I'M DREAMING OF A GREEN CHRISTMAS

The most wonderful time of year? Maybe. Trashiest time of the year? No question.

Boxes, Styrofoam, packaging, wrapping paper, disposable plates, cups and utensils, bottles, cans and food waste - our trash bins overfloweth. But there are ways we can minimize the amount of waste we produce. Mainly, remember the simple phrase "reduce, re-use, recycle" - and they're in that order for a reason.

Reducing what we buy and consume will have the greatest impact on the environment. That includes the number and type of gifts we purchase and how we acquire them, as well as careful menu planning related to the number of actual guests expected.

Look at your trash from a fresh point of view. Getting rid of one bag of trash this season may seem like a small dent in light of America's mountain range of landfills, but if every household filled one fewer bag, imagine the difference we could make.

Meal planning: reduce before eating that big meal - greening up usually takes a little extra time and thought, but it’s well worth the effort. Here are two options for waste reduction:

Casual option: Look for compostable tableware and bags – they may cost a little more than the run of the mill plastic stuff, but you’ll be “Completing the Cycle” by re-using recycled materials. And don’t throw the compostable items in the trash. Does your community collect food waste? If so, be sure to place your compostables in the food waste bin. It may look like trash, but these are valuable natural resources that can and should be recycled into compost. Note: paper plates and cups advertised as biodegradable are made to degrade in a commercial composting facility (read the fine print on the package). Added to a small, home compost pile, they may take many months to degrade.

Formal option: A meal served on china surrounded by silverware, glasses and cloth napkins will take longer to clean up than disposable dishes and plastic ware (taking labor to buy them, and time and fuel to drive to the store). But china and glass are classier, and you can recruit guests to pitch in after dinner – put on your favorite Christmas tunes and the time will fly.

Tips for a Greener Christmas:

Designate a recycling bin for guests to use, and asking them to bring containers for leftovers. Remember to buy local!

And what about trees? Even environmentalists debate whether a live-cut or artificial tree leaves a smaller footprint.

Live trees provide habitat for critters, are a renewable crop, and when grown locally, create local jobs. Making an event out of visiting a tree farm to cut a tree, have a wagon ride and drink hot cocoa can be a pleasant family memory. Note: don’t send your trees to the landfill – recycle ‘em! To properly prepare your Christmas tree for recycling, make sure to remove all ornaments, tinsel, and stands. Trees with stands and flocked trees won’t be accepted and can’t be recycled. Trees over six feet should be cut in half. Visit www.lessismore.org for more info on Christmas tree recycling and scheduled pick up in your area.

An artificial tree re-used for 10 or 20 years would be cheaper and result in less consumption than buying a live tree every year. However, it can't be recycled and is not biodegradable, so when thrown out, it will be a landfill lump.

Economics can be a challenge of going green. Green goods sometimes cost more, but on the other hand, the prices of trash disposal, pollution and energy continue to rise. Complete the cycle by re-using recycled materials and you’ll be helping your community (and have a Greener Christmas.) Naturally!

For more info: visit www.GotCompost.com  

T'is the Season to - Recycle!

The most wonderful time of year? Maybe. Trashiest time of the year? No question.

Boxes, Styrofoam, packaging, wrapping paper, disposable plates, cups and utensils, bottles, cans and food waste - our trash bins overfloweth. But there are ways we can minimize the amount of waste we produce. Mainly, remember the simple phrase "reduce, re-use, recycle" - and they're in that order for a reason.

Reducing what we buy and consume will have the greatest impact on the environment. That includes the number and type of gifts we purchase and how we acquire them, as well as careful menu planning related to the number of actual guests expected.

Look at your trash from a fresh point of view. Getting rid of one bag of trash this season may seem like a small dent in light of America's mountain range of landfills, but if every household filled one fewer bag, imagine the difference we could make.

Meal planning: reduce before eating that big meal - greening up usually takes a little extra time and thought, but it’s well worth the effort. Here are two options for “waste reduction”:

Casual option: Look for compostable tableware and bags – they may cost a little more than the run of the mill plastic stuff, but you’ll be “Completing the Cycle” by re-using recycled materials. And don’t throw the compostable items in the trash. Does your community collect food waste? If so, be sure to place your compostables in the food waste bin. It may look like trash, but these are valuable natural resources that can and should be recycled into compost. Note: paper plates and cups advertised as biodegradable are made to degrade in a commercial composting facility (read the fine print on the package). Added to a small, home compost pile, they may take many months to degrade.

For more info on Compostable Events and Food Waste click here

Formal option: A meal served on china surrounded by silverware, glasses and cloth napkins will take longer to clean up than disposable dishes and plastic ware (taking labor to buy them, and time and fuel to drive to the store). But china and glass are classier, and you can recruit guests to pitch in after dinner – put on your favorite Christmas tunes and the time will fly.

Tips for a Greener Christmas:

Designate a recycling bin for guests to use, and asking them to bring containers for leftovers. Remember to buy local!

And what about trees? Even environmentalists debate whether a live-cut or artificial tree leaves a smaller footprint.

Live trees provide habitat for critters, are a renewable crop, and when grown locally, create local jobs. Making an event out of visiting a tree farm to cut a tree, have a wagon ride and drink hot cocoa can be a pleasant family memory. Note: don’t send your trees to the landfill – recycle ‘em! To properly prepare your Christmas tree for recycling, make sure to remove all ornaments, tinsel, and stands. Trees with stands and flocked trees won’t be accepted and can’t be recycled. Trees over six feet should be cut in half. Visit www.lessismore.org for more info on Christmas tree recycling and scheduled pick up in your area.

An artificial tree re-used for 10 or 20 years would be cheaper and result in less consumption than buying a live tree every year. However, it can't be recycled and is not biodegradable, so when thrown out, it will be a landfill lump.

Economics can be a challenge of going green. Green goods sometimes cost more, but on the other hand, the prices of trash disposal, pollution and energy continue to rise. Complete the cycle by re-using recycled materials and you’ll be helping your community (and have a Greener Christmas.) Naturally!

For more info: visit www.GotCompost.com  

 

Want to Recycle Organic Materials? Location Matters!

 

Doing some traveling over the past few months, we've paid attention to trash and recycling collection practices in a variety of locations in California. This post focuses on the Bay Area; Menlo Park, to be exact. Whoa, life must be pretty exciting if a highlight of our visit was spotting bins specifically for compostable materials!

 

But this is a topic of interest because recycling practices vary so drastically from one area of our state to another; and undoubtedly, across the country. If Menlo Park, San Francisco and San Jose have designated bins for compostable materials, in addition to recyclables and normal everyday trash, why can’t the rest of the country do the same? On the Central Coast, some cities have passed ordinances requiring collection of Green Waste – with a slight rise in collection fees (approximately $3). This is a move in the right direction, but when we think about all the food scraps and coffee grounds heading for the landfill, we’re sorry to see these resources being wasted.

Recycling isn’t just for glass and metal. Potato peelings, egg shells, tea bags and coffee grounds (don’t forget the filter!) can be recycled into compost. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg (lettuce); almost all food waste, paper goods – such as paper plates and napkins – and clean wood products, like coffee stirrers, can be transformed into nutrient rich compost.

In our little community on the Central Coast of California, we faithfully truck our recycle bins out to the curb one week; and our green waste bins go out the next. With no compost bin for collection of food scraps, coffee/coffee filters, cardboard, etc., we’re forced to waste these resources or do what we do – compost this stuff at home. All well and good for the environment, but when we need a decent amount of compost for lawn top dressing, laying sod or amending soil for our annual vegetable garden; buying fresh, local, bulk compost is the way to go.

Bins for compostable materials need to be available across the country; with collected organic materials sent to the nearest Regional Compost Facility. These facilities provide the freshest soil products to the public - ready to be put back into the earth building healthy soil to grow crops and improve lawns and gardens. The re-use of recycled materials has a few labels, but we call this ‘Completing the Cycle.’

So, to free up landfill space and improve the environment we should:

1.    collect organic materials

2.    recycle these material for transformation into compost

3.    purchase bulk compost

4.    use compost to build healthy soil

Working together, we can do this. Naturally! Click for more info

Need compost for your next project? Call (805) 925-2771 and ask for Jim or Chuck.

Harvest Blend Compost is available at authorized dealers in San Luis and Santa Barbara Counties.

SCHOOL GARDENS - Providing a wealth of learning opportunities

Yep, school is definitely back in session. We know this because we’ve been getting calls from schools in Santa Barbara County, requesting compost and topsoil to establish, improve and/or maintain school gardens.

 Educational Benefits
A garden has to be designed and laid out, providing a chance to utilize planning and math skills in a group setting. Soil preparation is an opportunity to learn about the importance of soil organic matter, earthworms and general soil ecology. Plant selection and placement require research and more math. As the plants grow, students will have to determine the most efficient way to irrigate and control weeds.

The Value of Sharing
When the garden begins to produce, students are rewarded for their hard work in ways that often leave lasting impressions. In some cases, a portion of the garden crop is donated to a local food bank or other worthwhile agency. Some schools use their harvest in their cafeteria. Others encourage students to share their bounty with family and friends. The common thread that runs through these programs is the joy children derive from sharing their harvest with others.

School Pride
It's known that students involved in any campus project are more likely to have a caring attitude about their school. We know that when students work hard to plan and install a beautiful garden, they develop a sense of pride in their school surroundings that might not otherwise occur.

Field Trips to Engel & Gray Regional Compost Facility
Engel & Gray invites classes to tour our Regional Compost Facility. Please plan for your visit and contact our office at least 30 days in advance. Our field trips are available for grades 3 and up. The approximately one hour tour will include the following:

• An overview of the compost site
• A description of the process turning yard trimmings and food scraps into compost and mulch
• A discussion of the importance of reuse and recycling
• Promoting the ‘Completing the Cycle’ message
• Coloring page featuring “Mike Robe – the busiest microbe in the windrow!”

For tour information - please call 805-925-2771

Product Donations
Engel & Gray Regional Compost Facility and Harvest Blend Compost are proud supporters of Central Coast School Garden programs ~ believing there is no better environment than the garden in which to - Plant the seeds of knowledge; experience the joy of learning and harvest a bountiful crop of lifelong learners. Naturally!

Need compost for your school garden? Give us a call @ 805-925-2771 and ask for Jim or Chuck. You can also reach them at Jim@EngelandGray.com or Chuck@EngelandGray.com

www.GotCompost.com