A new local law will come into effect on July first of this year. The Packaging Reduction Law will bring Israel into the 21st century, finally helping us catch up to other developed countries who have been doing this for decades and hopefully getting the message through to Israelis, once and for all, that our planet is something to be reckoned with.
Now I know some people have been really shocked that Israel hasn't had such a policy until now, but please do remember our little country is only 63 years old. It's not like people were recycling in the States in 1839. I for one am very proud and I am glad that at least we have been introducing this, and preparing for it, for years. When I made aliyah, 20 years ago this July, there was no recycling for anything at all but paper. No bottle returns for deposits, no large bottle recycling, and even with paper there were street bins but no home separation. I think the stores took beer bottles back but that was it.
So this is a pretty awesome aliyaversary gift I think. We already separate our paper, plastics, and organic waste at home. I'm looking forward to having proper disposal methods for methods for glass and metal as well.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Food prep
For most of the last two years or so we received a weekly basket of fresh, organic produce from a local farm. Unfortunately, the farm closed recently and even more unfortunate is that we can no longer afford these deliveries, even though we have found a great replacement. Money is tight right now and that means thinking differently about what/how we prepare food.
Unlike many other highly developed "first world" societies, living on a budget here does not mean making due with fast food and canned veggies. Instead, the easiest way to eat on a budget is to eat well. Health, fresh, local produce is far cheaper than fries at McDonald's.
I remember one Friday afternoon we had not yet prepared anything for shabbat. We hadn't bought nor planned anything. But a quick assessment of the fridge and pantry revealed a head of purple cabbage, two heads of fresh broccoli, a couple of granny smith apples, whole wheat pasta, frozen green beans, a head of fresh cauliflower, and some veggie "ground beef" in the freezer. This, to us, was a normal sort of random collection of foods and veggies often four in our home. The resulting meal (spaghetti with "meatballs", German red cabbage with apples, Chinese-style roasted broccoli and cauliflower in brown sauce) was delicious and we didn't spend a single extra penny to make it (as opposed to regular shabbats which often include about 100 shekels worth of purchases).
We had a repeat [frugal shabbat] performance this past weekend (with an even more extensive menu) and though it stems out of not being able to afford much else, it delights me that our bare bones, cheap-o meals included fresh butternut squash, zucchini, potatoes, sweet potatoes, frozen spinach, dried green lentils, brown rice, whole grain couscous, a few eggs and whole bunch of spices. How fresh, healthy, delicious, and economical!
Unlike many other highly developed "first world" societies, living on a budget here does not mean making due with fast food and canned veggies. Instead, the easiest way to eat on a budget is to eat well. Health, fresh, local produce is far cheaper than fries at McDonald's.
I remember one Friday afternoon we had not yet prepared anything for shabbat. We hadn't bought nor planned anything. But a quick assessment of the fridge and pantry revealed a head of purple cabbage, two heads of fresh broccoli, a couple of granny smith apples, whole wheat pasta, frozen green beans, a head of fresh cauliflower, and some veggie "ground beef" in the freezer. This, to us, was a normal sort of random collection of foods and veggies often four in our home. The resulting meal (spaghetti with "meatballs", German red cabbage with apples, Chinese-style roasted broccoli and cauliflower in brown sauce) was delicious and we didn't spend a single extra penny to make it (as opposed to regular shabbats which often include about 100 shekels worth of purchases).
We had a repeat [frugal shabbat] performance this past weekend (with an even more extensive menu) and though it stems out of not being able to afford much else, it delights me that our bare bones, cheap-o meals included fresh butternut squash, zucchini, potatoes, sweet potatoes, frozen spinach, dried green lentils, brown rice, whole grain couscous, a few eggs and whole bunch of spices. How fresh, healthy, delicious, and economical!
Sunday, May 8, 2011
I've got (you) babe(s)!
Yay! My worms are breeding! we've had the bin for over a year and nary a single egg have I seen. I assumed this was due to the worms we got were very young though we have noticed mature worms in there for many months now. I still have not seen an egg but today I found proof: there are baby worms in there!!! I put in a halved avocado last week which of course increased the mite population by quite a bit, so I'll have to get rid of some of those with some cucumbers (great for getting rid of mites, less likely to break apart than the often-recommended soaked bread). There are also a bunch of pot worms, of which I had enough in the old bin to know the difference between them and baby worms. But these, well, these were new red wigglers!
Avocados attract mites, and pot worms, but the red worms love them, too, and it's always an exciting moment when I lift one up that's been there for a little bit. Today was especially exciting. I'm so happy there are baby worms! Hopefully they'll all grow up a bit before I harvest the next batch because picking out all those tiny crawlers will be impossible and I'd really like to try and avoid killing any. I've been toying with the idea of getting more worms to help increase the population but I guess there's no longer any need!
Next mission, after getting rid of the mites: search around for more eggs!
(Yes, I know the mites aren't really harmful, at least in the numbers I've got, but I just hate how they crawl up and over me and the girls when we check the bin. yes, the girls. They LOVE the worms!!)
Avocados attract mites, and pot worms, but the red worms love them, too, and it's always an exciting moment when I lift one up that's been there for a little bit. Today was especially exciting. I'm so happy there are baby worms! Hopefully they'll all grow up a bit before I harvest the next batch because picking out all those tiny crawlers will be impossible and I'd really like to try and avoid killing any. I've been toying with the idea of getting more worms to help increase the population but I guess there's no longer any need!
Next mission, after getting rid of the mites: search around for more eggs!
(Yes, I know the mites aren't really harmful, at least in the numbers I've got, but I just hate how they crawl up and over me and the girls when we check the bin. yes, the girls. They LOVE the worms!!)
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Cold hard cash
Let's talk about money today. On one hand, it plays a big part in why we do what we do (we've saved a ton over the years using cloth diapers. We buy maybe a pack a month a child of disposables, since we use them when we're out of the house and during the day or two when our stash is being washed/dried. Of course we could avoid this by adding to our stash but that would cost more money). On the other, it really has nothing to do with it all (we have a whole whopping three onion plants...that's hardly enough to save us the expense of ever having to buy onions again). On the other hand, well, there's always a middle-ground, isn't there?
I guess composting is that middle ground (no, don't worry, this won't be yet another composting post). It helps us make the most out of our money. When we buy a food that only gets partially used, say a banana where we're left with the peel, we can make that peel work for us. We cane save the money we spent on the whole fruit by making the leftovers into fertilizer that will help nourish our other plants. Yes there was the initial cost of the compost tumbler, and of the first couple of batches of the worms, but those have long since paid themselves off and were one-time fees. the compost pile in the back yard is, was, and always will be free.
Water and energy conservation are other important factors. Living in Israel means we're very aware of the importance of water conservation and that has always been a factor in the methods we use to wash dishes, take showers, and clean the floors. We rarely use our dryer in the summer, not when there is a free clothing dryer right outside in the sky (sun bleaching is also our secret as to why, after two+ years of heavy use, not a single one of our diapers is stained in the least).
Recycling, well, of course we recycle but there's no added savings there. In fact recycling costs a lot, though it doesn't come out of our own pocket exactly. More important is our attempts to not waste those resources in the first place. We don't subscribe to a daily paper so there's no once-read newspaper to be recycled. I carry a glass bottle in my purse from some iced tea I bought once and refill that with water instead of buying bottles of water when I'm out. Of course, I DO spend more shopping since I never remember to pack a bag ahead of time and end up buying shopping backs at the supermarket since I refuse to waste that many disposable plastic bags.
Note to self: something to rant against in a future post: those little flimsy backs in the produce section of supermarkets. You rip open the bag to put away the groceries as soon as you get home anyways, so WHY take it in the first place?!
I guess composting is that middle ground (no, don't worry, this won't be yet another composting post). It helps us make the most out of our money. When we buy a food that only gets partially used, say a banana where we're left with the peel, we can make that peel work for us. We cane save the money we spent on the whole fruit by making the leftovers into fertilizer that will help nourish our other plants. Yes there was the initial cost of the compost tumbler, and of the first couple of batches of the worms, but those have long since paid themselves off and were one-time fees. the compost pile in the back yard is, was, and always will be free.
Water and energy conservation are other important factors. Living in Israel means we're very aware of the importance of water conservation and that has always been a factor in the methods we use to wash dishes, take showers, and clean the floors. We rarely use our dryer in the summer, not when there is a free clothing dryer right outside in the sky (sun bleaching is also our secret as to why, after two+ years of heavy use, not a single one of our diapers is stained in the least).
Recycling, well, of course we recycle but there's no added savings there. In fact recycling costs a lot, though it doesn't come out of our own pocket exactly. More important is our attempts to not waste those resources in the first place. We don't subscribe to a daily paper so there's no once-read newspaper to be recycled. I carry a glass bottle in my purse from some iced tea I bought once and refill that with water instead of buying bottles of water when I'm out. Of course, I DO spend more shopping since I never remember to pack a bag ahead of time and end up buying shopping backs at the supermarket since I refuse to waste that many disposable plastic bags.
Note to self: something to rant against in a future post: those little flimsy backs in the produce section of supermarkets. You rip open the bag to put away the groceries as soon as you get home anyways, so WHY take it in the first place?!
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Waste management
It strikes me that when most people think of waste management, they probably picture well-run landfills, complete with gas monitoring and water sanitation. I am also sure that many people have no problem adding their banana peels to it since, in their mind, it'll just decompose. So I know those people feel very good about themselves when they recycle their newspapers and coke cans and fill their biodegradable garbage bags with orange peels and dinner leftovers. I know this because I used to be that person.
So what's changed? I've educated myself. While I fully admit I have much more to learn, and by no means am an expert on this subject, I still feel better knowing what I know. Being aware allows one to make positive choices and changes to help better their world and its environment.
Decaying organic waste in landfills is a major cause of methane production. Methane, a potent greenhouse gas, can be properly collected from a landfill and even utilized as a beneficial energy source. But there are a whopping 6.8 billion people living on Earth. That's one helluva lot of banana peels. I find it difficult to believe they're all going to properly maintained landfills.
Especially when there's a better option. Cue inspirational music. Composting is a (relatively) quick and easy way to not only cleanly dispose of your organic waste, but also to convert it into something useful. There are many different methods of compositing and you don't need to suffer any nasty smells or have a yard to do it.
Now here, if you've been paying attention, is the big question: decomposing organic waste is decomposing organic waste. Doesn't composting create the same nasty gases as landfills? The answer is NO! A properly maintained compost heap/tumbler/vermicomposter/etc.) is an aerobic process, where the waste, consisting of both carbon and nitrogen-rich sources, is churned and exposed to oxygen. There is no smell and no vermin. However in anaerobic methods, waste is basically left to rot, creating a stinky, moldy pile of gas-producing matter. Kinda like, oh, say, a smelly landfill?
More to come, you know it.
So what's changed? I've educated myself. While I fully admit I have much more to learn, and by no means am an expert on this subject, I still feel better knowing what I know. Being aware allows one to make positive choices and changes to help better their world and its environment.
Decaying organic waste in landfills is a major cause of methane production. Methane, a potent greenhouse gas, can be properly collected from a landfill and even utilized as a beneficial energy source. But there are a whopping 6.8 billion people living on Earth. That's one helluva lot of banana peels. I find it difficult to believe they're all going to properly maintained landfills.
Especially when there's a better option. Cue inspirational music. Composting is a (relatively) quick and easy way to not only cleanly dispose of your organic waste, but also to convert it into something useful. There are many different methods of compositing and you don't need to suffer any nasty smells or have a yard to do it.
Now here, if you've been paying attention, is the big question: decomposing organic waste is decomposing organic waste. Doesn't composting create the same nasty gases as landfills? The answer is NO! A properly maintained compost heap/tumbler/vermicomposter/etc.) is an aerobic process, where the waste, consisting of both carbon and nitrogen-rich sources, is churned and exposed to oxygen. There is no smell and no vermin. However in anaerobic methods, waste is basically left to rot, creating a stinky, moldy pile of gas-producing matter. Kinda like, oh, say, a smelly landfill?
More to come, you know it.
Farmer dreams
I'm sure everyone, at some point or another, dreams about moving out to the country, planting some crops, milking some cows, and calling themselves a farmer. That dream feels even more real here, in a land where anyone really can move up north or down south, buys some goats, and make a living selling cheese. There are so many versions of this dream my husband and I have had. We toy with the idea of moving to the Negev where he can be a nurse at Saroka and the kids and I can run the dairy. We think about moving to the Jerusalem 'burbs, building a house in the West Bank with a garden large enough to sustain our family and where he can work at Psagot long enough to learn everything he needs to know to start his own winery. We play around with the idea of living in a cabin in the middle of nowhere in southern Oregon where we can grow crops, raise chickens, and I can get back into making art.
So why do we not pursue any of these dreams? Are we just too lazy? Maybe, but I don't think so. It's hard to be lazy when you have twin toddlers.
I'm sure we can always claim there is one good excuse or another, and right now is no exception. My husband is in his final year of nursing school, after which he will have a degree good for a job pretty much anywhere he darn well pleases, which only works in favor of our many dreams, as long as we wait till he's done. Then there is a possibility another one of my lifelong dreams may become a reality (more on that in the future, so please be patient). Assuming it doesn't, there really isn't anything holding us back from any of the above-mentioned scenarios. It's all rather exciting, really. Who knows what the future will hold for us?
So why do we not pursue any of these dreams? Are we just too lazy? Maybe, but I don't think so. It's hard to be lazy when you have twin toddlers.
I'm sure we can always claim there is one good excuse or another, and right now is no exception. My husband is in his final year of nursing school, after which he will have a degree good for a job pretty much anywhere he darn well pleases, which only works in favor of our many dreams, as long as we wait till he's done. Then there is a possibility another one of my lifelong dreams may become a reality (more on that in the future, so please be patient). Assuming it doesn't, there really isn't anything holding us back from any of the above-mentioned scenarios. It's all rather exciting, really. Who knows what the future will hold for us?
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Home sweet home
Quick update on the worm bin:
A couple of months ago my worms started committing mass suicide. The room they're kept in (their bin is inside a larger bin, suspended over a few inches of water to keep ants at bay, stored under the table in my laundry room) was covered with dead and nearly dead worms. I opened the bin and determined that they had finished all they're bedding and were escaping the muddy, toxin environment caused by a bin full of castings. So I laid fresh bedding and they revived quite nicely. Shortly after I harvested several pints worth of compost and let the worms be for a bit more. Lately they've again seemed unhappy so I went for a full bin revamp by emptying the whole this on my porch floor, laying in brand new bedding, separating the rest of the worms from their castings (resulting in several more pints, half of which is all gone now after planting mint, spicy mint, oregano, basil, chamomile, lemon verbena, rosemary, and onions, as well as fertilizing the amaryllises, succulents, and the lemon tree), and returning them to their new home with fresh shredded paper on top and some yummy apple cores to much on. Hopefully this will be a better bin than the last one though I'm still thrilled that we've successfully managed our worm bin, without killing them all, for over a year. Yay!
A couple of months ago my worms started committing mass suicide. The room they're kept in (their bin is inside a larger bin, suspended over a few inches of water to keep ants at bay, stored under the table in my laundry room) was covered with dead and nearly dead worms. I opened the bin and determined that they had finished all they're bedding and were escaping the muddy, toxin environment caused by a bin full of castings. So I laid fresh bedding and they revived quite nicely. Shortly after I harvested several pints worth of compost and let the worms be for a bit more. Lately they've again seemed unhappy so I went for a full bin revamp by emptying the whole this on my porch floor, laying in brand new bedding, separating the rest of the worms from their castings (resulting in several more pints, half of which is all gone now after planting mint, spicy mint, oregano, basil, chamomile, lemon verbena, rosemary, and onions, as well as fertilizing the amaryllises, succulents, and the lemon tree), and returning them to their new home with fresh shredded paper on top and some yummy apple cores to much on. Hopefully this will be a better bin than the last one though I'm still thrilled that we've successfully managed our worm bin, without killing them all, for over a year. Yay!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)