Is it Reasonable to Expect that Southern Californians Keep a Green Lawn?
Mar 8, 2010 Eco Friendly Home, Gardening
In Orange, CA, there’s a couple who has been charged for not having at least 40% of their yard covered by live landscaping. They had taken the lawn out and replaced it with wood chips to save on water. Many would consider this to be a brilliant move in a drought prone area.
Not the city of Orange, however. They’re charging the homeowner with a misdemeanor. City codes require that 40% coverage. Even his attempt at putting in drought tolerant plants after their first complaint hasn’t been enough to satisfy the city.
Frankly, I find this ridiculous. Southern California is highly prone to droughts, and the situation in recent years has been bad enough for many areas to institute rules about when you can and cannot water your yards. Anyone who finds something other than a lawn to put in is exhibiting good sense in such an area.
This is one city that needs to take a good look at what that requirement really means and if it is reasonable in this day and age. California has been suffering from years of drought, and even the occasional wet year isn’t enough to make up for the many dry ones.
Even the Rockies, where California gets much of its water has been having drought problems.
I wonder what Orange would think if instead of wood chips they had put in one of those artificial lawns. Odds are that no one would have noticed. The yard would have looked nice and green.
That doesn’t mean that artificial lawns are better than wood chips. It just point up the ridiculousness of assuming that you can tell right away.
It’s time for Californians in general, and especially southern Californians to recognize that they need to reconsider lawns. Cities need to figure out water saving landscaping guidelines, and scrap old ones that discourage people from putting in wood chips or other drought tolerant landscaping features.
The same goes for homeowner’s associations. Many neighborhoods have homeowner’s associations do much the same thing, where all homes must have a green lawn. It’s a poor requirement in this day and age for the area.
It would be better for cities to give classes on how to beautifully landscape a yard in ways that use less water. Encouraging homeowners to think beyond lawns would help with water shortages and encourage greater variety in how yards are landscaped.
I would love for this case to be the first step in challenging the law in Orange that requires a particular amount of live planting in yards. We Californians really need to think about our water use. It is not a reasonable expectation that we have green lawns here.
Tags: california, landscaping, water resources
4 Green Ways to Unclog a Drain
Mar 5, 2010 Eco Friendly Home
When facing a clogged drain, many people go straight for the harsh chemicals. It’s pretty understandable – you want that clog gone! But have you thought about where those chemicals are going? There are better ways to clear a drain.
Baking Soda and Vinegar
This is my favorite way to unclog a sink once the water has drained. Pour about a cup of baking soda down, and follow it with a half cup of vinegar. Let it work for several minutes then pour down a pot of boiling water.
This unclogs drains much of the time. I like it because it’s cheap, doesn’t have that chemical stink, and you aren’t using anything dangerous to your family. No need to keep those chemicals out of reach of children other than to avoid a mess.
Washing soda is another good choice in the place of baking soda if you have it available. It’s stronger.
Zip-It
A Zip-It
The one trouble is that the manufacturer considers it a single use item. Not a fun thing when it’s plastic.
Plunger or Auger
Sometimes the baking soda and vinegar just don’t cut it, or it’s a toilet clog where they really can’t get down to the mess. You still don’t need to reach for the chemicals. You can attack the clog directly with a plunger or plumber’s snake.
To use a plunger
A drum auger
Clean Out the Trap
There’s nothing saying that you can’t just get under a sink and clean out the part that’s probably clogged anyhow. Have a large pan or bucket under where you’re working to catch any water that comes out. This takes some effort, but no chemicals and you might be amazed at what’s caught in there.
Finally, don’t forget to take precautionary measures if you have a drain that tends to clog. Pour a little vinegar and baking soda down the drain regularly, let them work, and rinse. Better to stop a clog before it gets serious.
Tags: baking soda, bathroom, kitchen, plunger, unclog a drain, vinegar
How to Choose Green and Healthy Cookware
Mar 3, 2010 Eco Friendly Home
If you’re like me, you regularly spend time cooking for your family at home. It can be both a chore and a delight. But have you ever bothered to think about whether your cookware is both environmentally friendly and good for your family?
It’s a thought that’s easy to skip. Cookware is something that once you have it, you’ll probably take it for granted, at least until the nonstick coating wears off.
That’s one of the biggest problems with Teflon cookware. That stuff comes off bit by bit through the years, guaranteeing that you will have to replace it regularly, and that your family is eating bits of Teflon. Not really what I want in my food, even though nothing is proven health-wise about it… unless you’re a bird, in which case I understand concerns have been demonstrated. Teflon can create a gas called PFOA that is poisonous to them when used at high temperatures.
The use of PFOA in making nonstick surfaces is decreasing already, as the EPA is working with companies to eliminate its emissions and product content by 2015.
Even if you aren’t concerned about the Teflon, having cookware that you have to replace regularly isn’t exactly environmentally friendly. Wouldn’t you rather have stuff that lasts longer?
Cast Iron Cookware
Cast iron cookware is my absolute favorite. Heavy, takes a little extra care, but it lasts just about forever. My favorite skillet is a cast iron skillet that was handed down to me from my grandmother. So long as I take care of it, I may very well be able to hand it down to my own grandchildren.
Cast iron cookware does release a little iron into your food, in part depending on the acid content of the food. That’s not a bad thing, as many people need a little more iron in their diet.
You do not need huge amounts of oil to cook in cast iron. Keep your cookware well seasoned, and it is beautifully nonstick.
Best of all, even if you don’t have someone to inherit cast iron from, you may be able to find it in antique shops or thrift stores. There’s also plenty of new cast iron
If you don’t want iron leeching into your food, there are ceramic coated cast iron pans you can buy also. They come in some nice colors as well.
Stainless Steel
If you want something a little lighter, go for stainless steel cookware
Old, dinged up stainless steel cookware can leech some chemicals, but only in small quantities.
“Eco Friendly” Nonstick Cookware
“Eco friendly” nonstick
Thermolon is what the coating is usually called, and I have some concerns about whether or not it is really worthwhile. Looking at online reviews, people love it at first, but within a couple months in an awful lot of them start to have problems with food sticking badly to the cookware.
This type of cookware, for all it gets trumpeted as being green, I am much concerned is more of a greenwash. It’s not green if frustration with stickiness causes you to replace the pans in short order.
They’re also apparently quite susceptible to chipping, and some manufacturers recommend you hang them rather than store in a cabinet or drawer. I consider durability a part of being green, so these don’t do well in that respect.
Overall, despite the number of people calling this type of cookware green, I’m not convinced. I suggest sticking with more reliable types.
edited to add
Glass Cookware
I had a reader point out to me that glass is another great choice. I don’t know how I forgot my beautiful glass cookware. My Pyrex cookware is wonderful for cooking and storing the leftovers. You have to use it in the oven, not stovetop, but it’s amazing stuff. Wonderfully easy to clean since you can put it in the dishwasher if you like.
Tags: cast iron cookware, cooking, food, green cookware
Auugh! How Do You Stop Junk Mail?
Jan 27, 2010 Eco Friendly Home
Junk mail is amazing, at the very least for the sheer quantity of it. You may go days without mail you want to receive, but it’s a rare day you don’t get at least a little junk mail for many people.
Talk about a pain! Thank goodness there are things you can do about it.
Take Yourself Off Lists
You can get yourself off the mailing lists that you don’t want to be on in many cases. Contact the companies that send you catalogs that no longer interest you or you’d rather just view on their websites. Tell them to take you off their list.
I’ve also posted in the past about getting rid of junk mail credit card offers. It’s not too hard and worth the effort.
You can also contact the Direct Marketer’s Association and opt out through their site. You can even pick and choose which companies you don’t want to get mail from, so you still get anything that actually matters to you.
Or You Can Pay Someone to Do It For You
There are companies such as Tonic MailStopper that will handle stopping junk mail for you. That particular service also plants 5 trees. It takes about 90 days to start working they say. That’s because it’s hard to stop things the companies have already scheduled, and many mailings are planned months in advance.
Pay Attention to Forms You Fill Out
To keep your name from being added to too many lists, pay attention to where you’re sharing your information. Most sweepstakes include that they’re going to share your information, but may include an opt out.
Similarly, if you order something, pay attention to anything that mentions sharing your information and be sure you opt out of it. These are places that can get your name and address onto new lists.
Tags: junk mail
How to Find Organic or Local Produce for Less
Jan 22, 2010 Eco Friendly Home
People often complain about the cost of organic and local produce, and rightfully so. It’s hard to buy them on many budgets. Since I’m working this month on buying local and/or organic produce for my family this month, I thought I would share some tactics for getting it for less.
Join a Co-op
This is where I’m getting my organic produce right now. The co-op tries for local as well, but that doesn’t always work out since they run year-round.
What I like about them is that since they are not attached to a particular farm they can respond to member preferences. There’s a thread on the member discussion board for people to ask for things they’d like to see in their baskets. You also don’t have to worry about crop failures. They buy what they can find from a variety of sources each week.
The challenge is in learning how to cook some of what is provided. This group provided my first experience with collard greens, for example. But that means more excuses to experiment with recipes!
Join a CSA
A CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) is a way to buy a share of a farmer’s production in advance. It’s much like the co-op I’m a member of, except that it’s attached to a particular farm.
You really don’t know what you’re going to get each week, so once again it’s an excuse to try new recipes.
Visit the Farmer’s Market
In my experience, some farmer’s markets have really great prices, others not so much. You may have to shop around a little to find the one that has the best combination of prices, produce and quality in your area.
Not all produce at farmer’s markets will be either local or organic, but you’re always free to ask. And even if the prices aren’t spectacular they can be cheaper than the prices for organic produce at the grocery store. Just know your prices well enough to be sure of what you’re getting into.
You can also check back late in the day to see if anything has been marked down so that the farmer doesn’t have to haul it back. This won’t always work, and of course it’s been picked over all day, but it can be worth a shot.
Start Your Own Garden
If you have some space, this can be a lot of fun. It can add up if you aren’t careful about the supplies you buy, but for organic gardening you shouldn’t be spending a ton on fertilizers and such anyhow. You’ll do far better if you can get a good compost pile going.
Gardening can be both delightful and frustrating. Sometimes you’ll get an amazing harvest. Other times you’ll get nothing, and of course everything in between.
If you live in an area with water shortages, gardening may not work so well. I found it harder to keep a garden really thriving when we had a lot of rules about which days and times we could water. Just kind of limiting and hard to deal with on the hottest of summer days.
Don’t forget to share excess produce from your garden with neighbors. Not only is it fun, if they have excess they’re likely to reciprocate.
Tags: co-op, csa, eating local, local produce, organic produce
