My own backyard oracle

MARGERIE - My backyard compost bin, not to be confused with a big black silo.

I can remember watching Fraggle Rock when I was a kid. I loved Margerie the trash heap oracle. My mom had a compost pile in the back yard that we lovingly named Margerie, after the wise advisor. When I left for college in 1987 Margerie was but a fond memory. I lived in the greater Washington DC area, and we did not have a compost pile. I did not realize then how hip my mom was - quite ahead of the curve. It was not until 1996, when I attended graduate school in Switzerland that I encountered another compost. I lived in an 8 story apartment building in Basel and there was a compost area in the back garden that all residents could share.

I was amazed at how little trash my roommate and I accumulated. We were keenly aware of this because the Swiss collect their trash collection taxes from the sales of their state trash bags. So, in order to get your trash picked up at your doorstep, you must purchase trash bags with the official state seal. These are more costly than plain trash bags - which encourages you to produce less waste. BRILLIANT!

We only bought the small trash bags, which are about half the size of a typical American kitchen trash bag. We put out one of these small bags a month. All of our fruit and veggie scraps would go to the compost and all of our bottles, cans and paper would be recycled. I am not sure if there was less packaging in Europe, or if I was just too broke to buy items that have packaging. My purchases mainly consisted of food, beverage and train tickets.

Now that I am living in the Boston area and trying to live as sustainable as possible, I have installed a compost bin in my backyard. For those of you that do not have yard space, there are some great indoor compost options to explore, like these from Nature Mill.

And check out this info supplied by Nature Mill:

The Biodegradable Irony

Food and paper decompose by themselves in nature. They are, however, the two largest components in landfills, accounting for nearly 50% of all municipal solid waste. There is more food and paper in landfills than diapers, styrofoam, and tires — combined. According to the US EPA, food waste is the #1 least recycled material.

Landfills are layered deep and saturated with water. No oxygen can penetrate. As a result, even "biodegradable" waste will remain embalmed for centuries to come. Landfills produce methane, a harmful greenhouse gas 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide (according to the US EPA), and leach toxic chemicals into our air and drinking water.

Check your local city hall to see if they sell compost bins - or visit Boston Building Materials Coop, located at 100 Terrace Street in Roxbury (near Roxbury Community College). If you don't have a car or can't travel to Roxbury, a great on-line store to visit is The Alternative Energy Store. Have fun greening your home!

Citizen Democracy; taking action

MY NEIGHBORHOOD - before taking action
(The trash bag is what I used to collect all of the trash)

The more I learn, the less I know. This is part of the curse of working on Down:2:Earth. I keep learning about more issues that inspire me to change. And change is something we humans don't do so easily. As I have said on earlier posts, I have found that I am better off focusing on one change at a time. If I try to take on too many at once, I get overwhelmed.

So now I am finally reading Diet for a Small Planet by Frances Moore Lappe, who was one of our keynote speakers from D2E 2008. One of the topics she brings up is Citizen Democracy. At first, this sounded like a weight on my shoulders. I thought that she was going to convince me I have to get involved with a political campaign. But as I read on, I was relieved to learn that though she is talking about action, she encourages us all to find our own form of action. I have never been good at following directions, so when someone inspires me to find my own direction I am much more responsive.

I love that she outright said "stop complaining". This inspired me to get up early and walk my neighborhood with a trash bag. For the past few weeks I had been complaining about the litter that was left behind from one of our local church festivals. After one morning of work the litter is gone, and I don't get upset when I take Lucy for her walks. Of course, I am also thinking that though this was a great initial venture into Citizen Democracy, there is more in store for me.


LUCY JOINS ME AS WE FINISH UP OUR CLEANING MISSION

Mom Hint: Farmer's Markets are Cool

Warning: This is a warm-and-fuzzy blog entry.

While visiting friends in San Francisco we went to their local farmers market. (Note: We drove in their spiffy hybrid. Quite a different experience from Ted's truck.) This is a great way to get a taste of the local culture while also helping your friends with one of their weekly chores. I have been shopping at farmers markets since my mom introduced me to the concept while growing up in Portsmouth NH. As an adult I have come to realize that the beauty of going to the farmers market goes far beyond the healthy and delicious food that you bring home for your family. You get to meet the farmers and their families, generally they are outdoors, the selections change each week and there are often other cool vendors or street performers to add to the flavor of the event.

Reasons to shop at the Farmer's Market:
1. Mom says so!
2. The food is fresh and delicious (healthy).
3. You are supporting your local farmers.
4. You can talk to the farmers about organic produce and pesticide use.
5. You will likely have fun while shopping.

Below are a few photos from the market - and our most excellent meal that followed.

Mom Hint: From Lint to Flint

I have learned a lot from my Mom over the years so as we approach Mother's Day it seems appropriate to pass on one of her great tips. When home for Easter I pulled a college stunt and brought some laundry home. I try not to revert to old habits, but my schedule was so dang busy in the month before D2E, it was hard for me to do my household chores. So I brought home a load of laundry, making my Easter feast a two-fer (and giving my brother a chance to heckle me).

While doing my laundry I noticed that my Mom had a ziplock bag with laundry lint from the dryer. This seemed odd, and I wondered if she had found a way to recycle it.

Mom hint #1: Use dryer lint to help start your camp fire.

Yup, my Mom's pretty cool. She recycles and she camps.