The History of the Stapler
September 27, 2006
Have you ever wondered about the magic of the stapler? You have? Fantastic, me too. In my quest for more information on stapleless staplers, and the purchasing of said item, I came across the true history of the stapler.
As I’m sure you know, mankind has been binding, publishing, writing things and journaling since the beginning of time. So, how did they keep their pages together? Until around roughly 1860 they were using anything from glue to needles and thread to keep their pages together. They were sometimes tied together or even bound with wax drippings from a candle. These practices seem both clever and time consuming.
Around 1900 the very first patent on a stapler was filed. From there the popularity of the stapler exploded and the design of the device changed with the times. You literally went from a twenty minute binding project to a two second step that did the same job, maybe even better.
Well, with the changing of the times, and the call for more environmentally friendly products on the market, the stapleless stapler was born. This fantastic new stapler is like a hole punch, but the difference is that it has a mechanism that will punch, fold and weave the paper into a bind. This new device is good for stapling up to five pages together.
Even though a staple doesn’t seem like much, when you are using hundreds of them a day, they can really add up. This is why MOMs now uses the stapleless staplers at each of our cash registers, to help make a positive impact on the environment.
Cover Your Bases
September 25, 2006
One night a few weeks ago I was walking into the kitchen under the cover of darkness, when, out of the corner of my eye I caught something moving. First, there was a wrestling of our Middle East Bakery Pita bag, then a small head popped up. I could only see the perpetrators silhouette, but that’s all I needed to know that our house had a guest; a mouse.
After flipping on the lights and adjusting my eyes, I found that the mouse had scrammed. It left behind our fresh pita bread, with the bag chewed through in the corner, and a trail of crumbs. Remarkably enough, my first instinct was to be upset that our new housemate had eaten the pita. (I even had my name on it.)
Growing up in a remote city in the mountains, I was used to mice, bats, lizards and, one time, even a raccoon getting into the house. All we would have to do is make sure that all temptation was removed from it’s tiny little paws. This new housemate was going to be a breeze, right? Wrong.
Our new “friend”, whom we named Larry, continued terrorizing our household for the following weeks, by eating our chips, bread, anything left on the counter while not in the room, and also began visiting us in the bathroom. Larry wore out his mild welcome quickly.
Being an environmentally conscious household, we took it upon ourselves to solve the problem in a friendly manner. We purchased mousetraps that are cruelty free and merily trap the mouse in a nice area where they can munch on their treat while being contained. And so it went for our friend Larry. It took all of three days before the temptation was just too much for Larry and was lured into the trap with a peanut butter smeared saltine cracker.
Our lesson was clear: Even if you put your name on your food, it could still be eaten. Cover your bases.
What’s Next For Water?
September 18, 2006
I was recently having a conversation with my dad about the state of the world and where we are headed in way of sources for energy and fresh water. We talked about everything from wind turbines to the different types of water treatment plants. We came to some startling realizations.
It’s alarming to realize that over 70% of the earth’s surface is covered with water. Of that, 97% of it is too salty to drink, 2% is frozen in glaciers and ice caps, and only 1% is fresh water. 1%!!! This idea really draws big red flags for me. The world’s population is steadily increasing, including in areas where fresh water is relatively scarce. Water quality is also a serious concern with pollution, with an increase in waterborne diseases.
The fact of the matter is that we need water to sustain life. We need fresh water to raise crops and animals for food. My dad and I were specifically talking about this and trying to decide what was next for water. With water becoming more scarce, where or how, are we going to sustain life? Considering that 97% of the world’s water is salt water, the natural choice is going to our oceans and drawing out the salt, leaving us with fresh water.
Desalination plants pump salt water either from pipes dipping right into the ocean or from deep wells along the beaches or seafloors. For every 100 gallons of salt water that are pumped out, there are 15 to 50 gallons of fresh water created. Now, that doesn’t nearly sound very effective, however, I think, with the state that we are headed to, it’s definetly a start.
There are areas of the world that are already using desalination plants to supplement their water shortage. My dad and I have a feeling that these plants will be popping up more and more as time goes on and population goes up. But, then again, we could be wrong. Until then, we’ll continue our water conservation efforts and encourage others to do the same.
Down the Pipes
September 13, 2006
For months I’ve been watching the city work up and down the streets, tearing out asphalt and sidewalks, refitting the area with copper instead of lead pipes. But what about pipes going from the street and into homes? After stopping to talk to one worker, we discovered that they stop at your property line, and any further in will cost us $100 a foot. That’s pretty pricey, but I suppose its hard to put a value on something like clean water!
It looks like our street will be next to have the water pipes replaced, but what can we do in the mean time? Relying on bottled water means creating waste, even if it’s going to be recycled when I’m done with it. My house’s solution is the TerraFlo water filter - it’s much cheaper than buying bottled water, and TerraFlo even has a filter recycling program when it comes time to switch it out. The filter sits on the counter top with an elevated spout, so I can fill up my reusable water bottle right to the brim without tipping. Now if only there was an earth-friendly way to block out the sounds of jackhammers…
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle the Clutter
September 11, 2006
Have you ever noticed in your neighborhood that when someone cleans out their cluttered basement or moves out, a large mound of unwanted furniture, appliances and stuffed animals winds up on the curb? After being picked through by neighbors the pile usually sits around, rainwater-logged and tattered, for long after it probably should. Their intentions are probably meant for curb side trash pick-up, but what ever happened to reusing something?
Instead of kicking something to the curb, so to speak, it’s time to start being resourceful and helping out the local collection agency or the neighborhood college kid. You can reupholster a couch or wash that dust ball stuffed bear to prepare your things for a second life. If you really get into it, you can post your items on websites such as Craigslist or Freecycle, which are like a giant bulletin board to post ideas, things you want to sell or give away, or look for something specific, such as a room to rent or tickets to a sold out concert.
Recently, my house decided to “get rid” of one of our living room couches. Instead of spending money to have it hauled away or spending the time and fuel to pitch it into a landfill, we decided on something better - recycling. A few minutes to post on Craig’s List, with the condition that the couch be picked up, and a day later we know our couch has found a happy home.
The next time you’re cleaning out that basement or spare room, remember that recycling isn’t just for mixed paper and aluminum cans. You can recycle and reuse furniture too!
*Freecycle groups require signing up for a Yahoo Group, but it’s worth the trouble!
Benefit of Bulk
September 9, 2006
I’ve been thinking more and more about how my household can reduce the waste that leaves on the truck, headed for a landfill, every Thursday morning at 730am. If you take a walk down any grocery store aisle, they are packed with products that are packages within packages. Not only that, but the serving size of these items are small, and are most likely to be used up in one or two uses. So, ideas?
The single serving products are handy, but what about households such as mine that hold around six people, with friends and family coming to dinner almost nightly? The answer here: buying in bulk. Large “family size” containers of things, such as rice, pasta or granola, require less packaging. Not only that, but, in general, will save you money.
Buying in bulk has really started to work in our house. We figure out how much we think that we will consume within a month, factor in space, and buy a variety of things by pound. Of course, we make sure the bulk items we buy have a good shelf life, like dried beans, spices, tofu and rice. What we don’t buy in bulk we buy fresh, such as fruits and vegetables. We generally aim for items that are unpackaged or things that we can buy in concentrate, such as juice. There are some stores, such as MOMs, that offers discounts on certain bulk purchases. It’s worth looking into.
The next time you are making a grocery shopping list, think about the things that you buy week after week and look into purchasing these things in bulk. Not only will it save you a trip to the store, but it will also save you money and space in a landfill.
The Tupperware Challenge
September 6, 2006
Last night as I was finishing up dinner and putting away the leftovers, I went in search of some handy containers where I could find both the base and the lid. For all of you who keep a stash of tupperware, you may know that it can be a real challenge at times to find both these things. There is the sorting, searching out similar shapes, and then finally, trying to fit them together.
With this challenge in tow last night, I opened up the drawer to find plenty of bases, and plenty of lids, but no matches for what I needed. Where did it all go? (I often wonder if the dryer sock monster and the tupperware disappearance has any connection.) I don’t want to have to go out and purchase more tupperware, so I looked towards my cupboards for some help. I was then reminded of the importance of reusing the containers that so many people take as trash.
Our refrigerators and cupboards are full of them: yogurt, butter, cottage cheese and sour cream containers, not to mention the endless amounts of jars that products come in now days. These can easily be used as storage containers, and they will be easy to find the top and bottom as each container is unique. So, what’s stopping so many people from using them? I think that it is a habit to finish a product and then throw it directly in the trash. We need to break these habits, use some creativity, and implement the second R: Reuse.
I’ve been reusing food containers for some time now and I feel pretty good about it. Not only am I keeping these things out of the landfill, as a lot of the containers can’t be recycled in the county facilities, but also saving time and money on the tupperware.
Slow Moving Vegetarian
September 4, 2006
Tonight as two of my housemates were preparing dinner, I heard a scream, complete with squeals and stomping about. In fear that there was a wild animal on the loose in the house, I ran downstairs to check out the commotion. They were both huddled over a stalk of corn, looking at, what I thought, was a lovely green caterpillar with little yellow and red spots.
To them, it was a foreign species that was automatically gross. While, yes, the caterpillar was inhabiting the food that they were preparing to eat, and had eaten a good third of the cob, the caterpillar was not going to eat them. It always amazes me that something so small can have such an effect on someone’s behavior. This caterpillar is a creature that moves less then .007 miles per hour, can not jump or fly, and is a vegetarian. Does the scary come from not knowing? OR does society groom us to fear the “creepy crawlies”?
Needless to say, I helped my fear stricken roommates by taking the caterpillar outside so that it may dine on our fine selection of yard weeds. The next time you come across a so-called “creepy crawly”, take a harder look, and you too may see the subtle beauty.
Upping the Standards
September 1, 2006
California is making big headlines this week with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announcing that he is striking a deal with legislators over reducing the state’s greenhouse gas emissions by 25% over the next 14 years. If the bill passes, it would put tighter reigns on utility and industrial companies on their carbon dioxide emissions.
As it stands, California is one of the largest states in the US, and apparently accounts for 2% of the world’s carbon emissions. With no huge surprise, oil companies oppose the bill, as I’m sure that it would create a blow to their standard operations.
I applaud the Governor’s attempts at chipping away at the core of our environmental problems, whether the bill passes or not. I can only hope that this will turn more heads and cause more citizens, officials and elected officers to scrutinize big industries, and help cut down on greenhouse gas emissions.
The Daily Compost has a new look!
