HOW DOES YOUR TRASH WEIGH IN?

The Trash Theory

The theory is that people receive a discount or credit for what they dispose of in trash. This basic idea is that people will pay a flat rate in trash just as we do now however the trash will be weighed at the curb. The weight of the trash will be discounted if the weight is lower then a percentage of average waste weight.

Say that the average US family of 3.14 produces, lets just say, 70 lbs. of trash each week without composting and recycling. Which means that they pay a flat monthly rate for pickup. Well that 70 lbs goes to a landfill were it is imposable to breakdown because of the layering that landfills use.

The 70 lbs. of trash can be dramatically cut in half if they recycle and compost. When the recyclables, like plastics, glass, and papers, are pulled out, the weight of the trash can be reduced by 20 lbs. And with the compostable stuff, like coffee grounds, vegetable scraps, and eggshells, are pulled out; the weight can be reduced by another 20 lbs. That is 40 pound less going to a landfill and sitting with us for our children-children to live with.

Now with about 30 lbs. of trash being picked up one will receive a discount or credit on their bill, making for money going back into the home and less trash going to a landfill.

I know that there are some problems with this theory. And some of those problems would be trash pick up on a rainy day or finding your neighbor filing your trash can with his trash. The thing to remember is that this is not going to be where you get your money for your next vacation but it is a little step in making things a little greener little by little.

Let me know what you think on this subject. I would love to hear some ideas or theories of your own.
FRO SAYS HI!!!

What is stoking your fire

Maybe I am letting the coffee set the mood for the day this morning but I am feeling delicious today. I am being inspired today by a few things and I am going to just go with it. I am going to have no obligations today. No list of things to break my day out into increments to keep me from going bored. No TV today sorry baby, Sponge Bob is off for the day. 

I feel like:

Depth Of Field

Dress-up

Burets

Egg Salad

and

My Mom's Old Go-Go Boots!

I need some comic relief. 

Learning how to go green on a poor-mans budget is quite a challenge. However, impossible as it may seem, and trust me I sometimes feel like I am drowning, it can be done. 

The number one thing to remember is that you don't just wake up one day and be green you need to work at becoming green. It is a learning process and I am doing my best based on the time I have and the information that I have come across so far. Trust me there is no shortness of information and unlike many topic I have studied this way of life doesn't have as much conflicting information to confuse me. 

I have come across a few ways to get started living greener in my home.

Tip 1:

Don't be bashful about where you shop. You can find many dried and caned foods or house hold cleaning products with organic brands on the shelves of the local Big Lots. They are usually the highest price in the isle but they are cheaper then at the pricier retail stores. And if you are not sure read the label, it is all there courtesy of the US governments requirements. 

Tip 2:

For you mommies out there I am sure that you give the baby a bath, right. Well don't throw that water away! You can use that water to soak the baby's stained cloths, or you can use it to water the flowers. Another use is to wipe up the floor with it, depending on how dirty the water is. And if it is that dirty, dare I say it, put it in the toilet to flush your deposits. It is enough water to automatically flush the toilet without using the water stored in the tank. 

Tip 3:

Check out your local farms. Even if they are not a strictly organic farm with your support they will keep the cost of transporting food from one side of the planet to the other. This is a waste of fuel and energy. 

I hope this helps you along the way.

And please email me with any suggestions you may have.

For a Smile toDay

Come One + Come All!

Inspiring and fun for the day:

Here

&

Here

WHERE HAVE I BEEN?

Now that my son is born and we are spending lots of time together I am working on finding new ways to make ends meet. Here I am hitting the circuit again in hopes that something will seed and take growth. 

I am living a little greener every day and teaching the values of that life style to my child. As I read up on organic eating and green living, I am pulled back to my childhood where I remember my mother doing things green and I just thought she was being stingy. The truth to the matter is that my mother was living green based on how her parents tough her to use what was available to her in the area. She would use vinegar and water for the windows, lemon and salt on the cutting board, and she always grew things in the garden. For summers I remember seeing my moms butt in the air weeding her garden and bring in fresh cucumbers and tomatoes that we would eat without washing. She was even kind enough to lend some of her chives to a mud pie. She gave me so much and now I want to give that back to my family and anyone willing to partake in my writings. 

Now I ask you to post any ideas or knowledge that you want to share that you use in your house to make your life a little greener.

PS: CHECK ME OUT AT ESTY 

It is official I have finished school and am now a graduate for the second time. Really I don’t know what I was thinking but I am glad I did it. Adjusting to the free time I have had, I started to study sign language. This is something I have always wanted to learn but never had the time or the drive, but now that the baby is coming I really want to test his skills of development. I have been reading all kinds of books and practicing words all over the place. As of right now I can sign about 35 different signs. Manny has taken well to this and has been very supportive demonstrating to me the ones he remembers. I am total stoked about this!
The baby is fine and growing like a weed, literally I think he has taken up residency in my ribs. Let me tell you I have a new respect for mothers all over the world.

Ouch!

But I know it is all worth it.

Official news in the family is that my sister-in-law is pregnant again with their second and we are counting the days till we can find out what the sex is. I think we are all hopping for a girl considering both Manny’s side and my side have all had boys. We need some chicas!

Well that is all that is going on in our house and for those of you who may read this I just sent out pictures of the pregnancy so I hope you enjoy them.

Growing

I am starting to really hear the threads of my clothing screaming at me.

5 months

Ok here it is the first picture of me on the internet, pregnant.
I am working my way into the 5th month and things are good. I am sleepy all the time and a little moodie/weepie but all and all things are good. Everything is growing and though I am still wearing my normal size jeans with the top button undone I feel huge. I find that I need a shopping partner just for moral support. And in case I try on something that will put me into a size that I haven’t seen since I was in high school making me go into shock and fall to the ground in convulsions.
I start back to school this week and am hoping for a fast quarter. Manolo and his friends are looking into and buying motorcycles which I am into but a little jealous and scared at the same time. Lets hope for the best.
We are finishing up the baby’s room and I hope to post some pictures soon.
OOO and on Thursday we find out the sex of the baby, this is big news for us and we will keep you posted.
Till then!

SuperheroDesign Response - click here

Well, I didn’t exactly take the same challenge as you but I have had some time off from school (which keeps from home till 9:30pm 4 nights a week) were I can come home make dinner and spend time with my husband. I am not a big TV or internet fan, so to take time off from that is not a big deal for me (other then getting caught up on the past episodes of Lost).
The time I am having off right now before I head back to school for my final quarter has given me the onsite of time to come and how I want to spend it. I realized that I have time to make jam and work on my pottery and take pictures documenting the time before the baby comes. The clarity of boredom is fresh in my mind and sitting on my porch going through old newspaper clippings my mom saves from 1982 is way better then any TV show or internet search, at least for me. I organized the shed and watched Manolo (my husband) paint the baby’s room a narly green that almost glows and goes with nothing in my house. I just love it! I worked on putting together a fish tank for the baby’s room and placed the rocks just so. I am hoping that the time before the baby comes and after I finish school will give me more of this boredom time.
However much like you I found that there was much more communication between friends and family in the house. The music also seemed to follow, filling the house and car with everything from Flogging Molly to The Weepies.
Ultimately just knowing that I am not going too be a couch potato in my life, makes for an exciting future. Maybe this weekend will yield some live music. I can only hope!

Schools OUT

It is official. School is out for two weeks then back for my final quarter. I never really thought that I would see the end of my college years. But here they come not in years but in mounts only to be followed by weeks then days.
I can not express to you the joy I feel for having done something I never set out to do but did all by myself.
Soon I would like to retire to my farm out in the sticks and keep to my self. No traffic, no helicopters, very little concrete. Looking for my slice of the American dirt pie with extra nature and topped with the songs of the crickets.
Oh how I do go on!

Well my pregnancy is moving along just swimmingly and I have made it official news. I hope to post a picture very soon but have been buried in homework for most of the week. This weekend we are heading out to Naples to see some friends and maybe see the beach, it is suppose to be in the 80’s.
Sorry ANG!
I have been dreaming on my real estate sites and hoping for the future to come soon.

PS

The Strawberry Festival is coming soon
Talk at ya’ll later!

Happy Valentines day

Where Have You Been?

As you can guess I have a lot going on right now. 

I will tell you all about it but for right now I have to write a 5 page report about Target Markets and SWOT analysis. 

Be back soon!

But till there here is a sneak peek.