Several months ago I saw an article posted on a sustainability website that suggested upcycling your Christmas tree to make beer. As the article correctly states, there is a precedent for using tree components in brewing. However, the article incorrectly implies that using your Christmas tree is the best way to go about making something drinkable.
I haven’t done any gardening yet this year because 1) I haven’t had time, 2) I’m lazy, and 3) I’m doing my part to protect any beneficial creatures that may be living in my garden. (Yes, you can justify laziness with sustainability!) In case you haven’t started your spring gardening yet, I hope this information will prove useful for you and your garden’s inhabitants.
It has been an interesting and challenging Lent. Some things I will keep doing; some I probably will not. All in all, it was very educational – I found myself doing research on subjects I hadn’t considered before. I was much more informed, thoughtful, and intentional in my decision-making, which was ultimately the goal.
Going into Lent this year, I realized that food would be my biggest challenge – whether eating while traveling, fueling/recovering from running, or just finding a way to make sure I got some nutrition during my long, busy days. This week I spent some time in the kitchen, cooking more in one day than I have during all of Lent so far, creating almost no waste.
I hadn’t expected to need to shop for clothes during Lent, but this challenge is about opening my eyes to problems I hadn’t considered. As certain clothing items are giving up the ghost, I’m becoming aware of what I should and shouldn’t do to replace them (both now and in the future).
This week brought with it an interesting challenge: hosting a party. How could I plan for 20-ish people at my house and generate no/minimal waste? Ultimately, I could have handled this problem by not having a party, but that wouldn’t really help me figure out how to change my behavior.
This week I decided to stop at my favorite hot dog shop for dinner, knowing my order would involve (compostable) single-use service items. That experience begged a closer look at what “compostable” really means and if using these environmentally-friendly dishes, cups, and silverware really makes a difference.
Abandon all squeamishness, ye who enter here. This post contains frank information about bodily functions and what it takes to have a zero-waste period. Reusable menstrual products may not be for everyone because of financial or medical reasons, but this week I stepped outside my comfort zone to see what period panties can do.
I started Lent this year by diving right into the deep end. Ash Wednesday meant a trip to State College for a conference, and since I was already halfway across the state, I continued east to see my parents for a belated birthday celebration with my dad. A lot of car time means a lot of travel food, which typically means a lot of packaging. (And a late night at work on Tuesday meant next to no prep time.)
I live a pretty low-waste life to begin with, but it’s not zero waste. Doing a zero-waste Lent this year will mean a serious shift in my awareness and daily behavior. In order to prepare myself for 46 days of zero waste (or as close as possible), I have to set some ground rules…