Recycling and Reuse

Recycling:

At home we recycling everything that can be. They don't take the glass because too many garbage men were getting hurt from the broken stuff. The city does have a spot where they have dumpsters to collect glass. We have one of those spots that's walking distance, so when we get a small bag full we walk it over to recycle it.

Collecting:

For awhile we were collecting caps. The city didn't want them because they were so small. An artist friend collects them for art, so we gave him our collection every so often. I was surprised at how fast we collect those things! We don't even drink bottled water, or soda at our house.

I also hang onto yogurt and cottage cheese containers for students to use for paint water.

Compost: 

We keep a compost pile year round. I have since I was little. It's good for when you need to grow things, it doesn't take up too much room, and I love that my garbage rarely stinks because all our peelings and extra food scraps go into the compost bin outside. Along with that we hang on to all our leaves too.

I once had a grocery cart I got for a Halloween. I was a bum. I may be a bum again for Halloween because it was so easy! Anyhow we thought about getting rid of the cart, but then saw this:

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We're going to line it with burlap, keep compost scraps and leaves in there, and plant stuff on top. 

School:

I had a student that recycled paper for the last few years. She just graduated. There is no recycle program here at all. 

Personally I feel like city businesses should be forced to recycle. They go through things way more than a family would. I know that carpet and furniture stores have to crush their boxes, and recycling should be the next logical step. 

As far as homes go, I think it's a personal take. If I lived out in the sticks I'd just burn my trash. I wouldn't take steps to go into town to recycle. Gas would be burned just to go into the city to recycle. I suppose it could be collected, and taken into town when I went. I'd have to weigh out if it was worth it, or not. It just doesn't make sense. I would however keep a compost bin, or pile.

I decided to ask my work: There are many students that feel passionate about recycling here. The student that did this is no longer here. In order to sustain a positive student mindset I feel like it's important to keep this going. If I went to the library, got 3 recycle bins (1 for each classroom) could I recycle the paper here?

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The response pissed me off: Only if you use your own time to do it. You have to keep the bins from overflowing. You have to make sure the bins are no where in site for Open Houses. 

This had to go through 3 people before it came back to me. 

The bins are always under the tables where the printers are. I don't see how having a recycle bin out is any different than having a trash can sitting there. 

I understand about making sure they don't overflow. I wouldn't want that either. 

The message came from the Director, but it was actually my Boss that decided what to say back to me. The Director said, "If you need any help, let me know!" :) I know know my Boss. He's nice, but certainly not for change. It's odd because he runs an art school! My Boss just got done saying that he wants me to run things how I see fit, yet he's this way about me recycling. 

Would you start the recycling program, or would you just say screw it? 

I feel passionate about it, but their response makes me want to scream. Part of me wants to throw back at them that I was told in my review that I could run the classroom more... I'm not a difficult person. Actually I'm pretty easy going for the most part. They schedule guest speakers in our classes at random times, and I bend without a fuss. They change my assignments, and I make sure they are changed properly without complaining about it. They make me manage the classroom being cleaned by the students before breaks, and I do it well. I do know that if I don't say something than it all piles up, and one day I will want to blow up.  

Garbage Day

We don't take the garbage out a whole lot. We keep a year round compost pile, and recycle most paper, plastic, and glass.

Trash in our house just doesn't stink up very fast because we keep a compost pile going year round.

One of Mica's jobs is to collect and take the trash out the one or two days a week that it needs it. Usually he does it, and I hear no complaints.

Taking the compost out varies because it has to be taken out more often then the trash. I'll sometimes do it myself, or ask who ever has shoes on to do the deed. I'd say most of the time it's Isaak's chore. That chore is easier because the bin is right outside the back door.

One night this week I asked Mica to take the trash out. 

Mica, "Pretty soon I'm not going to be fond of outside." 

Me laughing, "Why?" 

Mica: "You know...there might be people and critters poking around these parts of America." 

Me laughing, "Ok Mica. What's this really about?" 

Mica: "Well when I take the trash out I think there might be ghosts out there." 

Me: "It's a good thing we watch you take the garbage out then."

I always watch him take the garbage out because there was 1 collage kid who went to take the trash out, and never returned. Jason disappeared in 2001. Another high school kid went to take the trash out last year, and went missing. They found out she was a runaway. You can just never be too careful!

If you have kids, what chores do they have?  
Mine have more than taking out the trash and compost, but I'm curious what you have your kids do.

Random Tid Bits

1. I burnt the bottom of a pan this week - yuck! I could not scrub the burnt stuff off. I said to Daddy, "I bet vinegar will clean it, but I'm going to look on the internet first. Sure enough vinegar played a part. Cover the bottom of the pan with water, add just as much vinegar as water, and boil. Remove the pan from the heat, and over the sink add 2 Tablespoons of Baking Soda. It will fizz! Use a scouring pad, clean that burnt crap out. If it's really suborn make a paste with Baking Soda and scrub some more.


2. I don't use cleaners anymore. Well hardly anyhow. What do I use to clean with? Orange, lemon, lime, or clementine peelings steeped in vinegar for a few weeks.





3. We keep an ongoing compost pile. Our winter load is 3/4 of a huge trash can. I'm ready for it to warm up, so I can dump it. I've thought about indoor composting for the winter time, but I'll have to look into it more. It seems to me that it would take up some room that we don't have.

Some great things about composting: We go through less trash, our trash doesn't stink as fast, it's great for the soil, and the garden.

Do you keep a compost pile?


4. A new store in San Fransisco opened up where they are selling seeds by the register instead of gum. How cool would that be? I'd love if some stores would rethink what they put up at the checkout.

   

   Source: Read the full article here.



5. Our diet is going good. I've lost 8 pounds (I'm writing this Monday, so I may have lost more). Daddy thought we would have lost more weight, but I've read it's better to loose slowly than to loose fast. You're more apt to put weight back on if you loose fast. My stomach has been feeling better with a limited diet. We've exercised every morning for 1/2 an hour. Then at lunch time if I'm not doing errands I fast walk around the building. Slowly we'll add foods back in. So far berries, apples, and beans have been added back into our diet. What I really want to stay off of as much as possible is sugar and milk products. Our boys still consume those things though. They to are getting more greens though.

Sucking Up Some Leaves

I look crazy ridiculous when I go outside to suck up leaves. I'm an allergy queen, so sucking up leaves has got to be one of the worst things for me. On goes the respirator, and any goggles I can find laying around. Right after it's shower time. I have to get those fine leaf particles out of my hair.

Our neighbor's big tree hangs right over our driveway. Outside I go to suck up the leaves after a windy day, or just when a bunch have fallen.

Then I take finely chopped leaves, put them in a bucket of water and use it as compost. The trees, bushes, and plants love it. My pocket book loves it because it's free compost.

What We Did on Saturday

On Saturday it was in the upper 70s and on Sunday in the low 40s. The cold front has hit Nebraska for sure.

On Saturday I took all our beds apart and washed everything. It took pretty much all day, with the errands we ran. I know it's time to do that when Isaak has kicked his covers all over the place. He's a wild sleeper. Maybe it has more to do with him wanting to hide in his covers.

Isaak loves to hide from us. He's a typical little boy. He hides in the same spots: Behind his bedroom door, in his covers, or behind the calk board. He gets really mad when Mica points out where he is. When I find him he says, "How did you know I was hiding here?" I sort of shrug my shoulders and say, "It was pretty hard to find you."

Off went their bedding to be washed. Under the covers, on the ground the boys hid.

I made a big breakfast on Saturday. French toast, almonds, fresh pomegranate and apple juice, and coffee for the adults. Pomegranates are fairly new to us. I've bought premade pomegranate juice, but only a handful of times have I actually juiced them. If you've never had them, don't eat the white stuff! I made that mistake the first time. YUCK! It won't kill you, but it isn't good - very bitter. You eat the red seeds. It's pretty fast to cut them in 1/2 and de-seed them in a bowl of water. They are good! Isaak begs for some of the seeds to eat on their own. The boys are pretty much pigs for breakfast on the weekends. Maybe it's because we eat later then the weekdays. Mica wanted 3 pieces of French toast. I had to stop him at 2 and give him another protein to eat.

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Daddy mowed for the last time, which took awhile. We haven't bagged any of our leaves. Our backyard is big for a city yard. I processed leaves by putting them them in buckets of water and layed them down under a baby Dwarf Magnolia Tree. The other crunched up leaves went into a compost pile, which will be where our potatoes will be planted next year. Our compost pile is always on the move.

After the many dishes and mowing the leaves up, we went to pick out a new screen/glass door. Ours is all out of shape. We liked things about one door, but not something else. They didn't have what we wanted in stock. It was a pain trying to find what we wanted. In the end we got one from Home Depot. The best brand was an Anderson door (Daddy researched). We'll have to wait 7 to 10 days to get it, but that's better than the 5 week wait at the other place. To pay someone to put one on was much more expensive and the door they wanted to put in wasn't the best quality. We have the worst luck with people not shutting our door and the wind taking it. Cross your fingers that this one works out. Otherwises I think we should build walls around the doors.