Posts Tagged ‘ trash ’

February Challenge: Reduce your Household Waste

February Challenge: Reduce your Household Waste

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...

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How do you Bag It?

How do you Bag It?

  I watched Bag It over the weekend. The movie begins as a “regular guy,” Jeb Berrier, wonders about the plastic bag he uses to carry a yogurt home in. As he researches and learns more about the environmental impact of choosing a plastic bag, his questions lead to more questions. What about plastic bottles?  How does buying plastic impact the earth and our health? And what about the new baby he has on the way? I found the movie to be reminiscent of a Michael Moore documentary. The horrifying facts presented are balanced with a sense of humor (which I think helps viewers refrain from freaking out over the content). We particularly enjoyed the exchange between Jeb and the fast food restaurants as he tried to convince them to put his order in containers he brought from home rather than the disposable ones. The restaurants wouldn’t do it, due to cross-contamination issues. Jeb noted that they didn’t mind the cross-contamination that happened when money (is there anything dirtier?) to pay for the meal came through the window. As someone who’s trying to avoid BPA in our diets, I found it really interesting when Jeb strayed from his usual...

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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]