Healthy for the planet anyhow. While playing in the trash isn’t as fun as say Cranium, you should go through your trash and see what’s in there. Take a few hours on a weekend and do a trash check as follows…

You should not see the following in your trash:

Leftover food items, like old bread, eggshells, and so on
Cans
Aluminum products
Glass (broken or whole)
Paper anything
Steel
Tin
Plastics that can be recycled (not all plastics are easily recyclable)
Batteries
Cardboard tubes and other cardboard
Non-messy foil
Household items like books, not so broken toys, cell phones, clothing, and …read more

Quilts have evolved a long way from great-grandmother’s day, when mostly they were made as bed coverings, lap throws, and pillows.  Nowadays so many are used as wall hangings and incorporate multiple materials and as such often are called mixed media quilts.
Recently I was reading about Amy Orr, a mixed media artist, who uses many types of materials most people would consider junk – twist ties, credit cards, metal x-ray markers, glass beads of various types, paper automobile air fresheners, plastic hair clips, sequins, plastic plant fragments, window glass fragments and….chicken bones.
Study some of her work utilizing “trash” or “found …read more

A good general rule of thumb for folks interested in green living, is if you’re not sure that it can be recycled, don’t buy it. There are so many options for product packaging nowadays that it’s silly to buy stuff you have to toss – i.e. cellophane wrapped noodles over boxed noodles.

When shopping, look for the following materials which can be recycled in most areas…

Paper and cardboard.
Aluminum and steel, both in can form and other products.
Most plastic bottles IF you remove the lids.
Glass of any type so long as it’s clean.
Batteries.
Computers and other appliances. Sometimes you can’t recycle whole appliances, …read more

“Mom, you’ve got to stop using paper plates,” the youngster told his mom. “You’re wasting trees and causing trash.”
“He’s really learning about ‘going green’ from school,” the mom remarked.  “They’ve got a big program about saving the environment.”

Many schools are emphasizing the “green” theme, including those where I do substitute teaching.  Youngsters are informing their parents and looking for ways to be green at home.
This is great, as long as it isn’t carried to extremes.  Parents have to take into account cost, time savings, and their lifestyle, as well as environment practices.  Sometimes you also can’t change all at …read more