Repost of Going Green -- a poem for Earth Day

Photo courtesy of Heather Desuta

Green to you

And green to me

Perhaps we see

Quite differently

Perhaps to you

Green’s kind of blue

A teal-ish kind of

Crayon stew

While green to me

Comes from my heart

Cloth grocery bags

Are just a start

Or light bulbs

In peculiar shapes

Or hanging up

Some thermal drapes

But when my green

Gets really sticky

Is when I wash

Cloth diapers – icky

I hang them up

On lines to dry

Save the earth?

I really try

Convenience

Is so passé

Recycle now

Don’t throw away

The landfills

Soon will overflow

With diapers, trash

And things that glow

With plastic bottles

Glass and cans

Old TVs

And broken fans

The time is now

To do our part

Let’s go for green

At least, let’s start

Hana Haatainen Caye

©2009

May not be reprinted without prior written consent.

Wade through the confusion of recycling

I'm convinced some people do not recycle simply because the whole process confuses them. Going back to the April issue of Good Housekeeping, I wanted to share some tips they had about recycling that might just clear some things up for you.

Paper

I've spent more time than I care to mention removing staples from paper prior to throwing it in the recycling bin. Well, as it turns out, that wasn't necessary. The recycling plants have machines that will weed out all of the metal from the paper. So paper recycling just got a bit easier for me.

When tossing paper into the bin, avoid recycling paper that has any food stains on it, as this could contaminate an entire load. If food has come in contact with the paper, simply throw it away.

Glass and Metal

Do you spend time removing labels from cans, bottles and jars before throwing them in the recycling bin? Stop it! The machines save you time here, too. However, you do want to rinse out the containers.

What can you recycle besides the obvious? How about washed pie tins and foil, wire clothes hangers, metal bottle caps, and any other scrap metal you have. I just replaced my worn out aluminum wheels on my car with steel wheels and plan to haul the old wheels right to the recycling plant. Not only is this the responsible thing to do with them, but it's also a boost to my pocketbook, with aluminum bringing in a decent rate these days.

Plastic

Ever screw the lid back on a water or soda bottle before tossing it in the recycling bin? Bad idea. You see, the bottle and the cap are made of two different plastics, so they need to be separated before being recycled.

Check with your municipality to find out which numbers found punched on the bottom of your plastic containers are recyclable in your neighborhood


Bottom line....and I say it often enough for it to sink in: Think before you toss. Can you reuse, repurpose, recreate, or recycle it? Than what's it doing in your trash?!

Keeping it green as we start this first full week of spring,

Hana

Help wanted

I'm looking to compile a list of creative green tips from my readers and I need YOUR help! Please post a comment with your favorite environmentally-friendly idea. I'm looking for the best tips for reusing common items, recycling pointers, green cleaning solutions, etc. If you do something green you're especially proud of, post it! We can all benefit from each other's creativity.

Just think, if your way of doing things helps the planet...having lots of people do it that way can really make an impact!

Keeping it green,

Hana

Bargain Shopping -- the fun part about going green!

On Friday I mentioned Goodwill in reference to dropping things off there. Tonight I want to refer to them again…this time by going to the front door rather than the back.

I am a Goodwill addict. There, I said it. If anyone knows of a support group for GAA (Goodwill Addicts Anonymous), let me know. Or not. I actually am thoroughly enjoying this addiction and since it doesn’t seem to have any harmful effects, I think I’ll embrace it rather than try to rid myself of it. Although my kids may be relieved to not have to cringe the next time someone compliments my leather boots and they hear me say, “Thanks. I got them at Goodwill for $3.99!”

I can’t tell you the last time I went to the mall, even though one of Pittsburgh’s finest is just a stone’s throw away – literally. But I rarely miss my weekly visit or two to Goodwill. There’s one conveniently close (about a mile away) and another, smaller but nicer one, ten miles down the road which I visit when I go see my chiropractor. Then there’s the one another six or seven miles north of that one and countless others south, east and west of the city. Pittsburgh is an ideal place to live for Goodwill junkies like me!

When I travel, I seek out local Goodwill stores. If there aren’t any, I’m sure to find a Salvation Army or other thrift store to deliver my fix.

I’ve purchased truly beautiful furniture, collectibles, fine china, designer shoes and handbags and countless gifts, brand new in boxes! It’s amazing to me what people will give away, but I’m oh so glad they do. Target provides the Goodwill stores with their salvage goods – most of which are in perfectly good shape. They may just be last year’s design.

A month or two ago, my husband and I were surveying our living room and we realized that only one piece of furniture in the entire room was purchased new. Even our 27” TV was bought at an estate sale for $30. It’s true we have an eclectic mix of furnishings, but they must work together because several people have commented that our home looks like it’s right out of a decorating magazine. Yet we furnished it at a fraction of the cost most others spend on their décor.

The best part is that we’re living with furniture that might have been destined for the landfill, except somebody cared enough to donate it instead. Now I’m back on Friday’s subject…which wasn’t my intention.

The purpose of this posting is to encourage you to consider thrift store and consignment store shopping. Why not recycle in this way? Of course, there are some things you want to buy brand new (underwear for instance – although Goodwill sells all of Target’s bras that were salvaged. I haven’t spent more than $1.99 for a bra in years!)

Most baby clothes look like they’ve never been worn. As a matter of fact, I often pick up beautiful clothing for my grandbaby that is still sporting the tags! A $30 Easter dress might run a mere $1.99. I will say, however, that I steer clear of the stuffed animals at thrift stores. Even though Goodwill sanitizes them, I still feel better giving Laura new bears, bunnies and puppies to cuddle.

Another option for picking up some fantastic buys of second-hand stuff is hitting the Saturday morning garage sale circuit. After closing time rolls around, many people hosting garage sales end up depositing their unsold items on the curb for the garbage men to haul away. Each purchase you make may keep something else from that fate.

So, the next time you go to replace something in your house, consider shopping around for a second-hand replacement before hitting the mall or other retail outlet. I know we need to stimulate the economy by flashing our credit cards and shopping for new merchandise. But, if you’re anything like me, you also need to think about your budget. Generally speaking, thrift store shopping fits right in. Oh, and don't forget to carry your cloth bags in with you when you go.

Keeping it green with an eye for a bargain,

Hana

Going Green -- A poem

Green to you
And green to me
Perhaps we see
Quite differently

Perhaps to you
Green’s kind of blue
A teal-ish kind of
Crayon stew

While green to me
Comes from my heart
Cloth grocery bags
Are just a start

Or light bulbs
In peculiar shapes
Or hanging up
Some thermal drapes

But when my green
Gets really sticky
Is when I wash
Cloth diapers – icky

I hang them up
On lines to dry
Save the earth?
I really try

Convenience
Is so passé
Recycle now
Don’t throw away

The landfills
Soon will overflow
With diapers, trash
And things that glow

With plastic bottles
Glass and cans
Old TVs
And broken fans

The time is now
To do our part
Let’s go for green
At least, let’s start

Hana Haatainen Caye
©2009

The Slippery Slope

I'm posting earlier than usual tonight because I want to give some extra time and attention to my guest blogger, Heather Desuta. Heather is a SAHM with a 4 1/2 year old and a baby. She runs a graphic design business from her home while caring for her little ones.

Thanks Heather...not only for giving us some excellent fodder tonight, but for gracing my page with this picture of your children and again, for designing my logo. I love it!


The Slippery Slope

Hi there! The Green Grandma asked me to guest blog for her tonight and was kind enough to let me choose my own topic. Here it is: slippery slopes.

I’ve been thinking about slippery slopes. How one decision leads you to the next, and the next, and suddenly, off you go. The thing about slippery slopes is that while we mostly refer to them in a negative way (e.g. one spoonful of Ben & Jerry’s leading to an empty pint), the fact is that good choices can also have a domino effect.

Earlier this year, I bought a hybrid. Up until that point, I guess I considered myself an environmentalist. I cared about the environment, but all I really did was recycle. I usually chose recycled and green products. When appliances needed to be replaced, I bought energy star. And my house was partly lit by those long-life light bulbs whose name escapes me at the moment.

But back to the purchase that sent me down the slope… my hybrid.

For a long time, I had been wanting the increased size of an SUV but was dreading the decreased gas mileage. While doing online research, I stumbled across something I didn’t even know existed… the hybrid sport utility vehicle.

I am not a car person at all, so I can’t comment on the hybrid SUV market, but I can tell you that I love my 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid (and its remarkable 27-28 MPG!!) I was also loving the statement that it made… look at me, I care about the earth! Then I started to really think about it. I had made a big, conspicuous purchase signaling my concern for the environment, but other than my moderate recycling efforts, what else was I really doing? My second daughter was four months old, and I was throwing tons of diapers away every week. Hardly a great example of environmentalism!

Right around this time, I was helping my sister register for baby gifts. Registry gun in hand, I mock swiped a package of “gDiapers”—a product that has an outer diaper cover with a flushable/compostable liner. We laughed about it and scanned packages of traditional disposable diapers instead. Then, making a second trip around the store to make sure her registry was complete, I went back to the gDiapers and read the box. And something inside me said “YES!” Maybe I could try these!

I saw that a size small gDiaper starter kit (2 reusable covers and 13 inserts) cost $27 and a 40 count of refill liners cost $15. Being mathematically challenged, it took a minute before the voice inside me said “nevermind!” Not with my daughter using 8 diapers a day.

During my drive home that day, something crazy happened. I began to think “well, what about cloth?” For years, I’d been hearing my friend Hana (a.k.a. “Green Grandma”) talk about the benefits of cloth diapering. I listened, all the while thinking no way, not me, not ever. I’d used disposable diapers with my first child and never once entertained thoughts of switching to cloth. But after searching the blogverse about cloth diapers, I decided to give cloth a chance. I chose a brand called BumGenius. Turns out, you don’t have to fold big sheets of cloth, origami-style, and pin them strategically onto your baby. If you’re willing to spend some money to get the extra convenience, there are cloth diapers called “all-in-ones” (AIOs) that basically perform the same as a traditional disposable diaper. They have a waterproof outer layer, cloth filler to absorb, a soft layer for up against the baby’s body, and Velcro tabs.

I bought 10 used AIOs on craigslist. (They were in great shape, but I also stripped the diapers and washed them twice before letting them near Elena!) And you know, it wasn’t that bad! I was laundering the diapers every other day, and it was surprisingly not awful! I bought a dozen new cloth diapers and went from cloth diapering on a part time basis to using cloth only. My back was sore from all the patting I was doing, especially when I’d look at my empty, unused diaper genie. Then, Elena switched from being solely breastfed to breast plus rice cereal, fruits, etc. Cloth diapering became a little awful but not horribly so. I was using cloth exclusively for a while, but now I’m back to part time. It’s not the mess of the diapers that I find challenging, it’s staying on top of the laundry. It’s a work in progress, and in writing this blog entry, I’m feeling a renewed enthusiasm for the subject. Maybe I’ll set a goal of using only cloth next week. Even if I don’t meet that goal, at least there will be fewer diapers in landfills because of me.

So, I went from being your average recycler, to a hybrid owner, then a cloth diaperer! Green opportunities are all around us! When our water softener needed to be replaced last month, we bought a non-electric system that also uses less salt than traditional softeners. [Kinetico Mach 2100s / kinetico.com] When you start purposely seeking out environmentally friendly products, you may be surprised where you can go green. But beware--the slope is slippery! You don’t have to be perfectly green. Just be greener! Come slide with us!