Easy Eco Blog » Kitchen

Losing Weight During the Holidays, Diet vs Exercise and Walkstation – Multitask – Fight Obesity, Exercise while Working

easy eco blog — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 07:00:39 +0000

The holidays are here! The media has reported that the average person gains 7 to 10 pounds between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Ouch. Big dinners, more alcohol, more snacks, more finger foods, tempting desserts, and appetizers. How can we work to combat those pounds?

Exercise and keep going. Do not abandon your exercise routine during the holidays. Work out longer or just start to exercise. Shoot for 30-45 minutes, three to five times a week. Having someone push you to exercise works.

A recent Time Magazine article raised eyebrows with the proclamation “Why Exercise Won’t Make you Thin”. The article sums it up with: “In short, it’s what you eat, not how hard you try to work it off, that matters more in losing weight. You should exercise to improve your health, but be warned: fiery spurts of vigorous exercise could lead to weight gain”

So we need to focus on eating less and eating right.

1) Fill up your stomach with low calorie healthy foods including fruits and vegetables. Shoot for 7 servings or more a day. Fill up BEFORE you head to a party.

2) Avoid areas with temptations. Do not hang out by the buffet table or dining table.

3) Splurge on that fatty item, but limit it. Be a picky eater, do not waste your calories on items that are not worth it.

4) Drink low calorie drinks that will fill you up. Mineral water anyone?

5) Use a small plate, avoid sauces, load up on low cal salads, and focus on socializing not eating.

6) Visualize the party or holiday dinner ahead of time, and think about how you are going to attack the situation.

7) Learn to override your cravings. A thought is just a thought that doesn’t require a rush to action. Think before you put something in your mouth. Will putting this item in your mouth make you that much happier.

Drinking cold water helps the body burn more calories, so skip all those calorie filled drinks.

Get a dog? Average dog owners exercise up to 6 hours more a week than those who work out at a gym. Beware, some dog owners are obese and typically mirror the appearance of their dogs.

Walkstation – Multitask – Fight Obesity, Exercise while Working

Details from Steelcase just introduce the new $4199 Walkstation.

“The Walkstation is the combination of a fully integrated electric Height-Adjustable Work surface with an exclusively engineered, low speed commercial grade treadmill. At a maximum speed of 2mph the Walkstation lets you walk comfortably, burn calories, feel healthier and more energized…all while accomplishing the work you’d normally do while seated.”

Multitask! Fight obesity, improve your health, and exercise while Working. Or spend more time working and less time outside the office.

Somehow this product reminds us of this:

photo credit: lorda

Green EcoMill Treadmill

Woodway has a new EcoMill green manually powered treadmill that uses zero electricity. It has a battery that recharges as the user exercises. Many treadmills uses almost 1000 watts of power. Wow, that is one major step forward.

These guys even make a Desk Mill Desk Treadmill

Eco Friendly or Green Kitchen Cabinets

easy eco blog — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 07:00:24 +0000

Here are some of the attributes we looked for when selecting eco friend kitchen cabinets earlier this year:

FSC certified Wood or wood from a responsibly farm source. I actually spoke to the wood mill to understand where our wood was coming from. Lyptus and Bamboo are rapidly making in roads.
Water based finish to minimize VOC emissions. There were issues on finish durability in the past, but quality seems to have improved.
Water based glues to minimize VOC emissions.
Marine grade plywood or non MDF Medium Density Fiberboard particle board cabinet box. Also to prevent off-gassing emissions from formaldehyde, etc. Interlam and Topan make MDF without formaldehyde.
As local as possible a supplier to minimize transport costs and fuel use.

We also relocated many of our old cabinets to our kitchen and donated everything else for use in a local church.

Some cabinets including mines are KCMA certified, but frankly their rules are not very aggressive in the area of eco friendliness. (Emissions etc) It is more of a cabinet industry association.

When we began our search in early 2007, we were educating stores on what green cabinetry was. The main sources used to be boutique local small craftsmen shops. Today, we see firms advertising ‘Green’ cabinets. HGTV has a video on this are.

Also considered cabinet refacing. You replace the doors and a veneer is placed over your existing cabinets. This is much cheaper than replacing the cabinets. New drawer pulls and handles will also update your kitchen’s look. You will reuse the ‘guts’ of your cabinets, so they need to be in good shape for this option. Some companies have options to also replace drawers.

Eco Friendly, Green Coconut Palm Wood

Coconut Palm wood is an eco friendly and green flooring alternative to bamboo. It is a by product of coconut production and has even received FSC certification.

Smith and Fong makes palmwood flooring and palmwood plywood. We have flooring from this company and find it top rate.

When installing flooring, try to avoid gluing it down if possible. If you need to use glue, use a low or no VOC glue.

Growing Bamboo

Wouldn’t it be interesting to have bamboo in your backyard? It is environmentally friendly, grows fast, and can make for a nice property line wall. You can also use it for other projects. I did some research that made me realize that it is more than most people can handle.

The problem is that bamboo spreads relentlessly, is almost indestructible, and its roots are like steel. People have to setup physical barriers like metal flashing to prevent its spread. I think I’ll stick to bamboo flooring..

Fireclay Tile – Recycled materials and Sustainable manufacturing

Fireclay Tile is a tile company that utilizes Recycled materials and Sustainable manufacturing to produce high-quality ceramic and glass tile. They are based in based in San Jose, CA and make most products in the USA.

They recycle everything from glass bottles to porcelain toilets, vanities, and bathtubs are recycled into beautiful ceramic tile. They use a lead-free glaze and proved that recycled does not mean you have to compromise on aesthetics.

PG&E Energy Efficiency Rebates

easy eco blog — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 07:00:41 +0000

New PG&E rebates have been added for 2012.

Our local utility Pacific Gas and Electric – PG&E has cash rebates and ways to go green and save money. Here are some PG&E Energy Efficiency Rebates:

PG&E Energy efficient appliance $50 rebate – Qualifying Clothes Washers, Dishwashers, Room Air Conditioners, Water heaters – Expires December 31, 2012
$35 back on Refrigerator or Freezer recycling, $25 on old Air conditioners
Solar Energy rebates
Up to $500 for Attic and Wall Insulation
Up to $200 per 1000 sq ft of a Cool roof
Up to $300 for Energy-Efficient Natural Gas Furnace
$50 for Energy-Efficient Variable Speed Motor Air Handler System
Up to $100 on Whole House Fan, up to $200 on Duct Sealing. Expires December 31, 2012
Upto $100 on Variable speed pool pumps and motors. Expires December 31, 2012
Home lighting – Discounted Home Lights

You can even submit PG&E Energy Efficiency Rebates requests online and then send in proof of purchase. Questions about PG&E Energy Efficiency Rebates, call 1-800-933-9555.

If you live in California, be sure to check out the up to $8000 Energy Upgrade California Energy Efficiency Rebate

Always check your local utility’s web site for rebates before you buy a new item. We recently bought a new dishwasher that had a $50 utility company rebate that was not advertised by the store. They fulfilled the rebate in only 2 weeks. Green your home and get cash back. Most rebates run through December 31 or while funding is available.

You can also call PG&E and ask for a Smart Home Rebate Booklet or check out their Flex your power website.

Federal Energy Efficiency Tax Credit

Be sure to also take advantage of the Federal Energy Efficiency Tax Credit. This Federal tax credit can save you money in addition to your utility companies’ promotions. It applies to many items including: Windows, Doors, Skylights – Wood Heat Stoves, Pellet Stoves, Fireplace Inserts – Energy Efficient Water Heaters – Solar panels.

Purcell Murray distributes appliances in California and has Bosch rebates, Thermador rebates, and rebates for other brands.

Plug in Electric Vehicle Discounts

Pacific Gas & Electric has a new E-9 rate plan for plug in electric vehicle or electric car owners. A second power meter may need to be installed for households in which their plug-in electric vehicle charging significantly impacts their daily energy usage.

Additional Resources for more information

Read our article: Ways to Save Energy, Money on your Energy Bill – It is full of tips to save you money.

Interested in Solar? Read our article Are Solar Panels for Me?

Other Power Utility Company Rebates

For Northern California Energy Rebates see: PG&E Energy Efficiency Rebates
For Southern California see: SCE Rebates or Southern California Edison Rebate for Energy Efficiency
For San Diego see: SDGE Rebates, SDG&E, or San Diego Gas and Electric Rebate for Energy Efficiency
Energy Efficiency Rebates for other locations.

PG&E Energy Partners Program – Free Products

PG&E has an Energy Partners Program that provides income-qualified customers free energy education, weatherization measures and energy-efficient appliances to reduce gas and electric usage.

They provide:

Attic insulation
Caulking
CFLs
Door weather-stripping
Energy-saver showerhead
Minor home repair
Water heater blanket

Free Education and Assessment, Installation and Delivery, and Free Inspections.

You can contact them at 1-800-933-9555

PG&E Energy Efficient Rebates are another way to save money.

Also read: Save Energy and money on your energy bill.

Clorox Green Works Household Cleaner, Method, Seventh Generation – ultra Concentrated Laundry Detergent

easy eco blog — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 07:00:12 +0000

Clorox has made a big splash with the Green Works like of green cleaning products. They are the green categories’ sales leader.

How green is the their Natural All-Purpose Cleaner? They claim 99% all natural ingredients. MSDS sheet shows only hazardous ingredients as Alkyl polyglucoside (lowers water surface tension, enabling chemicals to spread and penetrate easily) and Ethyl alcohol. Clorox has said their alkyl polyglucoside comes from coconut oil.

According to Treehugger – “Preservative (Kathon) and colorant (Milliken Liquitint Blue HP dye and Bright Yellow dye X); — make up the circa 1% of the non-”natural” petroleum-derived portion of the cleaners (though Clorox says Kathon will biodegrade within 28 days.”

Kathon is not so harmless MSDS lists – “Irritating to skin. Risk of serious damage to eyes.May cause sensitization by skin contact. Harmful to aquatic organisms, may cause long term adverse effects in the aquatic environment.”

A similar Method cleaner’s ingredients shows soda ash and potassium hydrate (corrosive lye). You have to email them for MSDS sheets. Hmm.
The MSDS sheet does not list any hazardous ingredients. CHEMICAL FORMULA listed as “Proprietary Mixture”

Seventh Generation All purpose cleaner has 0.05% of the non natural preservative hexahydro-1,3,5-tris (2-hydroxyethyl)-s-triazine. The company is aware that this is not good for the environment and is looking for an alternative by the end of 2008. According to them “None of the preservatives we are testing at this time are natural because no natural preservative we have evaluated is safe and effective in our products.” MSDS

As we have seen there is no free lunch, tradeoffs are all over. Green Works is far better than the non ‘green’ cleaners that have 95% market share and it is distributed in main stream grocery stores where the masses can buy it instead of more toxic alternatives.

You could roll your own green cleaning solution with vinegar, baking soda, lemon juice, etc, if you are so inclined. Which most are unfortunately not.

Bottom line, I’d choose Green Works if I could not purchase Method or Seventh Generation.

Amazon carries brands like Method and has free shipping, so do not sweat over local availability. Method has soap, floor cleaner, shower spray, tube and tile cleaner, toilet bowl cleaner, laundry detergent, fabric softener, and more.

New Recyclable Cardboard Bottle

An innovative, new Recyclable Cardboard Bottle from Ecologic Brands is being used by Seventh Generation in their concentrated liquid detergent. The bottle this made from recycled newspaper and cardboard, a slim inner plastic pouch holds the liquid. You can wash the plastic pouch and recycle it like any #4 plastic. Their pouch uses up to 70% less plastic and the outer shell can be recycled or composted. Let’s hope more products use innovative packaging like this.

method ultra Concentrated Laundry Detergent – 8x

method ultra Concentrated Laundry Detergent is now available. The 20 ounce bottle is good for 50 loads of laundry. Smaller bottle = less cost, less 50% post-consumer recycled plastic, less fuel burned in shipment. They claim a 35% smaller carbon footprint than conventional 2x concentrated detergent. Dye-free, hypo-allergenic, and 95% plant based formula helps make it more green. method is open about the ingredients it uses, no need to do sleuthing to find the MSDS documents. The bottle is even recyclable. It is the world’s first Cradle to Cradle certified laundry detergent.

Method O Mop All Floor Cleaning kit

Method has a new O Mop All Floor care kit with compostable sweeper clothes and lemon-ginger all floor cleaner, $32.99 from Amazon. Ergonomic mop, corn-based sweeping clothes, reusable microfiber mop pad.

Got a Swifter? You could probably buy their $18 compostable, corn-derived sweeper dusters and use it with it. No need to buy the whole kit. You then have a more eco friendly alternative in duster clothes.

Heavy Metals in Protein Drinks – Arsenic, Fungicide in Juice

easy eco blog — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 07:00:01 +0000

photo credit: d_vdm

Consumerreports.org reports that some Protein Drinks like Muscle milk are contaminated with heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury.

“Our recent investigation—including tests at an outside laboratory of 15 protein drinks, a review of government documents and interviews with health and fitness experts—found that most people already get enough protein, and some of the drinks can pose health risks, including exposure to potentially harmful heavy metals if consumed frequently.”

Federal regulations do not generally require that these protein drinks and other dietary supplements be tested to ensure that they are safe and free of contaminants.

Cadmium is a carcinogen, lead is a toxic, as are the other contaminates.

Be careful and read up on the dangers, if you regularly drink these protein drinks.

Heavy Metals in Juice

They also conducted tests in 2011 on several samples of juice and found that several contained arsenic levels higher than Federal limits for bottled water. Lead Arsenate pesticides were once widely used in orchards, so residue is probably causing the issue.

Recommendation is to minimize the amount of juice drunken and to dilute it with water whenever possible.

Fungicide in Juice

Orange Juice from Coca-Cola and PepsiCo were recently found to have the fungicide carbendazim. They were imported from Brazil. The EPA approved this chemical for orange use from 2002 to 2009. The companies claim the level of fungicide was safe. We would steer clear of this juice ourselves.

Installing Granite Countertops

easy eco blog — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 07:00:21 +0000

Granite counter tops are desirable upgrades for many remodeling their kitchen. We investigated green, eco friendly alternatives like Icestone, Vetrazzo, Richlite, Paperstone but did not find any finishes to our liking. Also the price for the granite we liked was less that all these. We could buy granite and donate the extra money to charity or carbon offsets. We tried to buy granite that was from more responsible countries, so we excluded China, India, Iran. We tried to buy ‘local’ American but only a salt and pepper color was available.

We are installing granite countertops and I needed to find an alternative to the epoxy that they use to glue the granite to the plywood put on top of our kitchen cabinets. We were looking for Zero VOC or no VOC or low VOCs in adhesives and finishes.

I found Greenchoice Titebond Heavy Duty Construction Adhesive with a low 6.6g/L of VOC’s or volatile organic compounds. No oils to discolor items. At $3.19, it was not too costly. Alternates I found had up 47 g/L or more VOC’s. My installer wanted to use epoxy, which is a commonly used adhesive.

Another possible adhesive Liquid Nails for marble and granite has even more VOCs at 115 g/L!

Pro Spec B150 is the epoxy adhesive alternative. It does not have VOCs but does have BPA as an ingredient. So the trade off in using it is not clear cut. Accept some VOCs or go for no VOCs with some ingredients not being too healthy. At least the epoxy stays underneath and is not exposed.

Well we tried epoxy on a large section and after wards, the smell was so bad we had to leave the house for 6 hours. Be warned that that the fumes are overwhelming. Once past this initial phase, air quality is fine. Someday a water or soy based adhesive will be available.

Indoor air quality is an important part of being Green as it affects you directly.

Some possible alternatives to epoxy:

Geocel 3500 Tile Adhesive Sealant at 0.09 g/l VOC (May need to clamp it after installation for a couple days)

Make sure you seal your granite counter tops with a water based sealer like low voc Aqua Mix Sealer’s Choice Gold. (4% voc)

Alternative to granite countertops, Concrete countertops

American builders have recently welcomed making concrete countertops at their home sites, reducing costs, and creating a new green building technology. An average 50 square feet granite countertop costs around $2000, with a comparable concrete countertop costing around $1100.

Be sure to check out our post on Radioactive countertops

Also consider a recycled tile backsplash to add some color to your kitchen or bathroom. You can install this directly on the wall when mounted on a removable board.

Green Eco Friendly Turkey Fryer for Thanksgiving

easy eco blog — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 07:00:47 +0000

Fried Turkey tastes great but generates a ton of used grease that must be disposed of properly. A typical turkey fryer uses 3 gallons of oil. You should recycle the used oil and not toss it in the garbage, but few people do that. The fryer should never be used indoors, even if it is raining or snowing outside. There is also a flash fire safety issue, not to mention healthiness issues on a day that most of us overeat. Just check out this video..

Char-Broil The Big Easy Oil-Less Infrared Turkey Fryer does not have the problem because it uses Infrared cooking technology. It is able to cook turkeys (up to 16 lbs.), chickens, beef roasts, pork tenderloins, and other large cuts of meat. The Big Easy allows for the use of rubs and seasoning flavor to be used on the outside, which can wash away with traditional turkey fryers, so there is the potential of even better flavor.

This unit does require a propane tank though.

Winter Green Pest Control – Ants, Organic Pesticides

easy eco blog — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 07:00:00 +0000

Winter time brings on the bugs, seemingly at the same time every year. The ants in our area seem to love to visit our kitchen when the first heavy rains hit. Almost everyone has to deal with pests. Whether indoor or outdoors, we need to think about eco friendly, green alternatives to toxic pesticides.

Finding Where Ants are Coming From

We try to first watch where the ants are coming from, then plug the holes with caulk. Unfortunately these pests came come through holes slightly larger than a pin size, so that strategy works up to a point. Also examine the perimeter of your house. Make sure all branches and plants are not touching your building.

Keeping food in sealed containers, the tables and counters free of any crumbs, and the kitchen immaculate also helps. Place sweet items like sugar, candy, syrup inside Ziploc plastic bags. If you have some problem prone areas, you may have to rearrange her kitchen during the peak insect infestation season.

Be sure to check plants for insects. They love the moisture in the soil. You may need to mix the soil with the insecticide to prevent ants growing in your plants. We have also found leaving the plant outside in the cold for a couple hours, drives the ants away.

Green Pesticides

We also use Orange Guard, which is d-Limonene (orange peel extract) based to keep ants away. Spray and leave it on for a while to soak in and deter other ants from coming back. This spray helps remove the pheromone trails that ants leave.

Safer Ant & Crawling Insect Killer is another product we use. It contains diatomaceous earth (77.69%). Diatomaceous earth consists of fossilized remains of diatoms, a type of hard-shelled algae. OMRI-listed and compliant for use in organic gardening. We dust the cracks where ants may come out of with this stuff. It also works on Cockroaches, Ants, Earwigs, Silverfish, Crickets, Millipedes & Centipedes. Avoid inhaling this stuff.

You can make your own ant traps by combining 1/4 cup sugar with 1 tablespoon of borax. Sprinkle it in ant infested areas. Ants will take this mix back to the nest and slowly eradicate it. Be patient and do not move the trap around, as it takes several days for this to occur.

You can also sprinkle baking soda, talcum powder or food-grade diatomaceous earth (not swimming pool quality) in areas where ants are active, and also in any cracks, crevices, or wall openings. Vinegar or bleach can be sprayed on ant trails.

EcoPCO ACU contact insecticide is another eco-friendly insecticide. It is made from plant essential oils.

Niban, moisture-resistant, fine granular bait made of Boric acid, is a good product for ants and silverfish control.

Greenbug for Outdoors is a good cedar-based outdoor product to spray on your foundation.

Other Green Tips For Ant Problems

This website has a good list of eco-friendly or green insecticides. Others have suggested using coffee grounds, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, laundry detergent, cornstarch, or Vaseline.

Food Flu Fighters – Vitamin Benefits? – Natural Cold Care, Sambucus

easy eco blog — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 07:00:23 +0000

It is getting colder by the day, which means the cold and flu season approaching rapidly. People are stocking their medicine cabinets with vitamins, medicine, and other cold remedies. Hand washing is happening much more frequently, as is the use of hand sanitizers, and the avoidance of crowded spaces. We will examine some remedies that you may not have considered.

Vitamins and Dietary Supplements

Vitamins and other dietary supplements may not offer health benefits and may even cause harm to some people. Recent data has prompted people to conclude that vitamins are a waste of money unless you have a specific nutrient deficiency, medical condition, or illness. The research seems to indicate that vitamins don’t make healthy people healthier.

An article sheds some light on the need to make sure you have a balanced diet with the right nutrients to fight infectious diseases like influenza. Some key information in the article:

Vitamins and minerals are necessary to produce immune cells. If you do not consume enough vitamins and minerals, the immune cells you produce may be compromised, making it more difficult to respond to infections.

Obesity and diet play a key role in not getting sick.

Where to get Your Vitamins

Getting vitamins and minerals from food is the best way for your body to absorb them. Multivitamins are a good addition for many people’s health regime. Always consult your doctor before changing your diet. Some supplements can be toxic especially if taken in large doses.

Dr. Beck of the University of North Carolina performed the study of mice infected with the flu virus. He found that obese mice infected with the flu were more prone to die, as compared to lean mice. He is expanding his trials to test this result in lean and obese humans. Here is another reason to lose weight.

Popping a pill does not work as well as eating right.

We are now looking at expanding our diet to incorporate some of the foods high in vitamins and minerals that we previously ignored.

Nasal Sanitizers

Being near a person who coughs or sneezes can infect you with their cold. Recently several products have been released that help clean the nose and reduce the amount of bacteria in nostrils. These products include:

You can also wear a scarf or other anti-bacterial winter covering to achieve the same effect.

Sambucus, Natural Cold Care, Elderberry Extract

It is cold and flu season. We have been taken Sambucus for years and find it really helps to shorten the duration and intensity of a cold. We take it at the first sign of when we feel that something is coming on, a scratchy throat or slight headache. This supplement contains black elderberry extract.

We’ve tried many other items from Airborne to Iscillococcinum to Chinese herbs. This product is also sold under the trade name Sambucol. It comes in versions for kids and in pill form. Amazon and Whole Foods sell this product.

NIH Medline has information on Sambucus and gives it a grade B for Influenza. As always, check with your doctor before you take any medicine.

What to Compost, How to Compost, and Why Compost

easy eco blog — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 07:00:03 +0000

100 billion pounds of food waste are discarded every year, that is almost 25% of all our food. Additional waste is created at processing plants and farms. Rotting food creates methane, a terrible greenhouse gas. Someday trash dumps will recover all this gas. Right now, you can turn food scraps into useful matter by composting. Most local recycling programs do not support composting. Most are located in California. If your local sanitation department does not have a composting program, you can do it yourself.

What is Composting?

Composting is utilizing mother nature in turning food scraps and yard trimmings into super nutrient rich soil. It helps reduce waste and produces the best growing soil around. Backyard composting is good for gardeners and those who have lots of yard trimmings and some produce scraps.

You know composting is going mainstream when you see Costco is selling several composters. Even Amazon has a bunch of low-cost composters.

How to compost?

Here is a good guide to composting. We find it a great way to reduce the amount of trash put out and a great way to make some valuable rocket soil for growing plants.

We put a container by the sink to collect compostables and later move them to our compost bin.

What to compost?

You can easily compost food scraps, vegetable and fruits. Also consider composting coffee grounds, tea bags, and the like.

Bones, bread, grains, pasta
Dairy products
Eggshells, fish, shellfish
Meat, Poultry
Paperbags, paper cups, paper cups, paper napkins, paper plates,Pizza box containers
Paper fast food burger containers, paper takeout boxes
wine corks
paper coffee cups
Yard clippings including branches, brush, flowers, lawn clippings, leaves, and weeds

Our local trash company, Recology finally got with the program in 2011 and is now composting food scraps. Line the inside with newspaper or biodegradable bags. Do not use plastic bags. Sprinkle baking soda if it begins to smell. Flies can be prevented with essential oils such as citrus, eucalyptus, lavender, or lemongrass dripped on the inside lid.

What Not to Compost

Aluminum or Metal
Animal waste
Construction waste including concrete, asphalt, stones, bricks, wood
Cooking Oil
Condiment packets such as ketchup, mustard
Diapers
Garbage
Glass or ceramics
Hazardous waste including chemicals, cleaners, batteries
Juice, soy milk, or soup boxes with foil liners
Liquids or ice
Plastics or plastic bags
Sod, dirt
Any Styrofoam

Here is our big compost bin. It works but is not built very well. The plastic parts come apart forcing us to relatch it every couple months.

This compost is the final result of our efforts.

Why Compost?

Composting allows us to turn organic trash into super soil. Although composting requires a lot of effort and time, the benefits far outweigh additional trash in a landfill.

CNBC’s Trash Inc: The Secret Life of Garbage helped remind us that garbage is everyone’s problem and needs us to be more responsible. New York City garbage gets hauled several states away to get dumped!