Many years ago as a professional ballet dancer, I carried my ballet shoes in a string bag. My pointe shoes needed air after those long rehearsals. I remember shopping with a fellow dancer and watching her dump out her shoes in the car and then refill her mesh bag with apples and oranges.
My current string […]

Whole Foods Markets across the U.S. will be celebrating Earth Day by eliminating plastic bags. Once the store on Houston Northcutt Boulevard uses all of its supply, there will no longer be a choice of paper or plastic. Hooray! What a great way for this company to set an example.
Disposable plastic bags are […]

I just got an email from A Single Bag, a company trying to save the planet one reusable bag at a time. The North Charleston business is making these bags from fully recyclable (not here) polypropylene, which means they are durable and waterproof. And while I can’t vouch for the bags personally (send us some!), […]

We’ve started planting some new flowers in our gardens, so I’ve noticed a buildup of empty plastic plant containers in the garage. Because these containers are typically make from non-recyclable plastics (#4, #5, or #6), most folks just toss them into the trash. But this year we can help you make a change!
Last June, I […]

I’ve blogged about Whole Foods serving most of its goodies in containers made from plastic #5, which is not recyclable locally. Finally, our local outlet has an alternative: biodegradable food containers. (and my compost pile couldn’t be happier…hopefully!)
So, Jen has come home a few times with the brown EATware containers, and they actually seem OK […]

If only I didn’t have a day job, I wouldn’t get scooped by The Post and Courier all the time! But good thing they’re around, or we’d miss out on some important green stories. Here are some local environmental stories I thought you might be interested in:

Solar Interest Shines; Incentives a Bit Dull
Shifts to […]

I wanted to inform you all that Graham and I are still Gdiaper strong. We switched about a month ago, and I have no intention of ever relying on disposable diapers again. Gdiapers are easy to put together, put on, and put away in the toilet. The underpants and liners show […]

Most recycling programs only accept plastics #1 and #2, so being able to quickly identify them can be a time saver when sorting your recycling. In the future, we should be able to recycle plastics #3 through #7 — but for now these outcasts must be banished to the landfill (that’s too bad, because a […]

We’re now into February, and the compost pile I started last fall is really coming into it’s own. Here’s a quick update.

The pile is about 2-feet deep now. And except for the edges, it has an even consistency throughout.
Jen has started bringing home used Starbucks coffee grounds from the Longpoint Road location. They sit […]

My little guys have celebrated their birthday parties, thus far, at our home. They’re young, and can entertain each other with no more than glow sticks in a darkened room. We love throwing these parties — they’re simple! And since we’re in control of the details, what little waste we accumulate is just […]

Like most areas in the country, our local recyclers only accept plastics #1 and #2. My family collects a lot of these plastics as bottles, milk jugs, Starbucks cups, and so on. But what about all those other plastic items in our lives?
If something is labeled as a plastic #1 or #2, it […]

Are you becoming obsessed with plastic bags yet? I am. The bag phenomenon is everywhere. I mean, I’m hooked on my own canvas bag. Jen is blogging about becoming the “crazy bag lady”, and the other Jennifer started a project that gives them away. Then there’s the numbers: 100 billion each year in the U.S., […]

I have pushed my buggy past gDiapers at Whole Foods many times. I have read their starter kit package at least twice. Last Sunday, I bought the starter kit of gDiapers and began using them on my two-year-old son that afternoon.
We’ve been a Pampers family since we brought Cooper home from the hospital […]

If you’re like me, chances are that deep in your closet, you too have a box of things that is labeled, “stuff.” And in it, most likely, is that old cell phone that you just didn’t know what to do with, so you stashed it in stuff purgatory. Well fear no more, there is a […]

The more I read about plastic grocery bags, the more I believe that plastic grocery bags should be banned. Their impact on this planet is destructive and everlasting. Plastic grocery bags are littered everywhere on Earth, from the side of Long Point Road to Antarctica.
Maybe you’ve heard about the folks in China who […]

OK, I know I’ve been writing a lot about composting lately…but this post isn’t like all that. I really just wanted to write about how all of our green actions influence those around us, and how that helps the green movement spread.
In the short time since I’ve started my compost pile: My neighbor has begun […]

Turning landfill-bound kitchen waste into rich gardening soil is a very sustainable practice, even in tiny suburban-sized doses. I love the idea of using free homemade soil to enrich the garden plot I’m using to grow some summer veggies, all while learning loads about biology, chemistry, and patience.
Composting is a green activity that’s a bit […]

Well, things have been going according to plan over at the Norman Family Compost Pile. It’s been a great experiment, and I’ve been getting advice from all over the place. And since sharing is what this blog is all about, here are some juicy tidbits:

I need to water the pile more. It’s so dry […]

When I was breaking down an empty detergent box the other day, I stopped to look at the scoop before throwing it out. It was labeled as a #1 plastic, which means it’s recyclable here in the Lowcountry. In fact, it’s RPET, which is already recycled polyethylene terephthalate. Using RPET products supports the market […]

Chad was suffering from a drippy cold, and came home with two boxes of Kleenex. I’m pretty sure I made an audible gasp when I saw those cute designer boxes, but I said nothing to Chad. He had a bad cold after all. I mean, have you ever seen his nose?
I used […]