Keeping up with holiday recycling - Hampton Roads Edition

Compost: With more food consumed than normal, keep up with your compost pile by dumping fruit and veggie scraps along with all other compostables into your bin.  Don't have a bin, now is the PERFECT time to start composting because you'll surely have a hefty amount of holiday waste to get you started.  Depending on which compost system you choose, starting now will get you some good quality finish compost just in time for spring planting season. 

Recycle: This will be the hardest part to work out, but stick with it because recycling right over the holidays means your trash bin will have less than in past years.  What my hubby and I do in Hampton Roads is to save a large cardboard box from holiday shopping and start to fill it with all of our paper -- gift wrapping scraps, cardboard packaging, paper ribbon scraps, and holiday card envelopes then continue to fill it up Christmas day and during post holiday clean-up.  After the waste has settled, we swing it by Atlantic Paper Stock to be recycled. 

Of course, we also continue to pile up the regular recyclables and toss them into the blue bin.  Glass and plastic bottles, cardboard, chipboard, milk jugs, OJ cartons, foil, pie tins, and cans. 

Usually around the holidays, folks get to swap out their old tired electronics for something new and shiny.  Be sure to recycle your old e-waste at Green Alternatives or at your City's hazardous waste collection facility.

Be sure to check out the other recycling options on our site to see if there is any other waste you can divert from landfills.  http://green-alt.com/recycling.html

Trash: Your trash bin should be filled with things like plastic ribbon, non-paper wrap, non-paper bows, and plastic packaging.

Pumpkin Everything

Green means not wasting a darn thing. With pumpkins people usually use just the face for carving scary Halloween faces and maybe roast the seeds. Below are a few ideas for using the entire pumpkin.

Seeds: Roast to your heart's content. We love roasted pumpkin seeds tossed with plain old olive oil, salt and pepper but there are a few other more creative uses that are definitely worth a read. Check out Crafting a Green World's post with recipe links for some other uses.

Guts: Pumpkin guts are the main ingredient for our fav Thanksgiving fare, pumpkin pie. Other than trying to store your jack-o-lantern by-product from mid-October until Thanksgiving try some Of these fun recipes for breads and more.

Shell: it's fair to assume the pumpkin shell is the part of the gourd most commonly tossed aside but wait...don't just trash the outer shell. We found a very cool, very easy guide to make a bowl from pumpkins and gourds.

But wait, there's more.  We found these useful sites with crafts and other homestead tricks for your fall pumpkins.

• 20 Uses for Pumpkin, Squash, and Gourds
• Ten Uses for a Pumpkin
• 11 Ways to Use a Pumpkin

 If you aren't feeling up for any of these fun pumpkin transformations, be sure to throw any and all parts of your pumpkin or gourd into the compost heap.  You  might even see pumpkin seedlings sprout out of the pile.

Compost Daily - Shopping Green, Saving Green

Here are a few tips to shop green while saving a few bucks...

• Go bulk! Buying in bulk not only saves money, but saves on packaging too. Some of our favorite bulk purchases are dry goods like sugar, flour, rice, beans, and other grains. Using vintage or re-purposed jars for your bulk goodies makes for cool kitchen decor too!
• Can & preserve! Taking advantage of lower fruit and veggie prices when in season will save a ton. Canning and preserving might seem scary, but make a party out of it with some friends and it'll be a fun, easy, green, money-saving get together. There are tons of resources online with recipes, safety, and tips. Or, check with the Five Points Farmers Market to see when the next canning class will be offered.

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Compost Daily - A Garden in Your Window

In our urban metropolis it can be hard to grow your own. Maybe you're in an apartment or maybe you don't have a yard. Lack of outdoor space is no problem. All you need is a window (and a few other supplies)!

We heard about this window farm movement a while back and just got word that they are finally selling kits in addition to the free instructions.

The WINDOW FARMS PROJECT is definitely worth checking out. I know we'll be window farming this winter to keep some herbs and leafy greens around the house.

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Compost Daily - Super Cool, Super Recycled Lighting

We saw this and just loved it! Now you can make great use out of those empty wine bottles that keep showing up in your recycle bin.

Turn them into outdoor tiki lighting with complete step-by-step directions courtesy of Design Sponge.

Source: Design Sponge

 

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Compost Daily - A green first aid kit

Summer fun is sometimes filled with bites, burns, and bugs so make sure you have these five ingredients on hand for your eco-first-aid kit.

1. Pick up an aloe plant and snap off a meaty leaf to cool sunburns or irritated skin.
2. Citronella keeps the biting bugs at bay and repels when used on skin or if burned in a candle or oil diffuser. 
3. Witch hazel is your magic all healer for bites, bruises, and pimples too.
4. Making a baking soda paste will soothe the pain of stings.
5. Oatmeal in a bath is super keeping burnt skin from blistering and peeling as well as soothing for poison ivy and bites.

Source: Mother Nature Network

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Compost Daily - Green the Holiday

Are you getting stocked up for the holiday weekend?

Be sure to shop for local produce and dairy products, ethically raised meats, and remember your reusable bags when you're out and about.

Some other tips to green the holiday festivities:

*Carpool with buddies if you're going out on the town or hitting up a BBQ
*Lather up with some safe, non-toxic sunscreen to keep your skin from sizzling (Badger is the way to go for sunscreen)
*Green your disposables by stocking up on sugarcane plates, potato forks and corn cups (by the way, we've got them in stock)

Enjoy a safe and fun holiday weekend!

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Compost Daily - The new iPhone is green...

Are you drooling over the new iPhone?

Apple has made quite an effort to green their electronics and the new iPhone is no exception. The newest Apple gadget comes with a super efficient processor, efficient power adapter, post-consumer waste packaging, bromine-free circuit board, mercury-free LCD, arsenic-free glass, PVC-free headphones and and USB cables.

If you end up getting yourself a new iPhone be sure to bring us your old one so we can recycle it properly.

Compost Daily is a green tip email service provided by Green Alternatives earth-friendly general store. Tips arrive in your inbox Wednesday through Friday. {sign up)

Compost Daily - Efficient Living

Stuck with a tiny space? Downsizing? Organizing? There are so many cool ways to green your space and make it as efficient as possible.

For starters, you can eco organize by reusing jars, cans, and baskets to hold all of your goodies. One of our favorite organizing tips is to slice an old cereal box on the diagonal, decorate with old newspaper or old wrapping paper, and use to store magazines or papers.

If you're looking to make a complete space maximization overhaul, we recommend checking out this amazing apartment squeezing 24 rooms into an itty-bitty 330 square feet. Talk about keeping it green...you can also tour the apartment.

Compost Daily is a green tip email service provided by Green Alternatives earth-friendly general store. Tips arrive in your inbox Wednesday through Friday. {sign up}

Compost Daily - 3 in 1

We were a little crazy here at the store the past few days with big orders coming in so our Compost Daily tips were sadly pushed aside. To make up for it, we're giving you three tips in one!


Tip #1 // Start an office garden

If you work in an office building there is probably some open space around the structure that you and a few co-workers could turn into an organic veggie garden. Studies have shown that a few minutes outside every day could boost mood so mid-day gardening could mean smooth sailing throughout the afternoon grind.

Tip #2 // Clover Helps

Clovers popping up throughout your grass? It's okay! Clover adds vital nutrients to the soil and for years was considered a must-have in grass seed mixes. Clover is also low-growing, evergreen, and drought tolerant.

Tip #3 // Get your lawn and garden off drugs

You probably know about the toxic and harmful effects of pesticides to plant life, marine life, and to humans but did you know that Home Depot Canada knows it too? 266 Home Depot stores in Canada have pulled all toxic pesticides off the shelves because they want "to be friends to the environment." While they're still on American Home Depot shelves, we think it's a pretty big step in the right direction.

Compost Daily is a green tip email service provided by Green Alternatives earth-friendly general store. Tips arrive in your inbox Wednesday through Friday. {sign up}

Compost Daily - Recycling Your Cosmetics

We all know if it's not bottle-shaped, it doesn't belong in our blue recycling bins. We've tried to find recycling outlets for lots of other trashy items and found one that the ladies will love.

You can take all of your empty cosmetic containers to Origins inside MacArthur Mall in Norfolk.
 

Compost Daily is a green tip email service provided by Green Alternatives earth-friendly general store. Tips arrive in your inbox Wednesday through Friday. {sign-up}

Compost Daily - Goallll - Team USA & The World Cup

The World Cup has begun and other than celebrating our very own Team USA, we can also celebrate their jerseys. This World Cup, Nike has crafted a quality eco jersey made of 100% recycled materials; more specifically PET plastic bottles that were pulled from landfills.


In making team uniforms for USA and other countries, Nike re-purposed about 13 million bottles which would stretch a staggering 1,864 miles if lined up end to end.

Catch Team USA as they play Slovenia tomorrow at 9:30 am (EST) on ESPN.

Want one? Visit our friends at the Virginia Beach Premier Soccer for an official team jersey in white or navy.

Compost Daily is a green tip email service provided by Green Alternatives earth-friendly general store. Tips arrive in your inbox Wednesday through Friday. {sign-up}

Compost Daily - Weeds Got Ya Down?

Scorching summer sun is just the right ingredient for weeds to get crazy and out of control. Luckily, there's no need to spray your sidewalk or pavers with yucky chemicals. Boiling water or vinegar will do the trick. If you don't have a sprayer, go for the boiling water. Sprayer in hand, vinegar will do just fine.

You won't see results immediately, but give it a day or two and those weeds will be wilting, wilting, gone.

Compost Daily is a green tip email service provided by Green Alternatives earth-friendly general store. Tips arrive in your inbox Wednesday through Friday. {sign-up}

Compost Daily - Shooting for No Impact?

We try our darnedest to be waste-free and offer up no impact on the planet, but let's face it...sometimes we still have trash at the curb.

If you're feeling up for a zero waste challenge, check out these sites for some helpful tips. We're working hard here at the store and on the homestead to reduce, reuse, recycle and rely on these few sites to give us some helpful hints.

The Zero Waste Home : A home that refuses, refuses, refuses then reduces, reuses, and recycles in that order.

No Impact Man : A blog about what each of us can do to create a better, happier place to live

Compost Daily is a green tip email service provided by Green Alternatives earth-friendly general store.  Tips arrive in your inbox Wednesday through Friday. {sign-up}

Compost Daily - Hands Across The Sand

Not to be political or anything, but to wholeheartedly support sustainability we wanted to be sure we told you about Hands Across The Sand.

It's a national effort reaching locals all over the country in support of clean energy and our local spot is Virginia Beach! You can read more about where our meeting spot is at the Hands Across the Sand Virginia site.

June 26 at 11 am between 19th and 31st Streets, meet at the beach for Hands Across The Sand. We'll be there so look for us on the sand.

You can friend them on facebook too!

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