Sorry I have been gone for a bit. School is a total time sucker and in attempting to continue to live a simple life I must choose to give up some activities that I enjoy doing. Since spending time with my hubbo and sleeping will not be sacrificed (not even to school no matter how hard it tries to weasel its way in), my blogging cannot be as regular as I would like it to be. Unfortunately this will continue to be the case until I GRADUATE, which will be in DECEMBER!!!!

However, I did want to share with you an awesome find. Nordstrom is now selling Holistia Organic cotton underwear. It is so soft and comes is simple solid colors as well as some funky designs (most of which they unfortunately don’t picture on their site). The one down side is that when I was in the store I read the Ethical Fashion tag and interpreted it as Ethical labor practices. I wasn’t until I was in the middle of writing this post that I realized that it just talking about the environmental practices. So, it isn’t perfect but it is a step in the right direction, especially since cotton is the number one pesticide crop.

We bought a beautiful box of apples from our farmer’s market a couple of weeks ago. The box above was round two of our splurge on local, crisp, sweet, Fall Apples. Unfortunately we were not able to make our way through them as quickly as our first and they began to loose their wonderful texture and rich flavor. So, on Sunday night Kendall and I made a double batch of applesauce. One with cinnamon and one without and both are delicious! It took us a leisurely 35 minutes from start to finish and was so easy.

Ingredients:

• 9 medium apples, peeled, quartered, and cored
• 1 cup water
• 1/3 to 2/3 cup sugar (I would imagine that you could substitute honey for sugar. I think I will try this next time.)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)

1. In a large pot combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Cover, simmering for 8-10 minutes or until apples are tender, adding more water if necessary.
2. Remove from heat. Mash mixture with a potato masher, food processor, or blender to desired texture.
3. Serve warm or chilled. We stored our in some glass food storage containers and have been adding it to oatmeal, eating it with lunch, and as a snack or dessert.

A lot of what I learn is done as I go. I read, I research, and I experiment. I tend to get enough information to get me started and then go after it. This is something that I love. I love diving into new projects and figuring it out as I go along. However, while there are SO many aspects about self-education that I love, there is a inherent tendency to make a lot of mistakes. Making mistakes is part of the learning process for us all and I like it so much because I tend to find a fuller understanding as I problem solve. My indoor, turned outdoor, compost bin is a classic example of how self-educating can go terribly wrong and in the end become a really positive experience.

This is a story of a series of innocent mistakes becoming one big disgusting mess, and how, with help, Kendall and I were able to save our compost from the trash and our trash from the freezer.

We started the compost bin for a lot of really good reasons, but I was squeamish of worms and this was the beginning of things going bad because it led to mistake number one, neglecting the bin. Mistake number two was adding too many food scraps into one bin. It is something that many of us try to do in too many parts of our life–try to pack something too big in a package that is too small. A few victims of this are the bikini, storage lockers, to-do lists, that super cute pair of shoes that is half off, and…my compost bin. I should have learned that when I was having to put my full body weight on the lid to get it to close that I needed to figure out a new plan. Instead I continued on and unfortunately so does the list of mistakes.

These are my mistakes listed out as best as I could list such a complicated mess:

1. Overall neglect of the bin–I got really excited about starting and not so excited or into maintaining it.
2. Adding too many food scraps to one bin.
3. Our CSA share was too large for us to eat and we were regularly adding whole pieces of uneaten, rotten produce.
4. Major fruit fly infestation from neglect.
5. Standing liquid from the decomposing produce and rain water (which we hadn’t accounted for when we put the bin outside to save our apartment from the fruit flies), and not adding any newspaper to keep the moisture level in balance.
6. We began turning it too often in a desperate attempt to do something to save it.
7. Not enough oxygen circulation.

So, what we ended up with was a bin with worms, standing vegetable/fruit/rain water, rotting food, fruit flies, maggots, and to top it off it smelled like feces. I don’t think it was possible for my compost to become a more nauseating bin of nastiness. We had just moved into a new apartment when the bin really started to go downhill. I was so embarrassed to be caught by my neighbors with the lid open, the foul fecal odor thick in the air, fruit flies swarming out all around me, and the swamp of rotting food; yet, out of pure determination I continued to open the lid and add my food scraps.

The situation got so bad that Kendall gently said to me that he thought our compost bin was a goner. We talked about throwing it out and starting over, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do that. There was a Seattle Tilth brochure that Kendall had picked up a couple of weeks ago about composting and it had a hotline number to call. Each time I called I talked to someone who was helpful, kind, and patient. They really want you to succeed in composting and for it to be something that over time just becomes a regular part of your life.

Here is the information that they shared with me that saved our compost:

1. Stop adding food scraps to our bin until we got the problem under control. We didn’t want to throw our food scraps away so we put them in a garbage bag in our freezer.
2. We needed to buy more worms and start a second bin. We were adding too many food scraps and the worms couldn’t eat through it all. Now, I rotate bins. I will have one bin function as my active bin for a couple of weeks while the other one rests.
3. We needed to drill holes in the bottom of both bins, buy 2 more bins to stack underneath the compost bins to catch the “compost tea” which would now begin to drain. All the food we were adding had a lot of moisture in it and so when the food started to break down the moisture left the food and was trapped in the bin. Putting the bin outside made the moisture problem worse because of how damp Seattle is. The worms stopped eating the food because they were drowning. Tip: When it is time to dump the bucket of nutrient-rich “tea” you can dilute it with water and use it to water your plants or your garden.
4. Stop turning the compost so often. While this does speed up the composting, this process creates a lot of heat and, therefore, creating a perfect environment for larva (maggots) and other critters. Compost bins are little ecosystems so there are going to be some critters especially if you have an outdoor bin, but it should not be overrun with them.
5. Start layering the compost bin with newspaper. The worms don’t like to live in the same place they eat. The newspaper layer gives them somewhere to go. This also helps with the fruit fly problem. Now I always make sure the food scraps are covered by a layer of newspaper. So, I either add it under an already existing layer of newspaper or add more if it is time.
6. Go on a fruit fly killing spree. It is important to get the fruit fly population under control because they multiply so quickly. I went outside with my spray bottle of cleaner and a rag and killed as many as I could. It is also important to keep the outside of the bins and the “tea” bin really clean in order to cut off their food supply. So, for a couple of days or weeks you will just really need to be on top of it pristine. We started slacking before we should have and the problem came back. Can you tell we have a problem with follow-through?
7. Crack open the lids a bit to let oxygen in. I open my lids in the evening for a couple of hours. This helps with the fruit flies, the smell, and the composting of the food. Oxygen is an important part of composting. Without oxygen decomposition will slow down as much as 90%.

I now have two very healthy compost bins and couldn’t be happier about it. This has been such a great learning process for me and the care I have put into restoring it has even managed to create an affection for my worms and the role they play in keeping my ecosystem balanced and healthy. The biggest thing that I learned is that composting isn’t difficult, but that it is important to keep the contents in balance–if it is too wet, then, make it drier with drainage holes and dry newspaper; if it is too dry, then, add wet newspaper; there needs to be a balance between the worms and the food scraps; and just like all of us it needs room to breathe.

Having a compost bin doesn’t take a lot of work. However, it does need to be maintained and whenever I have begun to slack on this I am revisited by old compost problems.

Oh, and after canceling our CSA and going to the Farmer’s Market instead I found a new farmer who is starting a compost pile and would love to take the trash in my freezer off my hands!

I hope none of you are in need of saving your compost bin, but if you do and are able to be patient and give it a little extra care for while it is possible to rescue even the most hopeless bins.

It has been a while since I have done a Take Action post, but thanks to a couple of e-mails from Environmental Working Group (EWG), and a Worsted Witch reminder I have gotten my act together to let you all know about a quick and easy way for you all to help support organic farming.

EWG is very close to their goal of 30,000 signatures, but they are still a couple thousand short. Follow this link to the petition page and take 1 minute to fill out your information (name, e-mail address, and zip-code…seriously, that is all) and press the “Sign now!” button.

“The farm bill, which is reexamined approximately every five years—it’s come around again in 2007—determines which U.S. crops will be subsidized by the government, and which will not.” ¹ “Congress is about to vote on a new Farm Bill, which could be the first to include fair funding for organics.” ² You taking the time to sign this petition gets us a step closer to this happening!

You have until Sunday, July 15th to do this.  Thank you for your support!

¹Jasmine, Worsted Witch; ²EWG

One of the changes I have made lately is eating in-season local food. It is kind of bizarre, funny, ironic, and telling that it is soooooo difficult to find year round, in-season, local, organic food. This used to be the norm. People used to just eat year round in-season organic food and it didn’t have to be labeled as such.

However, with those struggles behind me for a couple of months, I get to enjoy the bounty of summer and fall. It is a wonderful and easy time to find local, in-season food. If you are looking for a fun outing to go on with friends or family I would highly recommend finding an organic (or one that is sustainable and chemical free) farm that lets you go and pick your own food. It really is just a great way to spend a day. Talking with the farmers, being outside, harvesting food, and enjoying great company (or solitude–sometimes a person just needs quiet, outdoor time). You can make this a regular thing or a one-time-berry-picking-adventure. Either way is great.

This weekend Kendall and I are planning on a berry-picking-adventure. Since our decision to eat local year round, I have been saving jars to do some canning and jam making. There is really no point in going out and buying a bunch of expensive jars. Save the jam, pickle, olive, salsa, and whatever else kind of jars of food you buy, and refill them with you own homemade goodness (this is a kill-two-birds-with-one-stone kind of thing since we are also trying to reduce our trash).

I will post some delicious berry recipes for you all to enjoy. To find a farm near you go to local harvest or do some google-ing.  If you feel up for a little work call ahead to see if they could use any volunteers for the day you are planning on being on the farm (it will be more helpful for them if they know you are coming because they will be able to plan their day accordingly).

That’s yogurt pronounced yog(as in jog)-urt.

Ingredients:

1 Bottle of whole milk

1/4 C of yogurt (you need this as a starter, so you can buy some and then just save a quarter cup of your yogurt for your next batch)

Optional powdered milk

1) Boil whole milk (for some reason it doesn’t come out right with less than whole milk) in a large pot until it boils and foams at the top. Shut if off before it spills over.

2) Let the milk cool off until you can keep your pinky finger in the milk for 10 seconds without burning it (a temperature reading would have been great for this step but I don’t think they had these back in Greece 70 years ago), so this will be the most difficult step.

3) In a small bowl (that holds about 2 cups) add the live yogurt and beat it until smooth. Slowly add to this starter one cup of the milk from the pot stirring slowly until combined.

4) Transfer this mixture (in #3 above) to the pot of boiled milk slowly pouring it in the pot while mixing the pot of milk the whole time to combine thoroughly (with a spatula or long spoon).

5) Pour into glass or plastic containers and seal them.

6) Arrange the containers together and cover with 2 to 3 towels keeping them in a warm place of the house (and no, you don’t need some sort of a yogurt maker gadget to keep them warm). Let them sit overnight.

7) In the morning place them in the refrigerator and they will get cold. Yogurt is done.

Do a dance!

It tastes delicious but comes out a little runny but I have read that you can add some powdered milk to the mixture to make it thicker.

Recipe from No Impact Man

This is the slightly longer version of the “10 small changes you can make for the benefit of creation” list I made for my church back in April for Creation Sunday. It has some good and interesting information in it so I thought that I would go ahead and share it with you guys.

1. Eat Local (Grow your own veggies, buy a share in Community Supported Agriculture, shop at farmers’ markets)
   Info: Supermarket food travels an average of 1,500 miles by the time it gets to your plate. Buying local strengthens the local economy. A dollar spent locally generates twice as much income for the local economy. You get to celebrate the seasons by eating local in-season food.
2. Buy fair trade, organic, shade grown coffee and fair trade, organic tea.
   Info: Sun coffee (grown with no shade canopy) destroys natural habitats and cannot be sustained for many years without intensive management (additions of chemical fertilizers and a range of insecticides, herbicides and fungicides). The few studies that have been conducted have found that the diversity of migratory birds plummets when coffee is converted from shade to sun (studies in Colombia and Mexico found 94-97% fewer bird species in sun grown coffee than in shade grown coffee) ¹.
3. Buy organic food when possible, especially organic chocolate.
   Info: Non-organic cocoa is 2nd only to cotton in terms of the most pesticides used on the crop. Exposure to pesticides is being increasingly linked to various kinds of cancer. Industrialized agriculture produces food that is deficient in minerals and nutrition because it has over-cultivated the land. Crops get their nutrients and minerals from the soil that it is grown on. If the soil is not taken care of and becomes unhealthy then the food grown on it will also lack nutrition and health.
4. Buy products with minimal or reusable packaging or buy in bulk (like the bulk bins at Madison Market Co-op or Whole Foods) and use your own containers when shopping and bring your own shopping bags.
   Info: Around 33% of trash in the average American household comes from packaging.
5. Start an indoor or outdoor compost bin.
   Info: “The landfill is not designed to help things biodegrade, which requires contact with air and water. Instead, landfills hermetically seal their contents away from the environment to protect it from the toxic things in the landfill that aren’t biodegradable. What this means, is that organic things like apple cores and yesterdays newspapers and cornstarch cups, when dumped in the landfill, either don’t break down at all—and certainly don’t end up returning nutrients to the earth—or they break down anaerobically, which means they produce methane, a worse greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.”²
6. Buy recycled paper toilet paper to help protect endangered forests.
   Info: Every day, the amount of toilet paper used equals about 270,000 trees.
7. Make your own household cleaners.
   Info: The EPA says indoor air pollution is often 2-5 times worse than outdoor air pollution, and harsh cleaning chemicals contribute.
8. Switch to compact florescent light bulbs (CFL)
   Info: CFLs are some of the most efficient lights available - they can replace incandescent bulbs that are roughly 3 to 4 times their wattage, saving up to 75% of your lighting energy.
9. Buy used products when possible (books, clothing, furniture) and make repairs when possible instead of buying new.
10. Print only when necessary and on recycled paper.
    Info: Offices use 1.5 lbs of paper per person per day.
11. Use a coffee mug or travel mug.
12. Reduce your carbon footprint caused by travel (buy a TerraPass, use flexcar, carpool, public transit, bike, or walk)
    Info: Every gallon of gasoline burned creates about 20 lbs of climate change-causing CO2.
13. Enjoy God’s creation by being part of a community garden (or start your own community garden in your own backyard), volunteering on a farm, or getting out and enjoying nature with loved ones.

¹Smithsonian, National Zoological Park, Migratory Bird Center; ² No Impact Man;

Co-op America put together a list of 10 things you should never buy again, with some facts and alternatives choices. I thought this would be perfect for you one/changers so here it is with a few added links:

1. Styrofoam cups
Styrofoam is forever. It\’s not biodegradable.
Alternative: Buy recyclable and compostable paper cups.
Best option: Invest in some [if possible used] reusable mugs that you can take with you.

2. Paper towels
Paper towels waste forest resources, landfill space, and your money.
Alternative: When you do buy paper towels, look for recycled, non-bleached products. Search the National Green Pagesâ„¢ for recycled paper products.
Best option: Buy dishtowels or rags to wash and reuse.

3. Bleached coffee filters
Dioxins, chemicals formed during the chlorine bleaching process, contaminate groundwater and air and are linked to cancer in humans and animals.
Alternative: Look for unbleached paper filters.
Best Option: Use reusable filters such as washable cloth filters.

4. Overpackaged foods and other products
Excess packaging wastes resources and costs you much more. Around thirty three percent of trash in the average American household comes from packaging.
Alternative: Buy products with minimal or reusable packaging.
Best Option: Buy in bulk and use your own containers when shopping.

5. Teak and mahogany
Every year, 27 million acres of tropical rainforest (an area the size of Ohio) are destroyed. Rainforests cover 6% of Earth’s surface and are home to over half of the world’s wild plant, animal, and insect species. The Amazon rainforest produces 40 percent of the world’s oxygen.
Alternative: Look for Forest Stewardship Council certified wood.
Best Option: Reuse wood, and buy furniture and other products made from used or salvaged wood.

Learn how to become WoodWise at home and in your office »

6.Chemical pesticides and herbicides
American households use 80 million pounds of pesticides each year. The EPA found at least one pesticide in almost every water and fish sample from streams and in more than one-half of shallow wells sampled in agricultural and urban areas. These chemicals pose threats to animals and people, especially children.
Alternatives: Buy organic pest controllers such as diatomaceous earth.
Best Option: Plant native plants and practice integrated pest management. Plant flowers and herbs that act as natural pesticides.

7. Conventional household cleaners
Household products can contain hazardous ingredients such as organic solvents and petroleum-based chemicals that can release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into your indoor environment, positing a particular danger for children. The average American household has three to ten of hazardous matter in the home.
Alternative: Look for nontoxic, vegetable-based, biodegradeable cleaners.
Best Option: Try making your own green cleaner using vinegar, water, and castile soap [click here for some easy recipes].

Find safe, green cleaners in the National Green Pages™»

8. Higher octane gas than you need
Only one car in ten manufactured since 1982 requires high-octane gasoline. High-octane gas releases more hazardous pollutants into the air, and may be bad for your car.
Alternative: Buy the lowest-octane gas your car requires as listed in your owner\’s manual
Best option: Make your next car purchase a hybrid. Or ditch the car and take public transportation, ride a bike, or walk.

Learn more about green transportation »

9. Toys made with PVC plastic
70% of PVC is used in construction, but it is also found in everyday plastics, including some children’s toys. Vinyl chloride, the chemical used to make PVC, is a known human carcinogen. Also, additives, such as lead and cadmium, are sometimes added to PVC to keep it from breaking down; these additives can be particularly dangerous in children’s toys. PVC is also the least recycled plastic.
Alternative: Avoid plastics that are labeled as “PVC� or “#3.� Look for #1 and #2 plastics, which are easier to recycle and don’t produce as many toxins. Use sustainable construction materials.
Best option: Take action to tell manufacturers to stop using PVC plastics, especially in children’s toys.

Find safe toys in the National Green Pages™ »

10. Plastic forks and spoons
Disposable plastic utensils are not biodegradeable and not recyclable in most areas.
Alternative: Use compostable food service items. Companies such as Biocorp make cutlery from plant materials such as corn starch and cellulose.
Best option: Carry your own utensils and food containers.

I learned about this list via The Worsted Witch.

Now that Spring is here I want to encourage all of you that can to do two things: 1) Buy a share in a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture)/any local sustainable organic farm or grow your own food; 2) start either an indoor or outdoor compost bin/pile.

I finally ordered the worms I needed for my own indoor compost bin and last Thursday evening Kendall and I had a fun evening working on the project. The bag of worms aren’t as bad as I thought they would be (the worms are mostly concealed by the dirt they are packed with). I am great with all sorts of creatures when they are outside, but when I find them or bring them inside my home I kind of… become… a big sissy. On Friday morning we went out of town for the weekend and I was nervous that I was going to come home to a kitchen overtaken by worms that had cleverly escaped from the compost bin. However, to my delight, they were right where I left them and after an afternoon of cooking up a bunch of fresh veggies from our CSA share I was able to gather the scraps, open the lid, and toss them to be composted!

I am a huge fan of CSA’s. They are generally less expensive, more convenient, and more sustainable than buying organic food at the grocery store. As for composting, getting it setup and maintaining it is SO easy and the cost to set it up is minimal. Composting makes extremely rich soil and is better than anything you can buy.

Happy Spring to you all!!!

The following are all of the links that were submitted for this week’s Carnival of the Green which One/Change is hosting. Below the links I have included the comments provided by the submitters (when applicable). If you are interested in making submissions of your own or hosting future carnivals, check out Treehugger. I hope you enjoy this weeks carnival!

Mel Rimmer presents A Load Of Old (Laundry) Balls posted at Bean Sprouts.

I tested eco washing balls to see whether they were any better than just using plain water. It seems they’re not, but surprisingly they’re also no worse for most washing than using branded detergent. So eco washing balls are a rip-off, and so is laundry detergent.

Mallory presents Denim Therapy posted at Miss Malaprop.

Denim Therapy specializes in reviving your old jeans and breathing new life into them before they make a trip to the landfill.

Riversider presents Riverworks “Undemocratic”: Michael Lavalette posted at Save The Ribble!.

We have kept blogging away with our points about the dangers of the proposals to barrage our river and build housing in its’ greenbelt. Now at last we are winning counselors to our side - proof that blogging works as a method that determined community campaigners can use to get their message across in a powerful and sustained way.

Patrick Quinton presents Breaking Up is Hard to Do posted at Cars Are Evil.

This post does not refer to any time sensitive links. It is more of a reflection on a particular topic that relates to the theme of my website. Thanks for your consideration.

John presents It is good to find a deal killer posted at hell’s handmaiden.

Suzanne Roman presents Polar bear “protected” posted at Towards Green.

Phil presents Plant Trees on Public Land « Phil for Humanity posted at Phil for Humanity.

Ever think of a new way for everyone to easily help the environment? Well, I think I just did.

Vihar Sheth presents Zero Waste posted at green | rising.

Victoria E presents Nau News posted at Groovy Green

Our second question comes from Beo aka Robert: I have heard of a new eco fashion company called Nau with founders stemming from Big Names like Marmot and Patagonia. Can you give us an update on them?

Rey Thomas presents The Thomas Political Report: What The President Said, What The President Meant posted at The Thomas Political Report.

Don Bosch presents Creation: The Not-So-Silent Sermon posted at The Evangelical Ecologist.

Is God silent? Does He even exist? Look up! All Creation reveals God’s presence continuously and universally. Don Bosch invites you to a green meditation on the 19th Psalm over at The Evangelical Ecologist.

Darrick Dean’s presents Back to the Future: Cast Iron posted at The Evangelical Ecologist.

Sue Richards presents Auntie Aging posted at My Menopause Blog

Before you invite Auntie Aging into your life, check to see how green she is.

John presents Urban Ecosystems and Nature Writing posted at A DC Birding Blog.

Avant News presents Lipodiesels Shine at 2010 LA Auto Show posted at Avant News.

Zane Parker presents Coming to Terms: on bringing a kid into this world posted at Groovy Green.

This past summer and fall, the prospect of a child has provided abstract motivation for work on our small earthen house.

Wise Bread presents Seven ways to maximize your gas mileage posted at Lynn Cognito.

Lynn shares seven sure ways to maximize your gas mileage.

Matthew presents UPDATE: EPA to deny ‘Brokovitch’ carcinogen for residential use posted at EPA may allow ‘Brockovich’ carcinogen in wood preservative.

Matthew presents Study: Hybrid cars save money in long run posted at Enviroblog.

An Intellichoice.com study finds that hybrid cars, whose fuel efficiency alone may not justify their higher initial purchase price, are in fact more economical in the long run.

Biologist Sally Kneidel presents The House Was Rockin…The Night We Socked It to the Utilities Commission posted at Veggie Revolution.

The local struggle in North Carolina to reject Duke Energy’s plans for 2 new coal-fired power plants. The resistance is supported by the Clean Air Coalition and the Sierra Club.

Sally Kneidel presents Chimps and Gibbons Have Human Elements to their Language posted at Veggie Revolution.

It is about Sally’s earlier work, as a graduate assistant, teaching American Sign Language to surly young chimpanzees. This post begins with a December study about the recent discovery of human elements in vocalizations among wild gibbons.

Jennifer Killpack-Knutsen presents Sundance 2007 Films for Greenies and Environmentalists posted at Jen’s Green Journal.

Connor presents The Homemade Revolution: Why DIY is Better posted at Matisse & Jack’s Blog.

Homemade eco friendly energy bars and how they may be safer.

Greener News Room presents Journalist fights subpoena in Lt. Watada court-martial case posted at Greener Magazine

Journalist fights subpoena in Lt. Watada court-martial case. The Society of Professional Journalists, military reporters and editors, the editorial staff of the LA Times, Greener Magazine/NRP, Media Alliance and scores of community groups join in denouncing the Army’s attempt to turn journalists into an investigative arm of the government.

Nina presents Ten Money Questions for Mark Brand posted at Queercents.

Award-winning architect, Mark Brand discuss big vs. small houses in the Queercents series: Ten Money Questions.

Andrea presents Organic Fertilizers posted at Buy Organic.

Discusses the benefits of using organic fertilisers in your garden and how to improve your soil naturally.

January 8th - Hippy Shopper
January 22nd - Clay & Wattles