Eye Opener: Photo Essay

A Look at How My Household and What I do to  Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Re-purpose.

I wanted to look at the efforts we take in my house that help the environment in some way. It was kind of fun and exciting because as I started to look around and as I was taking pictures I started seeing even more things that we were doing to attempt to create or add to the balance for all the things we do to use resources.

Below are pictures to share with you what I found.

First of all. I have a little bucket by my sink that I stick food scraps in when I'm cooking and cleaning to get them to the compost bucket.  

BONUSES!! The bucket I use is a left over plastic bucket I purchased with hemp hearts that I ate, putting it to a handy use.  You see that I'm pouring loose leaf tea leaves that I used in a reusable strainer so I'm not using individual tea bags that not only take up more room in shipping, cost more to purchase, as well as use bleach to bleach the bags so they look fresh and not their natural off white color. (I do still use tea bags tea for some teas and if I'm traveling, but at home I try to use loose leaf.)

Here I'm taking the contents of the small bucket by my sink and throwing it in my larger bucket that I'm currently using for compost holdings. 

BONUS!  The bucket is an old cat litter bucket. 

Here is the worm bin where the compost from the cat bucket will end up.  Joel (my husband) has been using our compost in this bin for a few years, experimenting with vermicomposting to get the most result from the least input work - with the condition that it never causes any bug issues, smell, or let the worms escape.  So far, so good.  The brown spots on the top of the bin are from vent holes for air, which some very few, very small things also get out, but they also almost instantly die out in the drier air outside the bucket, so they have not been a threat to the no bugs free in the house condition.  The brown stuff can be easily wiped off by a rag with regular house cleaning.... right honey! :-) Hint, hint.

If you look carefully you can see some little reddish worms in the dirt on the white paper. They normally live below the surface away from the light but some of the lower dirt was brought to the top so you can see the little worker worms.

On top of the worms we threw the compostable plates from class last Monday.  You can break them up but Joel is doing some experimentation to see how throwing them in whole will work.

You can also use an ACTUAL composting bucket, like this one that Joel uses at his house. The  charcoal filter on the top REALLY WORKS!

On top of the plates we added the mucky half composted stuff from the green caddy above.  Joel was out of town and the food in the green container had been in there too long; weeks in fact.  It hadn't been opened, and was well composting into a liquid and smelled quite unpleasant.  Worse than I have ever smelled before. Drastic measures had to be taken...

We broke out the incense and a fan briefly and then the smell was gone. Lesson.... add the sealed composting to the worms BEFORE you go away... or take it outside!

Joel adds a bag that he puts some water on to keep moisture in the bin, the light out for the worms and this seems to be a huge help to having the smell not come out of the bin.  The worm bin does not have an odor even when you stand right by it.  Not even after all the unpleasant smells that we added.  The worms will also eventually use the bag for food and break it down as well.

HERE, finally, is the goal and benefit of this process. When you separate out the worms from their castings, you have worm poop. Also known as extremely good nutritious dirt; the Cadillac of the dirt world.

What do you do with all this dirt you might be asking?

Here is one option.  In this growing container Joel just started basil.  Along with the dirt/worm castings that our little worm workers made, in this pot there is organic potting soil, a soil additive called perlite and Peat Moss that the basil will grow in.

  

 

These are starter cubes that have been watered with nutrients and have other properties that make them ideal for the purpose of starting new seeds. The ones you see are baby Kohlrabi and in the back in the 4th row you can just see is lettuce. 

Joel usually uses these cubes for putting in his hydroponics garden that basically uses water, nutrients and rock that these are planted in.  Some of these, however, will be added into the white soil container above. He is experimenting with new plants and different ways to grow them. 

There you have the circle of where the food goes and helps us make new food in my house.

 

Just for fun... these are Kohlrabi seeds.  They are super cool because they are silver and shiny. My Dad grew Kohlrabi when I was a kid but I don't think I ever saw the seeds.

Let's go back to some other things we are doing. 

This is the filter I use for my pod coffee maker. I like it because the amount of coffee grounds I use is considerably less even compared a small coffee pot.  I can buy little cups all ready to go, but this allows me to drink the coffee, or coffee combinations I want.  I also don't have to commit to a whole pot if I just want a small cup.  

BONUS!  If you look to the top left you will see the coffee I purchased at the farmers market by a local roaster. YUMMY! To the right of that is an old spaghetti jar that I use as my water glass.  And, hey... another bonus! The fancy feast box beyond that is now used for a tea holder on my counter for easy access. 

Speaking of jars.... I look in my cupboard and see all sorts of jars re-purposed for bulk items I get at the store. Everything from peanut butter, Jelly and frappuccino bottles.

 

I re use my plastic bags that I get from some of the stores, if I forget to bring a reusable bag, for cleaning cat litter. (You would think my 17 year-old, Nikita, would be cleaning up after herself by now... but NO! Darn the lack of opposable thumbs.)

BONUS! The UMD store bag hanging on the door knob is the long time litter scoop holder.

Of course we do the typical recycling... using litter buckets, again, as the in the house recycling buckets. They are much easier to carry up the big scary hill in winter, to the recycling can.

We make good use of our old litter buckets. They used to not be recyclable and it felt horrible not to try to re-use them.

I realize the obvious is, of course, get litter in bags, right?  This is a good idea, however, for some reason the good litter sales seem to be on the containers rather than the bags for some reason.  So, we weigh that piece out when purchasing too.

And last but not least... for my FAVORITE re-purposing of all!!!  :)

MY KITTIES!!!!

Nikita on the left and Alex on the right! They were both shelter cats. Nikita was given to the shelter when she was around 6 months due to too many pets. Alex was a wee baby when I picked him out. 

They even come with a BONUS!!  Nikita is re-purposing a cat food box for her special chair.  And Alex is laying on his favorite toys... paper that came from packing in a shipped box, from the backing of plastic used to winterize a drafty window and a Whole Foods paper bag that broke. 

Happy recycling in what ever form that is.