Attention Cat Lovers

My garbage weight for the week was 7.2 lbs, it's starting to go dowwwn. After discovering that cat litter was contributing to the majority of my garbage weight, I purchased a biodegradable litter from a pet store. The store's associate was very informative. The litter I chose is made with all natural, renewable resources. One of the main ingredients is nutshells (which also neutralize odor). Other environmental cat litters available in the store were made of corn or pine. The litter can be composted outside and is safe for the environment. The litter also acts as a great, natural fertilizer.

In order to allow my cat to become accustomed to the litter, for the first part of the week we used half old litter, half new. We are now using 100% natural litter.

I decided to start using the inactive compost bin in my backyard. First, I cleared out most of the snow. I was able to use leaves as my bottom and top layer.

How to Compost Your Cat's Litter

I'll keep you posted!

- Flower Power

Regina Landfill

As some of you may or may not know, the landfill here in Regina, Sask has reached it's capacity. There will be a landfill expansion , it will take place in 3 phases.



Check it out:

City of Regina: Learn about the landfill expansion

What measures can be taken to reduce the amount of waste our city is collecting?

What are the negative consequences that result from excess waste?

How can we create awareness?

- Flower Power

Jail Break

I had a very interesting week with my worms.  I opened the lid to check on them one day (as I do almost everyday . . . they're basically like family now) and to my surprise a few of them were trying to make a break for it.  I felt terrible!  I immediately starting consulting my resources to figure out what the problem might be and discovered a couple of options/solutions.  One could have been the acidity level of the environment, so I quickly cracked a couple of eggs for my partner to eat so I could wash the shells and sprinkle them on the bedding to help neutralize it.  And the second was ventilation, so I had my partner drill some more holes to allow for more air flow.  I am happy to report that things are okay and my worms are back to eating up my garbage.  This week's lunch was banana peels, cucumber ends and peels, a couple of sickly looking blueberries, and some apple slices I forgot about.

I also had to change my garbage this weekend and it was a mere 3lbs!  And when you calculate the savings over a year, the results were amazing.  Check out my garbage ticker to see the progress I've made over the last few weeks.  This week, my plan is to draft up a letter to see if any of my surrounding condo neighbours would like to join in on a recycling program with us.  We're hoping to get something going soon, as the majority of stuff left to throw away has that magical number on the bottom that says it can be recycled!

I will keep you posted!

-TheDirt

A Nice Relaxing Bath

Hi again,

I was reading through a cool book that was talking about how to garden in an environmentally friendly way, and it talked about emptying your bath water into the garden to water it. I thought that was an extra smart way to use water! The only thing that stumped me was that in order to do that I would have to find/use biodegradable soap. I was surprised to know that it wasn't that hard to find, however I love to relax in a nice bath and use a 'bath bomb' or some bubble bath which was hard to find. Soooo I have decided to make my own bath bombs!  I have a dozen roses from Valentine's day and I will strip the petals in a few days and then add them to my collection of bath bomb materials. The website suggested quite a number of different combinations. I am excited to try it out!

FYI - I am also on the hunt to buy bio-degradable dish soap so that I can use most of my dishwater to water my indoor plants now, and then in the summer all of my outside plants!
That's all for now!

-Cooking4two

Success!

In my previous post I talked about how unfortunate it was that we have to pay to recycle but the city takes care of our garbage for 'free' (using our tax money). I was really pleased to find out that this exact discussion has been taking place in our city hall the past few months. The LeaderPost discusses this in more detail. I look forward to seeing what changes happen and how soon! This is a really exciting step in the right direction. WooHoo!

I have also had some personal success with reducing waste in my own home. Twice I have reached into the garbage to pick out something that can be recycled. During my first week my family produced a whopping 21lbs of garbage and during the second week it was down to 7lbs!! That was a pretty drastic change! We definitely noticed that we did not have to empty the garbage as much which was a nice surprise when it's -30 outside. We have been trying to use food before it expires so that it doesn't end up in the garbage.

I made roast turkey and from the leftovers here are the recipes I used the rest of the week:

1.) BEST CHICKEN SALAD EVER (altered a little by me)

• 1 cup cubed turkey 
• 2 tablespoons mayo
• 1 teaspoon sweet pickle relish
• 1 large apple, cored and diced
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 stalk celery, chopped (optional)
• 2/3 cup dried cranberries 
• salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl, mix the chicken, creamy salad dressing, pickle relish, apple, pecans, celery, and raisins. Season with salt and pepper. Chill until serving.

2.) THANKSGIVING LEFTOVER WELLINGTON (by Rachel Ray)

• 1 sheet frozen prepared puff pastry, defrosted
• 4 slices leftover turkey (about 4 cups)
• 4 tablespoons cranberry sauce, leftover or whole berry cranberry sauce from a can
• 1 cup leftover stuffing
• 1 egg, beaten with a splash of water

Preheat the oven to 425˚F.
Unfold the puff pastry sheet out onto a cutting board. Cut the dough into quarters with a sharp knife, then roll out each piece of dough into a 9-inch x 7-inch rectangle. On each rectangle of dough, place a quarter of the stuffing topped with 1 tablespoon cranberry sauce and one slice of turkey. Wrap the dough up and over the turkey, pinch and seal the dough with the egg wash and trim any excess. (You can use the leftover dough bits to make decorative garnishes for the tops.) Turn the wrapped Wellingtons over, seam-side down and brush all over with the egg wash. Use the egg wash as “glue” to affix the dough garnishes.
Bake the Turkey Wellingtons on a baking sheet for 30-35 minutes, until golden. Let stand for 5 minutes, then serve.

3.) TURKEY POT PIE (slightly altered by me)

2 (10 inch) pie crusts

4 tablespoons butter, divided

1 small onion, minced

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 carrots, diced

3 tablespoons dried parsley

1 teaspoon dried oregano

salt and pepper to taste

2 cubes chicken bouillon

2 cups water (or 1 cup water & 1 cup left over gravy)

3 potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 1/2 cups cubed cooked turkey

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 425˚F (220˚C). Roll out bottom pie crust, press into a 10 inch pie pan, and set aside.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add the onion, celery, carrots, parsley, oregano, and salt and pepper. Cook and stir until the vegetables are soft. Stir in the bouillon and water. Bring mixture to a boil. Stir in the potatoes, and cook until tender but still firm.

In a medium saucepan, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Stir in the turkey and flour. Add the milk, and heat through. Stir the turkey mixture into the vegetable mixture, and cook until thickened. Cool slightly, then pour mixture into the unbaked pie shell. Roll out the top crust, and place on top of filling. Flute edges, and make 4 slits in the top crust to let out steam.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350˚F (175˚C), and continue baking for 20 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.

4.) TURKEY SOUP

1 turkey carcass

5 quarts water

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped carrot

1/2 cup chopped celery

3 tablespoons dried parsley flakes

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 bay leaves

1 egg

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning

1 cup frozen peas

Place the first nine ingredients in a Dutch oven or soup kettle. Bring to a boil; skim fat. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 2 hours. Remove bay leaves. Remove carcass; allow to cool. Remove turkey from bones and cut into bite-size pieces; set aside. Pour 1 cup of the broth into a bowl; add egg and beat. Stir in enough flour to form a stiff dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead 8-10 times or until smooth. Divide dough in half; roll out each piece to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut into 2-in. x 1/4-in. strips. Add poultry seasoning to remaining broth; bring to a gentle boil. Drop slickers into broth; cover and cook for 30-35 minutes or until tender. Add peas and reserved turkey; heat through.

~ As you can probably tell, these meals all use a lot of the same ingredients such as carrots, onion, and celery, not to mention turkey. They all have a unique taste and are really good! It ensured that everything I bought for my big turkey dinner was used throughout the rest of the week before they went bad. Planning my subsequent meals reduced things from ending up in my garbage and therefore in the landfill.

Let me know if you try some of the recipes, or if you have more ideas of your own!

-Cooking4two

Ice Ice Baby

I receive a wide variety of email newsletters.  Everything from recipes to household tips and tricks to health and wellness articles comes streaming through my inbox everyday. The other day one caught my eye as it had to do with the repurposing of ice cube trays. I thought it had some smart ideas for "Reusing" this common household item.  Maybe I'm the only person out there with a drawer full of ice cube trays, but I thought I would share just in case I wasn't alone!

-TheDirt

Weigh In

The second weigh in was a success. My garbage intake was reduced by a total of 2.8lbs. It started at 12.6lbs and is down to 9.8lbs which is a good starting point. During the past week or so I have been a lot more mindful of the things that I have been throwing in the trash. Things like price tags or receipts are now consistently recycled. I have limited my paper towel use, using rags instead. However, this is just a starting point. There is a lot more that needs to be done. I have begun researching to find out what else can be recycled and where. After a call to Crown Shred & Recycling (a service that I already use), I discovered that the following items can be recycled: 

• Newspaper, junkmail and flyers
• Cardboard and cereal box type materials
• Gift wrap and packing paper
• Magazines, phone books
• Any fibre type material
• Tin cans and aluminum containers
• Household plastics (some restrictions apply)

* http://www.crownshredandrecycling.com/

Previously I had been throwing away 1-2 cat food cans daily. I have started a system that incorporates plastic, cans as well as paper, cardboard and beverage containers (which had been recycled previously).



After the bins are filled, I transport the materials collected to larger bins that are located outside and that can be taken to the end of the driveway come pick up day.

Lets see how much garbage I can reduce this week, wish me luck!

-Flower Power

Home Sweet Home

Lots of exciting things going on at my place on the waste reducing front.  I purchased a Rubbermaid Roughneck Storage Box for my worm friends Thursday night and had my partner drill some holes in it for ventilation.  I consulted SWRC's website as well as a couple of videos from Martha Stewart's website for some instructions.  He drilled several tiny holes all over the lid, sides and bottom of the bin and then I washed it up yesterday with dish detergent.

I picked up my pound of red wigglers yesterday morning and had to place them in a temporary bin with some soil until their permanent home was ready.  I thought I would be too grossed out to touch the little guys, but I got my hands right in there to scoop them into the bucket because some of the baby worms got stuck to the sides and I didn't want anyone to get left behind.

We rounded up some recycled newspapers from family and work, and cut just the black and white parts into strips to make the worms some bedding.  There is a surprisingly large amount of colour in a newspaper, so trimming and sorting was a bigger job then I had anticipated.  I then placed my strips into the bin and gave them a spritz with a squirt bottle of water just to dampen them.




I transferred my worms to the bucket, right on top of the damp newspaper.  I left them for a few minutes to give them time to sort themselves out and hide.

Dinner

I had started saving food scraps for them a few days ago.  There are some asparagus ends, banana peel, a few grapes and the end of a loaf of bread.  I gave everything a rough chop while I was waiting so the pieces weren't too big.  I buried the food in two piles under some more newspaper strips and then gave it a final spritz with the water bottle and added a sprinkle of dry potting soil.

The Feast

Complete Compost Bin

It turns out that our bin is bigger then I had imagined and wouldn't fit under our sink.  So instead we cleared it a spot under a shelf where we keep our beverage recycling container.  We flipped over a lid from another storage bin we had kicking around and placed a piece of two-by-four at each end.  Next we placed the bin on top of the two-by-fours to allow for drainage.  There will be a little bit of moisture that will escape, but nothing major or disgusting.  And voilà!

Please feel free to post any questions you have about any of my descriptions or explanations.  It looks like a lot of work, but it was really quite simple to set up.  Also, on a side note, we filled up another garbage bag yesterday.  It weighed in at 5.5lbs, bringing my garbage total down to 401.5lbs for the year.  This is probably because the items we threw away were lighter this week as nothing around our home has really changed yet. We should hopefully see some changes next week due to our compost!

-TheDirt

Worm Search Continued

Me again!  Last night I was preparing supper for my partner and myself and couldn't help but feel guilty about all the food scraps I was throwing in the garbage that could have been tossed into my future compost instead.  Potato peels, broccoli ends, onions I didn't get to in time and egg shells all made their way into my garbage.  I didn't want to save these items as I wasn't sure when I would hear back from my potential worm suppliers, so in they went.  This morning I eagerly checked my email and found a response from Pokey's Tackle Shop who unfortunately does not deal in worms. Disappointed, I went about my day still hoping that the other two would be more fruitful.  And guess what?!?  The Information & Outreach Coordinator from SWRC (Saskatchewan Waste Reduction Council) emailed me back with two contacts in Regina who were willing to part with some of their colonies for beginner composters which was excellent! But the group I've decided to buy from came in response to my ad on Used Regina.  A teacher and his grade two class are selling both worms and start up kits as a fundraising initiative at École Elsie Mironuck Community School, so I am picking up my new friends on Friday!  I will post pictures once I get everything up and running.

In other waste reducing news, you may have noticed the new section on the side of our blog titled "Our Garbage Production."  This will be home to our garbage tickers that we will use to track the current and future weights of our individual household garbages. Each time we throw out a bag, we weigh it to see how many pounds of garbage we are producing and to compare from bag to bag to see if we have been able to decrease our trash by introducing new waste reducing initiatives.  We are also multiplying the poundage by the number of weeks or days in a year to give us a guesstimation of how much we would send to the landfill if we carried on that way.  My partner and I tossed out a whopping 6.8lbs of garbage this week which would equate to 413.7lbs per year. Wowza!  That's a lot of trash!  I am interested to see how composting will positively affect our garbage output.  Check back to see!

-TheDirt

Early Bird Gets The Worm

I have been thinking a lot about our group's goals, and what actions I am going to take to reduce my family-of-two's garbage output.  We already recycle our beverage containers and paper products, but what about the rest of the junk that goes in that bag under my sink?  Food scraps are what have caught my attention!  I remember having a compost when we were kids, growing up in Ontario.  It was in our backyard and one of our seasonal chores was to take the scrap-bucket out and dump it in.  I remember being too short to reach the lid so I had to climb on the wooden slats on the side like a ladder. This was fine until the lid fell on my head once while I was dumping in my goods.

While I am surely able to reach the lid of a compost box now, condo living does not permit us the space to have such a box.  What I did find though, was an alternative to the traditional composter that I can operate all year round!  It's called a vermicompost and it will live under our sink.  Saskatchewan Waste Reduction Council has an amazing website outlining the how to's of starting one of these things, plus the differences between regular composting and vermicomposting.  I sent an email to Garbage Delight in Regina about getting some worms last week but did not hear back from them so I'm thinking they are no longer in the worm business.  I sent two emails today to Sask Waste Reduction and Pokey's Tackle and posted a want ad on Used Regina so hopefully these will generate a response so I can get started.

I am also interested in the curbside pickup service offered by Crown Shred & Recycling that Cooking4two mentioned below.  We'll start with the compost first and then look into that maybe in the next week or two!  I will keep you posted on our worm-search.

-TheDirt

What Are Priorities?

Hi again!

I have kept my word and organized some bins for separating my recycling. I already had a spot for my pop cans and milk jugs... the stuff I can take to SARCAN and most of the time get some money back into my pocket. However, I have now added containers for paper, cardboard and cans (the kind that have to be opened with a can opener).

Now that I am trying to keep these items out of the garbage I started looking up how I go about actually recycling these items. I have figured out that there are paper and cardboard drop of bins in most mall parking lots and in several locations around the city. Perfect! However, the cans I am not so sure. I found out that Crown Shred & Recycling will take them, but in order for them to pick up your recycling you have to subscribe and pay for it. I don't blame them for charging, I mean, they are providing a service and operating a business and everything but why is it that in 2011 we have to pay to recycle but the city takes care of all of our garbage? Why not make it easier and more streamlined to recycle and have to pay to have your non-recycled stuff taken to the landfill?! Doesn't that make more sense?

Just my thoughts...
- Cooking4two

Baby Steps First!

It can often be overwhelming to start thinking of all of the ways in which we can change our habits in reducing the amount of waste we produce. As the other members of The Food Group and I were discussing possible changes to make to our lifestyles in order to reduce the amount of waste we produce in our households, many ideas started to arise such as canning, recycling, composting and responsible food use. At the end of a long and very productive discussion, we were feeling a little overwhelmed with how we were going to incorporate this into our lifestyle routines and how we were going to "jump" into it. We all agreed that it was important to start with small "baby" steps and work our way up to the types of changes that fit with our household so that the changes will remain permanent. We all agreed that we would start with weighing the amount of garbage we are sending to the landfills every time we change our garbage. I think this is a very appropriate "baby" step that we can all achieve. Stay tuned to find out how much garbage we produce all together and the next steps/changes we will make to reduce our garbage output.

~Homegrown

Garbage Intake

First things first, in order to achieve my goal of reducing my personal garbage intake, I decided to weigh the amount of garbage I collected over a one week period. The garbage bag weighed 12.8 lbs... yikesss. I think it's time to start reducing garbage! In order to start limiting the amount of trash I collect, I decided to reflect on what exactly was being thrown out. Some things I came up with: cat litter, cat food cans, paper towel, price tags, tooth paste containers, cosmetic containers, food wrappers, etc. This does not include kitchen waste. I've decided to start brainstorming ways to reduce the amount of garbage I collect.

Stay tuned!

-Flower Power

On Your Marks, Get Set...

Hello!
Our group has spent some time thinking about different ways that we can personally take control over our own waste. Ideas we thought of included composting, recycling, and responsible food use. I am finding myself really paying attention to everything that is put into our garbage that can actually be recycled! I am feeling a little bit overwhelmed so I think my first step will be organizing bins in my house for all the options of things that we can recycle, labeling them and then showing my husband and trying to get him on board. I really want to start an under the sink compost, but I am now seeing that it would probably be too overwhelming to start changing so many habits at once. I want this change to be a permanent lifestyle change and I think that if I go overboard trying to do too much, I will burn out and stop all of it. My first environmental commitment is to not put anything in the garbage that is able to be recycled in some way.

Wish me luck!
-Cooking4two