Thank you Canada Post.
Thanks to the strike and lack of service the next step in my green life is taking a bit longer than I had anticipated.
I love the swiffer vacuum and mop. They are convenient, easy to use and do a good job. But they also cause waste and depending on how much you use them it can be a fair amount of waste. My new house is three times as large as my old house and thus requires three times as much cleaning! My swiffer vacuum is getting a lot of use there days! So I decided to look into a way to continue to use my swiffer products which I love, keep a clean house and decrease the amount of waste that I produce. While looking for rewashable and reusable products for the swiffer, I contemplated making my own but then remembered how busy I am...so I looked for someone else who makes them. I found my new swiffer cloths on etsy and ordered them right away hoping that they would arrive soon so that I could start using them but then came my hiccup...Canada Post on strike. So now I must wait even longer to use my new swiffer cloths and decrease my waste products. In the meantime, I have put together my new compost bin and have started using it. I'm excited to avert waste products from my garbage and make good soil and fertilizer for my flowers!
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Monday, June 13, 2011
My New Compost
Ahh, I finally found some time to write again! Worked all weekend...late nights, early mornings meant no time for blogging! But I found some time and am happy to write again.
At my old place I composted leftovers veggies and such but the bin I used was not a real compost bin and therefore did not do a very good job. Now that I am at my new place and hope to stay for awhile, I really wanted a real compost bin that would do the job. My boyfriend had great intentions of making one but then we found one for a decent price at Canadian Tire. Although I am trying to buy as little new as possible, I justified this purchase in that the cost of the bin at Canadian Tire was cheaper than the lumber required to build one, and that this bin was made out of recycled materials. Not buying anything new kept me from accumulating excess "stuff" and encouraged me to buy used, so buying a compost bin made from recycled materials fits along the same lines. I can hardly wait to start using the bin, composting my leftovers and fertilizing my garden!
At my old place I composted leftovers veggies and such but the bin I used was not a real compost bin and therefore did not do a very good job. Now that I am at my new place and hope to stay for awhile, I really wanted a real compost bin that would do the job. My boyfriend had great intentions of making one but then we found one for a decent price at Canadian Tire. Although I am trying to buy as little new as possible, I justified this purchase in that the cost of the bin at Canadian Tire was cheaper than the lumber required to build one, and that this bin was made out of recycled materials. Not buying anything new kept me from accumulating excess "stuff" and encouraged me to buy used, so buying a compost bin made from recycled materials fits along the same lines. I can hardly wait to start using the bin, composting my leftovers and fertilizing my garden!
Monday, June 6, 2011
A wannabe tree hugger
Well, here it is, my first blog post! I have been thinking about doing this for awhile now but just haven't had the time or courage! Don't expect me to write everyday but I will try to write when I can and when I think I have something good to say.
So, a little bit about me. I grew up a country girl (not a farmer as some people seem to think!) in the middle of nowhere Alberta (Hoadley, Alberta, look it up, it is actually on the map but there is nothing there!). Growing up in the country gave me ample opportunities to live green but also many opportunities to live not so green. I now live in Red Deer Alberta, finally feeling like an adult, finished university, got my degree, got a house and a real job and a fiancee, so its about time I started making my life more green as well! This blog will hopefully encourage me (and you if you feel so inclined or inspired!) to live greener, happier and healthier!
Currently I recycle as much as Red Deer will allow (which is limited) but we also try and keep plastics that can't be recycled and take them to Edmonton when we go up there, I compost but I need a new compost bin for the new house, buy toilet paper made from recycled materials, buy paper made from recycled materials, buy organic clothes and materials when I can find them, wash laundry with cold water, use eco friendly cleaning products when I can, etc. (can't think of every little thing right now) It all seems like such small things and requires very little sacrifice on my part so my goal is to start making bigger sacrifices and doing more. My latest goal has been to buy nothing new. I started just after the new year and have done not too bad thus far. Of course, personal items don't count! I have only purchased a very few clothing items and wear them regularly which is some justification. Even in the process of moving to the new house I have purchased very few new items. I was inspired by a newspaper article in the Globe and Mail about a family of five who managed to buy nothing new for an entire year. Seemed like a huge task but I mainly wanted to apply it to my life in regards to clothing (of which we all have plenty!!) and household items (of which I also have plenty and can find plenty more gently used). I graduated this past weekend with my Bachelor of Science and even borrowed a dress from a very good friend of mine so as not to spend extra money on another dress that I might never wear again. Atleast this way the dress will get more use because she hasn't even worn it yet! It hasn't always been easy and I have had to drag myself away from stores countless times and remind myself that I don't actually need it even though I may want it...but I have also survived about six months of buying very few new items so it can't be that hard!
Small things do add up, but both my fiancee and I want to do more and make a much bigger impact on our world
So, a little bit about me. I grew up a country girl (not a farmer as some people seem to think!) in the middle of nowhere Alberta (Hoadley, Alberta, look it up, it is actually on the map but there is nothing there!). Growing up in the country gave me ample opportunities to live green but also many opportunities to live not so green. I now live in Red Deer Alberta, finally feeling like an adult, finished university, got my degree, got a house and a real job and a fiancee, so its about time I started making my life more green as well! This blog will hopefully encourage me (and you if you feel so inclined or inspired!) to live greener, happier and healthier!
Currently I recycle as much as Red Deer will allow (which is limited) but we also try and keep plastics that can't be recycled and take them to Edmonton when we go up there, I compost but I need a new compost bin for the new house, buy toilet paper made from recycled materials, buy paper made from recycled materials, buy organic clothes and materials when I can find them, wash laundry with cold water, use eco friendly cleaning products when I can, etc. (can't think of every little thing right now) It all seems like such small things and requires very little sacrifice on my part so my goal is to start making bigger sacrifices and doing more. My latest goal has been to buy nothing new. I started just after the new year and have done not too bad thus far. Of course, personal items don't count! I have only purchased a very few clothing items and wear them regularly which is some justification. Even in the process of moving to the new house I have purchased very few new items. I was inspired by a newspaper article in the Globe and Mail about a family of five who managed to buy nothing new for an entire year. Seemed like a huge task but I mainly wanted to apply it to my life in regards to clothing (of which we all have plenty!!) and household items (of which I also have plenty and can find plenty more gently used). I graduated this past weekend with my Bachelor of Science and even borrowed a dress from a very good friend of mine so as not to spend extra money on another dress that I might never wear again. Atleast this way the dress will get more use because she hasn't even worn it yet! It hasn't always been easy and I have had to drag myself away from stores countless times and remind myself that I don't actually need it even though I may want it...but I have also survived about six months of buying very few new items so it can't be that hard!
Small things do add up, but both my fiancee and I want to do more and make a much bigger impact on our world
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