Plowing Their Way to Zero Waste

Interesting article on a family in Shoreline, WA (where my parents used to live), trying to eliminate their impact on the earth and living more sustainably.

SEATTLE - A family of four has moved from the farm to an urban Puget Sound community and is now plowing its way to zero waste.

When the Peterka family moved to Shoreline, they brought part of the farm with them. They ripped up the backyard lawn and planted a large garden.

They built a fenced chicken coop in one corner, and worm and compost bins in the other. Then they made some sacrifices.

"We stopped buying groceries that came in plastic, essentially which was a big deal, not an easy task," explained Brian Peterka.

The family trimmed its plastic waste-line by adding on the bulk. They buy most of their food in bulk then store it in jars. They buy their vegetables fresh and unwrapped and grow everything else in the garden.

The Peterkas have successfully re-created the perpetual farm cycle they enjoyed in the country.

Here's how it works: The leftover food goes into the chicken coop or worms bins. The chickens return the favor by providing the next meal, the worms produce nutritious soil to put in the garden, which produces the Peterkas' meals, and leftover stems and leaves that go to a compost bin where more soil is produced.

At the end of the week, the Peterkas have about a baggie full of garbage leftover. They only put out their bin once a month for the CleanScapes garbage trucks to pick up and then its only about half full.

"This is impressive," exclaimed CleanScapes President Chris Martin who toured the Peterkas' yard today.

Martin says because his company is small, small trash producers like the Peterkas, allow him to serve more neighborhoods with fewer trucks.

Cleanscapes is even hosting a contest to see which community can reduce the most waste.

Shoreline is taking part and has found a goal to shoot for in the Peterkas' backyard.

Eating Animals is Making Us Sick

Saw this article on CNN and it is pretty interesting, thought you might enjoy it.

www.cnn.com/2009/OPINION/10/28/opinion.jonathan.foer/index.html

• Jonathan Safran Foer: Inhumane way we raise animals for slaughter poisons us all
• Foer: Factory farming tied to global warming, swine and bird flu, other illnesses
• He says animals loaded with antibiotics, live in gruesome conditions
• System driven by food and pharmacetical industries; Foer asks: Why no outcry?l

I apologize for the lack of posting lately, but I started back to school in August.

GO BRONCOS!!!!!

I am trying to figure out how to juggle school, work, home and all the mom stuff (with 5 kids still at home). All while getting good grades. I haven't taken any classes for about 11 years and got my AA in 1993. So this has been a little stressful, but rewarding. I feel like I am actually using my brain, now-instead of just asking-"Are you ready to order?" My current major is Health Education and Promotion. Am thinking about working in some kind of childhood obesity program. I still need to come up with a minor and am thinking about Psychology or Multi-Ethnic studies.

I am currently taking Medical Terminology, two 300 level Psychology classes (Human Sexuality-fun class-and Psychology of Health), and a Cinema History and Aesthetic class.

Haven't had a lot of free time for posting, but will try to keep tabs here and there.

Free Boise Entertainment

ALIVE AFTER FIVE on the Grove downtown Boise

Boise's favorite Summer Concert Series runs June 3rd through September 30th every Wednesday and is held in the Grove Plaza downtown Boise. Listen to live music and enjoy cool beverages, vendor booths and delicious food each week. Cool off in the fountain...dance 'til you drop...or just sit back and watch! Either way, it's a great event for the whole family to enjoy...and it's FREE to attend! The event starts at 5pm and lasts until 8pm.

Great place to hang with your friends, have a drink (we bring our own-much cheaper) and listen to some good music. The opening bands are all local. The local band this particular week the pics were taken are just 2 kids from Timberline high school. Awesome! I think their name is BoDo.

Also a great place to people watch-from rednecks to hippees to grungers, cowboys and goths, punkers and everything in between. The guy in the floral shorts is there every week along with the roller-skating guy in a dress. People playing hackey sack, jump ropers and hula-hoopers.

Free exercise

Hiking in the foothills at Camel's Back Park with my husband, Chris, and youngest daughter

View from the bottom

Holy Crap! I'm out of shape!

Views from the top

Lunch after our hike-in the shade. Silly Alexis with sandwich hanging out of her face!

Think Globally, Hoop Locally

Wilson's Rebound Basketball Shows Company's Commitment to Making the World a Greener Place

Just in time for Earth Day, the global sporting goods company releases the planet's first "green" basketball.

04.11.2008

CHICAGO, IL-April 11, 2008- The key to curbing global warming and greenhouse gas emissions is to re-examine the way we do business. Wilson Sporting Goods is taking the lead by producing a green basketball that will be good for the player and the planet he or she dribbles on.

Wilson's Rebound came about when the company's engineers decided to tackle the question of how to produce an affordable basketball that would have less of an impact on the environment. The ball itself, which will be available just in time for Earth Day on April 22nd, is comprised of a surface that is made from 40% recycled rubber. How will the use of recycled rubber impact the planet? In practical terms, every 70 Rebound basketballs Wilson produces is the equivalent of one less tire ending up in a landfill.

"We know that today's young athletes are very aware of their impact on the environment," says Mike Kuehne, General Manager of Basketball for Wilson Sporting Goods Co. "And we're always looking for ways to improve our own performance. The Rebound will afford young players the chance to work on their game in an environmentally friendly way. Wilson is proud to be a leader in moving towards a greener, more sustainable planet."

In addition to the green composition of ball itself, the Rebound's display box is produced from nearly 80% pre or post consumer board. To add to the greenness, The Rebound was designed with a green and black color palette and features the slogan "Think Globally, Hoop Locally." The Rebound retails for $14.99 and will be available in stores across the country.

Making Music Biodegradable

Think I am going to have to get my son some of these guitar picks. They are from a company called Wheatware and they sell a lot of biodegradable products made from wheat and corn. Here is some into from their website....

Wheatware.com™ exclusively distributes Wheatware™ and Cornware™ products in the USA. Our products are manufactured in America from annually renewable crops grown in America. Who we are is a company of people committed to environmental values.

Purchasing our crop-derived Wheatware™ products, instead of forest-derived wood or cardboard products, helps supports Wheatware.com’s mission to annually save millions of virgin forest trees and their precious habitats. Within these habitats, a multitude of species live. As these habitats are destroyed, species are perishing everyday. We also recognize the importance of our forests acting as air conditioning systems for our planet. With each forest lost, Earths capacity to cool itself becomes diminished.

Forest-derived products, such as chopsticks, clothes hangers, golf tees, cardboard drink coasters, and drumsticks, combined, cause the destruction of over 30 million forest trees per year, typically by “clearcutting” (see deforestation).

Our commitment is to continue to offer an ever expanding number of products which replace virgin forest wood products in order to help secure a sustainable future for our children and generations to come. We thank you for buying our Wheatware™ and Cornware™ products…..you make a difference.

Their website is www.wheatware.com