Green Thinking Blog

As we become more and more aware of our earth, we are recognizing that waste is everywhere! I am amazed at the amount of trash one person can create in a week, let alone every person, every week, around the world combined.

Composting is a great alternative to dealing with waste as it conserves landfill space, improves soil condition, provides food for microorganisms, and possibly becomes a family pastime. You may think you can just throw all your lawn clippings in a corner and watch it grow—but it is a little more scientific than that. For a great compost, you need the perfect combination of carbon-rich materials (dried leaves, straw, wood chips) and nitrogen-rich materials (grass clippings and kitchen scraps). Other things to consider are temperature, moisture, and size of your compost pile. An excellent resource to learn all you can about the breaking down of materials through a complex feeding cycle of organisms can be found at CompostGuide.com.

Side Note: You can help your compost pile by considering what you buy that might end up there. While paper, plastic, and Styrofoam products cut down trees, are non-biodegradable, are created using petroleum, and cause pollution, consider purchasing Bagasse or PLA tableware products instead.

Bagasse is a tree-free, sugarcane-based product that is extremely durable and heat tolerant for picnic plates. It also has the capacity to break down within 45-60 days in a commercial composter. Check out Branchhome.com to view and purchase Bagasse products.

PLA is an alternative to plastic, is just as durable, but is 100% biodegradable. It is made from corn and takes only 30-45 days to compost. You can find trash bags, cutlery, cups, and plates made from PLA. For more info and purchasing options visit 2wplastic.com.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 8th, 2008 at 5:00 am and is filed under Lifestyle, Organic. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.