Some of us might be blanketed by mounds of snow right now, keeping us indoors and forgetful of environmentalism, but there are plenty of things you can do this winter to help keep our planet healthy:

Conserve energy by turning down the thermostat a couple degrees in the house and water heater, turning off unused lights and computers, and following other tips below. Not only will this lower your energy bills, but energy production from coal, oil and natural gas is one of the leading causes of greenhouse gases that contribute to global climate change. In particular:

• Home Heating: Reduce the house temperature one degree at a time, and wear a sweater or fleece to stay comfy. At night or when you’re away, set your thermostat for lower temperatures. Keep your window drapes closed at night, and close doors to seldom-used rooms until you need them. Caulk windows and doors to keep heat inside and cold air out. Ask your utility company for a home energy audit to find out how to improve your home’s insulation and energy efficiency. Purchase “green energy” when that option is available from your utility company. (Green energy is renewable and sustainable energy.)
• Hot Water: Insulate your water heater and pipes. Turn the temperature on your water heater down to 120 degrees or install an on-demand water heater. Even better, install a solar water-heater system. Take shorter showers and install low-flow showerheads and faucets. Wash your clothes in cold water unless they are heavily stained, and line dry if possible.
• Lights & Appliances: The old adage “turn off the light when you leave the room” is still good advice. Install energy-efficient, compact fluorescent lights. They last longer and cost less in electricity. Turn off your computer when not in use for several hours or more. (According to Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, modern hard disks are not significantly affected by frequent shut-downs as the older models were.) Use your microwave, for one-third of the energy outlay of your conventional oven. Choose energy-efficient appliances (look for the Energy Star label).

In winter cleaning, use the least-hazardous product to do the job; assess your needs and read the labels.  Especially in winter months, your house is closed more airtight. Toxic products can concentrate fumes in the air you breathe and harm your health. Young children can be especially vulnerable to these effects. Water down your drain also carries residues from your home, and many harsh household chemicals are not removed by sewage-treatment or septic systems. These waters later empty to underground water and then into rivers and streams. (Do you know the source of your drinking water and where your household drains go?) Use safer cleaning products such as baking soda and vinegar. Use baking soda to scrub. Vinegar makes good window cleaner (mix 1/4 cup with 1 quart warm water).

Manage your septic tank and have it pumped every 3 years.  Although properly used and maintained septic tanks can be safe and efficient, poorly located or neglected septic systems can pose a serious threat to drinking-water wells, your family’s health, vegetable gardens, or nearby streams and lakes. Inspect your septic tank and have it pumped every 3 years or as necessary. Don’t use septic-tank cleaning compounds or additives, since they can damage the system. Watch for signs of failure (standing water, foul orders, lush growth and backed-up toilets or drains). Install water-saving devices in your house to prolong the life of your septic drain field. Avoid overloading the system by spreading water-intensive chores (like laundry) throughout the week. Limit or avoid the use of garbage disposals; compost your kitchen waste instead (except for animal products, meats, etc.).

 

Compost tumblers are the most efficient closed-bin systems and make year-round composting relatively easy. A composting tumbler is a bin on a support, so it can be spun to mix the compost. The tumbler has some form of aeration, such as vents, spikes or a perforated tube running up the center for airflow. Its self-containment makes it easy to move, and the dark color helps keep the tumbler warm. Continued feeding with both green and brown matter can keep the bacteria alive and working.

The good part, besides the above, is that wildlife cannot access the scraps put in these containers. Tumblers keep the compost contained, all in one place, and odor-free for city dwellers. Composting tumblers are also called batch composters, as they break down one batch at a time. Some models have dual compartments so one batch can be added to while the other matures. Because they are contained and elevated from the ground, compost tumblers are the easiest way of keeping compost active through winter.

There are other ways to deal with waste materials over the winter as well without having to face the winter head-on. One solution is an insulated sealed composter that sits in a corner of the garage. A sealed composter with proper balance of carbon and nitrogen components will not emit any composting odors.

Another method is worm composting, or vermiculture. A Worm Composter is efficient, odorless and can be kept indoors. There are those who may not want to have a worm compost system in their home, for various reasons; however, worm composters can also be kept in the garage or outside.

Yet another indoor system is known as Bokashi, which uses an anaerobic composting process, which means that food scraps don’t rot or smell while breaking down. This is a good method for urban dwellers who can make compost indoors for their plants or community gardens, and for those who live in climates that get deeply cold, such as in upper Canada and Alaska. In these climates, even if the cold were not enough to keep you from composting outdoors, any lid to a composter could likely be frozen shut.

Probably the best reason to maintain an active compost over winter is the head start it gives your early spring garden. During winter, your compost will also provide a welcome boost for your houseplants throughout the dreary winter months.

In gardening, so much is preparation. Summer is preparation for winter, to grow food that will see families through the cold months; but rarely is winter seen as preparation for summer. Composting is one of the many ways in which a homeowner can prepare for spring and the growing season. In keeping compost active and producing that black gold the plants love so much, we connect winter to summer, making each complement the other with what nature has to offer; taking the remains of last summer to make new plants this summer. Keeping the compost going over winter is satisfying to the gardener while providing a wonderful bounty for spring.

 

A quick recap of some of the more interesting news stories of late that involve garbage:

And You Thought You Were Having a Bad Day: A man searching for his wallet in a trash bin in Northern California was scooped up by a garbage truck and taken on a long, presumably smelly, ride. The Oroville Mercury Register reports that the man survived the ride in the rear of a truck. Yolo County Sheriff’s Lt. Martin Torres said the man, whose name was not released, was inside a garbage bin when the truck made a pick-up on Tuesday. The man told police he used lumber in the truck to reach the top of the garbage pile to better avoid the compactor. He was taken to UC Davis Medical Center for complaints of back and neck pain. “The man said he was stuck in the truck for about an hour, but estimates show it was more like 3 or 3 1/2 hours,” Torres tells the newspaper. “The truck made several other pick-ups before arriving at the landfill, where the driver saw the man crawl out of his trash pile.”

Your Money or My Garbage: A bill dispute between a trash hauler and a customer in Minnesota has resulted in a huge mess, literally. The city of Red Wing fined local hauler Paul’s Industrial Garage $1,800, plus cleanup fees, after authorities say it dumped nearly 2 tons of garbage on a customer’s driveway over an unpaid bill, reports the Post-Bulletin. The operator of the truck also faces unlawful dumping charges after the driveway was littered with discarded furniture, old paint cans, garbage bags, etc. “This is, in my opinion, a completely unacceptable public health issue that was done intentionally with complete disregard for public health, welfare, and safety of the public,” says the city’s public works chief. The hauler says the customer rented the roll-off trash receptacle six weeks ago for the driveway, filled it with household trash, but wouldn’t pay up. The company, which estimates it lost about $1,500 in revenue as a result, apparently decided to take its roll-off back but leave the trash behind.

Apparently, Humans Will Litter Anywhere: In the depths of European oceans, you’ll find coral, sand—and old Heineken cans. Yup, human litter can be found even in the most far-reaching places on the planet, according to one of the biggest scientific surveys ever done of the seafloor. Using video and trawling surveys between 1999 and 2011, scientists analyzed 32 sites in the Atlantic Ocean, Arctic Ocean, and Mediterranean Sea. They found everything from bottles to plastic bags, clothing, and fishing nets—even more than 1,200 miles from land and nearly three miles below the water’s surface, the Guardian reports. Not a single site was litter-free. That means your garbage is on continental shelves, ocean ridges, and deep canyons—the worst spot for garbage build-up, the study says. Plastic was most common at 41% of the garbage found, while 34% was related to fishing—think nets and lines. Also spotted: wood, pottery, glass, paper, cardboard, and even burnt coal residue left from steam ships more than 100 years ago. “This survey has shown that human litter is present in all marine habitats, from beaches to the most remote and deepest parts of the oceans,” a researcher says. “Most of the deep sea remains unexplored by humans and these are our first visits to many of these sites, but we were shocked to find that our rubbish has got there before us.” Smithsonian notes some 14 billion pounds of garbage enter the oceans each year, some of which animals eat, get tangled in, and often die.

Yup, it’s that time of year again when we all make resolutions, ranging from pledges to eat healthier, work out more, or spend less time watching Internet videos about cute animals. Why not add living a greener life to your list? It’s so easy to do, it might just be the one resolution you keep past Valentine’s Day. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Start at Home: Get your family involved. Come up with a plan with your spouse and kids, and make sure everyone’s educated on which materials are recyclable, and the best practices.

Don’t Waste at Work or School: The simplest way to start recycling is to place recycling bins in every office, break room, and conference room making it easy and convenient to recycle. Since paper is the most common recyclable found in an office or school, make sure there are surplus recycling bins on display for it.

Upcycle: Upcycling simply means to change the way to you see trash or waste. You can find plenty of examples of upcycled art that are certain to inspire you to give a second life to something like plastic bottles. When you upcycle, you are keeping waste out of landfills and giving it some practicality.

Try a little DIY: There’s no greater joy than doing something yourself, and being able to show it off. Now more than ever, people are enjoying DIY crafts because they are cost effective. Reduce waste and treat yourself to a unique light fixture or holiday decoration crafted out of something you normally wouldn’t think twice about.

Electronic Waste:  E-waste is a major issue globally, and in the United States the numbers are staggering. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, this country alone generated more than 2.44 million tons and 3.4 million tons of e-waste in 2010 and 2011, respectively. In 2010, 19.6 percent of that year’s total e-waste was recycled while in 2011 the number increased to 24.6 percent. Mobile devices offer a similarly gargantuan challenge. In 2010, 152 million units were disposed of in the United States, and these units can be the source of precious minerals such as gold, silver, palladium and, in even larger quantities, copper. Recycling is more energy-efficient than mining for new metals besides being a more sustainable way to access resources. It also creates new jobs: computer reuse creates 296 more jobs for every 10,000 tons of material disposed each year.​ Look for a local drop-off site where you live.

Switch to High-Efficiency Light Bulbs: It’s not news that Light-Emitting Diode (LED) and Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulbs use 75-80% less electricity than incandescent bulbs – so why aren’t more people using them?   Sure you have to pay more for them up front, but since they use less energy your electricity bill will be lower and they will last much longer than incandescent bulbs.

Once you start these few changes in your life it simply becomes more of a habit rather than something you have to do. So this year do your part in helping the environment and sticking to your New Year’s resolution to recycle more!

 

Think outer space is a clean environment? Think again. On November 20, The New York Daily News reported that a BBC report showed that the surface of the moon is actually littered with trash:

“Apparently the moon is an out-of-this-world garbage receptacle.

According to a BBC story, a British-led group wants to embed photos, text and videos below the moon’s surface during a trip to outer space — but it’s already riddled with trash, and even the remnants of vomit.

According to the article, “The Moon is already strewn with rubbish — exploration has left its surface dotted with everything from abandoned modules to golf balls to a bag of vomit from Apollo 11.”

NASA keeps a list of all human detritus that has been left on the moon, including tongs, golf balls and a “defecation collection device,” according to the organization’s official website.

The 1967 Outer Space Treaty requires that those who fly into space avoid “harmful contamination” of the moon and other celestial objects, but there are no rules about littering, according to the BBC.

Experts say explorers should use discretion when visiting the moon — and not leave their debris there.

“I applaud the goals of creating enthusiasm and joy in space exploration and the inspiring of the next generation of space scientists,” said Margaret McLean of the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at UC Santa Clara.

“But likely environmental damage and lunar litter is too high a price to pay.” “

Interestingly, as the article notes, the 1967 Outer Space Treaty that governs the moon doesn’t have rules about garbage or waste removal. The reporter quips that, “So littering all over the moon is not only American, but okay in the eyes of the law.”

To make matters worse, according to a Washington Post reporter, “a British group called Lunar Mission One has launched a Kickstarter campaign to dump more trash on the moon bury a lovely time-capsule just under the surface of the moon’s south pole via unmanned drilling robot. It’s part “Armageddon,” part “National Treasure,” part “Red Planet,” says the Post.

The story goes on to share some details of the Kickstarter campaign: “This is your chance to be part of Lunar Mission One and to reserve your place in space,” the group writes on its Kickstarter page. “Your pledge will reserve you a digital memory box that will be buried in the moon during the mission as part of a 21st Century time capsule,” the article reports, going on to note that “the campaign so far has raised £292,684 (about $458,000) of its £600,000 goal from more than 3,000 backers, and has 26 days left.”

The Post follows up with “a brief, non-comprehensive overview of the garb that this Kickstarter garb will call neighbors if it successfully reaches the moon, according to NASA:”

• Bags of urine
• Bags of vomit
• A few of those Space Cadillacs
• Golf balls
• Empty food containers
• Wet wipes
• “Defecation Collection Device”
• Color Chart (?)
• “Boots, lunar, pro” (The Air Force Ones of space travel, probably)
• Towels (both red and blue, for cool space style)
• Tissue dispenser
• Nail clippers

“When I admire the wonders of a sunset or the beauty of the moon, my soul expands in the worship of the creator,” Mahatma Gandhi is thought to have said of the wonders in our solar backyard, the Post reporter aptly quotes.

What do you think of the current state of the moon-as-garbage-receptacle?

From Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day, household waste increases by more than 25 percent! Added food waste, shopping bags, packaging, wrapping paper, bows and ribbons—it all adds up.  And it’s not just trash. The average American spends $800 on gifts over the holiday season. With a little thought, you can reduce, reuse and recycle during the holidays to give the environment the precious gift of less while saving yourself time, money and stress.

Here are some ways you can reduce holiday waste:

• Thousands of paper and plastic shopping bags end up in landfills every year. Reduce the number of bags thrown out by bringing reusable cloth bags for holiday gift shopping. Tell store clerks you don’t need a bag for small or oversized purchases.

• Send recycled-content greeting cards to reduce the amount of virgin paper used during the holidays. Remember to recycle any paper cards you receive. You can also try sending electronic greeting cards to reduce paper waste.

• Turn off or unplug holiday lights during the day. Doing so will not only save energy, but will also help your lights last longer.

• Approximately 33 million live Christmas trees are sold in North America every year. After the holidays, look for ways to recycle your tree instead of sending it to a landfill. Check with your community solid waste department and find out if they collect and mulch trees. Your town might be able to use chippings from mulched trees for hiking trails and beachfront erosion barriers.

• To help prevent waste from cutting down and disposing of live trees, you can buy a potted tree and plant it after the holidays.

• Have a create-your-own-decorations party! Invite family and friends to create and use holiday decorations such as ornaments made from old greeting cards or cookie dough, garlands made from strung popcorn or cranberries, wreaths made from artificial greens and flowers, and potpourri made from kitchen spices such as cinnamon and cloves.

• Consider the durability of a product before you buy it as a gift. Cheaper, less durable items often wear out quickly, creating waste and costing you money.

• When buying gifts, check product labels to determine an item’s recyclability and whether it is made from recycled materials. Buying recycled encourages manufacturers to make more recycled-content products available.

• Shipping a gift? Reuse the foam peanuts from another package, or use unbuttered popcorn for packing. Return unwanted Styrofoam packing PEANUTS to local UPS Stores. Please call before delivering.

• About 40% of all battery sales occur during the holiday season. Buy rechargeable batteries to accompany your electronic gifts, and consider giving a battery charger as well. Rechargeable batteries reduce the amount of potentially harmful materials thrown away, and can save money in the long run.

• Giving the gift of an experience is a great option for children who want to give family gifts but don’t have the money or a way to buy them. Let children know that homemade gifts and gifts of their time are more valuable to you.