It’s Earth Day! Oh, hi, it’s me again, guest-blogger, Heather. I’m filling in while Mr. Flohr is away on business. For tree-hugger types like me, Earth Day is becoming like the new Christmas.
This Earth Day has not been as eventful as last year when my husband and I helped to build a strawbale house. The walls are straw bales (frame is timber & roof is whatever you like) which are then covered with an adobe-like mud. The walls provide excellent insulation. And if you think they aren’t sturdy, think about the cob cottages that still stand in England dating back to Shakespeare’s day.
This year I’m just concentrating on reducing and reusing. As you may recall, I’m expecting and I’m trying to furnish most baby necessities from gently used sources. I’ve collected a used stroller and pack & play. Still looking for a crib. (They go so fast at the thrift stores!) I even found some organic cotton onesies at the secondhand shop. But I also figured that maybe used clothing would have most of the pesticide residues already washed out. (And anyway, organic cotton is not as much about the poison in the clothing as it is about the poisons they use to grow the crops – which is literally tons.)
I ran across this great British website with ideas for reusing all kinds of stuff. http://www.recyclethis.co.uk/ I found a smart idea for a bagful of plastic shower curtain rings I found while cleaning out the bathroom this weekend. One person suggests using them to hold growing plants I onto the wire fence or cage that they are growing next to. They will probably be more gentle on my peas and tomato than wire or twine.
Do you recycle your Konsyl canisters? They are #2 HDPE plastic. That type is accepted by most recycling centers and curbside pickup. (And many things are #2 plastic, so look around the house. You can probably recycle your ketchup bottles, peanut butter jars and shampoo bottles.)
Or maybe re-use them! The screw cap is has a pretty nice, tight fit. Maybe you could use in the pantry to keep bugs out of your flour and sugar. Just make sure you somehow relabel them!!
Other ideas for repurposing your Konsyl container? Let’s chat about it in the comments.
Notes from the VP 