A Deeper Green

Yesterday, I got a great opportunity to work at the Shedd Aquarium for a beach sweep. We had some kids come out on a field trip and help pick up garbage from the 12th Street Beach. Also, the kids built sandcastles and had a fun class on the food web in the lakes, where they got to use microscopes!

I was an all around good time, and got me re-excited about the work I do educating both kids and adults about the environment around them. It let me come to Earth Day with positive thoughts in my mind, unlike the dark thoughts that swirled around Earth Hour for me. And for that I thank those kids and my colleagues at the aquarium.

This is just a quick blurb, but I would like to leave you with a picture of the Aquarium’s sand creation. It was created by Mr. Sandtastic. As you can see, he is a talented man.

Ok, I am signing off now. Have plans to see Earth tonight and will probably post some quick thoughts on that before bed. Until then… Happy Earth Day!

So today, I came across this article from The Austrailian and wanted to share it.

I’ve always been mildly fascinated with Antarctica. The steep cliffs of ice and massive colonies of penguins have always seemed like part of another world to me. Where is this place where there is always snow and blinding sun? The fact that it is part of this world that we live in is always so impressive to me. A testament to how fantastic our planet is.

Antarctica is also an interesting anomoly. This article does a great job addressing some of the interesting ways in which climate change already has and may still affect Antarctic. I won’t go into too much detail here, I want you to read it for yourself.

Basically, so far, the tragic results of climate change that have been documented (and often sensationalized) in the Arctic are hardly expressed at all in the Antarctic. This could mean a couple of things for Antarctica. Maybe it means that Antarctica will never be affected as much as the arctic, or maybe (and possibly more likely) the affects will take longer to manifest, but will be just as devastating when they do.

Also, in thinking about this today I was remembering some conversations I’ve had with some readers and a couple other things that I’ve seen on the internet and was thinking about adding some “101″ pages to the blog. So if you have an opinion on if you’d like to see “Climate Change 101″ posted on the left just let me know. 

So this spring I have mostly moved into an apartment. There is no real yard space to speak of, but there is a porch and a little courtyard area in the front. Inspired by last years neighbors, I have decided to grow some of my own food.

Herbs seemed like and easy place to start, they are inexpensive and have many many uses. So, at the flower and garden show last month I went ahead and bought some basil, rosemary, thyme and chives. I was planning to keep them indoors in a lighted area until it was warm enough for them to live happily outside. Sadly, I think it is perhaps not well lighted enough for them. The basil is pretty much a lost cause, and although the rosemary and thyme are still alive, they are only barely alive.

So, right now I am feeling not very successful in my attempts at apartment gardening. The chives seem to be doing well, and I was planning on transplanting some mint from my dad’s house a little later in the year, so I guess I will at least have chives and mint, but I was really hoping for something a little more robust in my first herb garden.

I’m thinking that perhaps it’s time to inlist the help of an apartment gardening book or two. I haven’t investigated much, so if anyone has any ideas on that front it would be great. Or else I will just be wandering through the bookstore looking forlorn. 

This is just a quick update to say that I LOVE my new glass straw, it has proved easy to use and easy to clean. I plan on buying at least one or two more in the nearish future and encourage all of my readers to do the same. I’ve already recruited interested commentors to my cause, so I should be able to recruit some of you too

www.glassdharma.com

So, because of some administrative error, I actual received two pounds of worms when I only ordered one. Geesh!

I am not really sure what to do with my extra worms. I guess I just divide them between the bins and have lots of worms chomping away at my food?

Also, I created a small bin to give to my coworker, although I haven’t been able to hand it off to her yet. Maybe I will dump a few extra worms in her bin as well.

Does anyone know if the worms get upset by overcrowding? I’ve read that they don’t, but I’m still kinda concerned about my worms’ quality of life (??).  Are there any thoughts out there on that?

No… at least I don’t think so…

Today I got a box containing a pound of red wiggler worms. I am really excited for the opportunity to be composting even more of my household food waste. I got a second bin identical to the first and got the worms all settled in. They are currently stacked in a worm bin tower under the kitchen table, where I feel they are likely to stay.

Also, since I was able to buy so many worms I decided to share my wealth of composting friends with a co-worker of mine. I even created a mini bin for her with a bunch of my new worms. I love spreading worm composting further and further! Now if only I could get my parents in on it…

Also today I spent some quality time with my first bin. It seems to be moving along beautifully. There is a mild smell to the bin, but it is similar to a freshly tilled garden, so I figure is it only a good thing

Has anyone else out there been worm composting? Is it working for you?

So this fantastic place, Glass Dharma, sells glass straws. Earlier this month they were giving away a free straw to the first 500 comers. Originally I was going to get myself a free straw, but after further perusal of the site I was going to go ahead and buy one. This is a company that deserves my support, and yours!

My Straw!

Why a glass straw you ask? Well, its very simple. Every time you go out to eat, you are given a straw, and very likely you use it. Straws are fantastic things. That little bit of plastic uses petroleum to make, and takes years, and years, and years to break down in the environment. There is even a large amount of partially disentegrated plastic floating out in what is called the Pacific Gyre, read about it here. All of this is adding up to fact that the less plastic used in daily life, the better.

I know that a straw is a very small amount of plastic, but if we say I use, on average, 2 straws while eating out a week that means that I am saving 104 straws every year. And while its minimal savings on the planet front, you know I am of the opinion that every little bit helps.

Also you’ll notice in the picture that there is a silver holder for the straw that I also ordered from Glass Dharma. I’m looking foward to carrying around my new straw and using it pretty much everywhere

Please look into getting a glass straw of your own. This is a great product that is made from the strongest glass that you can get commercially, so it can take some rough handling and will be something you can use for year and years to come.

This also plays into a new philosophy on shopping that I am hoping to adopt; if I am going to look at it in 5 years and go “what the heck did I buy this for?” , I am not buying the item. I want to be investing my money in long lasting, useful items that I can enjoy for the foreseable future. This is a new thought coming out of my attempts to clean-out my old room at my parents house. It’s unbelievable the stuff that I accumulated as a teenager! Look for more on it later.

Ok, well that’s it for now. Have a good night

**Edit**

Glass Dharma actually backs up each of their straws with a lifetime guarantee against breakage. This is going to be one of the best investments I’ve made in a long time. I can tell!

So today, after spending several days hunting around trying to get more red wiggler worms locally for my worm bins I finally settled on a place and made my order. I will soon be getting somewhere around 1000 red wiggler worms delivered from Kalamazoo, Michigan. I ordered them from www.wormwoman.com. There is also some other good stuff for getting started on worm composting/vermiculture there.

So now I need to invest in more bin space. My few worms have been hanging out quite nicely in their little home under that table in the kitchen, but with 1000 new friends I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t even be able to close the lid on the existing bin I am working with.

So, if anyone out there wants some worms they are yours for now charge

I am pretty proud of myself for saying on my targets so far this month. I reached my writing goal this week, I ordered my worms, and I even cracked open the Green Housekeeping book (although fairly briefly).

Hope everyone else has April off to a good start as well. Have a great weekend!

39 years ago, in April, we had out very first Earth Day here in the United States. And now not only do we have Earth Day on April 22nd but the whole month of April is Earth Month! I have a couple things planned for my month of loving the earth (even more than I do daily now).

First, as you’ve already read, I plan on expanding my worm composting endeavors. I would really like for all the food waste from the apartment to be composted and used in my herb container garden.

Secondly, and also mentioned before, I am planning to do some hardcore spring cleaning. I still have a large amount of stuff sitting at my parents house waiting to be sifted through and taken care of. My mom has plans of turning my room into a sewing room/extra bedroom and I need to clear stuff out of there to make it happen.

The spring cleaning will also involve some actual cleaning, and I am very excited to get some use out of a copy of Green Housekeeping.

And lastly, I am planning on using the next little bit to make some important decisions about my future. As I’ve mentioned before, I would really like to cut the use of my car, but my current working/living schedule pretty much demands the use of the car at least three days a week if not more, and not for short trips. I need to settle more comfortably into a job that I can be happy to have, and a lifestyle that doesn’t make the tree hugger in me cringe.

These goals are being set as part of my Earth Month, but I am hoping to parlay them into my own little Earth Year and Earth Life.

What green plans have you made for Earth Month?