Festival of Trees in Picton

Festival of Trees in Picton

Idea #21 - peaksaver thermostat

"Conserving energy, one degree at a time."

Make sure you read those inserts that come with your Hydro One electricity bill.  I read about the peaksaver™ program, and decided "why not". The program is designed to help reduce brown-outs during the hot summer months when central air conditioners hog the grid.  I rarely use my A/C anyhow, but being on the program seems like the right thing to do.

Hydro One will control my thermostat during peak periods, and will raise the temperature in my home so that the A/C doesn't automatically turn on.

This free program includes the installation of a new $250 digital thermostat, and a $25 credit on my next bill. The new digital thermostat should help reduce my gas bill during the winter months.

This offer seems "too good to be true".

Idea # 20 - In Setu

My new Setu chair from Herman Miller was worth rethinking. 

Technology has changed how and where we work. Now we work anywhere and everywhere. No matter where we work we want a comfortable chair.

Introducing Setu. Its innovative kinematic spine bends and flexes to your every move. There's nothing to tilt, nothing to tweak. Setu's finely tuned elastomeric fabric provides superior suspension and conforms to your contours. It's comfort now.

Idea #19 - Burn, Burn, Burn

Those little bits of paper, like kleenex, envelopes and plain wrappers, now go into a brown paper bag that lines a waste paper basket.  The paper bag eventually gets thrown into my Weber kettle BBQ.  After a pleasant fire, the cold ashes go itno the new garden bed that is composting over winter. I like the idea of putting "good"ash into the garden instead of a landfill.

Can I compost ashes?

It depends. Untreated wood or paper ashes are OK. They won't help your composting but they won't hurt it either. Ashes from barbecues, plywood, treated wood or glossy paper can contain toxic materials that you don't want in your compost.

The Weber is set up securely on rocks so that it burns safely. Its' easy to do in small batches with one match.  Burning is  not brilliant - but my objective is to rethink and refuse waste, not to be brilliant.  The rethinking is to bring paper into the house that is clean enough for burning. Refuse toxic, glossy paper.

Idea #18 - Recharge!

I splurged on rechargeable AA batteries that came with a recharger that plugs into an outlet. My clock loses time more rapidly, but I can pop the batteries into the recharger, and all is well again.

Disposing of used batteries is a problem. Although there are many outlets that offer to take them, you have to get into the habit of doing this, and you're just redistributing unnecessary waste.

Why are retailers allowed to sell non-rechargeable batteries? If plastic bags are against the law in Toronto, you would think one-time-use batteries would be outlawed too.

Idea # 17 - No Bones

This idea is really easy.  Buy boneless chicken so that you don't have to worry about putting greasy bones into the waste.

Kraft Canada has lots of recipes for boneless chicken on their website.

See, I told you it was easy.

Idea # 16 - Paw Prints

Time to eat the Dog?

Robert Vale wrote a book recently suggesting that family pets are bad because they have a large environmental footprint.  Vale claims that large household pets chew up more resources than over-sized cars. Is getting rid of the family dog an option?

This blog isn't about eating or getting rid of the family dog. Its' a tribute to my two pooches that died over the past year.  Although I have less waste to consider, my heart is broken.  I'd live with a mountain of trash to have my little guys here with me today.

Idea #15 - Club House Spices

Yummy.

Thai Coconut Chicken

A nice little paper packet of delicious Club House spices.  Add coconut milk, some thinly cut veggies, dabs of peanut butter and fresh chicken. Twenty minutes later I have a delicious dinner that looks like it took hours of preparation. 

Waste factor:

1. styrofoam packaging for the chicken
2. small tin can for the coconut milk
3. paper from spice packet and can label.

The paper things are going into a paper bag that will be burned in my Weber Kettle BBQ.
The ashes can go into the garden, so my waste factor is still very low for this meal.

Idea # 14 - Nespresso in Buenos Aires

While visiting Buenos Aires, I stayed at the very smart Tailor Made Hotel. After waking up to a sun-filled private courtyard, I experienced the delight of Nespresso.  The day began by selecting an aluminum coffee packet and plunking it into the Nespresso machine. Voila! a perfect cup of coffee at the touch of a button.

I began daydreaming about Nespresso.

Nespresso is mastering the art of coffee marketing with an eco-conscious website where you can order machines and coffee refills.  The website says they're planning to develop a recycling program for the  aluminum packaging on a country-by-country basis. Switzerland has 1,190 collection points - so what does that say about the power of Nestle??

So, idea #14 is about daydreaming about my perfect Tailor Made Hotel holiday over a cup of paper-filtered coffee that actuallly doesn't taste too bad.