Step 8: Build your own garden and compost bin

Hello again! Thank you all for joining me this week, I can’t believe we are almost done with our Green Shift journey! Don’t worry, I still have a couple more steps to share before we truly are done. This week’s post focuses on reducing food waste, which you may be questioning because we have already covered this topic. I decided to include gardening and composting in a separate step because it is a bit more labor intensive than the other strategies I suggested for saving food and also ties better into last week’s post because this is part of creating an eco-friendly home.   

Fig.1. Angie’s List

        Gardening has always been a passion of mine, but I admit that I am a plant murderer. It seems that whenever a beautiful and healthy plant is put under my care that it is dead within a couple months. I absolutely love plants and my plant collection is displayed throughout my room (just ask Fiorella!), though my number of plants has dwindled since coming to school. Anyway, hopefully you guys are better plant nurturers than I am and your gardens won’t turn into graveyards.

Gardens are a great way to ensure that your food is free from substances that are harmful to yourselves and to the environment. This article explains the dangers of pesticides to wildlife. They also make you more appreciative of the food itself because you put in the effort to grow it instead of just picking it up from the grocery store. If you truly appreciate the food you eat, you will be less likely to waste it. This guide will help you get started on your home garden. If you are like me and plant care isn’t your specialty, try going to a local farmer’s market! Being able to speak directly with the farmer that grew your produce will definitely impact your appreciation for food. It also supports local farmers who grow foods in smaller batches and with greater care than big agriculture farmers.

Fig.2. Permaculture News

So, you care more for the food you eat, but there is still going to be some waste. How should you dispose of this waste so it doesn’t harm the environment? Compost! Composting is the process of decomposing food waste and turning it into fertilizer. What better use for fresh fertilizer than for your new garden? You hopefully have noticed the composting bins in your dorm or dining hall. They are used to fertilize the beautiful flower beds all around campus! Compost is a great way to recycle waste and create something beautiful with it. It is super easy to start composting and this website sells compost bins to get started.

Thanks for tuning in this week! Happy gardening!

Step 7: Create an eco-friendly home

Hey everyone! I can’t believe we are already on week 7! I hope you all have had some fun in the past week repurposing some old items and being creative! This week’s topic is perhaps not as fun, but even more important. This may be something you all can keep in mind for when you own your own home and are settled adults (that sounds crazy, I know). Or, maybe some of you would be interested in talking to your parents about making their home more environmentally friendly. Either way, I hope this information is interesting, even if it is not entirely applicable to your lives right now. A lot of the suggestions I have in this post have been mentioned in previous posts, but this sums it all up to make your whole home environmentally friendly.

Fig.1. Jen Wick pdxmonthly (Click to view better)

One way our homes suck up energy is through our appliances. Older appliances can be incredibly inefficient and this wastes energy and money! Newer appliances can be much better for the environment, such as the line of Energy Star appliances. They have every appliance you could need like dishwashers, clothes washers and dryers, refrigerators, ceiling fans, and smart thermostats. Since 1992, Energy star has helped save families and businesses over $450 billion in energy costs (About Energy Star) That is an incredible amount of resources saved and pollution prevented.

Fig.2. Than Merrill

Solar panels are a great investment as well. They can be expensive up front but will save you money in the long run on your energy bill. This website will help you decide what solar panels are best for you and you can buy them directly from the same website!

Another important way to conserve energy in your home is to insulate your attic and basement. A lot of energy is wasted heating and cooling your home if it is not properly insulated. No one wants their money seeping out of the attic! Also, be sure to check out the eco-friendly insulators that are made from recycled newspapers! It’s a two in one investment! Along the same lines, insulating windows is a great idea to save energy as well. You can use caulking or weather stripping to keep air from seeping out or in.

Fig.3. YellowBlueTech

To save more water, replace your old toilet. Traditional toilets use up to 6 gallons of water per flush! Try switching to a WaterSense (Like EnergyStar, but for water) toilet, which only use 1.28 gallons per flush. This website can tell you more about WaterSense toilets and how to buy them!

Alright everyone, that does it for this week. These projects are not something that should be done all at once, so don’t worry if it seems too labor intensive or expensive. It can take months or years to entirely convert a home to be eco-friendly. But one thing is for sure- it will all be worth it in the end! See you next week!

Step 6: Repurpose old objects

Hello again! Thank you for joining me this week. I am super excited for step 6 in our journey because it incorporates more creativity and fun than the previous ones. Some of our past steps to be more environmentally conscious can feel a bit like chores, and I understand that. This week is when we get to put our creative hats on and do some fun crafts!

Repurposing old objects that may otherwise go in the trash can be very fun if you embrace it. I am a lover of arts and crafts so this is right up my alley, but it I can see why it wouldn’t be as fun for everyone. If you are into crafts like I am, you can try some of the more advanced projects. However, everyone can take part in some of the easier tasks to improve the environment.

Fig.1. LifeHack

The first thing that many people get tired of and stop using even though they are in perfectly good condition are clothes. Clothes go in and out of style, and many people continue buying more and more clothes to keep up with trends. This can be very wasteful because a lot of those clothes end up in landfills. These clothes can be donated or repurposed so they continue to have value beyond just wearing them. Goodwill is a great option for donating any household items, not just clothing, that might otherwise end up in the trash. There are always people out there who can find use for an object, so why not donate it? If you want to repurpose some clothing instead of donating it, this site gives plenty of ideas for reusing those clothes you don’t wear anymore.

There are plenty of other objects to repurpose other than clothing. You can turn your used coffee tins and soup cans into a beautiful kitchen herb garden using this guide!

Fig.2. Homeyohmy

This idea is one of my favorites, because it repurposes waste, prevents you from buying herbs that come in plastic containers in the future, and it adds beauty to your home.

Plastic water bottles are another great crafting material and can be turned into so many fun projects! They are seriously so versatile and can be used to make all sorts of containers, organizers, and decorations. This article gives 30 ways to use your disposable plastic water bottles around the house instead of letting them go to waste. Some of these ideas are particularly good for small children, like a sink extender to help the little ones reach the faucet.

So that does it for this week, happy crafting! See you guys next week for step 7 of our journey!

Step 5: Reduce Food Waste

Hello everyone! Wow, it is hard to believe we are already halfway through our journey. I hope all of you have found ways to become a little more environmentally conscious in your everyday lives, even if it is just in small actions. Now that we are halfway through, we have introduced most of the easy strategies that we can incorporate into our lives with minimal effort. In the next few weeks I will introduce some strategies that are a little more labor intensive, but I know all of you are dedicated to make a difference. It is important to not forget the easy steps from the beginning, as those make a huge impact as well as the harder ones to come.

That brings us to step 5, which is to reduce food waste. In 2015, Americans wasted 37.6 million tons of food, most of which went into landfills and combustion facilities (United States Environmental Protection Agency). All of this wasted food means wasted money, more methane emissions from landfills, and

Fig.1. Sarah Reingewirtz. San Gabriel Valley Tribune

wasted energy and resources that go into the production and distribution of food. By being more conscious of our food waste, we not only save all of those resources, but we also can provide food for those in need by donating food that would have otherwise gone to waste. A lot of reducing food waste is planning, which is why I categorize this step as more labor intensive. By making a weekly meal plan, you can buy only what you need for each meal and be more likely to use it all. Another tip I have is to only go shopping on a full stomach. I know I am guilty of picking up everything that looks good when I am hungry in the grocery store.

Ok so now that you only have the food that you need, how do you keep it from going bad before you use it? There are some fantastic products out there for storing fruits and veggies to keep them from going bad, such as this produce container and these fruit and veggie lids. For other foods, you can ditch the wasteful plastic wrap and get some reusable beeswax food wraps.

Fig.2. Arctic® apples

Oops, those bananas you bought with the intention of using for last night’s dinner are all brown and mushy, what do you do now? Don’t worry! There are ways to use overripe or bruised fruits and vegetables and make them into delicious foods. Banana bread is a great way to use up those brown bananas, as overripe bananas make the bread even sweeter than fresh ones. You can use up those bruised tomatoes that have been sitting on the kitchen counter for a few days by making your own pasta sauce! This guide gives a few delicious recipes for turning ugly produce into incredible meals.

Fig.3. Inglorious Produce

The biggest strategy for reducing food waste is just being mindful. With a little planning, anyone can get the most out of their food and their wallet.

Thanks for tuning in! See you all next week!