MOM’s Organic Market’s ER Blog

Around this time each year there are countless households throughout the nation making additions to their homes, renovating, making improvements, fixing leaky roofs, etc. With all these home improvements comes the materials. Instead of using new materials, whether it be doors, window frames, bricks or shingles, try finding previously used materials, which are just as reliable and a bit cheaper. (Not to mention the fact that you are using recycled materials and helping the environment.) You can also try finding “green” building materials, which are made from fast growing renewable resources, such as wood flooring made from bamboo or countertops made from compressed sunflower seed hulls. You can find local green building materials at Amicus Green Building Center

Many of the things that we do in our day to day lives we do without giving much thought, as it is all part of the routine. Every morning on our way to work or even late at night for that long drive home, millions of Americans pull over for a cup of coffee to go. These single use to go cups are sturdy, have a waxed liner so that your cup doesn’t fall apart and will come with a plastic sip lid for no splash. Ideal right? If millions of people are using these each and everyday, we’re looking at a ton of landfill waste as these cups are not recyclable. Solution: bring your own reusable mug. Simple! You won’t only be helping the environment out and doing your part, but also, at most coffee shops they will give you a little money back.

Pets are great to have around the home and can be some of our best friends. Greening our day to day lives doesn’t have to be just for us. We have talked on and off again on this blog about reusing what we can, reducing our waste production where possible and recycling everything else.

What about pet waste? Let’s stop to talk about this for a moment. We train them to go outside and do what they need to do, and we follow behind with a plastic bag in hand. These are plastic bags that we save up, knowing that we’ll use them nearly every day for just this task. While many people argue that they are reusing the bag, which is technically true, it can still be said that the plastic bag (a recyclable item) will head for the waste stream. Solution: Do your part by spending the extra few dollars on a roll of biodegradable / compostable “doggy bags”, and keep the plastic bags out of the landfills.

As you prepare your dinner in the evening or crack those eggs to make your favorite cake, what do you do with your egg shells, vegetable clippings or even your leftovers? If you are a person that throws them directly in the trash, you are essentially throwing away gold. Your food scraps can be collected and composted in your yard to create a beautiful nutrient rich additive for your garden. Once composted, it is essentially the same thing that you are buying for $8 a bag from your local gardening shop.

So, what is composting? Good question. You are essentially taking all of your food scraps and putting them in either a) a pile in the corner of your yard or b) in a closed container with ventilation. The key to both of these is that the food waste is getting plenty of air as well as the heat from the sun. You mix the food clippings around once every couple of days and before you know it everything starts working together to break it down into what looks like soil. If done right, it should be unrecognizable and soil-like in about 40 days. The compost is not meant to replace soil, but meant as an additive, as it containers millions of the good nutrients that soil needs to be healthy and that plants need to grow well.

Sometimes the biggest difference you can have in your home all starts with a push of a few buttons. What I’m talking about here is the change in your thermostat settings. In finding the right thermostat and settings for your home, you can save money on your heating bill and reduce your carbon footprint.

Here is a small list of things to get you started:

1) Find a thermostat for your home that you can program for the week. You can program them to shut off when you leave for work, come on 20 minutes before returning home and change temperatures and certain points during the day. This will help save you time and can save as much as $150 a year on utility bills.

2) Adjust your thermostat down 2 degrees in the winter and up 2 degrees in the summer. For every 1 degree you turn your thermostat down in the winter and up in the summer, you save 2% on your heating and cooling bill.

3) Instead of adjusting your thermostat when you’re cold, put on a sweatshirt and grab a blanket. In the summer when it’s too warm, turn on a ceiling fan to keep the air circulating.

Instead of packaging your left over food or packing your lunch in plastic baggies, aluminum foil or even a paper bag, get creative and use the containers floating around your drawers and refrigerator. Old washed out butter tubs, yogurt containers or even spaghetti sauce jars can serve as a great and cheap alternative way to store your food. If you’re not fond of this idea, invest in a set of Tupperware containers. Not only are you ultimately saving on waste, time and money, but you are also giving a helping hand to the environment.

Paper! What can I say about paper? We have come to depend on paper products as a day to day staple. Whether writing a shopping list, reading the newspaper or purchasing a box of cereal at the grocery store, we are consuming paper products at a rapid rate. In fact, each year, the average American consumes 580 pounds of paper products annually.

Here are some tips on reducing your paper consumption and giving the environment a helping hand:

1) Reduce, reuse and recycle your paper products.

2) Request that your name be taken off mailing lists for what we call “junk mail”

3) Make double sided copies when printing something out

4) Make scratch paper from loose paper you have lying around

5) When purchasing paper, look for a high recycled content label on the packaging

6) Think about the products you purchase and invest in products with minimal packaging or buy in bulk.

7) Instead of using a paper towel or napkin at meals, invest in or make your own cloth napkins

If you have a computer, switch over to online banking and bill paying.

9) Take a reusable bag shopping with you. This will help cut down on your dependence on natural resources like paper bags and, if you are a MOMs shopper, you get $.10 back. Win / win situation.

10) Did I mention the 3 R’s?

If you talk to most waste removal companies or landfill stations, you’ll find them telling you that you can go ahead and throw your batteries right in the trash. In fact, recent figures suggest that less than 1% of batteries in the U.S. are recycled once used.

Not too long ago batteries contained the element Mercury, which made batteries a hazardous waste product. Now days, Mercury has been mostly eliminated from batteries and now are seen as “safe” or “ok” to throw away. Think again! Batteries contain sulfuric acid and lead which, if not disposed of in a responsible manner, can cause damage to the environment. (Not to mention all of the metals and plastics that can be salvaged from the battery to be recycled and kept out of a landfill!)

So, what are your options here?

1) Before going out to buy new batteries for all of your battery needs, consider purchasing rechargeable ones in their place. Rechargeable batteries are designed to last a long while and can be recharged up to 1000 times. The initial cost of the rechargeable batteries with charger will run you a few extra dollars, but, they will ultimately save you money from buying new batteries and the cost of gas to get there.

2) At the very least, if you choose to opt out of rechargeable batteries, save your used batteries in a container and drop off at a location that will recycle them for you, like MOMs. MOMs collects batteries and ships them off to a company that strips the batteries of all the metals and plastics that can be recycled and then disposes of the remaining waste in a responsible manner.

Conserving our natural resources is vital as the world’s population grows and pollution and contamination becomes more and more prevalent. There are simple changes that each of us can do in our day to day routine to help lower our water consumption and help save you money on water and heating bills.

1) Turning your water faucet off while brushing your teeth can save you as much as 5 gallons of water per brush.

2) Taking a bath in a full tub of water can consume as much as 70 gallons of water, whereas a quick 5 minute shower will only consume 10-25 gallons of water.

3) When doing a load of laundry or running your dishwasher, be sure to run them on a full load. The average washing machine consumes as much as 40 gallons of water. Better yet, if you’re in the market for a new appliance, look for the Energy Star label. The Energy Star label means that it is more energy and water efficient, and approved by the EPA.

4) While running your water, waiting for it to get that nice toasty temperature, you are essentially wasting as much as 5 gallons of water. Consider catching that water in a bucket and using it to water house plants, wash your floors or even fill up a bird bath in your yard.

5) Get a home water audit. Conducting a home water audit can help identify how you use your water, how to minimize your use, and ultimately help to save you money. For a quick guide to a self conducted water audit, click here.

This April 22nd marks the 37th anniversary of the Earth Day Celebration. Earth Day, started back in 1970, is meant to remind us why it’s important to stop and look at our everyday actions and consider the affects that we are having on the environment. It’s only fitting that Mother Nature gets a holiday of her own. For the entire month of April I will post a new tip everyday on the small changes that you can make in your day to day lives to make that positive environmental impact.

Tip #1 - Energy efficient equipment can save an average household almost a third on their home energy bills with similar savings of greenhouse gases. Consider installing CFLs in place of the old fashioned light bulb, or if you’re in the market for a new appliance, look for the Energy Star label. The Energy Star label means that the product consumes less energy, and if you live in the District, you may be eligible for a rebate.