THP Tid Bits: Composting
Photos by Heidi Ryder
In celebration of Earth Day, I thought today would be a good day to share a few of the ways we are trying to make a difference in our home! It’s amazing how just by implementing small, more eco friendly things into your lifestyle you can make such a huge difference. Here are a couple of ways we are stepping up our earth loving game in our home!
COMPOSTING!
I wrote last month about my budding backyard garden and in preparation for that, I started thinking about composting. Composting is something I have been familiar with for most of my life. My elementary and middle school was very dedicated to being kind to our earth and we had a giant compost bin that we gave to. At the time it seemed normal, but now I realize it was a precious lesson that was being instilled in us and our school gardens were fed the nutrient filled compost that we made!
Now as we are settling back into life in Los Angeles and planting a garden with the girls, I thought we could start composting. I found this simple and eco-friendly compost bin for collecting our kitchen scraps. I usually only have to empty it into our outdoor bin once a week. My general rules of thumb for the kitchen scraps is to make sure they are chopped pretty small and to stay away from meat, dairy and strong veggies like onion and garlic. Oh and coffee grounds are a composts best friend!
I love our bin because it’s really simple to maintain and it’s small. It also makes hard compost and something called ‘compost tea’, which is a nutrient dense liquid that is amazing for potted plants and anywhere in your garden!
ECO FRIENDLY SINGLE USE PRODUCTS!
Here in California there is a big push to eliminate plastic straws and find alternatives for single use products. In fact, full-service restaurants can no longer offer plastic straws unless requested by the customer. It seems like a small measure, but it actually makes a huge impact. Just the simple step of having to think about asking for a straw or single use item has really changed how I consume these products.
Recently, I found these great stainless steel reusable straws that have a silicone tip. I find the stainless versions are a bit easier to clean and and are more durable, but I don’t really don’t love the way the stainless steel make my teeth feel. So the silicone tips give you the best of both worlds!
In the process of eliminating all disposable plastic products in our home we also started using biodegradable wooden cutlery for our big bbq or pizza parties. I actually love the way they look and we can toss them in our compost bin instead of the trash when we are done.
The variety of different products that are more earth friendly is amazing. I’m grateful for the limitless options of beautiful and chic table wear. So you don’t need to sacrifice your aesthetic to be eco friendly! The girls have also gotten really into our composting routine and our veggie garden is grateful for the extra nutrients. Making these changes really was easy and it feels so good to know we are doing our part!
What tips, tricks, or ideas do you have for easy ways to make a difference in our planet? I’m also on the hunt for something new!
Happy Earth Day!
Xx,
Jo