Earth Day

Today is Earth Day! And these things are things I am going to TRY to consciously start doing :)

1. Bring my own bags to the grocery store. (NOT using paper or plastic) I have a ton of those recycled and cloth bags that I desperately need to start remembering to bring in the store with me!


2. Recycle alluminum cans! Don't throw them in the trash! Why?

The development of the can originated around the early 1800s. However, the use of aluminum in beverage containers did not debut until 1965. The aluminum can is the most valuable beverage container to recycle. By doing so, its recycling provides environmental and economic benefits to communities and organizations across the country.


3. When we get in our house in Charlie I plan on starting a compost pit/pile.

The how to on composting:

Start with a layer of chopped leaves, grass clippings and kitchen waste like banana peels, eggshells, old lettuce leaves, apple cores, coffee grounds, and whatever else is available. Keep adding materials until you have a six-inch layer, then cover it with three to six inches of soil, manure, or finished compost.

The two basic elements that make up compost are green garden debris (grass clippings or old annuals) and brown garden derbis (dry leaves). Green ingredients are high in nitrogen and brown materials are high in carbon. Adding too many greens can make the pile smell bad. Do not add animal waste, meats, oils, dairy, diseased plants, weeds that have gone to seed, or plants treated with pesticides or herbicides to your compost.

Compost piles with a balance of one part green to two part brown materials break down fastest.

Compost also needs the correct amount of moisture to breakdown. Compost with the right moisture level should feel like a damp, wrung-out sponge. Too much moisture can cause temperatures to fall within the pile (and make it smell). Too little moisture slows down the decomposition rate and keeps the pile from heating up.Check your compost pile's moisture level once a week and adjust it if necessary by adding water to increase moisture or more browns to help dry the pile out.

Turn the pile once a week.

You should have finished compost in about two months. You'll know your compost is finished when it no longer heats up and you can't identify any of the original materials. The compost should be dark brown, moist and earthy smelling. Dig finished compost into your garden's soil. You can use partially composted material as mulch.




I know I could do a lot more but this is a start. Find a way that you can save the environment!