is I have no idea where Roo poops to go and pick it up, but it also means that it doesn't really matter where she poops. If I can find it, we just throw it in a big pile out back anyway.

3. Meals. I still buy my own groceries, which means I can still do my "green scan" at the store (The other day I found a HUGE package of store brand, pre-sliced cheese that wasn't individually packaged! Win). However, more often than not, my mom makes dinner for all of us. This is wonderful and she's awesome, but it also means I don't know what ingredients she used and where all the packaging ended up. My parents recycle almost everything anyway, so I'm not too worried about it, but I hate to think that some of the waste generated is indirectly mine. 

4. Waste. At first I didn't know how I would continue to measure my own waste but it turned out pretty simple. I have my old trash can and keep it separate from my parent's trash can. Anything I use that needs to be thrown away is put in my own can. Composting has been easy too since my parents also compost whatever they can. 

So far these are the only challenges I've run into, but I've only been here for a week. I don't plan on being here for very long...but let's be honest, things haven't exactly gone according to plan. Hopefully I'll be on my own soon and this project can get back on track!

Some good news is I think I effectively altered Kyle and Dane's behavior. Kyle asked to keep the recycling containers and says he is going to continue recycling as much as he can. I'm not sure how he'll do it though, without me constantly pointing out what goes where... =P

Shenanigans

Still surviving.

Last week we had an incident where I didn't think I would, though. 8 AM: making my lunch in the kitchen. Boyfriend flushes toilet upstairs. Kitchen sink fills with sewage, and it starts spewing all over the laundry room...
Needless to say, I let the landlord deal with that one. Unfortunately, the landlord and the plumber don't quite know about this project of mine. I came home after work to holes in the wall and yard...and drywall dust in our trash can.
After some research, I found that drywall can be composted, and some people till it directly into their gardens. Since I'm not sure what type this was, I decided to put it in the poop composter just to be safe. Do you have any idea how hard it is to move drywall dust with your bare hands, in blasting winds? Turns out it's not easy. It stuck to everything that was already in the trash can. Eventually I got out a satisfactory amount and gave up on the rest.
We also had a rug casualty due to this incident. Our laundry room carpet suffered serious complications from it's exposure to raw sewage, and had to be removed permanently. Kyle rolled it up and took it to a dumpster. I'm not sure if that counts as cheating or not, since the rug was at least twice the size of a 13-gallon trash can. I'm going to count it as an emergency disposal, and continue on with the rest of the project. Fair?

Then, this happened:

6 years old!!

This little guy turned 6 years old this past Saturday. For those who don't already know- Dane is Kyle's son, and I met him when he was 15 months old, wearing only a diaper. Now he doesn't even let me in the room when he's changing his clothes...(sigh). Anyway, we accidentally "planned" a party to take place on Saturday. My shopping for party supplies went pretty well- everything had an afterlife recycling or composting plan. Most everyone who came reads my blog, so they also knew to ask before they threw anything away. When it came time for dessert, I pulled out the cupcakes Grandma brought and realized a. these are going to be delicious and b. they have wax paper wrappers. I'm not aware of a recycling facility in the area that takes waxed paper covered in chocolate, and I'm getting mixed answers in my research about composting them. Anybody have a good solution for me?? They are still sitting around the house waiting for a proper resting place. 

The rest of the party went smoothly. I was able to save all the tissue paper and bags from presents, and will be reusing the wrapping paper somewhere, somehow. 

My dad also came up with a good idea for that ceramic plate in the trash- crushing it up and using it to fill holes in the driveway. I'll probably do that when the driveway isn't covered in snow. (Isn't it awesome that I'm taking more stuff out of the trash while hardly adding to it?!?)

So, unexpected trauma aside, January is still going well. 

"Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without" 

12 down, 353 to go...

Time seems to fly until I think about how much more there is to go...BUT I think we're doing pretty well!

The recycling bin is spewing stuff all over the kitchen! Unfortunately, "Snowpocalypse 2014" kept me far, far away from the recycling drop off center...even though it's only 5 minutes away. 

However, the garbage bin is sitting nice and quietly, keeping it's lid shut for the most part. The biggest contributor so far has been a broken ceramic plate- no way to recycle that. I might pull it out in a few months when I'm feeling crafty and want to make garden stones or something. Yes...I've been pulling things out of the trash. Not only am I used to it from being on the Be Spartan Green Team, but it's habit to toss things in (even I do it)- and someone has to get them out. Guess who the only volunteer is for that job...

Oh, that's me!

It's been pretty easy to convince Dane, who is 5, that paper towels and tissues could go into the compost; I even got him to start using a handkerchief! His neighbor friend was a bit more difficult though...his family doesn't even recycle. 

The compost seems to be doing well. Although I can't really tell what's happening in the poop bin since it's well, full of poop, it's wonderful not to have to throw plastic bags full of kitty litter into the trash every week. The food compost is still taking it's sweet time. I'm sure the sub-arctic temperatures didn't help generate any heat, either. 

So far, we haven't had to alter our behavior all that much. Since we already recycled before, we just put a little more thought into what goes where and it all works out. The biggest difference I'm noticing in myself is my thought process- before I even pick an item up off the shelf my brain does a little "green scan"- what is it made of, what is it packaged in, and what will I have to deal with when I'm done with it? I find this little trick helps me save the earth and save money too, since almost everything is unsatisfactory after I force myself to think about it. 

Having my goal in mind keeps me on my toes, but what really forces me to be conscious about my actions is YOU! I have no idea who my readers are outside of my friends and family, but the thought of disappointing any of you keeps me from slipping up when I'm having a bad day. So I suppose, I should thank you!!

If you want grown-ups to recycle, just tell their kids the importance of recycling, and they'll be all over it. -Bill Nye

New Year, New Life!

January 1st! It seems like the older I get, the faster time goes...ugh.I didn't anticipate getting ready for this project and the holidays at the same time, so I'm feeling a bit behind. 
I think everything is ready overall though..

Here's a bit of what I've done so far:

Compost! I built my food composter in late November and have been adding to it since then. It ended up being bigger than I pictured, so our waste in a month hasn't even begun to compost that I can tell. I invited the neighbor to put hers in as well- I like to share. 

The pet waste composter was built a little later....and by that I mean we did it today. So, it doesn't look very pretty yet but the idea is that it will eventually be painted like an outhouse...just for fun.

Doesn't she look excited?!










What I'm struggling with the most here is kitty litter. There are all kinds of awesome natural and compostable products on the market now. The issue is my cat- he won't use anything that isn't in small granule form. I stood in the litter aisle for so long I think people were starting to think I was "that" lady...but I eventually decided on Cat's Pride Light and Fresh 100% recycled paper litter. It may or may not be satisfactory for him...we shall see.

Then I bought all kinds of fun stuff:

• The green containers in the preserve box are little tupperware made from 100% recycled #5 plastic. They are working out great for putting applesauce and yogurt into single serve portions for lunch. 
• The little brown box is especially exciting for me- earth rated poop bags! I don't take the dog out on a leash much anymore, but when we do go for walks near other people's yards, these poop bags are completely compostable. 
• The white ceramic container is my kitchen composter. Cute right? It matches my appliances.
• I bought 2 of those collapsible food containers and have already used them- the waitress looked a bit confused but eventually took her evil styrofoam containers away from me...
• I have some paper towel alternatives on order from Amazon- we still have a few regular rolls left from the last purchase so I'm saving them for especially yucky stuff in hopes of composting them.

I realize that I didn't really include Recycling in my last entry- "the plan". We recycle everything we can already, so I didn't think about it- but I assure you, that is one of the biggest components of the plan! I just took the recycling back today so we're starting fresh.

That's it for now! Since this just started, I don't have many results to share. I'll keep updating as we go, and am completely open to suggestions if you have any. 

ps-
GO GREEN!

I think the environment should be put in the category of our national security. Defense of our resources is just as important as defense abroad. Otherwise, what is there to defend?

-Robert Redford