My love – hate relationship with rechargeable batteries September 16, 2011

Ok so yes these little gems are great- in theory. I love that I can buy one 4 pack and they last for a few uses longer than traditional batteries. I am at the point where I’m noticing diminished quality of the battery after just a few recharges, the camera isn’t as quick to respond for example. I do keep them on the charger just until they are charged and put them back to use right away. So they aren’t being over charged or just sitting and losing the freshness of their charge.  We have also replaced the charger and nothing really changed, except we spent more money on this green idea.  We’ve been using them for about 4 years now and I think I’ve had it.

I am wondering if the cost is worth it? I get probably 4 good reuses out of them, before I get frustrated at the length of the use or the quality. It does depend what we’re using them for, they can be used in the TV remote forever it seems and that’s their last stop before the leave us. I do handle them appropriately at the end of the day and wonder still is that any better than taking the traditional ones to the hazmat recycling place- if they end up in the same place and cost about the same what’s going on here?  Also it seems that traditional batteries end up lasting longer than my rechargeables- again depending on what they are being used in. They are coming out with newer longer lasting standard batteries. And really is it good to be using electricity to charge these babies- because now that is costing me a little more in energy usage and money.

And my final pitfall with them is this: I absolutely dread when the batteries in my child’s toy (or 4) dies and they have to wait 3 hours for a new set of batteries, I feel like a mean mommy and that’s no good.  The ones in the drawer don’t have a fresh charge so you can’t have a set just sitting in the ready, unless you keep a set plugged into the wall sucking juice and diminishing their lifetime.

I want to love them, I really do. But I think we might be giving the new extended life standards a try.  I really hope they improve on this technology because I will come back to them, but now I’m too busy to have batteries annoying the crap out of me.

Interesting side effect? June 8, 2011

I had a weird comment on one of my posts and realized that it had been viewed from a link on a possible porn website… ok so I was writing about how to save water and money while showering. Wow I didn’t realize my description of me freezing in the shower while trying to get clean was that interesting.

Here’s to saving water and getting dirty, I guess. I wonder should I now be charging for my info? Perhaps that explains the huge jump in readership?? I am cracking up at how naive I am.

Keep it green, and keep it clean!  And subscribe if you like what you see!

No Idle Zone II May 31, 2011

Just had a meeting with the principal at our school. She was very responsive to the idea and completely agreed with me about doing something. “As an environmentally responsive school we have a responsibility to do all we can for the earth and the children.” I look forward to the note (I wish it was paperless..) from the school encouraging parents to turn off their cars or arrive later to pick up their children. Unfortunately they can not mandate it because of the property the school is on. I am hoping a bit of awareness and some scolding from the staff will help cut back the fumes. I am also pleased there is a plan in the works to build a new covered pick up spot away from the car fumes in the coming year.
Again I encourage you to speak to your school principal about anything that doesn’t sit right with you. It may be they are not aware of the problems we see or do not have a solution and you do.

No idle zone May 26, 2011

I’ve had a little pet peeve the whole school year: those who sit, engines running, in the elementary school pick-up line. Yes it’s hot here some days and yes it’s cold- but no one is telling these parents to arrive 30 minutes early to pick up their children! I pull up, turn off my car, and wait patiently. Seems simple. I understand not everyone can tolerate the heat or cool weather so they should arrive closer to the pick up time or when the line is already moving.
Thanks to technology (love you iPhone) I was able to look up the principal’s email and write to her my concerns whilst inhaling some untasty exhaust in the pick up line today.
Our children do not need to breathe in 30 minutes of accumulated fumes the minute they step outside to head home. Keeping the air clean around the school seems like something easy to fix.
I am very pleased that the principal responded quickly to the email and invited me in to her office to discuss my idea. I know not everyone’s school is set up like this one, and if this bothers you where your children go to school please speak with the principal about it! I wish I had said something sooner- I’ll keep you posted.
Clean air is good for all of us!

A challenging experiment May 25, 2011

I’ve noticed that since my schedule is a little lighter my showers are a little longer. Inspired by my shampoo bottle which suggests turning off the water while shampooing I thought I’d take it a step or two further.
I am now rinsing down, shampooing, rinsing my hair, and filling a large cup of water. Turn off water- brrr. Then apply conditioner, soap and scrub with previously wet cloth and liquid soap, shave if necessary and wash my face with my beloved Clarisonic. Turn on water for final thorough rinse.
So yes I was little bit goose bumpy toward the end, but my a/c vent was blowing toward me the entire time. I think I used less water and accomplished more than during my barely clean 5 minute rinse down showers. Who knows how long I’ll be able to stand it- my showers are my steamy sanctuary. If I do this 6 days and let the water run on the 7th, I’m still saving gallons and dollars- both good things!
I challenge you to try it- save water, save money!!

Knowing I’m not alone… May 23, 2011

I love love love my son’s kindergarten teacher! She’s a joy for both of us- so honest, caring, and not a sappy push over. She manages to surprise me on a regular basis for some reason this did although it really shouldn’t have.
She sent home a seedling she started herself with him one day. I don’t recall discussing my gardening with her, but it’s possible, we speak often. It is the cutest green bean sprout in a recycled bottle bottom. I just adore it! It’s one of the things I had forgotten to start and the perfect addition to our garden.

Ugh ignore the well used oven mitts…Maybe time to whip up some new ones!!

Greening Our Coffee Habits May 13, 2011

As I mentioned before I adore my Keurig coffee maker- let me count the ways… it’s fast at making one cup, it heats only the water it needs, has auto shut off (if you remember to set it up!), and the variety of coffee is pretty good offering fair trade and organic options…
BUT, those little disposable cups pained me every time. They aren’t recyclable because of the attached filter and I couldn’t bear to throw them out as we have been known to go through 6-8 a day between the two of us. That’s another topic for another time. Ok so now what?
The people at Keurig tried to come up with a refillable K-cup which while ok in theory just sucked in practice. You have to take the original cup holder out, not cut yourself on its little blades, replace it with the awkward holder for the refillable mesh filter, screw a lid on and hope for the best. Ugh.. the coffee was weak when on the short cup setting, the water overflowed everywhere even after continuous attempts to make sure we didn’t have too many grounds in the filter. The filter clogged no matter how well we washed it between uses- just not a good option. So we went back to the disposables… I know there are some crafty folks out there taking the time to rinse and repack theirs- best of luck to them I’ve heard mixed reviews on that and figured there still had to be something better.
Success! At last we can have a mostly guilt free coffee experience by using the Solofill filter. www.solofill.com These little guys can be found on amazon.com (seriously, what can’t you find there?) or through the website. I ordered 2 so we can always have one ready if one is in the dishwasher. They were on backorder for 3 months! I thought these must be awesome. Oh yes. The coffee tastes good, they clean up nicely and they solved the issues Keurig couldn’t. You use the existing cup holder, the water flows through the filter and over the coffee grounds in a logical way- enough said. I couldn’t be happier with my Solofills.
The best thing I could come up with to reuse my disposable cups is to plant seedlings. They already have a drain hole and filter in place not to mention the plants seem to like the coffee residue. I do recommend rinsing out the cups for long term storage so you don’t get a mold issue.

Happy coffee drinking.. that reminds me it’s well past time for afternoon coffee.

Gardening + Recycling = Happy April 27, 2011

I just wanted to quickly share a tip for making use of old containers for starting your seedlings:
I will admit I love my Keurig coffee maker for many reasons- although not what I’m talking about today. I did hate the single serve cups and the Eco guilt that came packaged with them. Aha! Those cute little cups have a filter and a hole in them perfect for starting a seedling. Also the plants seem to love the coffee residue. I have since greened up my coffee routine- I’ll write about that another time.
I also find that anything from yogurt to pudding cups make great little starter pots. I didn’t even poke a hole in mine and they seem so happy.
If you don’t have outdoor space you can move these to a window box or planter when they get bigger.
These were planted a week ago a little dirt and compost mixture, placed in their eventual garden home and watered daily. Some people suggest a plastic wrap top but, I don’t think you need it- and I don’t use the stuff anyway. Happy planting!

I’m back: with dirty fingernails. April 18, 2011

It’s been awhile, I’ve been busy still trying to be the change I’d like to see.
We have started a garden. I find this exciting on so many levels. Honestly I am not a green thumb kind of gal. I used to kill houseplants almost immediately, perhaps I was over attentive? Or maybe I thought they were self sufficient?
Maybe it’s that plants belong outside in the sunshine and weather. I have become such a nurturing mother, growing my babies from seeds, moving them to bigger pots as they outgrow the nursery.
We have started a raised bed garden because I don’t have time to fuss with soil tests and from the looks of our dirt patch lawn, nothing much would grow anyway. I made it out of composite decking for the recycled factor and I’ve seen what termites can do to a sandbox, no thank you. We are ready to fill it with some great organic soil and a dash or so of compost. It’s 12′ x 3′ and while that doesn’t seem big that’s a lot of dirt to buy.. Maybe we should have started smaller?
Now what shall we grow? I’ve started all kinds of things from your basic herbs to root vegetables to watermelons. Most of which seems happy in their tiny and intermediate pots. Lj insisted that we grow corn. I’ve got a 6 inch stalk going, why not?
I hope that the kids enjoy the food we grow naturally at home and maybe eat a few more of the things on their plates because they grew it.

new obsession: Chocolove August 1, 2009

Ok stupid name for a chocolate bar, but amazing dark chocolate!! I am currently digging the 73%  cacao. It’s so freaking smooth and the bitterness melts into a subtle sweetness.  It’s 100% organic and fair trade. I have little guilt of any sort eating this pleasurable chocolate, of course all things in moderation.  If you can’t hang with the bitter dark at least try one of their other options (see update below). Enjoy!

 

 

Update: Evidently the only Chocolove product that I can truly recommend is the organic and fair trade one mentioned above. The rest are not marked with “fair trade.” And I still absolutely love this chocolate.