Ecofriendly - Limited Dryer Usage

Today is my big laundry day of the week.

I made a commitment on BridgingtheGap.org yesterday to reduce my use of the clothes dryer.


Today was the big test. 


I thought it would be uber time consuming, stressful and frustrating. It was none of those things. I think I ended up fully using the dryer to dry a load of towels and a half load of underwear and socks. I also used the dryer (with a timer) to get the main wrinkles out of my work clothes before hanging them to dry.


I liked this so much I might actually install a clothesline in the basement. My HOA won't allow an outdoor one, but that's no reason to stop me from trying indoors and the basement would be out of the way. Kind of defeats the purpose of having a main floor laundry room, but perhaps, for the benefit of the Earth (and my body), it wouldn't hurt me to traipse up and down the stairs a few times a day. 


I also asked for a clothes drying rack on our Kansas City Freecycle Network. 


I will say, though, that I'm glad it's a Sunday because our schedule is slow. That comes in handy because I have jeans hanging all over the kitchen chairs, blouses hanging on hangers from the handles of the kitchen cabinets, and pajama pants spread out on the kitchen table.  If this were a typical weekday, it would be a little more challenging.


But, all in all, Dryer Reduction Day was a success!

Bridging the Gap

As I was looking for ways to improve on my focus to be environmentally friendly, I happened on an organization called Bridging the Gap. One of the prominent sections of their website asks you to make a pledge to do five green things. Then, once you've registered for the site, you choose your five green things from a list of options. As you complete each green thing, your profile shows your achievements. 

My five? Since I've already accomplished the first few on their list:

• Stop drinking bottled water 
• Use compact fluorescent light bulbs 
• Wash laundry in cold water only 
• Keep thermostat set at 78 summer and 68 winter 
• Recycle plastic, glass and paper

I pledged to do the following:

• Eat one less meat based meal per week 
• Reduce gasoline use by 1/4 
• Drive smoothly/make note on steering wheel 
• Use canvas bags instead of paper or plastic 
• Air dry laundry (I won't be able to air dry it all, but my goal to start will be to reduce our dryer load by at least half)

Bridging the Gap has many resources available on their web page. Throughout the week, I'll try to highlight these resources. 

No more plastic baggies

Today we used the last of a box of plastic baggies. I try to use them over and over again, but it's not convenient and makes me nervous that I don't get them clean enough to use a second time. But, I'm going to try to make it through the rest of the year using NO more plastic baggies.

So, then I'm faced with the dilemma of how to tote around portable foods for lunches, snacks and so forth. Guess I'll use the more easily reusable plastic storage boxes I have. The lunch meat I usually buy comes in these containers. We reuse them for a long time. And when we're done reusing them, we recycle them. I think it's the best we can do for this situation.

Unless you have a better suggestion....and if you do, I'd love to hear it. 

Hoarders and Control

As I watch the A&E Network show, Hoarders, I hear the people who are featured often say something about the fact that they'd get rid of something, but they didn't trust that the recipient would do the right thing with the item (recycle it, appreciate it, sell it for what it is allegedly worth, and so on). Therefore, they can't let go of the control of the item. They have to make sure it is not misappropriated.

No wonder they are in such a pickle!

When I get ready to send something to recycling, or to offer it on the Freecycle network, I occasionally hesitate. Will the person/corporation follow through with the recycling?

Someone once told me that the plastic bag recycling bin at a local grocery store was dumped into the dumpster each evening. I have no way of knowing whether that is true or false, but it gives me pause.

How do we really know if our recycling items make it through the recycling process? 

The Great Furnace Hold Out

Ok. I'll be the first to admit it. It's cold in my house this morning. This year, I decided to try to hold out on turning on the furnace. The goal is to not turn it on until November 1. After all, 65 degrees isn't THAT cold in the house. It's 45 outside and supposed to have a high today of 75, so it'll be warmer when we get home from school and work.

But then, I looked at the week long forecast. Friday and Saturday are supposed to be rainy with highs in the low to mid sixties. We'll see if I make it through the weekend without turning on the furnace.

For sure, we'll try all the tips and tricks for keeping our bodies warm in the winter (layers, extra socks, warm soup for lunch).  But can I stick to my guns when it's cold and damp?  I don't know. I'll keep you posted.


What's the latest date you've turned on a furnace?

Mood Boosters

Recently read an article in the November 1, 2010 volume of Woman's Day magazine. The article author, Deb Wolf, mentioned that she's often grateful, but once in a while she gets stuck in negative thinking. When that happens, she uses the following five mood boosters to get her thinking in a more positive direction. Loved this idea because we're not always in a positive state of mind. We need an attitude adjustment! Ms. Wolf recommends the following:

• Pause - Quieting myself and focusing on some small task, like listening to a song I love -- in effect, pushing the Pause button - helps me let go of negative feelings. By the time I'm done, my mind has moved on to more pleasant thoughts.
• Appreciate - I take a moment to run through my list of blessings: my husband, my children, my good friends and my grandkids. It puts everything into perspective
• Write - When I'm upset of angry I occasionally write about it to clarify my thinking. I just make sure to shred anything I want to keep personal.
• Play - It's impossible for me to stay in a bad mood when I'm playing with my dog, Chloe. She always makes me laugh.
• Pray - At times, I need to call on a more powerful source. That's when I rely on my faith and prayer. Trusting that God is greater than any problem I'm facing is reason enough to be to be positive. 

Woman's Day magazine

November 1, 2010 issue, p. 37

The Green Connection to Gratitude

I've been thinking deeply about how the topics of my blog really relate to each other. I stumbled on this idea:


If you're grateful for what you have, and it's enough, then rampant materialism (and over-consumption of goods) loses its power. When I'm grateful for the things I own, and I find ways to use them over and over, with gratitude, then I'm not adding more "stuff" to my life that will one day fester in a landfill. 


It's a big idea. Powerful. And just the right idea to hold dear as I launch into the day. 

Recycled Holiday Lights

Love the idea of recycling holiday lights. 


http://www.recycleminnesota.org/

Wonder what they do with them?

REFUSE plastic

Something to think about:

http://plasticpollutioncoalition.org/2010/10/refuse-not-recycle/

One of my goals is to limit my packaging. In this modern day, that's not as easy as it sounds. I used to assuage my guilt with the idea that I'd recycle as much as possible of my packaging. Apparently that may not be enough. 

Freecycle

Freecycle.org became one of my favorite things about six years ago. At the time, I was newly divorced, on a strict budget, and environmentally conscious. When I first joined the Freecycle network in Kansas City, I did so to find clothing for my kids (without spending hours and hours scouring garage sales), and to have an outlet for those items I just didn't know what to do with (50 egg cartons, for example).

In those first few years, we were the recipients of numerous bags of boys' clothes, a woman's bicycle, a 4' deep 18' diameter swimming pool, and camping supplies. More recently, when our television croaked, the boys' first thought was, "Let's see if there's one on Freecycle," and there was!

Over the years, I have used Freecycle to give away far more than I've brought into my home, but using the network has become part of the culture of our house. When we clean out a room, organize the garage or end up with stuff we don't know what to do with...our first answer is, "Let's List it on Freecycle." Nine times out of ten, someone in our Kansas City Freecycle network will take and reuse the item that we're offering. 

It's important to note that Freecycle is not a need based organization. No sob stories are required. Its primary purpose is to keep usable items out of landfills. 

If we're going to save the Earth, then we must try to Reduce Reuse and Recycle. 

Freecycle.org is an excellent source for reusing items. 

Give it a try!

Ecycler.com

Ecycler.com has the potential to bring recyclers and recyclables together.
What do you think? Would you use this kind of service?


From ecycler.com:

Ecycler has discarders and collectors. The discarders are those who give away recyclables and the collectors are those who pick them up from a business or house and then sell them to their local recyclable buyer.

If you have items to recycle (you are a discarder), follow these steps:

• Fill up a can or bag with one type of recyclable 
• Go to ecycler.com and pick a collector 
• After establishing when they will pick up the recyclables, put them outside 

If you'd like to collect recyclables:

• Register at ecycler.com and wait for discarders to contact you or start advertising yourself locally 
• Check ecycler.com or your e-mail for requests to pick up recyclables and accept 
• Go to their house and pick up the recyclables
• Take the recyclables to a recycling facility

Turning Problems into Gifts

Final installment today on my personal reflection on the following quote:

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.

It turns what we have into enough, and more.

It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity.

It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing.

~Melody Beattie

Gratitude turns problems into gifts. When you realize that all the things that happen in your life are leading you to where you are meant to be, the problems and obstacles that crop up seem like gifts that prevent you from landing in the wrong place and keep you on the track toward the life you were meant to have. It definitely takes hindsight to see the "gift" in the event, though.

Four years ago, I thought I had found the perfect job! Everything seemed to be lining up perfectly for that job to drop in my lap. Then, one single solitary event knocked that job out of reach. At first, I was devastated. My dream job had just evaporated. I was whining to a friend, and she said, "How do you know that was your dream job? Maybe there's something better that is just meant for you around the corner...." That very day, I applied for a similar job in a different location, and although it seemed that all the cards were stacked against me being the candidate selected, by the next week, I had been offered the job! Turns out, it was one of the best moves of my career.

When I think about viewing failures as success, I think of Thomas Edison's quote:

I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.

Edison knew that each failure was like a successful elimination of an option. Life is like that too. When we fail, we have now narrowed down the options of what will work by one. When faced with an array of 100 options to solve a problem, and one option fails, we can celebrate and be grateful for the fact that now there are only 99 left to try!

And when I think of the unexpected leading to the perfect timing, I think of when I bought my current house. I had been offered the job (see above) and needed to move. My former house had an offer on it, but I needed a place to move to. The house I am in now had been listed $25,000 above my budget limit. I had glanced at it online but had eliminated it from my search. One Sunday morning, at a coffee shop with a friend, we decided to look to see if anything new had been listed. This house had come down in price by $25,000. I called my realtor and made an appointment to see the house. Within three weeks, I had viewed the house, made an offer, had an inspection, and settled on a closing date that worked with the closing date on the sale of my former home.

I love this house and even four years later, when I pull in the driveway, I'm so grateful that I was able to purchase it. All because of unexpected timing!

Missed opportunity

Yesterday, I had a missed opportunity....

Today, it's still bothering me. 


I went to the gas station to buy a coffee to enjoy at the boys' karate promotion. Anyone who has been to a karate promotion knows that sometimes it's important to have something to drink as they can last a while!


The cashier started to ring me up...and asked, "For her, too?" and nodded at the girl behind me in line. And, I said, "No."

Wish I had said yes. The girl had a small soda. I could have easily paid for it in a "pay it forward" kind of way. Didn't. Wish I had.  Would have been an easy way to make the world a better place. 


In a neighboring town, each holiday season, there's a coffee shop that has customers that start paying it forward around Thanksgiving. They pay for their drink and the person behind them in the line (or the drive-thru). I'd like to see this kind of generosity in our lives throughout the year. 


Hopefully, next time I'm in line, I can find a way to pay it forward. 


Let it begin with me.

Homemade salsa

When I started to winterize the garden today, I found a couple of surprises: a bunch of ripe tomatoes, a couple jalapenos (thought we had NONE, but found two today), and a couple more pumpkins that are still maturing. 


So, the winterizing didn't happen, but homemade salsa will! I usually make chunky salsa, but the kids have requested salsa like they have at our neighborhood Mexican restaurant which is more like a smooth salsa. So...


I'm going to try this recipe from Allrecipes.com except that I will use fresh tomatoes from the garden and will definitely add some garlic. 

Easy Blender Salsa

By: KELLYDP 

"My family begs me to make this during football season, with or without company coming over. It's so easy to make, that I don't mind. Use caution with the jalapeno pepper, however. I recommend using kitchen or disposable gloves. These amounts are the flavor my family likes, but you can use less or more jalapeno pepper depending on your tastes."

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What to Drink?
	Sauvignon Blanc
	Cuervo Especial Oasis
	Beer

Prep Time:
15 Min

Ready In:
45 Min

Servings  (Help)

USMetricCalculate

Original Recipe Yield 28 servings

Ingredients

• 2 (14.4 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
• 1 jalapeno chile, seeds and ribs removed
• 1/2 yellow onion, quartered
• 1/2 bunch cilantro leaves
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste
• salt to taste

Directions

1. Pour 1 can of tomatoes into a blender, and add the jalapeno pepper, onion, cilantro leaves, lemon juice, and salt. Blend until fairly smooth. Pour in the second can of tomatoes and blend briefly. Adjust seasonings to taste by adding more lemon juice and salt. Let the salsa rest for 1/2 hour before serving to allow the flavors to blend.

Nutritional Information 

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 7 | Total Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 0mg

In the reviews of this recipe, some people have indicated that they have had success freezing salsa. I've never tried such a thing, but might do a small test batch with this recipe.

Have you ever frozen something like salsa?