Mother's going GREEN Day 58 - Some Updates

I thought I would let you know what has been happening with our changes that we have made so far.

Our garbage is now a bag a week. Not a big bag, but 20" by 21" bag - so in a month we fill one garbage can for pick up. Which is great. I made the challenge of 1 can a month.

Our worms are eating a lot of our produce waste and already we are seeing the compost develop. They are so low maintenance it is unbelievable. No smell and very few fruit flies which is great.

Also, since our dryer broke awhile back we have been hanging our clothes out to dry. The drier has been fixed, hopefully it is working as I have not yet used it again. It still amazes me how the stains come out of the cloth diapers. I get all excited now when I have a badly stained diaper as I want to see if this stain is too tough for the sun. Haven't had one yet.

I am also very happy with our switch in body wash. With the old stuff (the chemical stuff) I would always break out in little blisters on my arms after being in the sun. This would happen every summer when I ventured out into the sun. Initially the doctor said it was an allergic reaction and to change soaps. I did but the same old thing. Then she said just wear sunscreen and you will be fine. Whatever.... that was about 3 years ago. Now having switched to the natural chemical free body wash - I have no side affects from the sun. Coincidence, I think not.

Our walking everyday is great I have lost about 5 pounds of my post pregnancy weight in the last week and probably saved that in gas too.

Our vegetable garden is great - we are already eating lettuce and Swiss chard from it. I can hardly wait for the tomatoes to come. It looks like we will also have an amazingly large pumpkin for our jack-o-lantern come Halloween. The strawberries and blueberries get eaten by the children as soon as they are ripe. So nice for them to pick a fresh snack in the garden while they play.

Going green is not difficult - in fact rather simple - you should try it too

Mother's going GREEN Day 3 - Composting the Worm Way (Vermiposting)

So today we set up the worm compost. Quite simple really..... In our household we are calling it the "Worm Farm".

You need a container - I chose a two Rubbermaid containers, we drill holes in the bottom of one container for aeration and place it in the container with no holes, this allows the bottom container to collect any liquid that leaks out. All very neat and tidy. The we drilled holes in the lid so the worms can breath (picture shows my husband drilling holes). As you can see we choose a larger container as I believe we have a lot of food waste that our worms will love, but they can be much smaller than that.

Then you add the bedding - shredded damp newspaper ( I read somewhere on the Internet that you should not use colour print - but not all the instructions say that. We have stuck with black and white print only which meant leafing through the paper to exclude the colour.) The dampness of the newspaper is important as if it is too damp it will cause your "worm farm" to smell ( and we don't want that). The wetness of the paper should be that of a wrung out sponge. (again some sites say add a couple of handfuls of dirt to the bedding - it helps the worms eat the food). We decided on adding the dirt.

Lastly you add the worms. Red wigglers are suggested. Allow them to settle into their new home for a couple of days and then let the 'feast' begin.

You can feed your worms the following: Fruit and vegetable peels, finely crushed egg shells (rinse out the eggshells first); coffee grinds and the filter, teabags, wood ash, sawdust, plant trimmings, dryer lint, grass. It is advisable to bury the food under the paper and in a different location within the bin each time. Also, make your waste into 'bite' size pieces for easier composting.
DO NOT feed your worms the following: Butter, bone, meat, fish, poultry, dairy or vegetable oil.

After a few months you will be rewarded with a dark rich earthy substance which makes a great natural fertilizer for your garden and plants. Also, the liquid that runs out the bottom can be used as a liquid fertilizer for you plants.

I have included some websites for you to get more information on Vermiposting.

• http://www.city.vaughan.on.ca/vaughan/departments/public_works/vermicompost.cfm
• http://http//www.bearsmart.com/bearSmartCommunities/Attractants&WasteManagement/TheDirtOnIndoorComposting.pdf
• http://cityfarmer.org/wormcomp61.html#wormcompost

Happy Composting and I will keep you updated on how ours is progressing.