Happy Earth Day!

It being Earth Day today, I thought it was a good time to reflect on some of the changes Dan & I have made in the past year to try to make our lives more 'sustainable' and lower impact - particularly in the area of food - and to think about some things that we could do to improve in the coming year. Some are obvious, like using reusable grocery bags, some less so.



Reduce

• Buying at Farmers Market means much less packaging around products - often none at all
  
• Meal planning has helped ensure we buy only what we need and use what we buy
  
• Making meals with extras for leftovers, so we have food for lunches and don't buy food in styrofoam or plastic packaging
  
• Draining things like bacon in a sieve over a bowl, rather than using paper towels
  
• At work, using a ceramic coffee mug, a water bottle, plate and bowl, and metal silverware, to avoid using paper cups, plates, or plastic silverware.
  
• Drinking tap water, rather than filtered or bottled, given that Seattle tap is regarded as one of the cleanest municipal water sources in the world, and may actually be cleaner than bottled water
  
• Hooking our microwave up to a power strip, so we can turn it off completely when it's not in use - saving a little electricity that would be wasted powering the clock
  

Reuse

• Using reusable cloth grocery bags - our favorites are some rugged ones we got from Uwajimaya, which even have a built in change purse
  
• Using cotton produce bags, instead of those plastic ones
  
• Putting leftovers and storing foods in sturdy, reusable plastic storage containers, instead of ziploc bags
  
• Using cloth napkins - even when we entertain
  
• Using sponges and rags, instead of paper towels
  
• Using silicone baking mat for baking cookies, instead of parchment paper
  
• Using silicone muffin cups to do away with the need for paper liners
  
• When we have extra of ingredients like fruit, veggies, and meat, we freeze it and work to include those ingredients in upcoming meals - including the bones from meat that I later use for stocks
  

Recycle

• Switching to sparkling water in aluminum cans - far more recyclable than plastic (and one of the few recyclables you can still get cash for!)
  
• Using our countertop composter
  
• Putting our worm bin to work creating rich compost
  
• Using recycled paper toilet tissue
  
• Recycling everything we can - which in Seattle is damn near everything, thanks to a robust recycling, compost, and yard waste program in the city that accepts everything from jar lids to chicken bones
  

Less Toxins

• Non-chlorine bleach
  
• Biodegradable dishwashing soap
  
• Simple Green spray cleaner
  
• Citrus oil air freshener that uses compressed air, not chemical propellants
  

Next steps

• Getting a more functional compost bin, so that the compost converts faster
  
• Getting more plastic storage containers and using them for all all our food storage needs, to try to eliminate any reliance on ziploc bags
  
• As we run out of various cleaners, soaps, and shampoo, continuing to replace them with biodegradable alternatives
  
• Growing more of our own food next season - which is already starting to sprout!
  
• Raising chickens for eggs and natural, nitrogen rich compost - someday
  
• Capturing rainwater for watering plants using a rain barrel