Autumn is the perfect time to begin a project that will ensure a bountiful garden next year: a compost pile. Decaying vines, vegetables, leaves and grass clippings contain excellent nutrients that break down over time to recharge soil with nitrogen for spring planting.
First, find a place for your compost. Drive four 5-foot wood or metal stakes one foot into the ground – one at each corner of a square three feet wide. Fence in three sides with chicken wire, leaving one side open for easy access. If you like the idea of a compost pile but don’t have time to build one, purchase a prefabricated compost unit.
Next, collect chopped tree leaves, grass clippings, and all the vines and fading plants from your vegetable garden and build a pile that’s at least three feet high. This will create a hot internal temperature to decompose the organic waste into fertilizer. To prevent odor, you can add a dusting of lime every six to ten inches. As a safety precaution, avoid adding lawn clippings that have recently been treated with herbicides or week killers.
Shape the pile like a volcano and make an indentation on top to catch rain. Water the pile at least once every two weeks to keep it moist and turn it once in a while to move drier outside material into the middle where it can break down into lush humus.
Your home improvement project is done and it looks great, but now what do you do with the leftover paint? Those old cans of paint in your basement, garage, or in the corner of your closet, can’t just be pitched out with the trash. They’re considered hazardous household waste and need to be discarded with due caution. Here’s what to do:
- Read the label. The paint’s manufacturer should include instructions on disposing of used paint. Follow those guidelines.
- Dry out latex paints. You can dump some sand or kitty litter into the can to speed the process, but it may still take a few weeks. Keep the cans away from pets and small children (outside if possible). Make sure the paint is completely dried out by poking a screwdriver into it and looking for any liquid underneath the top. Take oil-based paints to a hazardous-waste collection center.
- Remove lids. If your community allows you to throw paints in the trash, be sure to take lids off so garbage haulers can see that the cans are dried out and empty of paint.
- Check community resources. Find out what’s available in your community for recycling or disposing of all paints – latex, oil-based, spray paint, etc.
Ironically, spring/summer cleaning can be hazardous to your family’s health – and to the environment. Many common household cleaners contain alcohol, ammonia, bleach, formaldehyde and lye. Some of these ingredients have been linked with neurological, liver and kidney damage, asthma and cancer. Avoid them by making your own green cleaners. Here are some recipes for simple, effective cleaners:
*Window cleaner; add 2 ounces of vinegar to a quart of water in a spray bottle.
*Streak-free glass cleaner; Blend 2 ounces of vinegar, a spoonful of corn-starch and a quart of warm water. Apply with a sponge and wipe dry.
*Rust remover; Use vinegar to remove rust and other mineral deposites on nuts and bolts.
>> this just in;
C.A.R. Green Tip of the Week: Confused about plastics?
Experts have reached a consensus and recommend consumers avoid these varieties of plastics–identified by a triangle and number on the bottom of most containers–for the following reasons:
#3 Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) commonly contains di-2-ehtylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), an endocrine disruptor and probable human carcinogen, as a softener.
#6 Polystyrene (PS) may leach styrene, a possible endocrine disruptor and human carcinogen, into water and food.
#7 Polycarbonate contains the hormone disruptor bisphenol-A, which can leach out as bottles age, are heated, or exposed to acidic solutions. Unfortunately, #7 is used in most baby bottles and five-gallon water jugs and in many reusable sports bottles.
Here are a few tips you can do to help in the quest to ‘go green’.
1. Reduce, recycle, reuse, and buy recycled. We use a ‘blue’ bin and recycle paper and bottles & cans.
2. Turn off your computer & lights when not in use.
3. Recycle ink cartridges.
4. Use you notepad wisely. Use the entire page, then turn it over and use the other side.
5. Watch what you print.
6. Install motion sensor lights.
7. Buy “energy star” office equipment.
8. Open the blinds. Turn down the lights and let the sun shine in.
9. Recycle old cell phones.
10. Do it yourself. If the office doesn’t recycle, you can lead the way.
