Green.Sexy

Biodegradable things are things that can decompose naturally. Compostable things are things that biodegrade fairly quickly. Things like apple cores, banana peels, egg shells, and newspapers. You’d think that those things would break down just fine whether they’re in your compost pile or in a landfill. But they don’t. Because in order to break down in that relatively short amount of time, they need air, and preferably some dirt and microorganisms too. And that stuff is lacking in landfills. Landfills don’t have much dirt. They don’t have many microorganisms. They don’t even have much air because everything in a landfill is packed so tight that it can hardly breathe. So stuff that could break down in a compost pile in just a couple of weeks may take years or even decades to break down in a landfill. So all those apple cores end up just sitting there and adding up and up and up. That means that even a little bit of composting means a lot less stuff in the landfill. Also, since composting means less trash, it also means fewer trash bags, which is good for the earth and saves you money.

There are a few ways to do compost. You can have a compost pile, a worm tube, or or a compost bin.

Compost piles are pretty self-sufficient, although you may want to stir them up or add water during dry weather to speed up the decomposition process.

Worm tubes are lengths of PVC tube that have holds drilled into them and are then driven into the ground. Food scraps are placed in the top of the tube. Worms are attracted to the scraps, crawl in through the holes, and compost it up. The worms also aerate the soil and distribute all the nutrients from the compost and their castings. So you can put the worm tube right in the middle of your garden, and it will be a natural fertilizer. You can put a bowl or pot over the top of the tube to keep out flies and small animals.

Compost bins are sometimes on a base so that they can be easily turned and stirred up. Compost bins that do not turn on a base may be rolled on the ground or use red wiggler worms to speed up the decomposition process. The worms live, breed, and die in the bin. When done right, you can have an ongoing supply of worms in there. You can buy a compost bin or you can make your own. The easiest do it yourself composter is made out of a large plastic garbage can with a lid. Simply drill or poke holes around the garbage can to let out an extra liquid and to promote airflow.

Plastic bags and paper bags are both bad for the environment. 

Plastic is not a renewable resource. And the EPA estimates that less than 5% of plastic bags get recycled. The rest of them end up in landfills, in forests, in the ocean, and a whole bunch of other places where we do not want them to be. Many animals eat them accidentally (especially in the water where the bags get mistaken for jelly fish). This can lead to choking, suffocation, or even starvation if the bag causes an intestinal blockage. It’s estimated that plastic bags kill about 100,000 animals a year that way. And they take a very long time to break down, hundreds of years at least.

Paper isn’t much better. Paper is a renewable resource. But as is, we’re cutting down trees way faster than we’re planting them. And paper bags are recyclable, but the EPA estimates that only 20% of them get recycled. Most of the rest end up in a landfill. Now that might not sound so bad because paper bags are biodegradable. Biodegradable things are things that can decompose naturally (we usually say that something is biodegradable when it also breaks down fairly quickly, but that isn’t technically part of the definition). So things like apple cores, banana peels, and egg shells. You’d think that paper bags and all that other stuff would break down no problem in a landfill. But they don’t. Because in order to break down, especially in a relatively short amount of time, things need air, and preferably some dirt and microorganisms too. And that stuff is lacking in landfills. Landfills don’t have much dirt. They don’t have many microorganisms. They don’t even have much air because everything in a landfill is packed so tight that it can hardly breathe. So stuff that could break down in a compost pile in just a couple of weeks may take years or even decades to break down in a landfill. So all those paper bags end up just sitting there.

So don’t leave the grocery store with paper or plastic bags. Bring your own reusable bags to the store instead. Reusable bags are much better for the environment, they’re stronger, they can carry more without ripping, and they’re easier to carry (have you ever tried to carry a full paper bag and ended up having to cradle it in your arms like a baby or tried to carry a full plastic bag and had the thin handles cut into your fingers!?) If you don’t have any reusable bags, you can buy them at most stores for a dollar or two. You can even make your own out of old shirts, even if you don’t know how to sew.

Sources:

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/paper-or-plastic.html

http://environment.about.com/od/recycling/a/biodegradable.htm

Milkweed fibers repel water but absorb oil. And that means that milkweed is a safe, natural, plant-based, hypoallergenic, and effective oil spill cleaner. 

A company called Encore3 has started making oil spill cleanup kits using milkweed. Each kit can absorb 53 gallons of oil. Multiple kits can easily be used to clean up more oil. The kits absorb oil at the rate of .06 gallons a minute. That sounds pretty darn slow, but it’s actually twice as fast as conventional oil cleaning products.

20 farmers are currently growing milkweed for the company on 800 acres of land. Another 35 farmers are on a waiting list to get on board with the project. The milkweed will be grown without pesticides or fertilizers.

This may be extra good news for monarch butterflies.

Monarch butterfly populations have been significantly declining in the last few years. Their numbers have declined so much (some people estimate that they have declined by as much as 95%) that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is currently considering giving monarchs endangered status. And this decline in their numbers is our fault. It’s the result of pollution, insecticides, and loss of habitat. Mostly loss of habitat. Particularly the loss of milkweed, which is literally the only plant that monarch butterflies will lay their eggs on.

If you want to help monarchs, consider planting milkweed in your garden. There are a lot of different varieties to choose from. You can learn more and order milkweed plants here.