A Party With No Trash...Okay Maybe Just a Little!

I woke up this morning feeling like a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders.  My biggest commitments for the summer are already over, and it feels wonderful!!!!  My sons graduated on Sunday and boy did we have a humdinger (does anyone still use that word?  And if not, they sure should, it's a good one-ha!) of a party!

We also had a baseball game yesterday that was a big deal as my daughter and the choir that she is in sang the National Anthem for the Colorado Rockies; and they showed the town how that song is sang!  I was so very proud.  The group of fourth and fifth graders walked onto the field with a march in their step, took their  places in the choir and belted out our National tune like any professional group could do....even my Grads were impressed!  And that my friends is pert near impossible to do these days, let me tell you.

But back to the party with no trash; really it can be done; with a bit of preparation (and a bit of yucky digging afterward, I must admit).  Now, if you have been a reader of mine, on either of these blogs, you know that I am not at all familiar with paper products.  I do not buy plastic bags or paper plates or even paper napkins; my one downfall is paper towels and I do buy those very infrequently in bulk.  So the paper product aisle itself was a bit overwhelming to me.

So, I headed straight to the party stuff.  I knew I didn't want any "crap".  You know what I'm talking about the kind of forks that break when you first put them into a bite of potato salad?  Or the plate that dumps everything on the unsuspecting kid?  Yeah, I wasn't having any of that.  Party stuff it was, and blue and black to match the boys' colors, easy enough.  From there, it is simply a case of turning the products over and making sure they are recyclable, if not, put it back.  There are plenty of choices out there people, we do not have to fill up our landfills.

Okay now we are at the party and of course we have not gotten the trash cans and the recycle cans marked like I wanted.  Actually there was a huge misunderstanding and we thought the neighbor was bringing some last minute supplies (like the grill, trash cans and bags) so we didn't have them to mark....but anyway; my point is is that it doesn't even matter if it all gets mixed up.  I was able to nonchalantly grab the plates out of the trash as I was going by and put them into a different bag.

This all may sound a bit yucky, but to me it was well worth it.  I had purchased cans for the kids to drink; we had recyclable cups for the keg (I even grabbed out a lot of the food trash for the chickens-ha!).....So let's run down what all was in my trash can when this party for about 75 people was over.  Bags for ice, bags for buns, plastic silverware (and damn did I try and find some that is recyclable, I will try harder next time!) and napkins; that is about it.  That is one small bag of trash for a very LARGE party.  Now, we have two HUGE bags of recyclabes, but that is okay.

We had a wonderful party to help send the boys off right; we won't be filling up the landfills and polluting my beloved Mother Earth in the process and I am done with my major commitments for the summer.  Now it is time to get to work on those campgrounds....keep those campers from burning down our forests and enjoy the time with my children.  Wow, I truly am a very blessed woman.

Recycled Roof

Yes, a recycled roof.  I was bragging on my daily (almost) blog yesterday about my environmentally, money saving, recycled roof; but I wanted to wait until today, when I could share it with all of you, even the GSO readers, because this is a pretty good one.  Wow, another sentence that would have my English teacher popping migraine (or worse) medicine!

I have to give you a little background here.  I have mentioned (groan, many times, over and over, you, my dedicated readers say?) that our little piece of heaven, The Royal Ranch, sits at almost 9,000 feet in elevation.  It also sits at the base of two almost fourteeners, Mt. Logan and Mt. Rosalie.  Now, I'm not just telling you that to brag, okay maybe a little-ha!, but we get some wicked winds up here, and I do mean wicked.  

This last winter seemed to be particularly harsh.  We had quite a bit of damage, we lost our historical sign, which I posted about here, and we had lots of little pieces of roofing come off the barn.  Well, I hadn't really noticed that those little pieces had all really added up to one big problem until we got all of this rain.  And then the other day, I went to step inside the barn and sunk six inches into the mud.   Now, I'm no genius, but when you are inside the barn, I don't think you're supposed to be slopping around in mud like that!

So, I get to thinking.  We have tried multiple kinds of regular roofing on this barn and it has not worked because of the tree limbs rubbing on it and the wind tears about anything paper like or shingle like, ie: typical roofing.  Okay what about a tarp type situation?  Now wait, I know you all are thinking, what, a tarp?  Now that's pretty hillbilly.  

But wait, these are the sides and the tops of the old hay barn that the wind took year before last.  It was one of those car port type things you buy at Costco, and it would have worked out great if it weren't for the wind picking up the whole thing, that was concreted three feet into the ground, and throwing it around like a ball of play doh (I told you we got wicked winds!).  It bent all of the poles beyond recognition and tore a few of the tarps, but for the most part the tarps were still in tact, and just awaiting a new life.  I recycled the poles, why not the tarps?

As a matter of fact the buildings themselves are recycled.  My tack shed is a six seater outhouse from a Civilian Conservation Camp from the Depression era that was moved here by Charlie Royal.  And the llama/sheep barn is an old chicken coop that old man Royal built himself.  When we first got llamas, we had our then renter, remove a wall and reinforce it for the larger animals, and voila, a loafing shed ideal for ruminants (which is what sheep and llamas are).

Well, it wasn't exactly me that did the work on the roof anyway.  I don't think any of us would want to know the outcome if clumsy old me had gotten up on that roof.  But Tom did a heck of a job.  He laid the first tarp down and nailed it around the edges, and then a second one over the top, to make sure to cover any of the seams of the first one since these were meant to be walls instead of roofing.  He then sort of wrapped the barn roof like a present, and it looks great.

He also used some wood to reinforce where the wind will catch it.  He just took a long 2x12 and nailed it over the tarps.  It will hold down the tarps and to a certain extent guide the runoff away from the front of the barn.  The great thing about this is that now it is essentially one piece, so hopefully the wind won't catch little bits of it.

While Tom did the roof, the kids and I worked on the drainage around the barn.  I dug a few trenches, not really dug, more like guided the mud, to get as much runoff away from the barn as possible.  We all worked on raking up the loose dropped hay to put in the barn to soak up the mud; so it got recycled too.  Normally I would be able to rake this up once a week and feed it, saving myself quite a bit, but it is all too soggy to use; although I did see the chickens happily scratching their way through it, so that is good.

Back to me and my brilliant ideas, thank goodness I have a husband to help implement all these crazy ideas of mine.  I'll let you know how this one holds up, but in theory it's a good one, and it didn't cost me a dime.  So far we have had some really amazing rain storms and the barn isn't any wetter, which is of course what we were going for!

Sorry folks, I am experiencing technical difficulties, and have been waiting all day to get my links together and post this, but it isn't looking like the problem (within Blogger) will be fixed anytime soon.  So, I shall go ahead and publish without the links, hoping that you will come back and check those out another time!  Thanks for your patience~Judy

Have I lost my mind?

Photo form GreenIrene

I would like to start off saying that I would really like feedback from this post, actually I would like it to be interactive even, because this is something that I am really curious about.  I have been reading lately about how our food affects our carbon footprint.  I recently had the need to look up locavore is what brought this up I think, and a locavore is a person who tries to eat all of their food from local sources, to help reduce their carbon footprint.  They probably have other reasons too, I don't know, but that is the biggy.

In this research I found out that the best way to reduce your food CF (carbon footprint from here on out) is to not eat meat as it creates the most gases, etc when being produced.  Well, pshaw, is what my family would say to that!  There is absolutely no way you are getting my carnivorous crew to not eat meat!  So, how does a greenie like me, cut my food CF?  (Just a funny side note here, spell check doesn't like locavore and greenie, but accepts pshaw, what's up with that?)

We do our own hunting, but that meat really does not last as long as you'd think.  And the grocery store meat, well don't even get me started...I buy it when I absolutely have to, but I am very particular and only buy stuff that is on sale and that I know where it has come from, hopefully.

But on to how I have lost my mind.  Yesterday a truck drove in my driveway and I bought a crapload of meat off of it.  I know, I can't believe I did it either.  Tom just about killed me.  I have never done such a crazy thing. 

The company is Pacific Prime and I don't know what the hell happened to my brain while the guy was here, but actually it all worked out okay.  I got a good deal, but Tom got us an even better deal.  See, I had asked and read and looked, but you know how the big bad biker is, if not every label says "Made IN America" he won't touch it.  He called the guy back and left a message for him to come and pick up his chinese tasting meat, since the guarantee was only good for taste.  God the man slays me!

During that time we made some calls and did more research.  It was exactly as I thought.  You pretty much never know where your meat is coming from.  If it is labeled, you best hope it is labeled correctly.  King Soopers gets most of their beef from US, Mexico and Canada the old man was horrified to find out, and pretty much every single package I have ever brought home is labeled US.  I don't think I get that lucky, even the butcher on the phone joked about the box in the back saying US but having a different product in it, it was being reused.

The meat from Pacific Prime on the other hand is all labeled correctly from each place, is very high quality meat and above all, is all natural with no extra crap in it like I would get at the stores.  The other thing is that it is simple stuff too, easy to defrost and prepare a very healthy meal for the family.  Especially now that Tom got all that money off I will be feeding the family for at least the same price.

So back to my food CF.  I am wondering if that is what was in the back of my mind when I lost it yesterday with this salesman, that I normally would have chased off the ranch.  Although some of these meats, specifically the seafood are imported, the majority of the food is US we found out after going rounds with the company.  So my question is this, does a company like this, one that brings things to your door, help you reduce your overall CF?  I have to keep in mind the packaging, and yes there is quite a bit of it, but none of those styrofoam trays and yucky pads; just recyclable boxes and the plastic the meat is flash frozen in.  

But, the big thing for me is that this will cut my trips to the store drastically.  With working at the food pantry, we will fill in with fruits and veggies and breads there; Lord knows there is plenty to go around.  Tom can pop into Costco for milk and cheese and we are pretty much good to go.  Therefore, you have taken one F350 truck off the road for at least one hour of driving for five trips let's say.  That's quite a little impact, I'd think.

Now not everybody lives as far away from the grocery store as I do, etc., but I am curious to know your thoughts.

So weigh in on this subject folks.  Have you chased these people off before?  What about your food CF?  Where do you get your all natural meat from?  Does anybody have a good Colorado source they'd love to share?

One Big Load

Okay, I am a little later with this post than I usually am, but I have a good excuse. See, I started to post this morning, but realized that what I really wanted to talk about had to wait until the end of my trip into the big city.  Yes, that's right, I braved the heat and headed down the mountain into Denver.  I say it like it's such a big deal, when many of the people in my community, including my husband, do it four or five times a week.  Eeew, I could not deal!

But back to me and my trip down the mountain.  The kids drug me down you see; they of course love the adventures to be had in the city.  Nathan had finally saved up enough money from his birthday and working around the neighborhood for an i pod touch and Isabella had watered the neighbors plants enough for a new Build a Bear. 

As you all know, we spent Mother's Day recycling and cleaning up the ranch and today was my first opportunity to take the load of recyclables in.  As you can see by the picture, it was a full truck load; this is stuff that has taken us quite a few years to gather.  As a matter of fact, as Nathan pointed out as we were driving away from the monstrous recyclable mountain, we had not paid a dime for one thing in that pile.  The bikes had either been gifts to us or hand me downs.  Most of the metal was stuff that had been left on the ranch when we acquired it.

The best part of all is that we earned $41.25 on the load!  That's why I'm so late, I was dying to find out (and share) my total.  Now, to really make your recycling dollars stretch, you take that money and head to your local Goodwill like I did.  Man, sometimes I even impress (recycle to upcycle) myself-ha!!!  No, I'm just kidding.  Nathan is getting ready to go to Seacamp in sunny San Diego and needs a lot of shorts; so of course, my first choice for b-ball shorts for a fourteen year old boy is Goodwill.  Forty bucks for a cheap*$$ like myself goes a long ways, let me tell you... I also got some flowers for the beautiful crock I inherited from Grandma!  Too bad I'm posting this so late at night and can't show you the flowers...

A Mother's Day of Recycling

I have found that sometimes the best way of dealing with the crap that life throws your way is to get grounded.  And I mean that literally.  Get reconnected with  the earth in some way or another.  So, when my family asked me what I wanted to do for Mother's Day, the answer was an easy one.  I wanted to get down and dirty and do some physical labor around this ranch and start the healing process.  For those GSO readers, please check out the last couple of posts at my regular home, and you'll see why I need some healin' time.

I must say that I am really proud of our accomplishments.  We only had two trash cans and all of this will go to the recycling yards.  Another great thing about it was the wood that we took off of stuff like the futon was used for a family bonfire and marshmallows...YUM!!!!

The funny part was that we had been having a long debate about the bicycles.  Tom said they had to be torn down, no plastic or rubber.  I thought they would recycle them the way they were.  Well, I had Thomas and my spare sons working on them for about five minutes before I heard grumbles that they should have gotten me a gift instead.  I tried not to bust out laughing before I let them go.  Anyway, after a bit of research, I, of course am right, they will be accepted rubber, plastic and all!

So, I will add about six or seven overly jumped and drug and abused bicycles to these piles, and completely fill my truck!!!  I will take them to Western Metals Recycling and have a very clean ranch to show for a great Mother's Day.  Fantastic.

Recycling Hair

Yes, Recycling hair!  I couldn't believe my eyes.  What a fantastic natural resource that every single person, yes even including my very bald father, has to recycle.  I signed up for the Earth911.com newsletter a few months ago and it has been an absolute treasure trove of information for this blog!  I recently came upon an article entitled "I Didn't Know That Was Recyclable" and on the list was hair.  I was pretty sure I was going to come across the same old line of hair donation, but I was pleasantly surprised to find out it was actually hair recycling!
In 2000 an ingenious hair stylist named Phil McCrory was watching film coverage of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill and notice the oil that stubbornly saturated the fur of the otters he thought of the huge amounts of human hair that is collected in salons and started testing the amount of oil he could soak up with the hair from his salon.  According to the article at Earth911.com "McCrory invented the hairmat to help soak up oil from an estimated 706 million gallons of oil that enter our oceans each year. There are more than 370,000 hair salons in the U.S., and each collects about 1 pound of hair per day. That represents a tremendous amount of landfill matter from something we probably never even thought about!".
With this great invention, was the birth of a great public charity called Matter of Trust that accepts hair clippings and turns them into the hair mats that are used to clean up the oil spills.  The group is doing all sorts of research with hair and fiber and it's uses and what a wonderful natural resource it is.  If you have a minute check out the website, it was very interesting and gave me some really great ideas for my llama wool as well.  Keep the link handy, and next time you get your hair done, pass it along to your hair dresser and they can sign up and send the hair in a shampoo box that they would probably like to get rid of anyway!
Now, I do not mean to minimize donating hair, it is just up until now, I thought that was the only way to "use" your natural resource that grew on top of your head, or unless like my Dad only on the sides of your head.  Boy, he's really taking abuse on this one isn't he?  Anywho, back to the subject of hair donation.  This actually is something I very firmly believe in.  The first time I donated was when my aunt in Iowa got breast cancer.  I could not be there, so I felt the best way to support her was to cut my hair when she lost hers.  I donated it in her name.  I must say I was a tad disappointed in the impersonal postcard that she received from Locks of Love.
The next experience we had was when my Grandma was first diagnosed with cancer, my decision to cut my hair was still fresh in the mind of my very young daughter at the time, but she decided that she wanted to cut her hair for "GG".  The timing still amazes me to this day.  We had been waiting for Isabella's hair to reach the proper length and for me to be okay with losing her beautiful blond locks when one morning I awoke and knew that the day had come.  My friend Della had just finished cutting her hair when my cell phone rang, I answered to my Grandma sobbing.  See, she had been a hairdresser for her entire life, so to have woken up that morning to clumps of hair on her pillow was more than she could bear.  The day that Bella donated her hair in GG's name was the day that I had to shave GG's head.
I have donated my hair one more time since then, but again, have been a bit disappointed in the simple, impersonal postcards we have gotten in response to the very personal gifts we have given.  I know that sounds kind of funny, but when I sent in Isabella's ponytail, I put on the form her age and the reason she had donated her hair, and again, just the regular postcard.  I did save it for her baby book and of course will make a big deal out of it on the page if I ever get around to updating the book, but it was just a matter of principle. 
The great news is that when I googled hair donation in doing my homework for this post, there have been many new companies that have gotten into the business of hair donation in the years since we have done it.  So whether your hair is long or short, whether you want to donate or recycle, don't forget, you have a wonderful natural resource growing right on top of your head (yes, even you Dad-love you!!!)!

100% Recycled Chicken Coop

As I sit here typing this I am hearing "Cockle-doodle-doo!" for the first time in almost 20 years and I couldn't be happier! Did you know in Germany their roosters say Ceekle-dee-dee (or something like that)? My German exchange sister taught us that many years ago, and I laugh whenever I think of it. I have always wondered how roosters know the proper language, but I guess they do somehow-Ha!

Tom and I have taken our recycling and repurposing to the extreme with this chicken coop. I know that not everyone has an old ranch with a few old junk piles dying to be repurposed, but everyone has friends that have some junk that they need to get rid of. Some of our lumber came from a neighbor, who was happy to get rid of some of his "trash".

Our tack shed for the llamas is an old six seater outhouse that was used in a different location for a conservation camp. It is very well built (Aah, the good old days!) and has really withstood the test of time and animals! We started our hen house by using recycled plywood and built a box attached to the side of the old outhouse and put a lid with hinges on it. This will make it easy to keep clean and allow for extra hours of sunshine for the chickens in the cold winter months. The roof of the house will work by a pulley system that Tom has laying around, but we ran out of steam, so a strong board to hold it open will work for this week. We then used old shelves taken out of a laundry room and turned them into nests by cutting them to size and simply screwing them together (simple for Tom anyway).

The yard is built with 2x4's and 2x6's that we already had (and borrowed from our great neighbor, Dan) and the posts are all 4x4's, again recycled. Tom is great at posts; he digs the hole and then wedges rocks in to keep the post upright and then buries it. His posts have also stood the test of time!!! We had chicken wire on hand because we had to wrap the pine trees in the llama pen so they would not kill them. The top of our tack shed was a great way to attach the wire and bring it down to the posts and then lower, to the ground. We left a couple of feet of chicken wire that we then buried, the number one defense against predators. We even went so far as to use the wire that held the chicken wire bundle together to "tie" all of the large pieces of chicken wire together every 8 inches or so, number two defense against predators, especially the flying ones!

While Tom built the door, I painted the hen house; red and white of course, to match the ranch house. The door is a frame of 2x4's with cross braces and chicken wire. We used a jigsaw to cut the door of the hen house out after I painted it so it would match the rest when we put a hinge on it to lock the chickens in at night.

As usual, we had the poor chicken before his house was done because he just had to find a new place to live! Working under pressure really gets a lot accomplished though. After a long day in a large dog crate, PW (Phillip William) was released into his new estate.

The pictures show the progression of our work, and the arrival of our rooster; we are hoping to get his girlfriends this week. That is Tom hard at work, and also my kids Nathan and Isabella (the blonde) with her friend Danielle. I'm wondering how Two Eagles worked his way into this photo shoot!!!

Good morning GreenSpot-On readers,  I decided to not cross post today, I wanted to let you all get to know me a little better.  This is a post from my blog Royal Ranch Green from the "Bottom" Up that I did last summer when we first got our chickens.  I think it is a great example as to how dedicated we are to running our ranch in an environmentally friendly way.  It is also a great way to get to know us and our critters!!!

Edible Chips & Computer Chips: How Do We Get Rid of Them?

Here are a few developments that I've been mulling over lately. I thought I would share with you all...

SunChips, Frito-Lay’s popular line of multigrain snacks, announced recently that on Earth Day April 22, 2010 this year it will introduce the first fully compostable snack chip bag made from plant-based materials. The change is designed to significantly improve the environmental impact of its packaging.



SunChips brand is taking the first step towards this transformational packaging. The outer layer of packaging on 10½-oz. size SunChips snacks bags will be made with a compostable, plant-based renewable material, polylactic acid (PLA). PepsiCo's Frito-Lay North America division plans to rollout a package for its SunChips snacks where all layers are made from PLA material so the package is 100% compostable.

“We know environmentally friendly packaging is a priority for our SunChips consumer,” says Gannon Jones, vice president, marketing, Frito-Lay North America. “Today’s launch of packaging made with 1/3 renewable materials is an important first step towards having a fully compostable chip bag in market by Earth Day 2010.”

Current snack food packaging has three layers: a printed outer layer with packaging visuals/graphics, an inner layer, which serves as a barrier to maintain the quality and integrity of the product, and a middle layer that joins the other two layers. When the packaging is 100% compostable, it will fully decompose in about 14 weeks when placed in a hot, active compost pile or bin. NatureWorks LLC is providing the PLA, which is trademarked under the Ingeo name.

“Packaging is clearly the most visible interaction consumers have with Frito-Lay’s brands,” says Jay Gehring, vice president, packaging R&D, Frito-Lay North America. “To make packaging that would interact differently in the environment we had to change the composition of packaging and invent key technologies. Using plant-based renewable materials, we have a promising solution that will transform packaging and significantly impact the billions of snack food bags produced annually.”

Once the 100% compostable bag is introduced, the company anticipates the switch will lead to reduced greenhouse gas emissions in the production of the packaging and the elimination of petroleum-based packaging material. The launch of PLA packaging is yet another small step in the SunChips brand’s sustainability journey.

Hmmmm interesting. That seems very promising!

Here's another tidbit.......

Over the weekend my laptop computer stopped working, so I'm currently trying to find the best option for recycling it.



Getting rid of a computer can be a complex process that isn't necessarily environmentally friendly. Right now I'm looking at several options. I found a reuse organization, a zero landfill option and a donation/computer repair center (although I'm cyncial about where the actual components end up.) Any other suggestions?

Happy Wednesday,

-BA

Christmas Craftiness #2

Hello Everyone! I am listing a couple more ideas for Christmas Crafts! This time for adults only!!

Aluminum Can Luminaries: Do you have left over aluminum cans from you pumpkun pie filling or the canned baby formula that you haven't recycled yet, but want a fun craft to do for a gift? Why not make them into luminaries!

Materials:
Aluminum Can (Large Baby formula or Pumpkin Pie Filling Can)
Hammer
Nails
Sturdy Cardboard
Marker
Paint (Spray paint or acryllic)
Large Rubber Band
Saran Wrap
Water
Small Candle holder (Cheap from a dollar store)
Votive Candles (Again cheap from a dollar store)
Cat Litter or Sand

Instructions:
1. Make a template out of dots (Punch holes into a piece of cardboard with a nail). A prety simple one is a snowflake.
2. Useing a permanent marker; use your template to transfer the dots onto the can. Use it multiple times around the can with enough space between the individual designs.
3. Fill the can with water, put the top back on it. If there is no top, fill it with water, then take saran wrap and a sturdy cloth with a large rubber band. Wrap the end with the saran wrap with the cloth over it and secure it with the rubber band.
4. Freeze the can overnight.
5. When completely frozen take a small hammer and a nail and punch it on the dots you made on the can. You may have to refreeze the can in between individual designs so it doesn't start leaking on you badly. The reason you want the can completely frozen is so that the force of you hammering the nail into the dots doesn't dent your can. When you get all of your dots punched, you can empty the can and let it dry completely.
6. After it is done drying, take the can and either spray paint the outside or you can use acrylic paint and paint the outside with a design. With the snowflake design, I really liked using a dark blue, that was shimmery and silver on the dots I punched (so it would show up when it wasn't lit).
7. The last part to this is to get a cheap, short glass candleholder that you can put inside the can with a tealight candle or equivalent.
8. Put either a cup of fresh catlitter or sand in the can (To help keep the can from heating up). Then you can set your candleholder with candle inside.
9. You are now ready to light your luminary!

Christmas with Grapevine: I am lucky enough to have access to grapevine in my own yard. I have to cut it back each year. Instead of getting rid of it I use it for many things. Try a grapevine ornament ball! I'll write up instructions for it when I try it, hopefully with pictures. Stay tuned!

Sincerely,
Khrys @ GreenSpot-On
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Christmas Craftiness #1!

Happy Holidays Everyone! I wanted to give everyone an idea that would be fun for kids, plus give them a chance to reuse items for gifts that were from your own household that would otherwise be thrown out or just left unused.

Pine Cone Christmas Tree: My sons and I did this craft recently at a school family night and it turned out really nice, so I thought I would share it here. The great thing about this craft is you are using a natural item that you can talk to your child about.

Materials:
One large, open pine cone
Glitter - Any color
Cotton balls
White school glue (like Elmer's)
Dental floss and a needle
Small beads or small pom-poms
Scissors
Construction Paper
A small bow or star to top off your little tree

Instructions:

1. Glue a few cotton balls to the bottom of the pine cone. These will look like snow at the base of the tree and help the tree stand upright.

2. Put a little dab of glue at the tips of the pine cone and then sprinkle on glitter of any color (You can spread it a bit with your finger, but keep a washcloth or damp paper towel nearby for cleanup reasons).

3. String some small beads or pom-poms onto dental floss (usually about 1 - 1 1/2 ft or more, depending on the size of your pine cone). To string the beads easier, tie one bead securely to the string. Then give the floss to your child for stringing. An older child can use a needle to help with the stringing beads or pom-poms. When the garland is done, tie off the last bead with a knot. Wrap the beads around the pine cone like a Christmas garland and glue it to the tree. In the picture on the right we used mardi-grad or party beads. My children usually get these at different times of the year and they usually break pretty quickly, so why not recycle them!

4. Top off your tree with a small bow or other decorations (We used a scrap piece of construction paper to make a star), you could make an angel or even ornaments with it for your pine cone tree.

5. Let the glue dry completely and use it for a centerpiece on your dinner table or other place of honor in your home!

Crystal Snowflake: This project also doubles as a science project! Make your very own snowflake!

Materials:
Wide mouthed canning/mason jar
3 light colored pipe cleaners (white or light blue would be best)
String
Scissors
Pencil
Boiling water (Adults should boil & pour the water)
Spoon
Borax (20 Mule Team Borax Laundry Booster)
Optional: blue food coloring

Instructions:
1. Make a snowflake frame from 3 white pipe cleaners and a string. Twist the 3 pipe cleaners together in the center to make a asterick or star shaped figure.
The figure should be able to fit inside the wide-mouthed jar.

2. Tie the string around the pipe cleaners to look like a snowflake or spiderweb. Trim all excess string.

3. Tie a few inches of string to one of the pipe cleaners to make a loop for hanging. Take the pencil and put it through the loop, so that the snowflake will hang from the pencil and dangle inside the jar.
Take the snowflake back out of the jar.

4. Pour boiling water into the jar (An adult should do this part for safety reasons).
Add about 3 tablespoonfuls of the Borax to each cup of hot water in the jar.
You should have a supersaturated solution (you will see some undissolved Borax at the bottom of the jar).
Optional: Add a few drops of the blue food coloring to the solution for a bluish colored snowflake.

5. Using the pencil, hang the snowflake in the jar and wait at least 24 hours.
After this time has passed, your snowflake will be covered with crystals.
As the solution cools, the borax comes out of the solution (less of the borax will dissolve in the cooler water) and crystals form upon the pipe cleaners and string.

NOTE: If you do not have borax in your house but want to still do the project, you can do the same type of project using supersaturated sugar-water (but the crystals will take alot longer to form). The sugar water version will make an edible rock candy. The Borax version IS NOT edible, so please be careful if you try both versions with your children so they don't confuse the two.

Christmas Cards: As Daisy previously mentioned, old christmas cards can be reused to make new ones. However, you can also make a great picture frame out of them for your child's school pictures or even a holiday photo you took and send it as a Christmas Card! Let your child decorate it with old buttons, glue and other finds around the house that you would otherwise throw away. You can use paint on the buttons to give them a new look!

We here at GreenSpot-On have been pretty busy at our homes preparing for Christmas and the family parties that come around every year. You may not hear much from us until after the New Year, so please be patient with us during this time. We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Sincerely,
Khrys @ GreenSpot-On
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Being green when the ground is - brown

My herbs moved inside. The basil died, the rosemary is fading, and the oregano is stretching toward its sole source of light, the bay windows on the south side of the house. Meanwhile, I'm planting another type of idea: reusing holiday cards.

Armed with last year's cards and a few pairs of craft scissors, I attacked. Scraps to the recycling, potential tags to the tag box, and we're set for another year. This is the kind of repurposing that both feels good and looks good. I haven't spent money on tags since we were married 25 years ago, and the packages always look great.

Now it's on to the presents - I wonder if anyone in my family will get me the Aerogarden I've suggested?

How Can We Love Our Indoor Pets and Our Environments?

Sticking with the established theme on Wednesdays, today I'd like to address another issue that I've been pondering that relates to my own experiences with striving to live a "greener" life. I recently lost one of my cats (RIP Bruce (that's a picture of him sunning himself to the left)) and have been spending a lot of extra time with my remaining domestic long-hair Gremlin (below.) She's been very needy lately... I'm actually sitting with her right now as she sleeps =)



It's been hard while I'm traveling to leave her home alone due to my own fear of what may happen to her while I'm gone and also because it is difficult to acclimate her to my reappearance after a few days. Needless to say, it's a good couple of hours of "Meow, meow, meow, meow, meow" from little Gremmers (and chasing me all over the apartment) when I get back. I've been considering getting another little friend for her, but haven't made a concrete decision yet if that's the best idea.


One thing that has also been weighing on my mind concerns our pets' impact on the environment. Our feline friends use a lot of products that can harm the planet. How can we be more eco-conscious with our pet purchases? For instance, Gremlin may be unaware about her impact on the environment, but I definitely am! Our cats leave more of a footprint behind than many of their owners know. Just think of all the plastics – cat food bowls, litter boxes, toys, etc. that we purchase and eventually throw away. Even the containers kitty products come in are typically plastic. And where does all that clay cat litter go? It doesn’t just go away!

With most families having more than one cat and the litter box rule being “have one litter box for every cat plus one,” creates a lot of kitty litter. Unfortunately, clay litters are the least expensive and the hardest on our environment. There are, however, a wide variety of environmentally friendly kitty litters on the market. Check out Feline Pine, Swheat Scoop, the World’s Best Cat Litter, and Yesterday’s News. Not only are they organic, but several of these litters can also be reused as mulch in your garden. Talk about a bargain! Most of these litters come in a bag rather than the big, plastic tubs, too. If you do use the plastic tub, simply recycle.

Lately I've also been considering buying a CatGenie even though they're quite expensive. This automatic self-washing litter box is the best in terms of green litter alternatives. It uses permanent washable granules that never need changing which are clean/dry (and also satisfy your cat’s need to dig and cover), it takes cat litter out of your life for good, and is tested/recommended by veterinarians.

Consequently, this may be an issue that most people don't enjoy addressing, but I thought this was the perfect medium for it. How can we love our indoor pets and love our environments at the same time?

Until next week! Cheers- BA

Recycling For One

If you thought cooking for one was difficult, just imagine how hard it can be recycling for one person! Yes, you're thinking: What?! There's so much less waste to account for! Sorting it and rinsing it would take so much less time!

You're right about those few things, but there are also several other elements to consider when living alone while trying to maintain a green initiative. I know it’s tough to look in the mirror and think that you, just one individual on a planet of billions, can do much that makes a difference. So I’ve been pondering what the value is — or is not — to my vigilance in recycling. Can I make a difference? Is my effort worth anything to the planet, especially in the face of so many non-believers who assume apathy to be the only medicine?

The first issue to consider is whether or not your apartment building or complex actually allows and participates in a recycling program. In single family homes, no more than 70 percent have access to curbside recycling. You may be passionate about separating your recyclables, but that doesn’t guarantee that your apartment manager feels the same way. Where I live, it seems that not many of my neighbors recycle, but starting the process in my townhouse was very doable.

Most cities offer various resources to help apartment complexes start recycling, and so did Bowling Green. All I had to do was take a quick trip to City Hall and request a recycling bin (which I didn't necessarily have to do, but I wanted it so that my neighbors could also visibly see that it was an option instead of using the dumpster.) Because I live alone, I am able to conveniently sort the contents of the bin when I arrive at the Recycling Center (which is paid for by the city and only about a mile from where I live.) The only unfortunate aspect about it's location is that it might be difficult for individuals to access if they do not drive (it's on the outskirts of town.)

What are some of the hurdles you must overcome so that you are able to recycle?

Does anyone find it as difficult as I do to commit to recycling when living alone?


To allow myself the peace of mind about cutting down on waste, I always try to consider that every last item that we don't throw away can be considered one small step towards a greener planet:




And remember, without you, it's all just trash!

Until next Wednesday! Cheers! -BA

Children & Nature

I thought it might be neat to give a child's perspective. I decided to interview my oldest son who has been exposed to the outdoors and nature since he was a baby for this post.

~~~begin interview~~~

How old are you?
7

What are your favorite things to do in the summer?
Swimming, fishing, seeing baby turkeys, camping, helping my aunt feed animals.


When you go for walks in the woods, what did you see?
Deer, baby turkeys with their mommy's, butterflies, toads, dragonflies, white moths, deer tracks and poop on the deer trails, trees.


What did you learn?
There are little streams in the woods. There was lots of mud that the deer made tracks in. We found one deer antler that came off a deer that shed it's antlers. We didn't find the other one.


What should a kid do if they find a baby bird that is out of it's nest?
You should leave it where it is, because it's mommy and daddy might be out getting it food.


What will happen if a person touches a baby bird they found?
It could die, because it's mommy and daddy will not come back if the baby bird smells like people.


What should people do if they have trash and they aren't near a trash can?
Go find one or put it in your pocket till you can get to one. Ask mommy or daddy if you can recycle it.


Why do we want to keep our trash off the ground?
It's not good for the ground or animals.


Thank you for letting me interview you.
Thank you for interviewing me.


Would you like to say anything else to our readers?
Look at the videos and pictures that my mommy, my aunt and I took. They are cool!

~~~end of interview~~~

I would like to thank you readers for continuing to support GreenSpot-On by subscribing to our feed by email and other mediums, rating and reviewing us on Blogged and Networked Blogs (Facebook) and following us! We hope you enjoy our posts and continue to read them. Leave a comment, we look forward to hearing from you!


Sincerely,
Khrys @ GreenSpot-On
Link: http://unhub.com/GreenSpotOn/17979


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What does "green" mean anyway?

Good morning readers! My name is Jenny (aka "BA") and I will be contributing to GreenSpot-On on Wednesdays. I have been interested in nature writing, ecocritcism, and various other environmental issues for some time now. I live in Bowling Green, OH (I KNOW! Very appropriate/ironic location considering the blog's main topics right!?) and I'm studying for my PhD in Communication Studies... and even though I've lived here over a year now, I still consider my heart to be in Michigan. That's where I grew up and spent so much time outdoors. I hope to relocate there after I've finished my dissertation. Other introductory information that you might like to learn about me can be gathered at my personal blog:

http://shouldieatthatorrollaroundnakedinit.blogspot.com/

or my professional website:

http://jennyarmentrout.weebly.com/

But enough about me... on to the elusive meaning of "green." I'm quite sure this notion has been considered by various other bloggers, environmentalists, etc., yet I'd also like to address it here. What does it mean to you? Are there varying levels of "green" living and/or "green" products? Is this just a lifestyle choice or a unobtainable goal?

These questions occupy my thoughts every time I throw something in the recycling bin outside my door. Different federal institutions as well as various corporations intend to impress us with the meanings and underlying reasons why we should go green or greener, but I'm always curious as to what/why green is framed in a certain way. Here are a few prominent links that attempt to impress upon the masses what "green" means:

http://www.thegreenguide.com/

http://green.org/index.php

http://www.greenhome.com/

http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/

http://green.yahoo.com/

http://www.usgbc.org/

Out of these sites, which are legitimate, long-standing, and credible? Do they all stand to benefit or profit in some way? These are the types of questions that we should be asking and hopefully encourage our children to ask. I'd love to see how kids would respond! Here is a video of how adults (who, consequently, are also preaching about their sustainable products) conceive of the word "green":

What does green mean to you?

What does green mean to you? from Babe Elliott Baker on Vimeo.

Warren Wilson College Mountain Green 2009 Sustainability Conference

Anyway, these are just a few random thoughts. To me, the idea of going "green" is a means for us all to strive for. Even the most ridiculous stuff I throw away is seriously pored over, because I never know where the waste I create is going. Understandably "green" is a mindset that I believe can be adopted, yet should be thoroughly pondered. In my lifetime I've witnessed many ecological decisions rendered in terms of the "green" moralistic platform, but they are sometimes weaker than what were intended.

_________________________________________________
For next week's blog, I'd like to foreshadow with a quote from my dad: "Dirt is alive and it eats poop."

Cheers- BA

Happy Earth Day!!

Happy
Earth Day 2009
Everyone!

I am happy you could join us here at GreenSpot-On! A lot of things have been going on for the last week in West Michigan and other places in the United States to celebrate Earth Day and to educate people about helping make our planet better for our descendants.

I took my family to our local Zoo’s “Party for the Planet” and we had a great time! Not only did we get to enjoy the animals, but we were able to receive information on various conservation methods, educational information and even talk to vendors that had energy saving products. My sons and niece were able to participate in various activities, including: plant sunflowers in a cup, plant a tree that we could plant for a small donation, make hats out of scrap materials and more! If you ever get a chance to go to one of these events, you should. It is a wonderful family activity that can be an educational experience for you and your children!

Let’s face it… We live in a throw away society, but it doesn’t have to be. Some people say they do not have time or the motivation to recycle. Even the busiest people on earth can find time to do their part for the environment and wildlife. If you are one of those people, my advice to you is to start small.

New Years Resolutions made by many of us have to do with weight, money, personal lives and family.

Why not make an Earth Day Resolution instead?

Challenge yourself to find ways to reduce waste in your household or neighborhood. There are many ways you can do this. Such as:

1. Take the extra few minutes to sort & clean your recyclables. See if your city has a recycling pick-up program. Some cities offer this service for free. If your city doesn’t have a program that picks up the recycling at your home, find a recycling center in your area and just take your recyclables in every so often. You can save A LOT of money by recycling. I have personal experience in this. Instead of needing a larger trash can or trash service, I was able to opt for a smaller container which has saved my family money. All because I take the extra time to recycle our glass, plastic and papers/boxes.

2. Get frustrated at the amount of trash blowing down your street or into your lawn? Do you exercise or want to start? Go for walks with a bag and some gloves. You can even have your children help. While getting some great exercise, you could pick up the trash on your street and recycle what you can. Put it in with your trash (You could set a limit of 1 grocery bag full of trash a week so you aren’t filling your trash totally up). I have done this before and not only does it clean your neighborhood up a bit, but it will eliminate the amount of trash that blows into your yard. You could even chat with your neighbors and organize a larger scale cleanup of your street (this could greatly help your elderly neighbors too).

3. Reuse. Use second-hand sources for clothing, items you need and more! Find a local Freecycle online at http://www.freecycle.org/ There you can find items that other people are cleaning out of their garages or houses that don’t want them to go to landfills. Some things I have seen offered: Scrap Lumber, appliances, clothing, books, furniture and even electronics.

4. Maintain your home and yard which can save you in energy costs, make your neighborhood a greener space and stop erosion. Even small repairs or changes can make a big difference. It doesn’t have to cost you big money either. Find a local on-line group, or start one on Yahoo Groups that can make a flower/plant exchange or even offer them for free. There is one in my area that constantly has people posting free flowers and plants or even seeds (If you live in West Michigan, contact me for the link).

5. Donate time to a local environmental group or items for animal rescue shelters.

6. Spay and Neuter your pets!

7. Adopt pets from your local humane society or animal shelter!

These are very simple ways to get started and do your part to keep things out of landfills when they could be reused or recycled and to help wildlife and domesticated animals thrive and find homes.

Question for all of you:
After reading this, do you plan to make an Earth Day Resolution? In what way are you going to help our planet if you have not already? Those of you already doing your part, what new things are you going to try?

Any tips for people or comments you would like to make is encouraged. Please do leave a comment!

Party For The Planet @ John Ball Zoo - Grand Rapids, MI

JOHN BALL ZOO
We're having a PARTY and YOU ARE INVITED!!!

JOIN US!
PARTY FOR THE PLANET
SATURDAY - APRIL 18 - 10:00am-3:00pm

Celebrate our world's resources at this huge Earth Day event!

- Get cool stuff to take home!
- Learn simple ways to conserve & preserve!
- Play a game!
- Try a science experiment!
- And....the ANIMALS!

Over thirty West. Michigan organizations will be attending PARTY FOR THE PLANET and each will offer something unique, they will have displays, exhibits and demonstrations! There will be seedling give-aways, games, entertainment, science experiments, recycling and conservation tips, and, of course, the animals. PARTY FOR THE PLANET will also be the “one-stop-drop” for recycling of electronics and household items thanks to the on-site collection by KENT COUNTY DEPT. OF PUBLIC WORKS, 1-800-GOT JUNK? and GOODWILL INDUSTRIES.

Zoo admission for PARTY FOR THE PLANET is only $3.50 for adults, $3.00 for children 13 and under, and kids 2 and under are FREE.

John Ball Zoo is located on Fulton Ave., one mile west of downtown Grand Rapids, MI.

For the future

It is up to us to help make a difference. Our children learn from us and we need to start teaching them early on why we need to recycle and use our resources carefully!