I was recently approached by EconoGreen to do a review of their garbage bags. I have to admit that I agreed to do the review with combined feelings of curiosity and trepidation.

You see I have tried ‘green’ garbage bags before and frankly… they sucked. They were thin and tore easily. I love the concept of environmentally-friendly garbage containment, but it needs to function well or nobody will buy it.  Would these bags from EconoGreen just be more of the same?

I am very happy to report that these bags do not suck. In fact, if it weren’t for their EcoLogo certification, I would have guessed that there was no way that these bags are environmentally friendly. They are incredibly strong and durable. What is the EcoLogo certification? It is North America’s most respected environmental certification program which provides shoppers with an assurance that the product in question meets stringent environmental standards. Basically, it takes the guesswork out of determining ‘greenwashing’ from legitimate products.

Let me tell you what makes these bags special:

1. They are made from 100% recycled plastic.
2. They are made in North America, reducing transportation emissions and helping our local economies.
3. They can be recycled.
4. They are biodegradable.
5. Their cost is comparable to ‘regular’ plastic bags.

And drumroll please….

6. They are STRONG!

Although our family strives to be earth-conscious, we are also five human beings who do tend to generate trash. I have mentioned my seething  jealousy towards my In-Law’s municipal compost program which has reduced their weekly garbage to a mere pittance. Unfortunately, we lack a municipal compost program and our waste is definitely above pittance level. And we require a strong bag to hold it all. Otherwise it would all end up blowing down the street come garbage pick-up day.

I was sent a sample of EconoGreen’s large trash bag, tall kitchen bag, lawn and leaf bag, and a large contractor bag and I would recommend any of these products to anyone. They also have garage and automotive bags, wet/dry vac liner bags and drop cloths. The contractor bag seemed especially hardy. I used mine as part of an ongoing decluttering project!

I’m not exactly sure of the science behind a plastic bag that can biodegrade. It goes against everything I have understood about plastics in general. Here is their explanation: 

Our bags and drop cloths contain a unique agent that helps break down the carbon-carbon bonds in the plastic and reduces the strenth of the bag when exposed to oxygen. As the bag continues to degrade into smaller pieces, it becomes a nutrient for microbes which consume the gragments leaving behind water, carbon dioxide and reusable biomass. The process leaves behind no harmful residue or toxins.

This is where I have to trust that EcoLogo certification and be happy that there is a greener alternative to the inevitability of garbage.

I do have a bit of bad news: While these bags are readily available at Home Depots across the USA, Canadians are limited to finding them at Canadian Tires in Quebec only. They are also sold online, but can only be shipped in the US. If you are Canadian, hopefully these bags will become more readily available soon. Keep them in mind if you cross the border for a shopping trip. Stop into a Home Depot and stock up on garbage bags. Hopefully they’ll get into the rest of the Canadian Tires or Home Depots across the whole country soon.

Remember, it is always best to reduce your waste as much as possible by composting, recycling or reducing paper usage in your home. However, just about everyone needs garbage bags and these are a great environmental alternative.
I highly recommend them.

This post originally appeared March 4, 2009.

  
Photo credit: earl53 from morguefile.com

Last week I shared with you my decision to reduce carbon this Lent, and I asked you to join me.

So how did you do?

Here is a quick run-down of the ups and downs of our attempts to cut back on our carbon emissions from transportation:

Driving. Fortunately Steve and I are able to avoid commuting emissions since we both work from home. Although we have two cars, they often stay put. Some would say we are lucky to live in a small town where it is easy to walk most places. However, we do lack mass transit and there are times when we need to drive elsewhere to get to events, certain shopping, church, etc. However, five of us from our book club all piled in a friend’s car the other night in order to carpool to a book reading a half hour away. This really wasn’t an inconvenience. It took a bit of planning and helped make the evening that much more fun. They did say they were grateful that I didn’t force them to bike.
We also made a more conscious effort to walk to school. However, a couple of blisteringly cold days and one very slow-walking 4-year-old did cause me to pull the van out of the garage. With (hopefully) warmer weather approaching, we will be hoofing it much more regularly!

Tune up: We recently had both cars in for a tune-up and oil change and we always make sure that our tires are properly inflated.

Lightened the load: I gave our van a Spring Clean. Extra weight reduces a car’s gas mileage. With 3 children, it is easy for me to let the van accumulate all sorts of clutter. I will continue to make a point of cleaning it out weekly. Besides, it helped me find that nasty smell that had been permeating throughout the interior…

So this brings us to week #2…

Shelter and Utilities

Did you know that about a third of your household’s energy goes to drying your clothes? Heating a house is responsible for nearly 10 per cent of a person’s total carbon emissions. Up to 15% of your energy bills go to keeping your milk cold and your ice frozen. A fridge with the Energy Star label uses 40% less energy than conventional models sold in 2001. Were you aware that laptops use much less power than desktop models? The typical laptop draws about 30 watts of electricity while bulkier desktop models use about 120 watts.
*Note: Please don’t tell people that Jenni said to buy a laptop for Lent.

Below are a few ideas for how to reduce your carbon emissions through your home. Once again pick a minimum of two. If you are already doing most of these things, pat yourself on the back but see if you can stretch yourself to reduce even more for the remainder of Lent. Don’t forget to keep up the good work with your transportation habits! 

1. Turn off all appliances, or pull out the plug when not in use. The easiest thing is to use power strips for multiple appliances and flick the switch when they are not in use. Even when electronics are off, they are still pulling energy if they are still plugged in.

2. Own fewer devices. Buy less electronics. Don’t zone out in front of the TV. In fact, consider cutting your viewing significantly during this time.

3. Consider buying or borrowing a device that tells you exactly how much electricity the house is using every second. Many libraries now have Kill-a-Watts that can be checked out like books. The price of these have also dropped considerably at places like Amazon.

4. Generate light, not heat, using energy-efficient lightbulbs such as CFLs. These use 3/4 less energy than standard lighting and last up to 10 times longer. So despite their higher up-front cost, they yield lifetime savings of up to $50 per bulb. 

5. Hang your clothes to dry - outside in the warm weather, inside during the winter. IKEA and most hardware stores sell inexpensive indoor drying racks. If you need to use the dryer, consider wool dryer balls to help soften clothes and reduce drying time.

6. Wash your clothing in cold water and wash with a full load.

7. Use beeswax or soy candles. Any other candle is made from paraffin - a petroleum product- and does not burn cleanly. Artificially scented candles are one of the biggest sources of indoor air pollution in homes.

8. Use a programmable thermostat and turn down the heat when you are not at home.

9. Consider how low you are willing to reduce your home’s temperature. A 1 degree reduction can decrease fuel needs by as much as 15 %. I grew up wearing sweaters and heavy socks in our house. It builds character. 

10. Consider replacing your furnace if it is more than 20 years old. Make sure to change/clean filters regularly.

11. If you have an old fridge or freezer in the basement or garage, consider getting rid of it. They’re often power leaches. If you really do use your extra freezer, make sure it is full as this makes it more efficient. Alternatively, keep you refridgerator clear of all of those science experiments. Good air-flow in the fridge keeps it at its most efficient.

12. Consider switching to a utility company that runs alternative energy such solar and wind.

13. If you can afford it, install your own solar panels or wind turbine. Go off-grid.

Keep up the good work!! And feel free to send me any of your ideas for ways to further reduce carbon emissions from your home. Mine was a short list aimed at motivating those just beginning to understand their footprint on our Earth and some simple ways to start being a bit greener.

I’m pulling this one out from the archives. It orginally posted February 25, 2009.

Photo credit: rosevita from morguefile.com

Okay, I am still burping up the pancakes that we ate in our church hall last night. Nothing like greasy, smoky air, excited buzz in a hall packed with people, and kids hyped up on waayy too much maple syrup to kick off forty days of denial. While there I noticed a sign up on the bulletin board asking: 

R U UP 2 IT?
CARBON FAST THIS LENT

Well that got my attention.

Our youth group (through a request from the eastern synod of our church) is asking that people consider an alternative to giving up the traditional sweets, smokes, chocolate or alcohol for Lent.

I’ve decided to take their suggestion and run with it.

For our carbon fast, Lent will be broken up into four weeks before Easter. Each week will consist of making at least two (hopefully more) choices in each of the following categories:

Week 1: Transportation

Week2: Shelter and Utilities

Week 3: Retail and Entertainment

Week 4: Food and Cooking

Week 5: Going Beyond Our Homes

This week we’ll address Transportation. Below are some options to reduce your carbon usage. Pick at least two to take on for the rest of the month. Remember, we are all at different places in our green journeys. What carbon fasting is for you personally will be very different for someone else.
Search your soul. Stretch yourself.

1. Drive less.

2. Walk, cycle or take the bus around town

3. Avoid flying. Telecommute or Skype instead.

4. If you are planning to purchase a new car, consider the many green options that are now available.

6. Reconsider your commute - can you possibly work from home?

7. Have one day per week where you don’t use your car.

8. Take the Saving Gas Quiz.

9. Combine trips for shopping etc into one outing.

10. Try to drive at the speed that is optimal for fuel efficiency (around 90 to 100 km per hour).

11. Maintain correct tire pressure and regular oil changes. Low tire pressure means high fuel consumption

12. Carpool whenever possible

13. Drive more leisurely, allowing for a slower journey.

14. If you are in an urban area, consider car sharing instead of a second car (or instead of your only car!).

15. As the temperature gets warmer, resist using your car’s air conditioning (okay this one is slightly laughable as I look out my window at the piles of snow!).

Next week I will post the next set of carbon-reducing choices.
R U UP 4 IT?
How do you plan to give up carbon this week?

Photo credit: mensatic from morguefile.com

I started off 2010 full of fantastic intentions. I followed sage advice from blogs like Simple Mom, Small Notebook and Virtually Organized about making tangible goals rather than grandiose resolutions. Some of my goals included:

♥  keeping the house tidier and decluttered
♥  staying in touch with distant family
♥  spending quality time with my in-house family
♥  blogging on a more consistent basis
♥  maintaining our family budget more consistently
♥  eating out less and spending less on groceries

When I thought about my goals, I didn’t keep them quite this large. The things listed above were actually the end result that I wanted. My actual ‘to dos’ looked more like this:

♥  make sure that kitchen counters are clean of dishes when kids get home from school and before bed at night
♥ do at least one load of laundry daily
♥  write thank yous and birthday cards on time; respond to emails
♥  get outside every day with the kids, rain or shine
♥  write at least 3 blog  posts weekly
♥  keep receipts in one spot and enter them into our budget spreadsheet on a weekly basis
♥  plan meals one day each week

So this all looks wonderful in theory and many of these things have actually become habit. What I am still struggling with is the BALANCE. I’m finding that I can do each of these things quite well (extremely well) when I put my mind to it but then most of the other things on my list go to hell in a handbasket. I find that my time on the computer allows me to blog, balance our checkbook while saving for our future, and helps me plan my meals. But in the meantime the house looks like a small bomb has gone off. When I dedicate time to the house, it still looks like a slightly tinier bomb has gone off (thanks to someone I like to refer to as Tornado Tom) and I don’t even glance at the computer. Next thing I know, weeks (or months) have gone by with no blog posts and a budget that just went KA-BOOM!

So where is the balance? I have set my goals and the baby steps to go with them. But is still isn’t quite working. This week I plan on looking at my routines to see if the answer lies there. I don’t believe in firm routines. My inner brat just seems to rebel and I end up breaking all my rules anyways. Just a general direction for the day would be good. Plus a good dose of decluttering to see if I can reduce the size of some of those tornados that end up chewing up a large amount of my time.

Of course, life will throw the occasional curveball like a puking child at 2 o’clock in the morning (Tornado Tom again). Simple Mom has a very interesting post about how to deal with the urgent vs. the important. Once again, we’re back to the balance thing.

How do you maintain balance in your life?

I don’t think I need to say anything more. Enjoy your weekend!!!!!