Some of my friends think I’m a little strange when they hear me talking about my compost pile, or they see my excitement over using worms to compost indoors. I’ll admit it, I can be a little odd at times, but there are so many advantages to composting and it’s really easy. If you are making changes to become more green, composting is one of the first things you should do. There are so many great reasons to compost, and there are also a number of ways to do it.

You might be wondering about the benefits of composting. Why compost? I’ll tell you!

First, composting saves energy. Think about how many times a day you turn on your garbage disposal. I’m willing to bet that almost all of what you put into your garbage disposal could be composted. If you don’t have a garbage disposal, you’re still saving energy, your own energy, because you don’t have to empty your trash as often!

Composting also saves water. You’ve got to turn on the water when you run your garbage disposal, don’t you? If you compost, you use less water. On top of that, compost used in flower beds assists wtih water retention which means less watering for you!

When you compost, you are doing your part to reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfills.

The finished material is full of nutrients and will reduce your need for fertilizers. You’re saving money again!

Now, you might agree with all of that, but if you aren’t already composting, my guess is that you have some excuse for not doing it. Maybe you live in an apartment, or maybe you don’t have room in your yard for a compost pile. That’s okay! You don’t need acres of land and you don’t need to have a large pile sitting in the middle of your yard. There are lots of different ways to compost, and there’s one to fit every lifestyle, I promise you. You can even buy compost bins that do almost all of the work for you. If you are really tight on space, you can compost in a plastic bag! If you’re interested in learning how you can start composting, the composting page at my website, Green Living Made Easy. There you’ll find many different methods that help you get started, along with lists that you can download to help you remember what you can compost and how to troubleshoot your pile.

Now that you know the answer to, “Why Compost?” and you know that you can compost, no matter where you live, what are you waiting for? Start making some dirt…

If you’re interested in viewing composting products that can make things easier on you, Visit Amazon to see what products are available.

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Be More Green

My friends and family know that I’m all about being “green.” As a result, I’m often asked about what changes they can make in their lives, quickly and easily, that will make them more green.

Here’s ten QUICK and EASY things you can do to become more green right away.

1. Start Composting. It’s easy, it’s free, and it saves money and energy.

2. Start recycling. This is really as easy as getting a few bins to hold different types of recyclables and then finding out where/how to drop them off.

3. Change your light bulbs from regular incandescent bulbs to CFL’s. You’ll save money and your light bulbs will last longer.

4. Start washing your clothes using cold water. Very little of what we need to wash actually has to be washed in hot water and many manufacturers make laundry detergent designed to work in cold water.

5. Start a garden. If it’s winter where you live, start a herb garden indoors. It’s easy, fun, and you’ll eventually save money on all the spices or vegetables you buy.

6. Install aerators on all of the faucets in your home. These cost a few dollars each, are easy to install, and will save lots of water.

7. Make it a habit to turn off water and lights when you aren’t using them. Teach your children to do the same.

8. Put appliances and other items on surge strips – this way you can turn the entire strip off when you aren’t using them. Many items in your home use electricity even when you aren’t using them.

9. Turn your heat down a few degrees all the time. Wear warmer clothes when you are in the house. If you have a timer on your thermostat, program the heat to turn down when you are sleeping and when no one is at home. Do the same thing with the air conditioning in the summer. If you don’t have a programmable thermostat, invest in one – they are not expensive, and you’ll get your money back in savings on your electric bill.

10. Sit down and figure out how you can drive less. Make it a point to combine trips and to plan your outings so you don’t spend all of your time driving around and wasting gas. Consider carpooling to work or having your children carpool to school. Almost all of us can figure out at least a few ways to reduce the amount of time that we are on the road.

Let us know what you’re doing to become more green!

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Stainless Steel Compost Keeper

I’m an avid composter, and I had gotten used to keeping a plastic container under my sink to hold my composing items until I was ready to move them to my compost pile. Unfortunately, my homemade compost keeper was sort of ugly. It did the job, but I couldn’t set it out while I was cooking or when I had people over because it was ugly. The other problem with my plastic compost keeper was that every once in awhile I would notice that it would start to smell and that bothered me.

So, I was on the lookout for a new compost keeper that would be decent to look at and would also deal with the smells – as in, I didn’t want to have to smell them anymore. Since my entire kitchen is stainless steel, I really wanted to find one that was stainless steel. It was also important to me that it was economical because, in my mind, part of being green is that I spend my money wisely.

Anyway, I finally came across this really cool compost keeper that I can be proud to set on my counter while I’m working in the kitchen, even if I have guests over. In fact, it’s so cool looking that I can keep it out all the time, if I want to. Having it set out reminds my kids to actually use it, which is a great added benefit.

It’s also light (only 4 pounds!) and comes with two charcoal filters. Some weeks I fill my compost keeper every day. There are other times when I’m not in a cooking sort of mood that I can go nearly a week without having to take it out. Since getting my new toy, I don’t have to worry about taking it out if it’s not full.

I’ve found that it’s also really easy to keep clean. I typically just wipe it down with a microfiber cloth. Every once in awhile I’ll use a stainless steel cleaner to really shine it up again.

I’m a firm believer that being green should be fun and I still want to have pretty things that I like to look at. Check out this Stainless Steel Compost Keeper
to see if it would work in your kitchen!

How do you currently keep your compost? Let us know what works for you, and what doesn’t!

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The plans to make the inauguration eco friendly have been well thought out and even include someone who will follow horses through D.C., picking up their waste and then bringing it out to farms to be used for fertilizer. We’re not sure who they hired to do that job, but we think it’s great!

They are planning a 100% organic menu that’s going to include both vegetarian and vegan selections for guests. The bar will even be serving local and organic beverages. How cool is that?

The eco friendliness will extend to lighting, decorations, and audio-visual equipment. The event will utilize LED lighting and says that they’ll be monitoring energy usage throughout the event.

They are also planning to compost flowers that are used during the event and leftover food. I was anxiously looking for information about how much waste they plan to generate, but have been unable to find anything. I think it’s be incredibly cool if they could plan a zero-waste party…but that’s pretty doubtful. I’m impressed with what they are doing, but I have a feeling they’ll still be LOTS of waste produced – which is to be expected from an event like this.

While I’m all for the concept of an eco-friendly inauguration, and eco-friendly parties in general, I think there are to major things that need to be considered.

First, I’d like to hear how much waste was produced as a result of this party vs. say, the inauguration of George W. Bush eight years ago. Getting solid numbers after the event would show how far we’ve come and how far we need to go.

Second, the transportation associated with getting all of the people who are attending an event like this is huge. With an estimated 3 – 5 million people showing up in Washington D.C., one could assume that a lot of carbon dioxide is going to be put in the air as a result of the inauguration. The event coordinators are encouraging those who are traveling to the event to purchase carbon credits to offset their carbon footprint; I’d like to see people take it once step further. I think it’d be great if celebrities attending the event got on commercial flights instead of taking private jets. I’m also hopeful that once in Washington D.C., people will choose to walk or take public transportation while getting around the city.

Overall, this is a step in the right direction. I’m glad to see the new administration taking a step in the right direction and hope that it encourages others to host eco friendly parties of their own. Come back soon to learn how you can make your own next party a bit more eco friendly.

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