Hiatus?

I think the life of this project is at its end.  There are scads of enviroblogs out there.  I don’t have the time to post very often.  To people that have read, I really appreciate it.  It was a fun project.  Thanks, CJ @ SaveChange.

In the Bag

I was thinking, “SaveChange, you haven’t posted in a week.” I know, after you get over the shock (”She was thinking?”) you’ll agree. So, here is a post and by gorry, I have never mentioned bags. This is the absolute easiest thing that you can do to start greening your life and decluttering you cabinets.

1. Step 1: Find a bag. (Alternatively, buy a bag or make a bag or find a bag free with purchase of something else.) I recommend tote-sized shopping bags made of cloth or other easily washable materials.
2. Step 2: Use the bag, politely declining when the clerk says, “Paper or plastic.”
3. Step 3: Reuse the bag. See step 2.

That’s it. Seriously, that’s all you need to do. If it sounds ultra-simple, that’s because it is.

What I hate are gobs of plastic bags wadded in my cupboards, cluttering up my life and choking the space I could be using to store my Magic Bullet [the food processor, not the "marital aide"]. What I adore, however… I love making bags, I love buying bags, I love getting bags as gifts. I even love grabbing a bunch of old plastic bags and using them until they are beyond repair.

Want to make a bag but you aren’t sure how? Try an online pattern. The first is a wee bit tricky, unless you have some sewing background. The second one, which I love, is a wikiHow article that reuses things that are already around the house, and that are already partially sewn. Give them a try!

Not down with the sewing needles?  Buy a bag at your local thrift store for maximum enviro impact, or get a new one at any retailer or e-tailer. I love handmade bags at Etsy, or enviro-bags at YourGuideToGreen (with products as featured on Oprah). [CLICK HERE FOR GOOGLE SEARCH.]

Low on cash?  Score a bag for free at a local business expo, garage sale “free” bins, freecycle one, or get one free with purchase at grocery stores, mall stores, etc. Free and reusable is music to SaveChange’s ears.

So that’s it. See that bag? Pick it up, use it, then use it again. Then rest a bit easier knowing that you’re trying your best to make some positive changes.

RATING
Social Action 2
Environmental Action: 4
Frugality: 5
Total Cost: $0-20 per bag

RATING COMMENTS: Look for fair trade bags or bags that support a cause that you can get behind for more social action points.

Editors Note 5/7/08: I forgot to mention that you can often get credits off of your purchase from .05 to .25 per bag.  Bonus!

The Haphazard, Broke Gardener, Part 2 (A.K.A.: The Compost Talk)

By golly, they grew! I will have you know that if treated nicely, Buttercos lettuce comes up lightening-fast. My Peacevine cherry tomatoes are also doing quite well. I have a few lime basil and anise hyssop shoot poking through the dirt, but none to raise a stink over. I’m a proud plant mama, that’s for sure.

That being said, I promised composting for fun and profit. Meh, forget the profit. I reckon if you got a good groove going with enough compost you could work out a bartering arrangement, but do it because it’s a good thing to do. Now as I see it, there are five ways to get compost in your garden:

1. Buy it
2. Get it free from a local source (neighbor or neighborhood composting program)
3. Vermicomposting
4. Open-bottom compost bin
5. Compost pile

Now, there are varying levels of work, money, and time required for all of these methods. Shall we discuss?

1. Buying compost: A positive is that it’s there instantly. Personally, I would avoid this as there are usually additives. Making your own is nearly free!
2. Getting it from a neighbor or neighborhood compost initiative: This is a great option if you can figure out how they composted and what they composted. You’re supporting community here and you don’t actually have to compost yourself, which can save time. Nothing wrong with going this route.
3. Vermicomposting is the use of “red wiggler” worms (not earth worms) to speed up the decomposition process. The overwhelming positives of this method is that you can do a relatively inexpensive, stink-free composter right inside your house, provided it doesn’t get too beastly hot (or too beastly cold). The end product here is worm castings, or humus (a.k.a. worm poo), which are rich in nutrients that soil loves. (If soil could wear a t-shirt it would say, “I <3 Worms,” which in everyday language is “I love worms.” It would… I asked it.) Negatives to this method are mostly in the temperature and ensuring that your compost maintains the right pH and moisture to allow the worms to thrive. You also have to ensure that you can actually separate the castings from the dirt, which is a wee bit trickier with a homemade set-up, but easily remedied with a store-bought set-up, which will help you collect liquid (”tea”) as well as castings. (Read more about this at sparrowpost.net‘ s vermicompost page, for one.)
4. Open-bottom compost bins get my vote for “personally most practical,” if you have a 2×2′ patch of land to put them on and if you have a few minutes each week to devote to it. You can make a bin out of chicken wire or by cutting the bottom out of a trash can, or by buying a commercially-available composter [link to Google search]. Basically, most composters allow the user to put what I like to call “stinky cake layers” into them, which then decompose with the additional benefit of bugs and worms coming up through the bottom to help the decomposition go faster. You have layers of “brown” (dried leaves, saw dust, etc.) and layers of “green” (kitchen scraps, fresh, green plants/weeds, etc.). Alternate layers, turn the compost once a week or so, and voila… compost available in four to six weeks, oftentimes with a little door at the bottom to scoop out the good stuff. These are often covered with a lid and, if you maintain it, are low on the stink factor. The big “IF” here is: Do you have the time? On an average week, I spend about 20 minutes, tops, with my compost. It’s not that much time, but it’s necessary to make it.A similar option, which I will discuss briefly, is the compost tumbler. It works on the same idea as the open-bottom tumbler, but it’s in a giant tumbler that makes it simple to turn. It works on mostly the same principles, but tumblers to get a bit more pricey than open-bottom composters. Check the debate and see which one is best for you.For an example on the open-bottom variety, here is SaveChange’s “Quick-Clip” 116.25 gallon composter, courtesy of Target:
   

   

5. Last but not least is: the compost heap or compost pile. This is usually a fenced- or boarded-in pile of compost. Think #4 above, but without sides. This can be great in a large-scale operation or in a more rural area where neighbors aren’t down wind. Again, you must have time to spend turning the pile, layering it up green/brown, and checking that pests (not bugs and worms, but “critters”) don’t come a-foraging in your pile. This is typically the most frugal way to go, but again, weigh the costs and benefits for yourself. While you’re doing heap composting, you can remember Marjorie, the Trash Heap from Fraggle Rock. I’ve lovingly named my compost Marjorie the Oracle. If you don’t know what I’m referring to, CLICK HERE.

So… Thems yer options, pardner. I would love to hear your composting experiences and what types of composters that you prefer! Comment with your likes and dislikes!

Because we’re not reviewing a particular service or company, let’s review composting as a whole on our 1-5 scale.

RATING
Social Action: 2.5 - We’ll assume this for all of them. It could be a community event and it’s sure not hurting any fair trade workers, but neither is it supporting them.
Environmental Action: 5
Frugality: 4
Total Cost: $0-300, depending on choice of composter, but it certainly does pay for itself.

RATING COMMENTS: Anyone, rural, urban or suburban, can compost. Give it a shot or get involved in community composting!

The Haphazard, Broke Gardner (Part 1)

I believe it’s a prerequisite for all enviro-bloggers to talk about gardening once or twice a year. It comes with the “meet-mother-earth” territory. So yes, today’s post is about gardening, but more precisely how to save money and do it eco-consciously

First, let me note that I am not a pro gardener. I am pro-gardening, but far from a pro gardener. I believe plants should be appreciated, valued, utilized, and when appropriate, eaten! This year my garden will [attempt to] do all of those things. I shall try my darndest to stick to eco-conscious techniques and save a penny or two doing it. I’m determined that this can be done.

This past weekend was spent planting seeds from Seeds of Change, of which most were rare or heirloom varieties. I’ll reiterate that my gardening knowledge is nearly nil, and I honestly picked the “rare” and “heirloom” varieties because 1) I like the way they sound (oh, the snobbery!) and 2) I watch too many episodes of Iron Chef America and get tempted by heirloom vegetables. What’s on SaveChange’s list?

• Buttercos lettuce (Brune D’Hiver)
• Scarlet Keeper Carrots (Rare)
• Peacevine Cherry Tomatoes
• Lime Basil
• Anise Hyssop (”Licorice Mint”)
• Fennel
• Chives (”Chinese Leeks”)

Other random things that I’ve picked up to plant include my ever-favorite marigolds (a.k.a. calendula), wild flowers, and gladiolus bulbs, thanks to my love-hate relationship with Dollar Tree.  I did have some fantastic clumps of Red King Humboldt Canna Lillies, but they got way too cold and rotten (i.e.: total mush).  Live and learn, I suppose, but SaveChange and her husband were fussy with themselves for a while.

So, I think I’ll leave it at that for today and pick up with Part 2 later this week, which will feature composting for fun and profit*, soil pH, and some photos.

RATING (Today we’re rating Seeds of Change)
Social Action: 2.5
Environmental Action: 4
Frugality: 4
Total Cost: $2-6 a seed packet on average

RATING COMMENTS: Seeds of Change is an excellent repository of long-gone, standard and emerging seed types. The directions are specific, the packets are reusable/recyclable, they have excellent customer service, and they have what you need for the urban, suburban, or rural gardener at all levels of expertise. My seeds were all certified organic. Bonus!

*Not for fun and profit.  I guess you could profit from it, but it’s mostly just fun…

VOC Free For Me… The Way to Be

Mr. and Mrs. SaveChange are new homeowners.  What is the first thing that the Realtors and inspectors give you when you purchase an older home?  They give you a receipt for your earnest money, of course, and a nice brochure on the dangers of the lead paint that’s probably coating the walls of the house.  We got both… twice, actually.  Thankfully the former owners must be our deco-twins, because they repainted the house to match 90% of our belongings.  The only room that wasn’t up to snuff from the get-go was the guest bedroom.  We chose paint by price rather than other benefits, so I’m sure we inhaled a lot of nasty things.   The finish was a nice, chocolate bar brown (yes, we planned it that way), but if I could’ve bought paint over again, I would have.

Regular room/house paint can:

• Aggravate asthma or respiratory problems
• Disperse toxins into the room, even after the smell dissipates (”off-gassing”)
• Act as faux estrogens (you know, hormones), which can contribute toward hormone-related disorders or diseases in men or women
• …to name a few.

So, how can we choose paint that is better for us (or our painters), our families, the environment as a whole, and the long-term household environment?  Simple… Do the research and then act on it.  Try several brands that are low- or no-VOC (”Volatile Organic Compounds“) in both the pain and the colorant. (Keep in mind that “zero” or “no” VOCs may not be exactly accurate, but meet industry standards for use of the term.)

Several low- or no-VOC choices include:

• The Freshaire Choice™ at Home Depot
• Ecos Organic Paints
• Farrow & Ball
• The Real Milk Paint Company
• Soy Guard
• Just to name five!

Budget-Conscious Bonuses:

• The Freshaire Choice™ has a promotion to get three free 2 oz. samples of their product for you to try. (Active as of 4/16/08.) I sent for Ginger Palm, Eternal Light, and Sacred Soil and received them two days later.
• Many manufacturers will send samples at no charge or little charge in addition to paint chips/strips.

Other “greener paint” info:

• Zero or No VOC Paint @ About.com
• Affordable Low VOC Paint @ Treehugger.com
• Non-Toxic Paints @ EarthEasy.com
• Low/No VOC Paint (bbs thread) @ ContractorTalk.com
• Low-VOC and No-VOC Paints @ GREENFEET.COM

RATING
Social Action: 1-2
Environmental Action: 3.5
Frugality: 2.5
Total Cost: $40+ per gallon on average

RATING COMMENTS: Can you save the world with Low- or No-VOC paint?  Well, no.  You can improve your own little world, though.  It’s a healthier start for you and your family and a little easier on the environment!

Give a Little Bit: The Gift That Keeps Giving

I’ll give a little bit
I’ll give a little bit of my life for you
So give a little bit
Give a little bit of your time to me

Man, Supertramp had it right. I don’t think they quite had international microlending in mind when they wrote the song, but who is to judge?

Most of us don’t have two nickels to rub together these days, or so we say. Consider the monthly cable bill… Our cable bills can total upwards of $100 every month. For example, for one quarter of one cable bill we can empower and equip a woman in Africa to start selling eggs in the market each week to earn a living for her family. We can equip a husband and wife to start a jewelry-making business in Asia. We can change the world a little bit for less than a month of digital cable.

Organizations like Kiva, Accion, and Women’s World Banking are “armchair activism” at their best! First you create your account, add funds via Paypal or credit card, and then comes the best part: choosing your project(s). You choose a project start-up by a micro-entrepreneur, invest typically $25 and up in the project, and as all costs are recouped and profits are made, you are paid back through the organization. You can either get the money back or reinvest it in another start-up. For the full $100 of your cable bill, you could invest in four start-ups, thereby diversifying your “portfolio.”

The lovely thing is that now these start-ups are giftable. Kiva, for instance, offers gift certificates. Now you don’t have to make a card that says, “A donation was made in your name to [charity].” Rather, you can say, “This gift card is in your name. Have a blast changing someone’s life.” That is birthday music to my ears, ladies and gentlemen. For the person that has everything, gift them the opportunity to make a world of difference personally to someone that has nothing. It’s a very beautiful thing.

RATING
Social Action: 4.5
Environmental Action: 3
Frugality: 4
Total Cost: $25+

RATING COMMENTS: It’s a wonderful way to help, it’s a wonderful way to gift. Is it perfect? No, it’s not perfect, but it’s a step in the right direction.

Additional links:

The Pitfalls of Microlending (Boston.com)
Micro Lending and the Decline of Poverty (ArtofMoney.org)
ESR Review (Brigham Young University)
The Hidden Wealth of the Poor (The Economist)

Waste-A-Day?

You start seeing them creep out en masse around November.  By mid-December they are overflowing the table.  By the end of January they are bedecked in red tags, much to SaveChange delight.  Calendars.  The art addict and the organizational addict in me adore calendars.  Particularly alluring are the one-page-per-day calendars, which promise untold knowledge in small, digestable bits, one day at a time for a year.  Hallelujah and rapture… Calendars!

Before calendars get the best of me, though, I take a step back and realize, “SaveChange, those calendars are, well, sorta’ wasteful.”  Between the plastic, the plastic-coated paperboard, and the paper of the calendar, calendars are at best hoarded for their artwork (”I might frame that, like, someday or something…”) and at worst, thrown page-by-page, into the trash.  For this reason, I applaud Page-A-Day® for offering their famous one-page-per-day calendars online at no charge.  You receive a free redemption code with each Page-A-Day® brand calendar that you buy, or you can earn extra codes by taking the [rediculously simple] daily quiz online.  Each code “buys” you a calendar that can be viewed online or, my favorite, e-mailed to your inbox each day.

What is in SaveChange’s inbox each morning?  Well, “Living Green Page-A-Day Calendar 2008,” of course.  I have the option to go online to read the Joke-A-Day calendar as well, which is always a welcome break from the busy day.  So what are you waiting for?  Get your snippets of knowledge with less environmental impact… Check out Page-A-Day®!

RATING
Social Action: 2
Environmental Action: 4
Frugality: 5
Total Cost: $0

RATING COMMENTS: Still using a paper calendar?  Use it and enjoy it… Then recycle it! 

Web Watch: 30 Days of Deals

The Daily Green brings you 30 Days of Deals in April.  Each day features a different coupon to a “green” merchant or for “green” products.  Check it out and save!

Web Watch: Debra Lynn Dadd

Today’s Web Watch takes you to dld123.com, Debra Lynn Dadd’s “Really Green” website, which focuses on getting the reader to make positive, greener choices for their family, home, and lives.  Sign up for free newsletters, check out her book, “Really Green,” shop natural products, and more.  Definitely a “must bookmark” for SaveChange readers.  Best of all… site content is free, which is also maximum impact on your wallet!

LINK: www.dld123.com

*”Web Watches,” like “Article” posts, are not rated with the 1-5 rating system.

“Oh yeah!” Idea #1: Craigslist

It’s time for a new SaveChange series. Around our house we call this series the “Duh! Ideas,” but since I’d rather be a Positive Penny than a Negative Nancy, we’ll call it the “Oh yeah! Idea” series. So today SaveChange presents: “Oh yeah!” Idea #1: CRAIGSLIST Craigslist, free classifeds for the masses, is home to as many categories as you could dream up. Now being that Craigstlist is free and largely unmoderated, you often have to sift through a fair amount of rocks to find the gold. But lo, as the prospectors in the old west can attest, when you find that little glint of gold after panning all day, it’s a glorious feeling, indeed.

Case in point: Saturday, March 22, 2008 in the Detroit Craigslist listings I just happened to peruse the “garage sales” listing and found, “Moving out of country, everything must go.” I took a peak and found some folks wanting to move back to Australia without the added financial burden of shipping their possessions back with them, which would have been several thousands of dollars. Did SaveChange score big, cash in hand? Oh yes, yes she did. For the bargain price of 160 in greenbacks, I claimed a relatively new KitchenAid Stand Mixer (the holy grail of the newly married and foodies everywhere), a glider rocker with ottoman, an RCA MP3/CD/radio boombox, and several wicker baskets.

A second option beyond searching for what you want is posting a “wanted” for what you want. Do you always get hits on what you want from Craigslist folk? Well, no, you don’t always get a lead. People that are interested, though, do respond. I remember giving a freelance house painter a couple of gallons of trim paint because he asked and because it was going to hit a landfill if I didn’t. So do people respond? Sure they do, which brings the goods to you with little to no work.

Craigslist Pointers For First-Timers:

1. “Swim at your own risk” and use your common sense. If it sounds shady, take a second person or pass on the deal. Don’t give out your personal info if you aren’t comfortable.
2. Deal in cash. I know, I know our culture is plastic-focused. Cash spends, though, and it’s not traceable back to your identity or bank account. (The rule of thumb about purchases, although this goes against everything we’re taught, is that if you don’t have the cash to buy it in the first place, you probably shouldn’t be buying it until you do.)
3. Comparison shop and take your time, especially on purchases over $50. If someone is charging $600 for a Nintendo Wii package that comes only with Wii Sports, you’re getting robbed. Be patient and go to “Toys ‘R Them” at 7 a.m. like everyone else. You’ll save.
4. Don’t be afraid to haggle. Our culture is one of the only where it is a “sin” to haggle. It’s not a sin, folks, it’s a grand tradition that teaches you what money and opportunity are worth. Go to a South American or Middle Eastern country and don’t bargain for your souvenirs. The locals will love you… and laugh at you all the way to the bank.

So my good people, what are you waiting for? Before you go to Target, Dick’s Sporting Goods, or your shopping haven of choice, check Craigslist to see if anyone is selling a used item in good condition at a reasonable price. Used is just plain better for the earth and if you play it smart, a heck of a lot better for your wallet.

RATING
Social Action: 3
Environmental Action: 4
Frugality: 4-5
Total Cost: Cost of item and possibly cost of gas

RATING COMMENTS: We called it “Duh” for a reason! Just do it!