Filed under: Eco Around the House
Last year an acquaintance shared with me her story of giving up paper towel usage in her home. It was like an addict witnessing on the recovery of her addiction. And, secretly, I thought she was going just a little overboard. She told me of how she double-checked her kids each time they reached for a paper towel, “What are you using that for?” Or her husband, “Do you HAVE to use that paper towel? Do you know how many trees you could save?”
Why should I feel guilty about using paper towels?
Well, first of all, I confess I’m not using recycled paper towels. I’m a Brawny Brand girl. At least I purchase the select-a-size, right? Using smaller paper towels count! As with all things, though buying recycled is better.
Here’s something to make you think: every ton of 100% recycled paper saves an estimated 4,100 kilowatt-hours of energy, 7,000 gallons of water and 60 pounds of air pollutants. And, it’s no surprise to find that 90% of american consumers use paper towels, resulting in 3,000 tons of waste each day!
Yep, I’m feeling the guilt.
Paper towels, once a convenience, have become abused on a grand scale. I know this is true in my own household. So, I decided to get on the bandwagon and forgo, or at least REDUCE my use of paper towels. I never dreamed giving up on paper towels would be so challenging.
The first time I went to slice the tops off of strawberries, I felt completely handicapped! I always place paper towels next to whatever I’m, peeling, slicing or dicing. Paper towels make it so much easier to pick up the leftovers and just… toss! When it came time to cover something in the microwave, I was stymied. Patting freshly washed veggies dry? Melodrama is not normally my thing, but honestly, sometimes I’m left standing catatonic in the kitchen when I have to face the empty paper towel bar. It is a sad state of affairs.
I have only been working on this little experiment for about a week and I’ve gone from handicapped to smug. I ‘ve made a little progress. At least my paper towel holder isn’t spinning like a roulette wheel. This is not to say I’ve got it down pat, because there are just certain times when only a paper towel will do. I’ll be continuing to work on this little paper towel habit for quite some time. But, here are a few little tips I’ve picked up so far:
- To keep foods warm, place an inverted plate over the top like a cover, instead of a paper towel.
- Use fabric dishcloths to wipe spills on countertops and cooktops.
- Purchase a cutting board that is large enough to accommodate the veggie scraps, then scrape them into to trash or your compost bin.
- Wash your veggies, give them a brisk shake, and let them air dry a bit, before preparing them. Same with chicken.
- Use a kitchen towel to dry your hands. Duh!
- I haven’t done this yet, but it is on my to-do list. Purchase recycled paper towels, for those times when only a paper towel will do! For a glimpse of brands and how they measure up you can visit http://www.grist.org/article/come-ply-with-me/, a sort of paper towel taste-test.
If you have tips and tricks for keeping your paper towel usage to a minumum, I’d love to hear them, here at Paper Towel Junkies Anonymous.
Source: Sam Greyhawk, Ezine; Green Seal
September 14, 2009
Need more space for planting? Here’s a great idea for reusing old rain gutters to add beauty and function to your home! Makes me want to tear the gutters off of my roof, but I guess I’ll just wait and see if some turn up at a garage sale. If I get really motivated, I could go to the Habitat for Humanity thrift store and see what’s there.
via Recycleart.org
September 8, 2009
Get your vampires under control.
Typically, 20% of the average American’s power bill is generated by the small appliances we own, such as computers, home audio systems, DVD players, all the good stuff. To save energy and money, unplug all of your appliances, even when they’re turned off. Televisions, microwaves and computers in particular suck up power even when you’re not tuned in. Appliances with internal clocks, LED displays or remote controls are culprits, but so are refrigerators and many other small appliances. (Even your phone charger is guilty). Known as Standby Power, Phantom Load or Vampire Power, these guys suck your power 24/7, even while your’re sleeping. Creepy, huh?. Imagine your appliances multiplied by millions of households. Yep, the small things matter.
To help you save some bucks, and get a little peace of mind about all of those carbon emissions, unplug at least your biggest culprit. It would be tough to go about plugging and unplugging, so instead of running around, install a power strip that connects your main offenders. Then one flip of the switch will be all that is needed to nip that Vampire guy. They actually make Smart strips that will cut power to computer peripherals when the computer is shut down, or some of them will detect when a device hasn’t been used for a certain amount of time, and kill the juice. Pretty smart, huh?
September 1, 2009
Gasoline o-plenty
The country may be running short of fossil fuels, but there seems to be gas-a-plenty in my basement! Problem is, the stuff is old. Who knew gas would get old? I have at least 5 or 6 partially filled gas cans camping out among my rakes and shovels. Each can contains either straight gasoline or gasoline mixed with some mystery type of oil, specially mixed for all of these decidedly UN-eco-friendly power yard tools. I’m told I shouldn’t use old fuel in my lawn mower, blowers or trimmers because they’ll … I don’t know what will happen, but, whatever it is, I’m told it WON’T be good for my tools. Granted, I hardly ever use these things (hence the gas getting old), but it is possible the time will come when I won’t be able to survive another day without weed-eating something, so I don’t want to ruin them.
So, if you’re like me, and don’t want to pour all that icky gas onto the earth (and please, certainly don’t pour it down the drain), here are some eco-friendly options for disposing of your old gasoline:
- Check with your city or county government. Many municipalities have ways of managing hazardous waste for their citizens. One of the drawbacks of this, however, may be that you have to wait for special days when this type of recycling occurs.
- If you have old lawn mowers, or other equipment sitting around, that you don’t mind risking… you can pour the gas into those and literally run it out. Think REUSE.
- I read on several discussion boards, (but don’t hold me to this), that if your automobile has at least 3/4 of a tank of gas, you can add old lawn mower gasoline to your car’s tank without causing any damage. I checked with a local mechanic and his opinion was, yes… it’s probably safe to add old gasoline to a mostly full tank. But, if you don’t want to run it in your lawn mower, do you really want to put in your car? Exactly.
- Take the gasoline to your local mechanic. Most mechanics’ shops are outfitted for recycling oil, gas and other hazardous waste. Auto shops are able to dump your gasoline into their tanks along with everything else, because the different elements are separated later during the recycling. They will often perform this service free of charge, particularly if you are a regular customer.
- Avoid this problem altogether by adding a stabilizer to your gasoline. A stabilizer can give your gasoline a shelf life of up to 2 1/2 years. If you’re not going to use your power tools any more often than that, you might want to consider selling them or donating them to a local charity. (There are lawn services for people like us.)
August 31, 2009
I’ve been a hermit lately, finishing some household projects that have been on my plate for way too long. A couple of years ago I moved into a new (old) house which I bought strictly because it had the greatest studio/crafting space in the universe! Problem is, I never really organized all the stuff once I moved in… so, for the past few weeks I have been tackling the organizational beast that I like to call my studio. Filled with shelves and sitting up high in the trees, it the ultimate inspiring space. Well, except for all of the plastic boxes and clutter. I’m a believer in organized clutter, not total disarray. So, this weekend all of my energy was devoted to finishing the daunting task of making this space into the kind of place where you can let your mind take a walk.
OUT! evil plastic…
The shelves were filled with Rubber Maid containers, which I had bought when my kids were young. With their snap-on lids, they certainly had served their purpose, but my aim is to achieve more than just “purpose” in this room. (Actually, 5 million plastic Rubber Maid containers would only be a mild overstatement of what I took out of the studio). But, what to do with them now? Looking at the bottoms, I found they are a number 5 plastic, which our local recycling center does not accept. So… nothing else to do, but to resuse them! I plan to repurpose them for my upcoming basement re-organization.
My new, favorite containers:
Paint, scissors, fabric scraps, ink bottles, brushes… you name it, years of accumulated art materials were scattered all across the floor. With my treasure trove of stuff released from plastic prison, I hopped around the floor, reminding myself of this inconvenient truth: you can never have too many art supplies! So, keeping in mind that I needed functionality combined with sustainability and the right “aura”, I went searching for new containers. Here’s a peak at my new favorites:
- Baskets. Finding the right baskets took 2 whole days of hit-or-miss shopping. After visiting Pier One, Importers Warehouse and Walmart, I hit the jackpot at our local HomeGoods store. They had, by far, the best selection of sizes, textures and price. Here’s how my shelves look now:
Baskets, baskets, baskets
- Ball jars. Normally used for canning and preserves, these are a great resource for storing brushes , pens and small craft things, like sequins and buttons. They come in different sizes, and I love being able to see what’s inside!
Ball jars and an old pickle jar
- Votive candle holders. With no tops, these are perfect for dropping little miscellaneous things into… like flocked bunnies!
- Oversized jars. I really don’t what these are intended for, but they make the perfect place to put unused yarn, or leftover clay. I love seeing the colors shine through! My sis gave me a heads up on these… spotted them at Walmart, of all places!
So, I’ve just about tamed the studio. I also added a TV cabinet that I bought on clearance at Pier One. I drilled holes inside, added shelving and it now has a happy new life as a paper cabinet! See below for a look at how the studio looks today. I love my new baskets and jars. Future pickle jars, mayonnaise jars and market baskets will be finding their way to the studio, because like I said, you can never have too many art supplies! If you ‘ve found a creative way to repurpose containers for storage, I’d love to hear about it!
August 17, 2009
Helping my daughter move back to college this weekend, I found myself staring into a bag of sheets that had been… well, let’s just say they didn’t meet my high hygienic standards. No. No. No. No way these are going back on the bed!
So, we headed off to Target for the prerequisite visit that every college parent must make before leaving town. It was packed, picked over, and Target was making a fortune. Standing in front of the linen section, in quiet dispair, we stumbled across their line of organic sheets. (Funny, there seemed to be plenty of THOSE on the shelf!) I started feeling a little better. Not only did they feel soft, they were actually packaged responsibly, cardboard that I could throw right in my recycle bin. Here’s what the packaging says: “Made with 100% organic cotton fiber produced in a GOTS-Certified facility.” This seemed like the ticket. They even had about 6 colors to choose from.
Of course, I had to have some, too….
So, Rachel picked her color, and of course, I got all excited and picked out a pretty green (the color) set for myself! We plopped Rachel’s on her bed pronto, without washing, and they were smooth as silk. I threw mine in the washing machine first to see if they would pass the wrinkle test. I have seen sheets emerge from the dryer in a ball so tight you could practically go bowling with them. But, no, although they were a bit wrinkled, they easily smoothed out once they were stretched on the bed. I have to say, however, that I must have somehow washed out some of the initial silky feeling they had. But, still, even though the thread count is only 250, they were very soft and reminded me of the sheets at my grandmothers house. You know the ones, the ones that were so old and thin that they felt like climbing into butter?
Target Organic Sheets
These sheets were a terrific purchase! The price tag was only about $39.00 bucks, way less than the sheets I previously wanted (thread count of 10,000). And, they are pretty and pick up the green in my quilt perfectly. I’m sure there’s plenty of organic sheets out there, but these were inexpensive, pretty and easily attainable. If they last well, I’ll be back for more. Check ‘em out, even if you don’t have a college student to shop for.
August 10, 2009
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