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Earth day - tomorrow - can we really do something?
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<blockquote data-quote="Marguerite" data-source="post: 355063" data-attributes="member: 1991"><p>Old medications - we take them back to the pharmacy, who takes them for us to dispose of them safely. It is what we are advised to do, there is a program for this. We are told to not flush them. If you want to put them in your rubbish, you could leave the medications in a bag inside, then put it in the rubbish just as the garbage truck turns the corner into your street. Or wrap the pills up in a soiled disposable nappy.</p><p></p><p>ON the nappy topic - our consumer association magazine studied whether disposable vs cloth nappies were 'greener' - and found that disposable come in just ahead, especially if you don't change them as often as you change cloth nappies. The added environmental cost of cloth comes in at the manufacture - the growing of the cotton, the processing of the fabric and so on. Plus tat was before greener versions of disposable nappies were coming in.</p><p></p><p>If you have disposable nappies and you want to dispose of them with less environmental waste, you can take te wet only ones, remove the plastic liner and put that in the bin. The rest of the nappy - put it in a bucket of water and soak it. It should disintegrate into the gel 'beads' which are the same stuff as water crystals you buy in the garden store, to mix into your potting mix to help hold more water in the soil. Use these in your potting mix instead of buying water crystals. (OK, you might need to be a dedicated greenie to try that one!)</p><p></p><p>Empty jars - I save the small ones with pop-top lids, wash them in the dishwasher (when we have one - yes, they are also a green option) and then I make various jams and preserves, bottling them while still boiling. The lids on the jars seal down and the centre of the lid pops down, so the contents will keep for years. I just bought a bucket of cheap, over-ripe tomatoes today to make more of my tomato relish. I then later on use it for gifts. The 'green' way to manage excess food is to store it up in other people. What goes around comes around. Barter is a good way to sidestep the GST (Goods and Services Tax).</p><p></p><p>I'm also making candles at the moment. I use old, half-melted candles and melt them down to make pretty, scented candles (I toss in a strongly coloured and scented votive into the wax pot). I use narrow drink cans as a mould, punching a hole through the centre of the base with a thumbtack. I melt the wax in the pot, dip a long length of wick in and then hold it straight until it sets. Then I tie a single overhand knot in one end, thread it through so the knot is tight against the hole, then wind the long end of the wick around a stick which I weigh down to sit firmly on the cut end of the can. Then I fill the mould with melted wax, with the tin sitting in a bowl to catch the wax which leaks out the hole. </p><p>Once the wax cools, there will be a crater where the wax has shrunk around the wick. Melt more wax to fill the hole. </p><p>To unmould - cut through the knot enough to break it. There should be enough wick left once the candle is unmoulded, to be just right to burn. Then I gently warm the can (often I don't even need to do that) and gently pulling on the long end of the wick (from the open end) the candle slides out of the mould easily, leaving a smooth, shiny candle. I cut off the long end of wick from the base and use that length to make another candle.</p><p></p><p>Friends love these, especially if I paint them (I use glass paints).</p><p></p><p>We have compost bins, recycling bins, solar hot water, our own chickens and a vegetable garden. I grow all my own herbs and dry them to bottle. I make herb vinegars too. </p><p></p><p>There are lots of things you can do and it is fun teaching the kids to do the same.</p><p></p><p>I taught easy child 2/difficult child 2 to make stone soup - I taught them using scraps destined for the compost heap: carrot peel, onion skin, chicken bones, mushroom skin. Whatever we had left over. Tastes fabulous, it's a meal made out of nothing, really.</p><p></p><p>Enjoy Earth Day!</p><p></p><p>marg</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Marguerite, post: 355063, member: 1991"] Old medications - we take them back to the pharmacy, who takes them for us to dispose of them safely. It is what we are advised to do, there is a program for this. We are told to not flush them. If you want to put them in your rubbish, you could leave the medications in a bag inside, then put it in the rubbish just as the garbage truck turns the corner into your street. Or wrap the pills up in a soiled disposable nappy. ON the nappy topic - our consumer association magazine studied whether disposable vs cloth nappies were 'greener' - and found that disposable come in just ahead, especially if you don't change them as often as you change cloth nappies. The added environmental cost of cloth comes in at the manufacture - the growing of the cotton, the processing of the fabric and so on. Plus tat was before greener versions of disposable nappies were coming in. If you have disposable nappies and you want to dispose of them with less environmental waste, you can take te wet only ones, remove the plastic liner and put that in the bin. The rest of the nappy - put it in a bucket of water and soak it. It should disintegrate into the gel 'beads' which are the same stuff as water crystals you buy in the garden store, to mix into your potting mix to help hold more water in the soil. Use these in your potting mix instead of buying water crystals. (OK, you might need to be a dedicated greenie to try that one!) Empty jars - I save the small ones with pop-top lids, wash them in the dishwasher (when we have one - yes, they are also a green option) and then I make various jams and preserves, bottling them while still boiling. The lids on the jars seal down and the centre of the lid pops down, so the contents will keep for years. I just bought a bucket of cheap, over-ripe tomatoes today to make more of my tomato relish. I then later on use it for gifts. The 'green' way to manage excess food is to store it up in other people. What goes around comes around. Barter is a good way to sidestep the GST (Goods and Services Tax). I'm also making candles at the moment. I use old, half-melted candles and melt them down to make pretty, scented candles (I toss in a strongly coloured and scented votive into the wax pot). I use narrow drink cans as a mould, punching a hole through the centre of the base with a thumbtack. I melt the wax in the pot, dip a long length of wick in and then hold it straight until it sets. Then I tie a single overhand knot in one end, thread it through so the knot is tight against the hole, then wind the long end of the wick around a stick which I weigh down to sit firmly on the cut end of the can. Then I fill the mould with melted wax, with the tin sitting in a bowl to catch the wax which leaks out the hole. Once the wax cools, there will be a crater where the wax has shrunk around the wick. Melt more wax to fill the hole. To unmould - cut through the knot enough to break it. There should be enough wick left once the candle is unmoulded, to be just right to burn. Then I gently warm the can (often I don't even need to do that) and gently pulling on the long end of the wick (from the open end) the candle slides out of the mould easily, leaving a smooth, shiny candle. I cut off the long end of wick from the base and use that length to make another candle. Friends love these, especially if I paint them (I use glass paints). We have compost bins, recycling bins, solar hot water, our own chickens and a vegetable garden. I grow all my own herbs and dry them to bottle. I make herb vinegars too. There are lots of things you can do and it is fun teaching the kids to do the same. I taught easy child 2/difficult child 2 to make stone soup - I taught them using scraps destined for the compost heap: carrot peel, onion skin, chicken bones, mushroom skin. Whatever we had left over. Tastes fabulous, it's a meal made out of nothing, really. Enjoy Earth Day! marg [/QUOTE]
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