Getting Greener

Since it isn't getting any greener outside with all this snow, we've decided to go greener inside. I already seem to have mastered the "no more plastic grocery bags" concept and rarely forget to bring my envirosax. (Love the envriosax, thanks Mom! I've tried using a collection of canvas bags but these work really well and are so easy to carry around...) I was actually so good at remembering them that I ran out of paper bags to use for recycling. I had to "forget" them so I could get a few paper bags at the grocery! I wanted to do MORE this year so I've started two new projects:

1. Reducing the number of ziploc bags I use and reusing the ones I already have
2. Composting my kitchen waste

The ziploc bag thing is going well. I started using a lot more gladware for things like lemons and onions that go in the fridge. I'm also not using any ziplocs for lunches either. I bought wax bags and paper bags for some other things I used to use ziplocs for, like stickers and other little items. I was about to order a ziploc bag drying rack online when I thought... I can make that! I wanted to paint a flowerpot to match the Marimekko container I'm using for my large utensils and I was going to fill it with the colored rocks you use in fish tanks and then stick wooden chopsticks inside to hold the bags open. I bought everything to complete this task but... I haven't gotten to it yet. So I took one of Talia's flower pots and filled it with rice. It's working out great. I can't believe how many ziplocs I used in the past. What a waste! I'm also saving all my plastic containers for my garden projects. Right now Alex likes to take them out of the cabinet to play with. We'll be planting something soon, I hope!

Composting:
I don't want to throw my kitchen scraps in the garbage anymore where they'll sit in plastic bags for 100 years. It seems so wrong. I've been using Rachel Ray's "Garbage Bowl" concept for a while now so every night when I'm cleaning up from dinner I literally have a bucket of compostable materials that I toss in the trash. I did a little research and realized that I don't have to wait until spring to begin this project. I just took a heavy duty Rubbermaid container from my basement and have started to fill it with waste. It's easy, doesn't smell (yet?) and makes me feel pretty good. I also feel slightly less bad about the food that goes to waste in our fridge--I just toss it in the compost bin. In the springtime I'll move it out to whatever are I set up for a compost pile.