10 ways to be more sustainable with your vegetable garden

Yes, I know a vegetable garden in and of itself is a pretty sustainable thing. Growing your own food instead of getting it from the store (usually in some sort of plastic bag or container) is great. But what are some extra steps you can take to be even more sustainable with your garden? Here are ten of them.

1. If you start your own seeds, do it in reused containers instead of buying new ones. Yogurt cups are great for this, but any container will do. Also starter pots made from newspaper are an eco-friendly way to go.
2. Use water saved from cooking or captured water from running the faucet to water your plants. When you cook vegetables or pasta in water, nutrients leach into the water and that water makes great plant food. Don't use water that you've used to cook meat in to water edible plants, though. And, make sure the water has cooled before you use.
3. Water early in the morning or late in the evening so the midday sun doesn't soak up half of the water before the plants get it. You'll have to use less water this way.
4. Save your seeds for next year. In addition to saving seeds from my own garden, I plan on buying a couple expensive heirloom tomatoes from the farmers market, enjoy them, and save their seeds for next year. I'm not sure how well it will work, but I'm going to give it a shot.
5. Share your bounty. Your bound to have too much of something (basil? zucchini?). Don't let it go bad. Share with friends and neighbors or find a food bank that will take the donations.
6. Compost. Turn your vegetable and plant waste into food for next year's garden.
7. Rotate your plants. Even in a small garden, moving the plants around from year to year will help the soil.
8. Deter pests naturally. It's very tempting, and I know how tempting it is from experience, to want to destroy bugs or keep the rabbits away using toxic methods. But, this is food your family will eat so keep the chemicals away. Experiment with natural remedies and be okay with losing a little of your crop while you're figuring it out.
9. Learn about the types of diseases your plants could get and how to identify them. This year especially with the late blight wiping out tomato plants, identifying and properly handling a disease could save part of your garden and your neighbor's garden, too.
10. If you have kids, get them out in the garden with you and pass on the skills that you have (or maybe learn skills together) so that they will continue to garden when they have their own space.

I've got your Friday night pizza wine - Releaf

Over on MNN today I've got a review of Releaf, a South African blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Shiraz. The company that imports it, Organic Wine Trade Company is pretty impressive itself. Take a look at the review to find out how they are bringing sustainable, responsible wines to the U.S.

Releaf is a perfect choice for your Friday night pizza wine. It pairs well with pizza, it's sustainable so you can feel good about drinking every Friday night, and the price is right - $8.99 at my local wine store.

10 Easy Ways to Be More Sustainable This Fall

Last night, I made my first chicken pot pie of the season. It was good. I made a side of scalloped apples. I love taking the edges of the pot pie crust and dipping them in the apples. It's like dessert in the middle of dinner. And it all smells so good.

I'm always glad when fall is finally officially here. The few weeks between labor day and the start of fall are orphan weeks. They belong to no season. It's technically still summer, but the pool is closed and the kids are back in school so it's not really summer. It's not quite cool out enough to bake a pot pie or a lasagna, but I'm over grilling every night. 

So I was happy tonight when I warmed the oven and made a pot pie (and later made oatmeal raisin cookies just because). 

In honor of fall, here are ten ways you can make it a more sustainable season.

1. When it starts to get chilly, throw on a sweater or sweatshirt instead of turning on the heat at your first shiver. See how long you can go before you turn on the thermostat.
   
2. Plant some organic bulbs.
   
3. Buy a bunch of apples from a local grower and make applesauce or a pie (or applesauce and a pie).
   
4. Order a free range turkey for Thanksgiving from a local farmer.
5. Keep visiting the farmer's market until it closes for the season. On the last day of the season buy as much as you can afford and store without it going bad. Let them know you want them to come back next year.
6. Turn your fallen leaves into mulch for your garden beds or put them in the compost.
7. Shop at a second hand store when you realize that your kids need new coats because last year's coats are, of course, too small. Donate those too small coats so they get reused.
8. Organize a Halloween costume swap.
9. Give fair trade or organic candy for Halloween.
10. Pick pumpkins from a local farm instead of buying ones that have been shipped really far to your grocery store.

10 Easy Ways to Be More Sustainable During Soccer Season

It is soccer season (although this year for the first time one of my boys is playing fall baseball instead of soccer). The 6pm practices and games kill our dinner time. It's easy to fall into bad habits that lead to unsustainability when things get hectic. Here are ten easy ways to stay sustainable while you're trying to fit in soccer practice, homework and good environmentalism.

1. Buy several reusable water bottles to take to practices and games.* Fill them with tap water. If you feel you must take sports drinks (I don't think it's very necessary for younger kids games) buy it in bigger containers and fill your bottles or buy the powdered mix and make it yourself.
   
2. Ride your bikes or walk to the fields if it's possible.
   
3. If you need to drive, carpool with other families in your neighborhood.
   
4. Take healthy snacks of fresh fruits and homemade granola bars to avoid buying prepackaged, preservative filled, food dyed junk at the snack bar.
5. Take home any bottles or cans you may end up using (or finding) at the fields to put in your own recycle bins if your fields don't have them.
6. Refrain from running through the fast food drive-thru before or after your practice for dinner because "there is just no time." Sandwiches packed at home and taken to the field or eaten in the car on the way home are much better for you and the planet than a burger and fries. For a quick meal when you get home, try scrambled eggs, toast and fruit. It takes a little forethought and organization to stay away from the drive-thru, but it is well worth it.
7. Buy your soccer balls and other necessary equipment from a second hand sports shop.
8. If last year's stuff fits, use it again. Kids are unlikely to outgrow shin guards and soccer socks in one year. 
9. Every once in a while, have your kids and their buddies walk around and clean up trash around the fields.
10. For a sustainable family, say "no" when needed - like when the coach calls for an extra practice that will put your family's schedule over the edge or interfere with a planned family outing. Do not allow kids' activities to take over the family.

See. Easy.

*Write your family name on your bottles and at the end of each practice/game make sure each person has remembered to take it from the field. They aren't so sustainable if you have to keep replacing them.

10 Easy Ways to Be More Sustainable in the Dining Room

Whether you have a formal dining room, a breakfast nook, or an eat-in kitchen, it's easy to get unsustainable when it comes to how you serve your meals. Here are ten easy ways to be more sustainable at your dining table.

1. Use cloth napkins (see note below).
   
2. Ditch the paper plates - use durable, washable plates.
   
3. Use real utensils - never plastic.
   
4. Candles are a beautiful touch for your table, but make sure your candles are all natural  - made ingredients like soy or beeswax.
   
5. If you're going to have flowers on the table, make sure they are local and didn't travel hundreds of miles to get to your table. If you can't buy local, opt for a different centerpiece.
6. Shop yard sales for fabulous vintage table clothes instead of buying new.
   
7. Change out all the light bulbs in the room to CFL's.
   
8. Use your chipped plates instead of going out to buy new ones. Our plates are 15 years old and very few are left unchipped. It doesn't take the enjoyment out of our meals one little bit.
9. If you've got a formal dining room that isn't used frequently, close the curtains during the warm months to keep the sun out and open them in the winter months to let the sun in. It will help conserve energy.
10. For a sustainable family, make sure you all sit around the dining table once a day for a meal. 

See, easy.

Note about cloth napkins: A lot of my friends ask about the difficulty of using cloth napkins - washing them, ironing them, getting out the stains. Honestly, I don't care about ironing or getting out stains. I have all white napkins, wash them each time I do a white load and hang them out to dry. If they are stained, oh well, we're only using them to wipe our mouths and hands. Wrinkles - who cares?

I do keep a set of 12 stashed away for when we have guests. They do get treated for stains after we use them, but unless it's Thanksgiving or Easter, I don't even iron them. 

I'm not trying to set a Martha Stewart table, I'm trying to set a sustainable one.

Read More

10 Easy Ways to Be More Sustainable in the Kitchen

When It's Okay to Use Paper Products

10 Easy Ways to Be More Sustainable with Your Back to School Shopping (Going Back to School in Green Style: Part 2)

In yesterday's post about assessing what you already have before going out shopping for school supplies, I encouraged you all to buy only what you really need. Here are tips for doing that in an eco-friendly way.

1. Buy recycled paper products whenever possible. Kids are going to need things like notebooks, composition books, printer paper, and homework organizers. Save a few trees and buy recycled. It may cost you a little bit more, but if you watch the sales, you may get some bargains.
2. Earth friendly pens and pencils are getting easier to find. Paper Mate makes a good #2 pencil called Earthwrite that can be bought at most office supply stores or online. Pilot makes a line of pens called BeGreen that are made from 86% recycled content.
3. Shop at second hand stores and consignment shops for clothes, backpacks and other items. You can find a lot of great stuff for your kids and you'll save a lot of money.
4. If you are going to buy new clothes for the kids, buy them made from sustainable materials such as organic cotton, bamboo, or hemp.
5. Schools often ask for donations of boxes of tissues or antibacterial wipes. Buy tissues from recycled paper or wipes from Method.
6. Purchase durable, reusable lunch boxes, food and beverage containers to send to school.
7. If you need to buy textbooks for a college student (or any other student), buy used. Way back when, used textbooks were only available in the campus bookstore. But now, they are available all over the Internet and you can shop around for the best price while saving a few trees.
8. If you're going to buy the kids new back to school shoes (and I suggest that you don't unless their old shoes don't fit or are in deplorable shape), check out Simple Shoes. They are made from things like organic cotton, hemp and recycled tire inner tubes.
   
9. Don't take the kids with you when you go shopping if it's possible. Take your lists and nothing else. Stick to your lists. If you take the kids, they might talk you into buying more than you need or a Hannah Montanna notebook instead of one made of recycled paper.
10. Plan your shopping to do it all at once and at stores that are within close proximity to one another. Driving all over your region to purchase green back to school items kind of negates buying them, doesn't it?

Some of the green back to school products may cost a little more than their conventional counterparts. Before you go out shopping, reconcile with the fact that you might have to spend a little bit more. If you're shopping for clothes at thrift and consignment stores, however, you just might end up spending less overall.

10 Easy Ways to Be More Sustainable in the Bathroom

You've probably seen this on a t-shirt or a bumper sticker somewhere - "Conserve Water - Shower Together." While the idea is appealing, let's face it - showering together usually leads to an extra long, hot and steamy shower, right? There may be a lot going on it that shower, but water conservation ain't gonna be one of them.

There are however, plenty of easy ways you can be more sustainable in the bathroom. Here are ten of them:

1. Take navy showers. Turn the water off when you're soaping up, shampooing your hair or shaving your legs and turn it back on to rinse off.
2. Install a low flow shower head.
3. If you've got an older toilet, put an old milk container filled with water in the tank to displace some of the water that would go in there. It saves water every time you flush.
4. Speaking of saving water when you flush - flush less. You've heard the phrase, "if it's yellow let it mellow, if it's brown flush it down" right? If you're family can handle that, go for it.
5. When you use a towel, hang it right up to dry. If towels are dried properly they won't need to be washed as often.
6. Use toilet paper made from recycled paper (which is different from recycled toilet paper - ew!). I use the Marcal brand - $.80 for a 1000 sheet roll.
   
7. Use only the amount of toilet paper necessary to get the job done and teach kids to do the same.
8. Got boys? Then you've probably got a canister of wipes in your bathroom to clean up "misses." Method offers an eco-friendlier version of those Clorox or Lysol wipes.
9. Turn the water off in the sink while you are brushing your teeth.
10. Make sure that the things that can be recycled from the bathroom such as toilet paper tubes, shampoo bottles, and the boxes toothpaste or soap do get recycled. Sometimes, it's easy just to throw them in the bathroom trashcan. Make the extra effort to ensure that these things get recycled, too.

See - easy.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

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Green Things I Saw in Ireland

Sure, all of Ireland was green. The color green, I mean. Seriously, green plants and grass are everywhere. They don't call it the Emerald Isle for nothing. But I saw some environmentally green things going on in Ireland as well.

Here are a few:

• No plastic bags. In 2002, Ireland placed at 15 cent tax on each plastic bag. People stopped using them very quickly. All of the stores I was in used paper bags - but I refused them and put stuff in my back pack. The only plastic bag I was given while I was there was the clear plastic bag that my duty free items were placed in at the airport.
  
• Eco Cabs. In Dublin, we were given free ride in a man powered Eco Cab. I'll be writing more about that next week when I begin a new writing job when I'll be telling you about soon.
• Individual toilet paper squares. Many public rest rooms (do you ever feel like you spend half a vacation looking for a bathroom?) had toilet paper dispensers that gave you little square and a half sized papers. Sure you could take more than one, but it's a good idea. I'm sure it cuts down on the amount of unneeded toilet paper used.
• Very few disposable cups, plates, utensils, etc. Even the smallest of places that we stopped to eat used durable items unless we specifically ordered something to go. Coffee was always in a coffee mug. Drinks were always in glasses. We weren't given plastic silverware or disposable plates anywhere but the airport and the plane.
• Tiny little showers that discouraged long bathing sessions. In the B&B's we stayed in (which were above pubs) the showers were all business. Get in, get out. The one place even had a button to push to get the water that only dispensed (COLD) water at ten second intervals.
• Lots of bicyclists - even in the hilly mountainous northwest.
• Very few SUV's, a few minivans, lots of small fuel efficient cars.

Those are just a few of the things that I saw that I think are helping to make the world a greener place. I wasn't specifically looking for green things. This was a non-working vacation. But because I'm trying to make being green a natural part of my life, it's hard not to notice these things.

Green Term of the Week - Shade Grown Coffee

Since taking a break (I haven't officially convinced myself I'm actually giving it up) from diet soda recently, I've really been appreciating my morning coffee. For a while now, we've been buying fair trade coffee, but I've been hearing a lot about shade grown coffee, too. So I've been checking it out.

Shade grown coffee is coffee that has been grown under the shade of the vegetation of its natural habitat. The conventional coffee growing method is to clear the vegetation and grow the coffee in the sun. It grows more quickly, produces more coffee and is more profitable that way; however, the quality of sun grown coffee is usually inferior. The longer growing time of shade grown coffee allows for a deeper, richer flavor.

Its inferior quality is the least of the problems with sun grown coffee. The biggest problem is the deforestation that occurs when acres and acres of vegetation is cleared for the coffee fields. Once the fields are stripped of the shade trees, a lot of chemicals and pesticides are needed to help the coffee grow. This contributes to soil erosion. More and more acres are stripped to provide new sun grown plantations when the soil becomes depleted of nutrients and needs to be replenished.

The sun grown coffee method is also causing the biodiversty of the region to change. Many birds are displaced (birds who would have eaten the pests that the pesticides are needed for) and many species of birds have become extinct in these areas.

Shade grown coffee is typically grown organically. It's good for the land and it's good for the workers who pick the coffee beans. They aren't exposed to the chemicals and pesticides of a sun grown field. It's also good for the coffee drinker.

Shade grown coffee is going to be more expensive than sun grown coffees. The fair trade coffee we've been buying for over a year now is more expensive, too. But I consider the expense worth it. I can't justify saving a couple of dollars at the expense of the earth, the birds and the workers who pick the beans for my morning coffee.

We've offset the expense by going out less for coffee. We used to frequently run out first thing in the morning, but now rarely go out just to get coffee. 

So now the question for me is - should I buy shade grown instead of fair trade? Is there coffee that is certified both? I'll be scouring the coffee isle next time I go to the grocery store and I'll let you know what I come up with.

How do you choose your coffee? Do you take into consideration the environmental impact of how it is grown?

Related Posts
Greening Your Coffee Habit
What is Fair Trade Certified

10 Easy Ways to Be More Sustainable with Your Banking

I announced last week that for the foreseeable future, Tuesday's will be "10 Easy Ways to be More Sustainable..." days. This week, I tackle banking.

1. Get paperless statements e-mailed to you. Then learn how to actually use Excel or Quicken to keep track of your finances (I'm actually talking to myself here!)
2. Sign up for direct deposit if your employer offers it. No paper checks. No trips to the bank to make deposits.
3. Request no receipt when you use an ATM machine.
4. Tell the cashier you don't need a little envelope when you make a withdrawal.
5. Bank online instead of driving to the bank itself.
6. If you do need to go to the bank, combine the trip with other errands so you use your car more efficiently OR walk or bike to the bank.
7. Don't overdraw your account so your bank doesn't have to mail you a notice (and so you don't have to pay all those fees).
8. If you use the drive-thru lane, don't let your car idle while you are waiting to get to the window.
9. Don't take a pen every time you are there just because they are free.
10. Turn your coins in to the bank every so often. I was reading the other day that the government needs to make millions of pennies each year because there are so many out of circulation sitting in bottles on top of dressers and in piggy banks (I'm not 100% sure this is true, but it sounds reasonable). So, if everyone turned their coins into the bank to either deposit them or turn them into paper money, a lot of resources that are used to make these extra pennies could be saved.

See - easy. Tell me if you have any additional ideas about how to make your banking greener or more sustainable.

Related Links
If You're Going to Use the Drive-thru, Turn off the Engine!
10 Easy Ways to be More Sustainable in Your Kitchen

Can Recycling Aluminum Cans Help with My Drinking Problem

I have a drinking problem. No, it has nothing to do with all the wine that I drink that I talked about a few weeks ago. It's an addiction to diet soda. I've tried to give it up. I've tried to convince myself it's unhealthy for me. I've even discussed it here before. A couple of weeks ago, I decided to really give it a go. Not for my health, but for the environment. 

The more I learn about plastic, the more I realize that using so much of it is just not good. Even if I recycle it, it doesn't get recycled into another plastic bottle. It gets downcycled. So every time I buy a plastic bottle of diet soda, it's new plastic that it's coming in. I stopped buying it. I've had it in a restaurant a few times because I know it's coming from a fountain.

I've been exhausted. My body is not reacting well to being denied all the caffeine and who knows what else I was filling it with daily. I had a meeting night before last at church, and I broke down and bought a soda on the way. 16 oz of yummy, fizzy, diet soda in an earth harming plastic bottle. I only felt a little built guilty. 

Today, I was checking tonight's weather on weather.com and there was a little survey on the side. The survey asked "How many times can you recycle an aluminum can?" It gave a few choices as answers. I chose 5. I was wrong. The correct answer is "unlimited." 

"Wow," I thought. "I didn't know that. Impressive." Then I went on with my work.

A minute later, it struck me. I can buy soda in aluminum cans! I don't have deal with my drinking problem! I can buy 12 packs in reyclable cardboard boxes instead of 2 liter or 16 oz plastic bottles. 

Alleluia! I think I head the angels sing!

Seriously. I'll have to give this some thought. I really should quit drinking the stuff, but it's nice to know that the aluminum can is a better option if I'm unable to control myself.

I've found some interesting facts about recycling aluminum cans.

• Recycling aluminum cans saves 95 percent of the energy used to make aluminum cans from virgin ore.
  
• It takes about 400 years for aluminum to break down naturally.
  
• Using recycled aluminum beverage cans to produce new cans allows the aluminum can industry to make up to 20 times more cans for the same amount of energy.
  
• Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a television for three hours.
  
• Recycling aluminum creates 97% less water pollution than producing new metal from ore.
  
• Aluminum recycles in no time at all. When you send a can to a recycling depot, it’s processed, recycled, and back on the shelf again in about a month.

And, the most interesting fact I found:

• Aluminum can be recycled over and over without breaking down. In theory, we have an inexhaustible supply of it in circulation right now. If we recycled all our aluminum, we’d never have to make more.
  

These facts really make you think, don't they? Mostly, they make me think that when I do choose to buy a single beverage and I have a choice between plastic or aluminum, I'm going to choose aluminum. Even if the aluminum container only holds 12 oz and the plastic one holds 16 oz. 

12 oz can ease my withdrawal symptoms just as well as 16 oz, right?

Aluminum recycling facts found at:

Professor's House

and

Can Central

Related Links:

What I Saw The Recycle Pick Up Guys Do This Morning

Green Term of the Week - Green Roof

I went to a lunch and learn at Greenable (the Philadelphia green building supply store) on Monday. I've been attending their monthly educational lectures because I'm doing research for both my writing and the addition that we are planning for our house next year. We want to make our home as energy efficient and sustainable as we can afford. One of the things my husband and I have been talking about is a green roof.

A green roof is a roof on a building that has been covered with vegetation. There's a lot more to it than just sticking some dirt on top of your roof and throwing down some seeds. A proper green roof has several layers starting with the roofing materials and then waterproofing materials, drainage materials and others are layered on top of the roof before the vegetation is planted. 

There are many environmental benefits to a green roof. Here are some of them that I learned at the lecture.

• It increases storm water retention which produces a cooling effect to the air around as the water slowly evaporates.
  
• It improves air quality around the building.
  
• It reduces low level ozone.
  
• It can reduce energy costs in a building up to 30% because the roof is not absorbing heat and holding onto it. The heat is released when the sun goes down.
  
• Urban wildlife habitats are created with some green roofs.
  
• The roofing materials under the vegetation last much longer than exposed roofing materials. They last longer and that keeps roofing materials out of landfills.
  

It seems, however, that in the U.S. these types of roofs are predominately being put on large buildings, not residences. If we want to do a green roof on our addition, it will probably be very costly because we'd have to have it specially designed. It's not that it can't be done. It's just that no one's doing it right now. Perhaps we'll have to find another way to make our addition sustainable, but we haven't completely ruled it out yet.

Have you ever seen a green roof? Where was it? 

Related Links:

Philadelphia's Green Building Product Store - Greenable

10 Easy Ways to Be More Sustainable in Your Kitchen

New feature here at A Little Greener Every Day. Tuesdays will now be 10 Easy Ways to be More Sustainable ... days (at least until I run out of ideas). We start today with:

Ten Easy Ways to Be More Sustainable in Your Kitchen

1. Take a light bulb or two out of your overhead light fixture - if it has 3 or 4 bulbs in it, remove one or two and you'll use less electricity (thanks Sunny for this idea!).
   
2. Use your toaster oven instead of the oven if possible.
   
3. Save the water from cooking vegetables/pasta to water your plants.
   
4. Switch to all natural, biodegradable dish soap.
   
5. Hide the paper towels and use rags to clean up your messes.
   
6. Eat your leftovers.
7. Get a counter top composter and compost your fruit and vegetable scraps.
8. Keep a pitcher of tap water in the refrigerator to have cold drinking water on hand instead of running the faucet till it's cold or drinking bottled water.
9. Save the plastic bags from bread, veggies, the inside of cereal boxes and other things to be reused before they hit the trash.
10. Unplug appliances like the toaster oven, coffee maker, and microwave when not in use. \ (yes, I know it will mess up the clocks on some of them - you can deal with it, I know you can.)

See - easy. Tell me about your easy ways to be more sustainable in your kitchen.

Related Links:

Cooking with Less Energy

Letting Businesses Know You Appreciate Their Sustainable Efforts

Yesterday, my mom, the boys and I went to Kildare's Pub in West Chester, PA to hear my friend Allison's Irish folk band, Beyond the Pale, play (they are awesome, by the way). I have no idea if the restaurant owners care about sustainability or not, but I was impressed by some of what I saw.

• My children were served their drinks in regular glasses instead of plastic cups with lids.
  
• We were given cloth napkins instead of paper ones.
  
• When I asked for a leftover container, I was given one that is made from paper and is biodegradable, not a styrofoam one.
  

One of the items on my to-do list for today is to e-mail the restaurant and let them know that I noticed these things and that I appreciate them. I often read the advice to contact businesses and let them know you'd like them to be more sustainable.

Perhaps, we also need to be contacting businesses and letting them know when they are doing a good job at being sustainable. Let them know that we notice it and it means something to us. Let them know that we are likely to return to their business because of what we noticed. If no one tells them they are doing a good job in these areas, they may stop.