We have covered power use by technology products in the past, including use of a Kill a watt to measure power consumption.   Yes, just unplugging them or turning off the power strip they are plugged into will work.

New devices now come with power saving power bricks that were required July 1, 2006 by the California’s California Energy Commission or CEC regulation, as well as the federal government’s Energy Independence and Security Act of July 1, 2008.

You should see an “Efficiency Level IV” tag on the brick that have very low “no load power consumption”.  You could even replace old power supplies with these newer ones.  They should draw a maximum of 0.75 watts when in No Load mode.  Energy Star 1.1 requires minimum power efficiency of 80%, while a future 2.0 version will up it to 87%.

California 2012 New Energy Efficiency Charger Rules

In January 2012, California regulators passed a more stringent rules to ensure power chargers are more efficient.  The motivating factor was the fact that 66% of power chargers use is wasted aka vampire power.  Many chargers already meet this new rules. It is expected that $300 million will be saved by using the new products. The new rules take effect on Feb. 1, 2013, for chargers used with consumer goods, such as phones and power tools. Jan. 1, 2014, for industrial chargers, such as forklifts. Jan. 1, 2017, for commercial equipment chargers, including walkie-talkies for emergency personnel and portable bar-code scanners.

Be sure to read: What makes a Green Computer or Electronics Product?

Related posts:

1. Green Computer Power Supply – 80Plus Rating
2. Free Software saves Computer Power – Eco Button Green Computer Energy Saver – Printer Optimization Software
3. California Flat Screen TV Power Guidelines

Reusable Shopping Bags & Types of Reusable Shopping Bags

Using disposable shopping bags means more trash for the nation’s already stuffed landfills. It takes valuable resources to produce these bags and if shoppers could stop using them, it would greatly help the Earth’s environment. As we have noticed in many parts of the World the use of reusable shopping bags is catching on.  Hopefully what this means in the future is that we may no longer have a need for single use paper and plastic disposable bags. One reason reusable bags are becoming more popular is because there are many types of them from which you can choose.  They are made from a variety of materials and come in many styles, colors and designs. Quite simply, using reusable bags is a simple and fashionable way to go green.

If you really want to be “super green”, choose an organic cotton reusable shopping bag. The cotton used for these bags is grown without the use of pesticides or other harmful chemicals or farming processes. The production of these bags has a low impact on the environment, as does the packing and transport of the bags. They come in a variety of sizes, styles and are a great material choice for a reusable bag.  The bags are strong and can hold more than plastic disposable bags, so you can use fewer bags. Every so often you will want to throw them in the washing machine and or hand-wash them, so they do not collect harmful bacteria and germs.  Basically though, they are easy to care for.

Canvas bags are another choice in reusable shopping bags. This type of bag is easy to clean and care for. This makes them a great bag for grocery shopping because you can throw them in the washing machine to make sure any drips from leaky meat packages are gone. You do not want to have bacteria lingering in your shopping bag that can your family sick. Many people use the canvas bags for a variety of uses, so this also prevents cross contamination of other items you choose to carry in your bag. Canvas is a durable material that can carry a lot of items.

Hemp is another option. Reusable shopping bags made from this material are incredibly strong and durable. The hemp bags are quite expensive because they are imported from the West. Laws and regulation in the United States concerning marijuana prevent the mass production of hemp products in our country. Hemp is easy to grow and can flourish in poor soil or in places with little water, so it takes little effort. The material is rot resistant and will outlast many other types of bags. It does not matter which type of bag you choose to use as long you use them regularly.

No Matter what reusable shopping bags that you decide on using, the bottom line is that one reusable bag can take 300-500 single use plastic and paper bags out of the grocery store!  As a nation of people who respect our Earth it’s a no brainer that we can now all safely “Ditch the Plastic & be Green-Tastic!”

Dangers in Reusable Shopping Bags

Center for Consumer Freedom has a report showing excessive lead levels in 16 of 44 organizations reusable shopping bags. National chains including CVS, Safeway, Bloom, and Walgreens were among those with the high lead levels.

Wall Street Journal has a good article about the reusable shopping bag. It tells us to consider the sources of these bags as many are made from China, the type of material the bag is made with, and the quantity of them you keep.

“Finding a truly green bag is challenging. Plastic totes may be more eco-friendly to manufacture than ones made from cotton or canvas, which can require large amounts of water and energy to produce and may contain harsh chemical dyes. Paper bags, meanwhile, require the destruction of millions of trees and are made in factories that contribute to air and water pollution.

Many of the cheap, reusable bags that retailers favor are produced in Chinese factories and made from nonwoven polypropylene, a form of plastic that requires about 28 times as much energy to produce as the plastic used in standard disposable bags and eight times as much as a paper sack, according to Mr. Sterling, of Natural Capitalism Solutions.”

A recent investigation found that many reusable shopping bags imported from China contain excessive levels of lead and heavy metals. Many of these were sold by national and regional retailers like Winn-Dixie and Publix. Some bags even contained fecal bacteria and E. coli. Be careful where you buy your bag.

The more elaborate the illustrations on the bags, the more likely they contained toxins. Yellow and green paint on bags is a common carrier of lead.

The takeaways:

1. Look for bags with recycled content, like those from Walmart, Staples, and Target. Best seem to be Walmart’s $1bag has 85% recycled content, the cheaper one has less.
2. Use the bag! Carry it in your car, leave it in your front seat, or by the front door.
3. A nylon bag sold by Target with almost no illustrations had almost undetectable levels of lead. Also, the simplest bags from Sweetbay, Walmart and Publix contained little lead.
4. The major danger of lead in reusable shopping backs is that they will someday end up in the landfill and wash lead into the environment.

Make sure the bag is sturdy and that you will actually use it.

Reusable Produce Bags

EcoSac GardenSac Reusable Produce Bags replace the wasteful plastic bags you have to use in the grocer’s produce section.  Hold your salad greens, fruits, and veggies in this reusable sack made of cotton. $5 for 2 at Whole Foods.

They state:  “Carbon-neutral shipping, no animal harmed, no animal testing, no animal ingredients, reusable.”

Amazon.com Green Products Section

Amazon.com has a new Green Products section with eco-friendly, safe, and healthy items. It is great that the Internet’s largest e-tailer is getting with the times. They cover eco friendly products from lightbulbs to push mowers to steel water bottles to laptops to solar panels.

Related posts:

1. EcoSac GardenSac Reusable Produce Bags
2. Recycling Plastic Bags
3. How to Recycle Ziploc Bags

photo credit: quinn.anya

We are deep in winter and it is very cold in many areas. Having curtains, blinds, or shades on windows can help keep warm air inside.  They will also help keep the hot sunlight out during the summer.

Window blinds and shades are pretty cheap, easy to install, and lead to a short payback time.

Well made Insulated curtains can cost from $50 a window to hundreds of dollars, but work a lot better. Payback time is usually measured in years from 3+ years onwards. Be sure to hang curtains as close to the window as possible and cover the entire window. Close your curtains at night to reduce heat loss. Use can use two drapes to maximize efficiency.

US DOE has a nice consumer guide.

All Home Decor – Resources to help decorate and care for your home.

UV Film for Windows – Privacy, Heat Loss Control

UV Films that are placed for Windows can help enhance privacy and minimize Heat Loss. They are easy to apply and relatively inexpensive. Amazon has 3M kits from under $20.

Insulating films add reflect the sun’s rays in summer, keeping the home cooler without using air conditioning. These UV films also help retain up to 55% of your home’s heat in winter. Curtains, flooring, and furniture will fade less due to 99% UV ray blockage.

UV Window films add to the comfort and energy efficiency of your home at a small cost.

Lowes has instructions on how to apply the window UV film yourself.

You can also purchase new windows with built in sun stopping technology.

Related posts:

1. Air Conditioner Energy Savings
2. Federal Tax Credit for Energy Efficiency on Windows, Doors, Skylights
3. Ways to Save Energy, Money on your Energy Bill

Home Energy Audits or Home Energy Assessments can help pinpoint energy problems in your home and offer you fixes that will save you energy and money. These professionals should provide you with analysis of your home, a list of items that need fixing, the cost to fix them, and the estimated cost savings.

We recently had a Home Energy Audit done, to comply with the Energy Upgrade California Rebate Program. Being environmentally conscious, we wanted to ensure everything in to save energy.

SDI Energy Audit November 2011

We had to choose a contractor that was on the approved list for Energy Upgrade California. SDI of Burlingame, California was selected because they seemed pretty thorough, knew about the rebates, and were priced reasonably at $500.

The company was pretty thorough with their energy audit and performed the following tests:

1. We provided statistics regarding our home, including one year of PG&E bills
2. They photographed and mapped out the entire house
3. We voiced our concerns over problem areas and upgrade interests
4. They identified all air vents and sealed them to perform duct pressure test. This checks to see how much our ducts leak by blowing air into the return
5. Gas and carbon monoxide leak tests – appliances, water heater, heater, stove. This actually found a leak by the water heater and the heater, which PG&E fixed for free.
6. They performed a 64 point combustion safety test
7. Combustion gas test with all fans turned on, doors set to worst case, they attempted to find whether gases or carbon monoxide was being emitted by our gas burning appliances. This test found that some of our stove top burners were emitting carbon monoxide. We had them check by a pro.
8. They checked the walls, attic, and floorboards for insulation
9. They used a pressure and flow gauge to measure how much air was flowing in and out of the home
10. Blower test – with all windows closed, fans off, they checked how leaky our home was
11. Crawl space inspection. Checking for insulation, noting whether rodents were present, and looking for plumbing penetrations
12. Checking the amount of air exchanges our receives. Adequate fresh air is important

In the end, they offered some useful suggestions including additional insulation and weather stripping. We were interested in replacing our 20 year old central gas forced air furnace, so they went back to analyze the costs and benefits of doing so. In contrast to an energy audit the previous year, SDI did not have equipment to look inside walls like a borascope. The criteria that they used was similar. Our home performed better than expected, probably due to all the changes we have made over the years.

Recurve Energy Audit 2010

Previously we had an energy audit performed by Recurve.

They where formerly known as Sustainable spaces. We had a 50% off coupon which made the decision to use them easier. Their normal price is $750.  We feel that the price should be a lot cheaper or free considering they want to sell you items.  Before the audit, we sent them the last years gas and power bills.

They had a team of people mapping out the layout of the house with laser measuring equipment, this generates information for their energy internal modeling software.

Recurve used a borascope to look inside our walls and check for insulation.

They ventured deep into our crawlspace to check out our heating and ventilation.

This found many interesting holes in our floor like this one. Every wire or cable that is run helps turn your floor into Swiss cheese.

A Fluke Thermal Imager was used to look at our walls and ceiling for insulation and possible heat leaks using infrared technology.  It is hard to rip up walls to add insulation but they make it clear that future remodels should incorporate more insulation. A $50 Black & Decker Thermal Leak Detector can help you pinpoint air leaks the DIY way.

Air vents were covered during their air blower tests.

Checking airflow at the vents with a balometer.

Checking heating equipment, operation, make, model.

Recessed light fixtures can be a source of heat loss.

Air blower test with conduct in this special apparatus in our front door.

A couple days after the odd results were sent over to us. They detailed where energy was being lost in our home. The energy audit then suggested how to mitigate these problems.

This report examined our heating equipment and made some recommendations. They found some broken air vents, and asbestos in heating boots. Our home was relatively well sealed resulting in less air changes than suggested.

In the end, we found the home energy audit to be useful in analyzing our home’s energy profile. Recurve focused mostly on our heating – HVAC needs. The firm made several recommendations, many of which were very pricey. No return on investment information was provided. Clearly they make their money on repairs not on doing the audit itself. They should have provided some basic information on how to save energy and how things tie into our solar power system. We had several drafty areas that did not receive the analysis we asked for.

We tried to contact them for some followup work and they never returned our emails.

Here are some certifications to look for in a firm:

RESNET or Residential Energy Services Network certification means the firm has been trained and demonstrated technical proficiency.

BPI or Building Performance Institute Accredited companies have completed rigorous training, administered by a network of affiliates, in home performance evaluation focusing on this house-as-a-system concept.

Be sure to read our article: Ways to Save Energy, Money on your energy bill

Related posts:

1. Free Energy Audits
2. Weatherize your home – Fix Leaky Ducts – Reducing Air Leaks
3. Energy Upgrade California (EUC) Rebates upto $4000 – PG&E, SCE, SDGE – Upto $10,300 in San Mateo County, $9500 in San Francisco

Fake Christmas tree or Real Christmas tree?

The debate continues on what is the more eco friendly and green Christmas tree. The average live Christmas tree costs about $45, while an artificial tree costs about $80. In 2010, only 23% of US households bought a live Christmas tree, down from 40% in 1991. 2011 projected revenue from live or artificial trees should be roughly equal.

Fresh Christmas tree

A fresh tree consumes a lot of resources and possibly pesticides to grow to a desirable size. It then gets tossed out after the holidays. Think of all the water, pesticides, human labor, and fertilizer that went into growing it. Douglas Fir takes 5 to 6 years to reach maturity. Average Christmas trees take 8 years to grow. Up to 15 years of growing time for just a couple weeks of festivity!  Yes it can be chopped up, composted, recycled, and they help with carbon sequestration.  You could look also for ‘organic’ style growers. In today’s tight economic climate, consumers are buying cheaper Christmas trees, many four-feet tall or shorter.

Recycling Christmas Trees

In San Francisco they recycle Christmas trees through a wood chipper machines. The chips are transported to Tracy for use as biomass fuel, which generates electricity by heating water to make steam.

Left over Christmas trees have been used to create habitats for baby fish in the East Bay Regional Park District for the last 20 years. The trees are dumped near the edge of a lake and allow small fish to hide from predators. Algae grows from the trees, bugs live in the algae, and fish eat these bugs, with the end result being birds eating the fish. If you’re local district does not have a Christmas tree recycling program, be sure to tell them to look into one.

Artificial Christmas tree

An artificial tree can last many years, but is made with lots of material that is not green nor eco friendly. PVC or plastics could even be hazardous. It is not biodegradable nor recyclable.  Most are imported from China, consuming tons of fuel to arrive here. Over the years, quality has improved and with the shifts in demographics, more people are choosing to buy artificial Christmas trees.

An even more eco friendly green alternatives include buying or decorating a plant and then planting in your yard after the holiday. Make a cloth or paper Tree out of materials you already have.

Be sure to use a Tree Timer to prevent it from lighting up during day time hours or in in the middle of the night.  Also use low power LED lighting to illuminate your Christmas tree.

Related posts:

1. How to have a Eco Friendly or Green Christmas – Recycling Gift Wrap and Holiday Cards
2. Eco Friendly, Green Holiday Lighting – Energy-Efficient LED Holiday Lights
3. Eco Friendly – Green Toothbrushes

Having an Eco Friendly Green Thanksgiving is more and more desirable these days. How can you green your  Thanksgiving?

• Buy your pumpkins, squash, and other vegetables from a local farmers market or from local sources. Some even carry special Heritage turkeys
• Buy organic when possible, except for product on the Clean 15 list
• Buy a locally raised organic turkey with no antibiotics, no hormones, free range, raised on vegetarian feed, and no added flavor enhancers or salt
• Utilize reusable bags to hold groceries
• Don’t over cook or serve too much food
• Rent or buy your decorations from used clothing stores like Goodwill. Reusing items that you already have is even better.
• Donate extra food, money, clothing to those in need
• Compost the leftovers, pumpkin, squash, etc.
• Give out green oriented treats like organic fruit, repurposed trinkets

With a little preparation we all can make a difference, even on Thanksgiving.

Donating Food to the Hungry

The Food Runners are an organization in the San Francisco Bay Area that helps business, organizations and people donate excess food. You call them at 415-929-1866, tell them what you have, and they match you with a party in need.

They work with restaurants, hotels, schools, food services, and private individuals. They are also looking for volunteers.

If you know similar organizations in your area, leave a note with the region and contact information.

Related posts:

1. How to have a Green Halloween
2. Donating Food to the Hungry
3. How to have a Green Father’s Day

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.

Related posts:

1. Chicken Safety, Turkey Safety – Salmonella, Campylobacter bacteria
2. How to have a Green Thanksgiving
3. Eco Friendly Grease Disposal

It is getting cold, just in time for a crazy good rebate on heaters, insulation, and more. A very lucrative, new limited time California energy efficiency rebate is available where you can receive up to $4000 in rebates from Energy Upgrade California program. PG&E, SCE, San Diego Gas & Electric – SDG&E, or BVE. customers have this program available. This program is focused on a whole house approach to saving energy. San Francisco Bay Area information line 855-464-8484.

The goal of the program is:

• Get rebates, financing, and incentives to reduce the cost of your home upgrade
• Reduce energy use
• Live in a more comfortable home

Even Larger Rebates

If you live in San Mateo County, the County will match the rebate, raising the potential savings to $10,300 for advanced upgrades. You can thank Stimulus funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Expires March 2012 or earlier. More information.

Some Counties are even subsidizing the home energy audit costs.  Check with your local County.

Acterra has free energy audits for residents of:

• Atherton
• Los Altos Hills
• Monte Sereno
• Portola Valley
• Woodside

Funding for Energy Upgrade California comes from American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, otherwise known as Federal Stimulus Funds, California utility ratepayers, and private contributions.

Qualification:

• You must own a single-family home, commercial, or multifamily property and be a qualifying California utility company customer.
• You must be current on property taxes and liens.
• Participating contractors are specially trained for this program.
• There are 2 upgrade packages:

1. Basic Upgrade Package – 7 required measures (Air sealing, attic insulation, duct sealing, hot water pipe insulation, thermostatic shutoff valve, carbon monoxide monitor) that together could reduce your energy consumption by an average of 10%. Up to $1000 rebate.
2. Advanced Upgrade Package - A home energy audit which includes energy modeling must be completed by a certified energy auditor. A customized solution (Basic upgrade package plus high-efficiency furnace, energy-efficient cooling, water heater system, energy efficient Windows, duct replacement, wall insulation) with energy savings of 15 to 40%, with incentives from $1250 – $4000 depending on efficiency improvement. The amount of the rebate you get is based on energy modeling software that shows how much energy your home will save after an energy upgrade remodel.

Energy Upgrade CA approves the project after the audit is done and before the work is done.

A verification test is done after the work is finished by PG&E auditors.

Contact your qualified local contractor or Home Energy Audit firm via the Energy Upgrade CA website today to participate in Energy Upgrade California.

GreenPoint rating

If you add green measures to the Upgrade Package, your home may qualify for the GreenPoint Rated label and receive up to $1000. This validates that your home has been remodeled according to established green standards.

Be sure to take advantage of the Federal Tax Credit to receive additional money back in addition to those received under Energy Upgrade California!

Related posts:

1. SDGE Rebates, SDG&E, or San Diego Gas and Electric Rebate for Energy Efficiency
2. SCE Rebates or Southern California Edison Rebate for Energy Efficiency
3. San Francisco Home Improvement & Performance Program – SFHip

Happiness and Going Green do not seem to be directly related, but are intertwined in our lives. People spend a lot of money purchasing things to make them happier and a lot of marketing exploits our desire for happiness or improved appearance.

Jonathan Clements had a great Happiness article that covers lots of ground, plus a followup. Keeping your commute short, choosing time over money, carefully spending money, and using your leisure time wisely are key drivers of happiness. Some attributes of more happy folks:

• The standout cluster was what the authors label engaging recreational and religious activities, things like visiting friends, exercising, attending church, listening to music, fishing, reading a book, sitting in a cafe or going to a party. When we spend time on our favorite of these activities, we’re typically happy, engrossed and not especially stressed.
• The studies’ co-author Prof. Schkade of the University of California, San Diego, indicates that these activities are chosen and not mandatory things that people have to do.
• The obvious implication: If we devote more time to these activities, maybe we would be more satisfied with our lives. Yet the evidence suggests we’ve missed a huge chance to do just that — which may help explain why Americans are little or no happier than they were four decades ago.

A recent article in Parade, The Secrets to a Long Life, examined research done by a Stanford University psychologist found the following interesting facts:

• Marriage helped extend the longevity of men, not women.  Steadily married men are likely to live to age 70 and beyond, fewer divorced men reached this age
• Most successful men lived five years longer than the least successful
• Adults who were thrifty, persistent, detailed oriented, and responsible, live longest
• The better educated tended to be healthier and live a little longer
• Sociable, outgoing people did not live any longer than introverts

Princeton Researchers have found that making more money and make you happier but the effect wears off around $75,000 a year. As income decreased from this level, respondents reported decreasing happiness and increasing sadness and stress. The data suggest that the pain of life’s misfortunes, including disease, divorce, and being alone, is exacerbated by poverty.   Once you are safe, warm, and have a full belly, you are set. Making more money after certain point requires many extra hours and reduces the amount of free time available. Happiness will also correlate how much you give away.

Stanford even has a happiness class that is in high demand by overstressed students. Some suggestions:

• Keep a journal listing daily items you are grateful for
• Meditate or perform a couple minutes of deep diaphragm breathing
• Share highlights of your day regularly
• Practice forgiveness routinely
• Find out what relaxes you and regularly perform this (Exercise, yoga, talking to friends?)

Experiences rather than material items make you more happy. Food, cars, stereos, or fancy houses don’t work. A new car may increase your happiness for short time, but people will get used to the car over time. The car will actually reduce happiness as car payments rack up, insurance costs rise, and service requirements hit.  The one exception was spending money on leisure activities – which was associated with greater happiness.  Leisure activities increase people’s social connections.

Should we save up for that once a year Michelin starred meal, or eat well every couple weeks? Researchers found that the happiness you get from small and large purchases alike eventually fade, so more frequent cheap splurges work better than an annual ritual.

Dining and traveling with friends expands happiness far more than going it alone. Going to dinner with friends and a reasonably priced restaurant with good food is a simple pleasure we all can do.

Related posts:

1. Tips on Keeping New Years Resolutions
2. Eco Friendly and Green Car Sharing Services
3. City vs Suburb Transportation Costs

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!

Related posts:

1. Discount Compost Bins
2. NatureMill Automatic Composter
3. Recology New Recycling System with Composting