Environment

Crazy Idea Number 547 aka: Tangerine Vinegar

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We’ve already addressed the fact that I tend to try ridiculous crazy potentially clever ideas with abandon. So it will come as no surprise to many of you that when I finished peeling and juicing tangerines for my Tangerine Triple Sec, instead of composting the waste, I decided to try making vinegar. Tangerine vinegar? Yeah, that’s what I’m thinking. Ick. But worry not – I didn’t want to use it in the kitchen; my goal was to create a natural weed killer.

In Wild Fermentation, Sandor Katz has a recipe for fruit scrap vinegar and, well, these were surely fruit scraps. I mixed the tangerine peels and the pulp in a big plastic container with about a gallon of water (enough to cover the fruit scraps) and one cup of sugar, stirring until the sugar dissolved. (Katz suggests 1/4 cup of sugar for each quart of water.) I covered the container with cheese cloth and set it out in my garage for about a month. Fruit flies managed to get into the container, but I since I didn’t plan to use this vinegar for cooking, I didn’t worry too much about them.

After a month or so, the concoction was smelling very orange-y but not so vinegar-y. I drained the solids from the liquid and let it ferment for another three weeks or so. By this time, my ‘vinegar’ had a creepy floating surface – the mother. (See the curved edge? That’s the mother, not a shadow.)

Still not much vinegar smell, but I decided it was time for my experiment. (I am impatient. If I’d let it go longer, would it have been more vinegar-like? I don’t know.) I removed the mother and strained the liquid several times, first through a fine sieve, then through cheesecloth. I put the liquid into my pump sprayer without diluting it at all, and sprayed several different patches of weeds.

And here’s what happened overnight. The broad-leafed vine type weeds and the invasive kava turned slightly brown on the edges. Not much to talk about at all. But the crabgrass actually shows a difference.

Before (what is that little string thing and why is it in my picture?):

After (Ooh, different camera, different color):

Here’s another shot of dead weeds (no before picture at this spot, unfortunately):

It’s not Roundup, by any means. And it wasn’t as successful as Kevin at A Garden for the House’s experiment. But I’m thinking this idea has potential. My guess is that if the acid content were higher, I’d have had more success. I’m definitely going to try making vinegar again – we’ve got no shortage of citrus peels and the stuff from the store is, as we’ve discussed before, likely full of gmos. But I think a little research is in order to figure out how to achieve a higher acid content.

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February Challenge: Reduce your Household Waste

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Let’s face it: we throw away too much stuff. I don’t think I’ll get any argument there. Disposable products, packaging, electronics that seem to define planned obsolescence, it all ends up in the landfill.

Shop Smart. The first and most obvious way to stop throwing away so much trash is to stop bringing trash into your house in the first place. If it has a package, consider other alternatives. Can you make it yourself (bread, ice)? Can you choose a different product with better packaging (loose tomatoes instead of those in plastic packages, spaghetti sauce in glass rather than plastic)? Can you do without or get it second hand?

Compost. If you’re not composting yet, consider this little challenge the nudge you need to do so. Divert your kitchen scraps from the landfill, make garden gold. You can compost if you’re lazy. You can compost with worms. You can compost with your blender. Figure out what works and do it.

Donate items you don’t need. I once worked for a woman who threw the clothes her daughter outgrew away. I doubt anyone here is doing that, but think about what you toss. The local preschool might be able to use some of those obscure packages in craft projects. Your friend with a chicken might appreciate your egg cartons.

Cook from scratch. Buying a pre-made salad at the deli counter is fast, but leaves you with the hard plastic clam shell packaging to throw away. Instead, buy a head of lettuce, use your cloth produce bags and top with whatever veggies are in season.

Recycle. In my mind, it’s more important to reduce the amount of recyclable items that we use first, but if you must use them then please recycle.

In this household, we fill about one kitchen trash can a week. It’s primarily filled with plastic: packaging from our local butcher shop, bread wrappers, tortilla packaging). I’m sure that’s a lot less than some of you, and more than others. In any case, it makes me cringe every time we fling our trash over the edge at the transfer station. One thing I can do is start pre-ordering my beef. If I order in advance, they’ll package it in butcher paper for me. Yes, still coated, but better than straight plastic. And I can get back to baking our own bread. I’m certainly not aspiring to zero-waste like this family, but less trash? Absolutely.

So. Will you come clean and tell us how many bags of trash you go through a week? And what are you willing to do to reduce that amount?

Photo: Flickr user by woodleywonderworks

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January Challenge: Cut Your Energy Usage

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Ah, winter. It’s all snow and cozy and hot tea, until you get the monthly energy bill. You spent HOW MUCH on electricity??

This month, I challenge you to lower your electricity bill. (This is where you off-grid folks can fold your arms across your chest and smile smugly…) For many, heating is a huge expense this time of year. For me, it’s not heat – we don’t actually have a heater; when our temp hits 55 degrees, our only option is more blankets – but our bill is inexplicably rising. So, let’s work to depend less on the electric company.

If your electric bill reflects the need for heat this time of year, consider these easy to implement options – no home renovation required:

  • Turn down your thermostat. Even one degree will make a difference.
  • If you’ve got a drafty door or window, roll up a towel and use it to block the cold air.
  • If you’ve got rooms that aren’t really in use, close the heating vents to the rooms and close the doors. No sense heating unused space.
  • Got sunshine? Open the blinds to let in the warmth.
  • If you use your dishwasher, open the door slightly to allow the remaining heat to warm the kitchen when the cycle is complete.
  • Turn off the “heated dry” setting of your dishwasher. Allowing the dishes to dry slowly will teach you patience.
  • If you froze some of your garden’s bounty this summer, now is a good time to consider transforming those berries into jam. Processing the jars in the canner will free up freezer space and warm up the house.
  • Place several fire bricks inside your oven. When you cook, the bricks will absorb the heat. You only need to leave the oven door ajar to release that heat into your house (use caution with this plan if you have children).

Other ways to reduce your energy bill:

  • It goes without saying, but turn your lights off when you’re not in the room.
  • Only wash full laundry loads.
  • Dry clothes on a line if weather allows.
  • Be aware of vampire power.
  • If you tend to keep the TV on just for background noise, try to break that habit.
  • When you have the oven on, use it to full capacity. If you know you’ll be baking a casserole, think about pulling together a batch of granola or baking a loaf of bread.
  • Vacuum the coils of your refrigerator so it doesn’t have to work so hard to maintain its temperature.
  • Take shorter showers.
  • Use cold water for laundry loads when you can.
  • Set your computer to “sleep” mode when you’re not actively using it.

I’ll be working to bring my own bill down this month. I’m aiming for a reduction of about $20-30 dollars. I’d love to hear your suggestions for saving energy – and come the end of the month, will look forward to hearing how successful you were!

Photo: Flickr user David Paul Ohmer

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63 Small Changes to Make a Big Difference

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I’ve written about ‘Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet‘ in the past, so the International Energy Agency’s statement that  “On planned policies, rising fossil energy use will lead to irreversible and potentially catastrophic climate change” isn’t news to me. But every time I see a new study confirming that we are in deep doo-doo if we don’t make some changes post haste, I feel frustrated because I think so many people are not taking the issue seriously.

Sure, just a small percentage of the population is willing to raise a cow for milk or even plant a garden. But there are so many small things that can collectively make a difference in our footprint on the earth.

With the approach of the new year, many people are making resolutions. Will you try to add one or more of these to your list of changes for the new year? Will you share this list with your family and friends or on your social networks? Even people who are reluctant to step out of their comfort zone will find something here that they can embrace – we just need to convince them that it needs to be done, and that making small steps truly is not painful.

Kitchen:

  • Stop buying fruits and vegetables that have been imported from another country, for so many reasons.
  • Buy real food. If you can’t trace its origin, it shouldn’t go into your body (ahem, IMHO) and it’s surely not doing our environment any good.
  • Quit relying on takeout food. If you succumb, find a restaurant that uses compostable packaging and say no to plastic straws.
  • Learn to cook some really simple, really fast meals so you won’t be tempted by fast food.
  • Find a local butcher that uses butcher paper instead of buying your meat cuts on Styrofoam.
  • Find a source for local meat and eggs.
  • Turn up the temperature on your refrigerator, just a touch.
  • In the wintertime, put fire bricks in the oven to hold heat and keep the room warm.
  • Switch to glass storage containers instead of plastic.
  • Get rid of your Teflon coated pots and pans.
  • Use a dish cloth instead of a sponge.
  • Bring fewer containers into your home. Be sure to recycle those that you can’t reuse.
  • Compost your food waste.
  • Make your own salad dressing, mustard, and other condiments. It’s not that hard.
  • Cook double batches. Eat one lasagna tonight, freeze one for the crazy busy day that’s tempting you to turn to fast food.

Bathroom:

  • Nix the chemical cleaners.
  • Take shorter showers. Less hot water used, less energy used.
  • Switch to less chemically laden soaps and shampoos, or try your hand at making your own.
  • Still using disposable razors? (Stores are still stocking them; somebody must be using them!) Switch to one with a replaceable blade.
  • Use your bath towel more than once.
  • Try a fabric shower curtain instead of a plastic one.

Home office or at the office:

  • Switch to padded envelopes that don’t have a plastic bubble liner.
  • Stop junk mail before it gets to your house.
  • Consider online banking. You’ll eliminate the envelope as well as the use of much fuel to get your payment where it needs to go.
  • Opt to receive your monthly statements via email. Again, you’ll eliminate paper waste as well as fuel usage.
  • Use public transportation. Not an option? Find someone to carpool with.
  • Transform the water cooler at work: request paper rather than plastic cups. Better yet, encourage fellow employees to bring a cup from home.
  • Refill your ink cartridges instead of buying a new one when you’re out.
  • Not using your computer? Turn it off or put it to sleep.

Laundry room:

  • Wash only full loads of clothes.
  • Switch to a more eco-friendly laundry detergent. Or make your own.
  • Get clothes out of the dryer as soon as they’re dry, so you’re not tempted to “give them a little fluff.”
  • Better yet, set up a clothesline and hang your clothes to dry some of the time.
  • Install a time on your hot water heater.

The rest of the house:

  • Find out where your power comes from. Is it generated by diesel? Coal? Wind? Knowing that your energy usage is tied directly to environmentally unfriendly sources might make it easier to cut your energy use (good for the planet and your bank account).
  • Say no to products that come in plastic clamshells.
  • Keep a blanket on the sofa.
  • Turn down the thermostat on your heater, just a touch (with that blanket, you won’t notice).
  • Next time you need to buy linens and blankets, skip the man-made materials.
  • Turn off the TV if you’re not watching it.
  • Install window blinds to help keep the house cool in the summertime and warm in winter.
  • Shop second hand.

Outside:

  • If you have an arbor, plant a deciduous vine that will shade you in the summertime and allow sunlight and warmth in during the cold winter.
  • Grow your own food. If you’ve never done so, start small. Plant radishes. Or lettuce.
  • If you’re a garden veteran, consider sharing your knowledge with amateurs.
  • Plant an extra row for the food bank.
  • Collect some of your rainwater and use it to water the garden during dry spells.
  • Stop using chemicals on your lawn.
  • If you regularly forget to turn off your porch or garage light, set it up on a timer.
  • Deal with pests and weeds without chemicals.
  • Mulch. It will help hold moisture in and mean less water used. It will also help keep the weeds in check.

Around town:

  • Stop accepting the bags that stores offer (plastic OR paper) and bring your own.
  • Switch from plastic to glass bottles when buying goods at the grocery store. If it’s only available in plastic, skip it (bonus points for writing to the manufacturer to complain).
  • Choose fruits and vegetables that are sold loose. There’s absolutely no reason for peas, peppers, or tomatoes to be wrapped in plastic or strapped to Styrofoam.
  • Seek out local produce at the supermarket or (better yet) farmers market.
  • Eliminate excess baggage in your car. If you don’t need to carry it around, don’t. You’ll use less gas.
  • Take your own insulated mug for your coffee stops.
  • Combine errands so that you use less fuel.
  • Live near town? Walk, sometimes!
  • Seek out one wild food source in your area. Maybe it’s dandelion greens. Or maybe you’ve got a source for wild asparagus or blackberries.
  • Go meet your neighbors. Having a friendly community means a chance to share equipment rather than everyone owning the same snow blower or tractor.
  • Those same neighbors? May share their garden surplus or help you tackle all of those excess zucchini.
  • Think about needs versus wants. We’ve become a society of shoppers. Do you really need that new pair of shoes?
  • Choose to live with less stuff.

Photo: Flickr user by woodleywonderworks

Got another simple change to add? Please share it in the comments! And, hey. If you’re on Facebook, come join us there. We’re always tossing new ideas around!

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Homes made from Recycled Materials? You Betcha.

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Watch this. Really.

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The NFL and Breast Cancer Awareness: Unclear on the Concept

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I’m no fan of breast cancer. I’ve watched friends and family suffer the emotional roller coaster, the pain and suffering of breast cancer and its treatment.

With Breast Cancer Awareness month in full swing, I appreciate that the manliest of sports is acknowledging and supporting a mostly female disease in stadiums and on countless TVs across the nation. And raising funds for breast cancer research is certainly admirable. But hello NFL!

The pink chin straps, the pink cleats, the pink padding around the goal posts? By commissioning such nonsense, you are contributing to the problem rather than helping to solve it. Plastic products containing bisphenol A (BPA) have been linked to the development of breast cancer. An article in The Atlantic states:

“BPA is everywhere, with the CDC concluding that more than 90 percent of Americans are chronically exposed. Such pervasiveness is, in the words of one of the study’s seven authors, Dr. Frederick vom Saal, “nothing short of insanity.” The University of Missouri endocrinologist also does not hesitate to use the word “scary,” comparing today’s use of BPA to the use of lead in paint a century ago.”

Parading around in pink plastic and dressing the football field up like Barbie may give NFL fans the warm fuzzies, but you’ve also just contributed to the body burden of countless men, women, and children.

Sure, the NFL plans to auction the apparel worn by the players and donate the proceeds to the American Cancer Society. But is it worth it? Is it worth polluting our environment and our bodies? It just doesn’t make sense to raise funds by auctioning off items that are contributing to the problem in the first place.

Rather than adding more chemicals to our world, the NFL would do well to put their efforts toward making a difference environmentally.

  • Stop selling bottled water. Instead, offer fans the chance to bring their own stainless steel, BPA-free refillable water bottles and provide filling stations throughout the stadium. And sure, sell team bottles, too – so long as they’re BPA-free.
  • Replace the plastic bags at the team shop with paper.
  • Serve drinks in paper or biodegradable cups.
  • In addition to trash receptacles, offer containers for recycling and composting.
  • And for heaven’s sake, stop selling those stupid foam fingers.

Transforming a professional football game into a low-waste, low-BPA event would make a much larger impact on the health of American women than the embarrassment of pink-washing that’s set to go on throughout October.

Photo: Flickr user pfala under Creative Commons 2.0

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Readers, thank you for letting me go on a little rant – this kind of thing makes me crazy. What do you think? Is the pink plastic worth it?

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October Challenge: Make it a Homemade Halloween

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Halloween costumes

I have a confession to make: my kids have never had a store-bought Halloween costume. Also? Neither did I. Call it a family tradition or call it frugality, but in the end it makes for a more sustainable holiday tradition. Think about it. If you need to buy a new costume for your little darlings every year, you’re depending on someone else to provide that costume – a costume that’s more likely than not made from plastic and synthetic materials.

The challenge this month: make your own Halloween costumes and skip the imported, low quality disguises.

But I don’t have a creative bone in my body, some of you are saying. So get zany. A flowing skirt, some scarves, and copious amounts of costume jewelry makes for a gorgeous gypsy. Slip your kiddo into jeans and a flannel shirt and tuck some loose straw into the arms and legs for a scarecrow. The thrift store is your friend. If you’re still stumped, check out my easy last minute Halloween costumes from a paper bag. If you’re comfortable with a hot glue gun and paint, you can get the whole family involved in crafting costumes from recycled cardboard boxes.

Have friends with kids similar in size to yours? Get together for a costume swap. Pull out all of the old costumes, clean out your closet (be honest; will you really wear that neon green and yellow floral skirt again?), and open up the dress up box so the kids can go to town creating their own costumes.

Who’s in?

 

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September Challenge: Cut Fuel Usage

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With gas up well over $4 a gallon (here, a brief pause while you all gasp) I’ve been limiting my own gasoline usage for quite awhile. I’m fortunate that we live within walking distance to town and both of my boys can walk to work. Since I work from home, I generally only drive the car once or twice a week. Certainly I drive it little enough that I’ve wondered if we truly need it.

This month, as school gets into full swing, many families may see a surge in their fuel usage – but I’m challenging you to cut it. Inspired by this post over at Living Large in Our Little House, join me during the month of September as I work to cut my driving down even more. As Living Large asks:

Do you really need to take the kids to school and pick them up, idling your car in those long lines in front of the school?

Here’s the challenge: Eliminate ONE car trip from your weekly travels. Ask yourself if you really need to drive to the post office, the bank, the store. Could you save that trip and do it on the day you have a can’t-miss appointment scheduled?

Living Large offers some great tips for using less gas. Here are a few more:

  • If you must deliver kids to and from school, make friends with the neighbors. Sharing this duty will save fuel for both of you.
  • If you’re a daily commuter, consider taking the bus one day a week. If there’s no way around driving to work and back, see if you can ride share. If those are just not possible, eliminate a weekend car trip.
  • Use a shopping list. Running back to the store for the one item you forgot uses just as much gas as you’d use for an entire carload of groceries.
  • Stock up at the store if you can. If you’ve got a full pantry, you’ll be less inclined to head to the store for one little thing.
  • If your pantry is relatively full, shop at home. Instead of making what sounds good for dinner (how’d we get into that bad habit?) make dinner with the ingredients you have on hand.

So. Who’s in? What’s ONE car trip in a week? Surely you can join in for the greater good!

 Photo: Flickr user Dylan Passmore

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August Challenge: Skip the Styrofoam!

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Now here’s a challenge that will be either super easy for you or really hard – especially if you do takeout on a regular basis in certain states (ahem, Hawaii!). While some communities have banned polystyrene (Styrofoam is a brand name for polystyrene), others continue to allow restaurants and food service companies to serve meals and drinks in foam containers. Foam containers that just. Don’t. Go. Away.

According to the EPA, Americans throw away 25,000,000,000 petroleum-based foam cups every year. And 500 years from now, the foam coffee cups we use today will still be sitting in a landfill.

If that’s not enough to make you stop the Styrofoam habit right now, I don’t know what is. So, here’s the challenge: say no to foam.

  • If you frequent a restaurant that uses polystyrene containers, bring your own container for your meal and let the owner know that you want them to make a change. If restaurant owners don’t know that it’s important to their patrons, they might not make a change.
  • Take the time to compliment a restaurant that’s using compostable takeout containers – even though I’m sure you’ve brought a container of your own to avoid the waste of disposable containers.
  • Take your own beverage container to conferences and events where foam cups are commonly used. Bonus: you can use it for water, too, and eliminate plastic bottles as well.
  • When you order items that will be shipped to you, ask the company not to use foam peanuts. If you do receive items in foam peanuts, recycle them with your own shipping or take them to a mail center that can use them.
  • Same goes for shippers – think wineries – that might use a foam packer to protect their product en route.
  • Skip the arts and crafts that start with foam cones or balls.
  • I’m sure this goes without saying, but if you’re planning an event, skip the foam plates and cups. See it as an opportunity to set a good example for the less knowledgeable!

Photo:Flickr user Gainesvegas under Creative Commons

 

 

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Shower Curtain Smarts

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Next time you need a shower curtain, choose fabric rather than plastic. Fabric shower curtains are easier to wash and reuse, and don’t emit toxic fumes like PVC curtains do.

Photo: Flickr user kissyface under Creative Commons

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Welcome

It’s one thing to think, “Hey, I’d love to be more self-sufficient!” and quite another to implement a lifestyle change that might require learning some new skills.

Attainable Sustainable is about bridging the gap between wanting change and making it happen without becoming overwhelmed. Nobody’s saying you have to go get a tractor and a cow. Attainable Sustainable is about discovering – one step at a time – how to make changes in your life to support a sustainable lifestyle.

The Author

Kris Bordessa has been gardening for most of her life. She's been authoring books and writing features for the past ten years or so. It's about time she combined the two, don't you think? [More about the author]