Waste Not

For a while now I have been toying with the idea of trying to not create any garbage. How hard would it really be? Could I do it for a month, or a week, or maybe one day a week?

I have been working on some rules for myself and I have a few ideas. If I can recycle it, it is not garbage (I mean I really need to be able to recycle it--as in I will be sure that my local recycling company will take it, or I will find an alternative). Next, if I can compost it, it is not garbage. Currently I compost yard waste and food scraps, and my bills too, but I am wondering about getting more creative with my compostables. Maybe I could add in receipts, paper and cardboard packaging, what about fabric scraps? Would it still work? Would it be bad for my garden? I have been reading up on it and I have found some very conflicting information out there, so I think I should just give it a try.

I am curious to find out what will happen if I go to a restaurant and ask for my soda to be poured into my own cup or can I order a sandwich without paper wrapping? Will it be really annoying to carry around all my own utensils and cloth napkins and such? In the interest of full disclosure I should admit that I rarely eat out and that I am accustomed to using cloth napkins, cloth cleaning towels and even cloth diapers at home--so would it really be so hard to do it away from home as well? I should also point out that I don't go anywhere without my 19 month old daughter, so she will have to participate in my experiment as well.

So I am thinking "No Waste Wednesday" and now that I am writing this I am accountable to actually do it (yikes!)

Cleaning a Stopped up Drain Without Chemicals

I am experiencing a never-ending battle against hair . . . and I am pretty sure I am losing. Honestly, it makes no sense how much of my hair ends up on everything. You'd think I would be bald. But no, I seem to have an infinite supply of hair to ruin vacuums, get in everyone food and of course clog up every drain I come near. So this morning when my bathroom sink came to a near stand-still, I had no choice but to take immediate action. I have read about lots of ways to clear blocked drains without the use of crazy Drano-type chemicals but frankly they all seemed too simple. Really, boiling water? Come on. But out of desperation I gave it a try.

So here's what I did. First I took the drain plug thing out and de-haired it (very gross), I poured a pot of boiling water down the drain, then I sprinkled some baking soda in the sink and poured in a splash of white vinegar (which makes a fun fizzy reaction that apparently cuts through gross sink slime). And get this--it worked!

Here we go . . .

It's January (for a bit longer anyway) so I am trying out some new things. I am mid-way through a huge household re-organization (which basically means everything looks like a giant mess) and I have lots of plans. This is the year I will finally get and stay organized. I will cook my family more (a lot more) healthy tasty meals made from scratch. I will figure out how to make my lawn look pretty (instead of dead) without chemicals. I will finally win the war on the dandelions. I will teach my daughter the joys of a vegetable garden and I will not squeal in fear when a bug accidentally touches my skin. I will make a big deal out of every holiday and season so my kiddo can experience that innocent childlike wonder about the world around her. And hopefully I will make lots of creative fun things along the way, hopefully I will teach my daughter that life is not about stuff but experiences, and hopefully I will manage to post this before spilling my wine on the keyboard for the who-knows-how-many-th time.

So here's to 2010!