Thanks to everyone who entered!
A few months ago I posted my Green To Do List. Time to dust it off and see how I am doing.
1. Do my final check on the SunChips bags in my composter and garden *Need to check the garden2. Find a way to store "special waste" *Still haven't started this
3. Hook downspout up to rain barrel *Next spring (I keep telling myself this)
4. Tend to veggie garden *Part done...just need to bring the bean and tomato poles inside
5. Think about ways to cut down on plastic consumption *Working on this
6. Make own oven cleaner and window cleaner. *Still using up old one's
7. Start to use vinegar as a rinse agent in dishwasher *Starting next load
8. Look for a new facial cleanser and moisturizer *Still looking.....
9. Figure out if I love my steam cleaner or if I should return it/beat the hell out of it *I hate it. Will not use for deep cleaning. Only daily basic cleaning.
10. Research an environmentally friendly mattress. *Waiting for boxing day sales
11. Sell baby stuff *Ongoing
12. Buy a 1/4 or 1/2 cow from a local organic farm *Not started yet
13. Start to think about EF Christmas gifts *Making awesome progress on this!
Dear lord that was depressing. I thought I would have more done....
Just a reminder that the Otterbottle Insulated Lunch Tote Giveaway ends this Sunday.
There are triggers in my life. Certain sounds or smells that make me think of something from my life. Like I every time I want into a lumber store I smell freshly cut wood and think of my Dad. The sound of waves will always remind me of laying beside Joey on Half Moon Cay.
Today I was driving to B's swim lesson and taking a route that I don't normally take home. Suddenly I started to think about a field trip in University where we drove to a small forest in the middle of a residential area. A forest that when we stood inside of it you could no longer hear the sounds of cars on the road. As I drove I wondered where the forest was. Along the road was small strips of trees but mostly houses. Had they torn it down to build houses? They couldn't have. I don't remember exactly why we went into this forest but I remember it being important. We were taking measurements and learning about forest nutrients and the natural regeneration process.
Was the forest before the grocery store or after?
I know it was on the right side of the road....
Then suddenly there it was (after the grocery store and yes on the right side of the road). The whole thing still where it was 11 years ago. This made me smile. The city has grown so much and yet this little plot of land remains natural. I wonder if students still go there and are they using our data to show changes from the current data they collect?
I think about that day every single time I drive down that road.
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Come inside my trashcan for a moment. In the past week here is what has gone into it. These are things that I need to find out if they can be recycled in our city. Some I know the answer already, some I do not.
* diapers - our compost system does not allow these
* peel off top to yogurt - does this count as a foil?
* wrap from a chicken
* styrofoam from under a chicken - not picked up in our recycle program but can be dropped off
* wrapper from B's cookies - does this count as a foil?
* wrapper from B's cereal bars - does this count as a foil?
* bag from inside of a cereal box
* milk bag
* plastic from a wine bottle - I didn't want/need it but he had already put it on
* onion bag
* breastmilk storage bag
* saran wrap
* plastic seal from cottage cheese container
Notice it is almost all plastic? That is really what made me start to do this in the first place.
What do you do with any of these items? Any suggestions are welcome if you aren't able to recycle them as part of your local program.
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Home vs City Compost
The Disappearing Bag
Hair Raising Problem
I have been back to work since May. Since then I have yet to print anything on the printer. I take my laptop to meetings and pull the documents up on it. I take noted directly on a document on my computer and sometimes in my notebook.
I was hoping to see how long I could go with this. I am proud of it. But it is all about to come to an end.
You see next week we have a team building event and for that event I have to print and sign a waiver. I also have to print a parking pass. So next Monday I will be hitting print on my computer for the first time since June 2009. I am kind of pissed about this. I wish I didn't have to do it. Not because I am super competitive and it kills me to have to give up on what I have going on here...but because I am sure that an electronic signature could work instead and using our already in our car parking pass instead of printing a second one. Perhaps suggestions for improvement for next year.
Looks like I will have to just reset the clock and see how long I can go again.
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Hmmm maybe I DO compost at work
Eco-Challenge: e-post
Have you met our apple tree??
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Hmmm maybe I DO compost at work
Eco-Challenge: e-post
Have you met our apple tree??
I have a lot of young girls in my life that I love. Girls that are fortunate enough to live on this side of the world and have the opportunity to do what they want in life. But there are girls in this world who do not have that opportunity. Whose life is going down the same path that their sisters did, that their mothers did. Married at 14, pregnant by 15, school completely out of the question, at risk for HIV.... We can change this.
I probably won't be able to put into words what the Girl Effect is in the same way that these 2 videos can. Over the next month or so I am going to try and find a way to become more involved. I encourage you do to the same if the video's impact you the way they impacted me.
I think about Isabelle, Katie, Kayden, Zahra, Hannah, Katie and Danica and how if situation was reversed and we lived in a developing country I would hope that someone would see how special they are and how much good they could do in the world if they were just given the chance.
I believe that 1 girl can change the world.
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One is the loneliest number
350
What is the Shift?
With the launch of our citywide compost program I have started to really notice how much of our waste is non recyclable plastic. It is pretty much the only thing (besides diapers) in our garbage now. It seems senseless to me so I plan on figuring out what I can do to fix it.
The Plan
Wednesday (garbage day) start looking at what exactly is being put into the garbage and is there any way it can be reused or recycled. If not is there a way to cut it out completely (product substitution). I will do this over the next 2 weeks. My hope is that I can get down to 1 kitchen sized garbage bag per week.
Have you reduced your plastic waste? How did you do it?
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I have been using environmentally friendly shampoo and conditioner for several months now. Lately I have really started to notice that my hair just does not feel clean. When I blow dry it it actually feels greasy. I don't use any other product in my hair so it has been throwing me for a loop.
My friends suggested a few things. 2 of which I tried this morning. I cleaned my hair brush. Not just pulling the hair out of it but actually cleaning it with shampoo. I have never ever done this (yah...gross) and actually the thought had never occurred to me. Tell me I am not alone on this one??? The second suggestion was to use a different shampoo and conditioner. I had some regular (ie: non EF) shampoo and conditioner kicking around so I used it.
My hair feels 10000000007% different. It is not greasy at all, it dried faster, it is softer, it is lighter, I have less fly-aways (hello hair still growing back in after losing it due to pregnancy/nursing). I actually can not stop touching my hair.
Has anyone else ever had this issue before? Were you using EF shampoo/conditioner? What did you do to rectify it but still be able to use your EF products?
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I love my Otterbottle so when I was contacted to review one of their new products I jumped at the chance. With the weather getting cold I decided to try out the Insulated Food Container. I used it for soup a few times and then also for chili. I would heat it up (not in the container) in the morning and then pour it into the container. As with any container like this it is going to slowly cool throughout the day so by lunch time it was still warm but not piping hot. The second time I used it I made sure to heat it hotter than I normally would. This did the trick! At lunch time my soup was the perfect eating temperature.
What do I wish was different? The size. It was a bit small for me (350ml). I think that if I was bringing a sandwich to go along with my soup it would have been fine but I was just having the soup and felt like I was not getting as much as I would like. I think it is the perfect size for a kid or for a hearty meal like stew or chili.
I have an insulated lunch tote to giveaway! Take you lunch with you in style! Deadline for entries is Sunday November 28th at 11:59PM EST.
Go to Otterbottle and tell me which product you love and what you would use it for. Leave 1 comment for this entry.
Additional Entries - Leave a separate comment for each that you do.
* Follow my blog publicly on GFC
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I have been nominated for a Mommy Blog Award in the Eco-Friendly category! The first round of voting is on until Monday and for some reason I was never notified that I was nominated so I literally just found out when going to vote for a blog I follow.
So if you love my blog then head on over to Bump and vote for me!
A few weeks ago I realized that I had forgotten my pump. Luckily I had a backup one that I kept at work for such an occasion. I did not however have a bottle to pump into. I had all kinds of ideas going through my head.
* Stand over the sink and pump down the drain. ** GAH like flushing gold down the toilet
* Pump into a coffee cup
* Find a plastic bag and pump into it
* Don't pump and potentially explode killing all innocent bystanders
Then I saw my Otterbottle sitting on my desk. I decided I would have to pump into it. I thought it would be awkward and that this would turn into a milk blood bath. Turns out my pump parts fit right into the water bottle. Crisis averted!
And yes I am crazy and pump 3 times a day with a manual pump. The trade off is some really sexy forearms!
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