According to the Global Footprint Network’s 2010 Living Planet Report, humanity is using the resources that nature provides 50 percent faster than the earth can renew them. “Even with modest UN projections for population growth, consumption and climate change, by 2030 humanity will need the capacity of two Earths to absorb carbon dioxide waste and keep up with natural resource consumption,” it says. That’s a sobering statistic. Because finding another Earth in the universe any time soon seems unlikely, we humans have some work to do.The easiest place to start is at home. If you are feeling regret at watching your garbage pile up while your recycle bin sits idly by, check out these easy ways to put your kitchen to work for the environment.
Make Your Own Fertilizer
Don’t throw out your eggshells and old coffee grounds after breakfast. Eggshells are 93 percent calcium carbonate, which is a vital plant nutrient and a key part of cell manufacture and growth. Coffee grounds are great for those plants that need “acid food,” such as blueberries, evergreens, azaleas and roses.
Rinse out the egg shells and empty your coffee grounds into a plastic cup and set out to dry. (To speed up the process, place these items on a cookie sheet in the oven with just the pilot light on.) Once dry, crush up the dried egg shells and mix with the coffee grounds in an under-the-counter compost bin. If you use a Keurig coffee machine, try using their reusable containers that you can find in most local grocery stores. These allow you to use whatever coffee grounds you would like with no plastic waste afterwards. If you like the convenience of the disposable cups, throw away the metal layer on top of the cup and rinse out the cup after emptying (and saving!) your coffee grounds.
Compost Your Scraps
When cutting up your veggies for dinner, save your broccoli stalks, carrot peelings and any other inedible bits and pieces and put them in a compost bin. You can keep a small one under the sink then, when that gets full, transfer it to a larger compost bin outside. You’ll be amazed at how much less garbage you will have. Other great items for the compost bin are fruit scraps, egg shells, tea bags, coffee grounds with filters and shredded paper.
Be a Smart Shopper
There are also some preventative measures you can take to reduce garbage. If you find yourself throwing out spoiled or expired food week after week, try planning ahead. Start scheduling meals and buying exactly what you need for the next few days. Vow to use fresh whole foods and less packaged food that can sit on the shelf for eons. You will have less package waste and spend less, while likely shaving off a few pounds in the process.
Find Ways to Reuse Your Plastic
Save your plastic bottles for spring seed planting. Cut 2-liter plastic soda bottles and gallon milk jugs in half and let your kids decorate their “pots” as a fun craft. Then layer the bottom of the bottle with pebbles for drainage, add a little Spanish moss to give the roots some room, then top with a layer of soil. Plant your favorite herbs or flowers and voila! Plastic egg cartons are good for this too.
Hallie Sawyer, a freelance writing mom in Overland Park, is "affectionately" referred to as the "Recycling Czar" by her family. Plastic bags fear her.