Sustainable Shoes Can Be 'Simple'

With the change of the season comes the hunt for shoes to brave the cold with. But shoes, like many other clothing articles, are most often manufactured from durable plastics or leather, which can be a less-than-desirable clothing option for earth and animal friendly people. 
A new shoes company has emerged to cater to earth and ethics friendly individuals seeking reliable footwear. Simple Shoes produce a variety of sneakers and sandals made from all-natural and recycled materials including hemp, bamboo,

Recycling Re-useables

Reusable containers are a great way to cut down on unnecessary waste from common household items like bottled water and Styrofoam dishes and cups, but even out reusable containers sometimes wear out. Then comes the question; how do you recycle your worn-out reusable containers? 

• Ziploc: Because Ziploc bags are in fact plastic bags, many recycling operations will not accept them at the curb, even if it is marked with a recycle code. The best way to get the most out of your Ziploc is to rinse and re-use it.

The (Not Quite) 101 Uses of Pumpkins

Fall is a season notorious for cool weather, warm clothes, and orange pumpkins. Pumpkins are a hearty variety of gourd popular in autumn, both for picking and for carving, and with a number of other uses. What makes pumpkins, and many other gourds, remarkable is not only their many uses, but the fact that you can use every part of them. Here are some great ways to use your whole pumpkin, even after the annual pumpkin-carving is over. 

• Roasted Seeds: There are great recipes online for roasted pumping seeds. They make a tasty, and healthy snack. You can either roast them plain, with oil such as olive or vegetable oil, or dry seasoning. At any rate, you’ll want to spray the pan and then lay the seeds flat. Bake on 250 for 15 to 20 minuets. When done, let them cool and you have an easy, storable treat. 

Old Time Sustainability

Just a few weeks ago, I went to a family reunion at my grandparents' farm in Mississippi. It was one of those reunions with long tables full of food and third cousins you've never met, lots of iced sweet tea and babies on blankets in the yard and your great-aunt asking about a sibling you don't have... "No, really, Great Aunt Tillie, I just have one brother. I promise."

My grandparents - all four of them - grew up in the Depression, worked hard, and made comfortable lives for themselves. My mother's parents are the ones with the farm. My Grandpa started out small and farmed cotton and soybeans. He worked hard, saved money, and now he has a 1000-acre farm that he rents out while he sits in his air-conditioned antique shop and sips his Diet Coke.

At the farm, they keep a bucket with a wooden spoon in it in the cabinet underneath the sink. Every uneaten scrap of food goes in that bucket, and at the end of the day two or three or four eager farm dogs consume it. They like it lots better than their dog food, which they still get, but it's never enough to make them sick.

Fuel Efficient Heating Options for Winter

The first step you can take in being more efficient with your heating this winter is to make your home as snug as you can. You can do this by checking how well your windows and doors fit into their frames, making repairs,, or, if necessary, replacing with better units.

Put thick rugs down in the winter and replace your photos with quilts and draperies on the wall. The additional material acts as insulation and helps to contain the heat that is produced by your heating unit.

Keep your heating unit (whatever it is) in good repair. Clean and maintain it regularly. I can't give specific tips on all the different things to do in this space, but if you do a little searching you can find many instructional articles on keeping your units in their best possible condition.

Organic Wear for the Season

 

As the seasons change from the warm, sticky days of summer to the cool, clear days of autumn we find ourselves in need of more durable winter wear. Shopping trip, anyone? But some of our more durable, warmer clothing choices tend to include materials that are not-so-kind to our earth. Popular synthetic fabrics, such as polyester and cotton blends, are sometimes treated with chemicals such as formaldehyde, an unpleasant consideration when you realize you’re wearing it. Rayon, anther popular synthetic fabric, is spun from cellulose, or wood pulp treated with sulfuric acid, while nylon is just one of many petroleum-based fabrics whose production adds greatly to greenhouse gases. What’s worse is very few of these fabrics are biodegradable, something to consider when tossing clothes after wear. The good news is there are also a number of clothes and companies that use either natural or recycled materials that will keep you warm and snug all winter long. 

Ideas for Donating Books and Magazines

I'll continue on the decluttering theme for one more day. I know some people get all hyped about cleaning and organizing in the spring time, which is logical. For me, though, it's fall. When the air starts getting crisp and I see sweaters on sale, my clean-organize-beautify radar kicks on. I think it's about getting everything in order for the semi-hibernating I do in winter. When it's below 20 degrees outside and there is ice on the driveway, I don't venture out with 2 little children. I stock up, I cook a lot, I get a big fire going in the fireplace, and we cozy up with blankets and books. I love winter.

Meanwhile, it's fall. One thing my clean-and-organize radar has immediately identified as a problem is books. I hate getting rid of books, but I'm out of bookshelves. I don't need all these books and magazines, and there are other people who will appreciate them more.

• Libraries don't always need books for their own shelves (though sometimes they do), but they often take in whatever you will give them for their regular book sales.

Cleaning House and Moving Home

As I enter the final stages of the transition to adulthood, I find myself in the midst of a number of housewarming parties. In all this I’ve come to learn that when moving into a new residence, you begin to realize just how much you own- and how much you don’t. But moving doesn’t need to be a disparaging event. Instead, “cleaning house” can be a great way to get off to a new, eco-friendly start.

The first step is donation. When moving out, decide what you use and what you don’t. Donating old clothes, furniture and electronics to companies like Purple Heart, Goodwill

Do It: Reduce Clutter Without Creating More Waste

Sometimes I get so tired of the stuff that comes into my house and attaches itself (without my knowledge) that I begin to think strange and crazy things. Like getting my toothbrush, my kids, and my husband and hitting the road, never to return. Let somebody else have all the stuff, clean all the stuff, organize all the stuff. I'm sick of stuff. There is too much stuff. Who even thought up all this stuff? And how did it get in my house?

Once I talk myself out of the abandonment idea, though, the next most appealing thought is to throw as much as I can fit into the back of my husband's work truck and drive it all to the dump. Before you all berate me thoroughly, realize that I haven't actually done this. I've just thought, Wow, that would be a quick and easy way to get some order in here.

But, as we all know, quick and easy does not mean smart and sustainable. Sometimes they're the same; in this case, no. Here are my alternate ideas for getting rid of too much stuff:

Start Sustainable Gifts Now

I saw Halloween candy on sale last night and it caught me off-guard. I had to stop and remember what month it is. Ah, yes. September. Time for the kids to go back to school and the retailers to bring out all the fall and winter holiday goodies. It's always a little shocking to see the pumpkins and then the red-and-green get rolled out onto the sales floor. It seems so early. The holidays seem so far away.

I am not one of those very organized people who start shopping for next year's Christmas gifts during the after-Christmas sales. I am more the type who remembers on December 10th...

We've cut down on gift-giving a lot, as well, on both sides of our family. I like that. I like that our celebrations can be about fellowship and relaxation rather than scurrying around, panicked, with a smoking credit card in hand.

But there are a few special people in my life who merit a thoughtful gift, and I like to have something to take as a hostess gift for the holiday activities. (I love Christmas parties.) Here are a few ideas that will make great, thoughtful, and sustainable gifts: they just require a little forethought and a bit of work ahead of time.