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.
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.
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!