Category Archives: Green Ideas

Dumpster diving

Trash collection in St. Louis consists of shared dumpsters in the alleys.  All alleys have two kinds of dumpsters, one for trash and one for yard waste.  The trash dumpsters are clearly marked, “No yard waste,” and the yard waste dumpsters are clearly marked, “Yard waste only.”  The city collects the yard waste for compost.  Since we rent, we have not started our own compost pile, so we use the yard waste bins for our vegetable and fruit scraps.

The problem?  Some people fail to comprehend that, “Yard waste only,” means, “Do not put your regular trash here.”  Or they comprehend it and are too lazy to walk 30 feet farther to the appropriate dumpster.

I can’t stand to see non-compostable matter in the yard waste dumpster because it means that either a) everything in the dumpster, including the yard waste, will be thrown away, or b) the contents of the dumpster will be composted, with trash mixed in to it.

The other day, I noticed some non-sanctioned items on the very bottom of the almost empty yard waste dumpster.  The dumpster with, “Yard waste only,” clearly printed on it.  I rolled up my sleeves, gritted my teeth, and dove in to correct the matter.

Immediately after, I looked out our front window and saw that someone had set a million polystyrene take-out containers on the top of our recycling bin.  Not only does our recycling program not accept polystyrene (or any #6 plastics), but the presence of forbidden materials in our bin can cause them to skip our weekly pick-up.  Can you hear my screams of frustration through the computer?

In conclusion, memo to my neighbors: 1)there is a reason the yard waste dumpster says, “Yard waste only,” and 2)please do not put your dirty non-recyclable trash in my recycling bin.  It may come as a shock, but I don’t want those containers, and I don’t particularly enjoy pulling stuff out of the dumpster.

Carbon pawprint – Part II

For the record, I do like animals, especially baby animals.  For various reasons, I have no pets: cost of food, supplies, veterinarian visits; space in apartment; rules of apartment; time to give pet attention it deserves; having to make arrangements for traveling; allergies; they start out as cute cuddly puppies and kittens, but then they grow up . . . really, the list goes on and on.  And now I have one more reason.

However, most of my immediate family members do have pets that are very important to them.  If you already have a pet, the article offers some suggestions for reducing your pet’s environmental impact:

  • Look for pet food (especially for dogs), that has a lower percent of meat ingredients.  There are also organic options.  (If you cringe at the thought of how much this might cost, refer back to my list of reasons for not owning a pet.)
  • Do not walk your dog in wildlife-rich areas.
  • Keep your cat inside.

Are you contemplating getting a pet?

Due to the overabundance (just visit an animal shelter) of pets, there are many ways to interact with animals without contributing to the demand for new animals.  Pet sit for a friend or relative.  Volunteer to walk your neighbor’s dog that sits penned up all day.  I would say volunteer at a shelter, but this often ends with having a pet.

Look for alternatives.  Nurturing a garden, or an air-cleaning houseplant, provide some of the same rewards as owning a pet, without the negative environmental impact.   If you like having something to pet, find someone who enjoys back rubs.  (To help you out, I will happily receive a back rub at any time, just say the word!)

Green lunch

Tiny Choices recently posted about lunch kits.  Sadly, I did not win the kit they were giving away, but really, you don’t need anything special to have a waste-free lunch.

Since I have access to a refrigerator at work, I don’t worry about an insulated lunch bag on most days.  I just toss everything into a reusable canvas bag, and I’m good to go.

I use a glass Pyrex container whenever I have food that I’ll be heating, which is most of the time, thanks to the beauty of leftovers.  By using the glass container, I avoid the whole issue of figuring out which, if any, plastics won’t leach chemicals into my food when heated.  While I’m on the subject — those frozen vegetables that you microwave in the plastic bag?  Who thought that was a good idea?  Oh, the lengths to which we go, and the health risks we take, for convenience food.  Anyway, suffice it to say that I refuse to microwave anything in plastic.  My Pyrex container has a plastic lid that I remove before heating.

I do use plastic containers for snacks, or parts of my lunch that don’t require heating.

I keep silverware and a cloth napkin at my desk, always at the ready, along with my water mug.  I prefer not to drink out of a water bottle (reusable, of course) all day, but I don’t trust myself with an open cup of water near a computer, so I compromise with a lidded travel mug.  If you’re on the go a lot and frequently find yourself resorting to plastic utensils, you may want to look at To Go Ware, which I wrote about here.

The cloth napkin is the newest addition to my lunch arsenal.  We use cloth napkins at home all the time, but, until recently, I never thought about having one at work.  No, I was not using paper napkins at work — I guess I just wasn’t using anything . . . or maybe I was using my pants.

Incomplete streets

Today I did it.  I crossed Highway-141 on foot, against all odds.   But first, some background information.

What is a complete street?

“Complete streets are designed and operated to enable safe access for all users. Pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and transit riders of all ages and abilities must be able to safely move along and across a complete street.”1

The streets around my office are perfect examples of incomplete streets.  At the intersection in question, I had to cross 4-6 lanes of traffic (depending on where I was in relation to the turning lanes) without the aid of a sidewalk, crosswalk, or pedestrian traffic signals.  I started my journey on a nice bit of sidewalk that quickly disappeared, leaving me to walk on the grassy and sharply angled side of the road, using a concrete drainage ditch as my “sidewalk” part of the way, and jumping over said ditch at other parts.

Once I reached 141, I decided it would be safer to cross before the intersection than crossing at the intersection, with cars turning every which way.  The only slightly redeeming feature was the grassy median between the east and west bound lanes, so I didn’t have to cross all the way at once.

As it happened, a police car was staked out on the shoulder of the road.  I walked right in front of it, wishing that the officer would have the nerve to say something to me about crossing the road.  I was quite ready with my righteous indignation at the absurdity of the situation and the lack of accommodations for anything other than motor vehicles.  Is it jaywalking if there’s no crosswalk or pedestrian signal in the first place?

Anyway, active forms of transportation, such as biking and walking, are great ways to meet people.  After I made it across, someone pulled over and asked me how to get to the mall (being new to these parts, I didn’t know).  The end result was that the guy gave me his number.  Now that wouldn’t have happened if I was in my car, would it?

This little adventure ended with me crossing back over 141, this time on the other side of the intersection, where I discovered that the median was still quite muddy from recent rains.  Oh, for want of a decent sidewalk!

1. For more information on Complete Streets, go to http://www.completestreets.org/

Carpool

As of last Thursday, I”m officially part of a carpool.  It involves only me and one other person at this point, but it is certainly better than two cars on the road every day.

We registered our carpool with RideFinders, which serves the St. Louis area.  When I say “St. Louis area,” I am speaking very broadly.  Their service area includes 7 counties, plus St. Louis City.  And don’t even get me started, but those counties, with the exception of maybe one, are NOT St. Louis.  They may be NEAR St. Louis, depending on how you define “near,” but it is not one and the same.

Anyway, if you are in a situation where driving is the only viable option, it’s definitely worth looking into carpool options.