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…
Starting with the 121 company links listed on www.papowerswitch.com, I worked my way through each website, determining who had residential plans in Duquesne Light territory. As of February 1, that number turned out to be 55. I recorded whatever information I could from each site, asking for further information when it was possible.
Much to my surprise, a few weeks ago Christian got some promotional mail from a third-party supplier advertising a green electricity plan, and instead of putting it straight in the recycling, he quietly put it on top of my mail pile. With that subject effectively broached, I set to work doing the research that had been on my to-do list for a few years now.
For the very first post, we’re going to revisit a request I made to the general public via Facebook at the beginning of this year when the South Hills of Pittsburgh switched up some recycling guidelines. Keep in mind that these recycling restrictions may not be the case where you live, but REDUCING is always a better option than RECYCLING, wherever you are!