Weekly Green: Composting Update

I wanted to take a minute to give you an update on my composting efforts.  At a party Saturday night I met a new friend.  Like me, she was also getting into worm composting.  Unlike me, she took a class and seemed to know a few things about worm composting that I did not, such as, the worms will drown if there is too much water in composter or that they will fry if composter gets too hot.  Sunday morning I went running out to composter which I had sitting in the sunshine.  Who knew they could not tolerate temperatures above 80 degrees?   I made my husband put rubber gloves on and search for the worms to comfirm that they were still alive.   He found 3 worms.  I knew the problem.  He wasn't looking hard enough!  I immediately put on the gloves and began looking for the red wiggle worms.   I found one!   Had my worms drowned in the rain water we heard sloshing around in the composter last week?  Or did I cook them in the sunshine.   Or are those worms just too small to see?   It appears that compost is being made so I am going to assume the worms are hiding.   I had my husband,  Al push the composter around the back of the house, to the lower deck, where it is now in the shade.  My new friend also seemed to know more about the eating habits of the Red Wiggle worm.  We will no longer be serving up whole egg shells.  Who knew they liked them smashed up?  I guess I still have a lot to learn about worms, composting and going green.  

My Weekly Green

In my quest for green I have had to face a devastating discovery. Cut flowers are not a green alternative.  The book Green, Greener, and Greenest, discusses the negative impact cut flowers have on the environment.  Most cut flowers in the US a grown in underdeveloped countries and shipped here "belching" fossil fuels all the way.  In addition,  they are grown in huge poorly ventilated greenhouses that expose the workers and end users to copious amounts of pesticides and herbicides.   

Here are the cut flower lover's options as cited in Green, Greener and Greenest.   At minimum wear gloves when handling fresh flowers to protect yourself from the residues of pesticides and herbicides used in growing.  Buy organic flowers to cut down on exposure of yourself and others to pesticides and herbicides.  Buying locally grown flowers cuts down on fossil fuel emissions.  Give potted plants or organic bulbs as alternative gift ideas.  Ask local shopkeepers to seek out local and organic sources.  

After reading this, I was delighted when I found bunches of tulips grown in Virginia at the market.  Virginia, that is local enough for me.  I bought two.

What are you doing to help the environment?

I plant trees, compost, keep my thermostat turned down a couple notches, and am considering the purchase of a hybrid. We recycle paper, plastic, glass and aluminum. We have installed dual pane windows and use energy efficient appliances. Energy efficient dimmers on light fixtures is another green idea we have incorporated into our home.

Compact fluorescent lights do not provide me with enough light and public transit is not an option in my neighborhood. I will invesigate an investment in renewable energy such as, sunlight, wind, tides. Many in my neighborhood have installed geothermal heat and air. However to retrofit an old home is not cost effective.

I think each of us can at a minimum be cognizant of our usage. That in and of itself, has the power to reduce waste. Any other green ideas out there?

Tomorrow is opening day in Cincinnati and snow is predicted with wind chills in the 20's.  Al Gore, we could use a little global warming right about now. 

Composting update

Worms arrived while I was on Gulf Coast. My husband added them without counting them.  There were suppose to be 500. Hope I didn't get cheated and there were only 499!  Do you think they counted them before they sent them?  When I look in composter I don't see any worms.  They must be hiding. I keep turning mixture. I keep adding stuff in an attempt to get the right mix of green and brown.  Lots of coffee grounds, egg shells, fruit peels old lettuce ... etc.  

Composting

So excited.  My husband assembled my new composter last night. Today I ordered 500 red wiggler worms. I am working on making a bed of leaves in it now. Then I add kitchen waste and the worms and I am off to the races.  I bought the composter at Smith and Hawken.  I like it because it is on wheels and I can turn the mixture inside with a handle on the side.  

Boxed water is better for the Earth

Here is a new idea to help save the environment from all those plastic water bottles.   Check it out.  

 www.boxedwaterisbetter.com

Maggie goes green

Another way I am engaging in the world is with my attempts to be green.   I received a reusable grocery bag as part of a Christmas gift.  It is great.  It fits in my purse in its own little storage container.  I have started composting kitchen waste such as coffee grounds, banana peels, wood ashes.  I have never composted before so this should be an adventure.  I use my recycle bin  for newspaper, glass and plastic.  I am on the lookout for other ideas and will be posting them to my blog.