It's Not Easy Being Green (4) - The Question of Grass

I have a confession. No, I didn't smoke grass in my youth. But as a girl dedicated to shrinking my carbon footprint, I have a love/hate relationship with the grass in our yard. I like having a place for my dog to play, for me to spread a blanket and enjoy the weather, and I like the color, but the hassle of the upkeep, not to mention the mowing drive me a little wild. Did you know, According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a new gas powered lawn mower produces volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides emissions air pollution in one hour of operation as 11 new cars each being driven for one hour? Yeah, gross. And the EPA also estimates that 17 million gallons of fuel (mostly gasoline) are spilled by backyard gardeners. That's more than the Exxon Valdez spill every year.

So I've made it my mission to remove as much grass in the backyard as possible. (I think our HOA would croak if we tried this with the front.) Over the last 8 summers we have put in four garden areas, planted trees, added raised beds for veggies, put in a patio, and now, I've finally laid out our garden path. I'll be the first to admit, I am hoping the grass will grow up between the stones (as you can see it has on the right side of the photo), but that can easily be taken care of with the weed-wacker, and it's electric. It's been a LOT of hard work to get the yard to this point, but for the first time, it's really shaping up the way I've envisioned it. We still have a sweet potato box to build, and mulch to put down, and plants to get in the ground and pots, but over all, I am so proud of what we have done. It's not carbon free, but our back yard is chemical-free, food producing, and low-carbon; and that is certainly a step in the right direction.

For a more detailed look, click on the photo.

Don't Be So Sure (of yourself)

There are many things about RJH being gone that don't phase me. I can get dinner on the table, get a kid to cub scouts, get a shower, keep up with the laundry, clean and make enough bottles to make it smoothly through the day. It's just not a big deal.

But there are things that shake my part-time-single-mom confidence and they always happen when he's traveling; like when the pilot light went out for the first time; or the time my oldest decided to spray the garage down with water; or all the time I spent battling with the school two years ago.

I had another moment.

Sunday RJH left for a trade show, returning on Thursday. This is some of the longest travel at one time that he does. I'm not bothered by it. Until I start hearing what sounds like a bird building a nest in the eaves above my studio. And then it starts to sound like it's in the laundry room. And finally it sounds like it's somewhere in the foyer. You know what this means. We have a critter somewhere in the duct-work. Shit. If there is one thing I absolutely hate, it's mice. And we seem to stir them up all the time. I'm sure all the digging in the yard didn't help matters.

So I call RJH, because really, I don't know what to do. We devise a plan to call the exterminator on Monday. I barely slept on Sunday night, and I don't mind admitting I brought the baby to bed with me as I had convinced myself the critter was in the kid's room.

Monday I went out to breakfast with some family that was in town and got them all packed up and on their way north. It was great to see them. In fact, I had forgotten all about the little critter. I went downstairs to retrieve my phone and call the exterminator when, I saw it. Dead on the foyer floor, as if it had fallen out of the ceiling vent, was a tiny little grey mouse. Blurg! This means I have to dispose of it (and before my whippet becomes aware that gifts of mice are falling from heaven). I poked it with the broom to be sure it was dead, praying that it wouldn't move. It didn't. It took all my courage to scoop up that carcass and toss it outside. Why do these things make me so wiggy?! But I did it. And there has been no more skittering in the ducts, which means I am able breathe and sleep again.

As RJH said, at least now I know where it is. There has to be an easier way.

Best Mother's Day Ever

So, I didn't get to sleep in - but I DID get a baby who slept for 9 straight hours. I'll take it!

And even better than that (which is hard to do right now), I got to spend most of the afternoon in the backyard gardening! I cannot begin to tell you how refreshing and nurturing it is to my soul to get out into nature again. So the revised lists look like this:

Done Today:

1. moved formerly shaded box to new very sunny location
2. planted 8 tomato plants (will have to wait until freshly moved box is filled to plant the rest)
3. weeded container on side of patio (which was FULL of taproots!) and planted a dozen Peruvian Wonderflowers.
4. planted 4 sweet pepper plants
5. continued to enlarge shade garden under pear trees to original size
6. chopped out scores of dandelions from the back yard (thank you Richard!) by hand so as not to contaminate our yard (and food) with chemicals
7. weeded garden area for the asters to get planted

Yet To Do:

1. plant the asters
2. plant the beans, butternut squash, and cukes
3. plant to flowering fern tubers
4. plant the Virginia Bluebells
5. weed garden area under the bay window
6. fill recently moved container with dirt (to arrive by Wednesday)
7. enlarge garden by the maple tree to include blueberry bushes
8. weed & spread mulch in said enlarged garden
9. divide Stella d'Oro lilies and replant around mailbox
10. find some purple and/or orange annuals to fill our empty flower pots

Not bad for a day's work. Hoping for some more sunny days to see this list dwindle. (Ok, to see it change. There will always be more to do in the garden, and that's just the way we like it!)

Back in the Garden

Ah Spring. This year you decided to shower us with almost 4 straight weeks of rain. You know I'm getting desperate to get in the garden when I'm out in the rain (as I was this morning). But it's time to get out there and get planting! And this year we are not just committed to having a fantastic edible garden, we are also beautifying and removing more grass. Huzzah!

So far we have:

1. filled in the herb garden with parsley, lemon verbena (as requested by the 9-year-old), rosemary, and two types of basil, among the already thriving sage, and two types of thyme. Also noticed some wild dill and mint making it's way up!
2. planted two bottom boxes with onions, Copra to be precise. Should make great storage onions. If you're unfamiliar with raised bed planting, I HIGHLY recommend Bountiful Container, by McGee and Stuckey.
3. planted a whiskey barrel of beets
4. planted a whiskey barrel of carrots
5. planted 2 whiskey barrels with green chiles - hoping for a bountiful harvest to freeze.
6. planted a complete shade garden under our pear trees which includes: Wild Ginger, Royal Helleborus, and Spiderwort, and removed encroaching grass, putting bed back to rightful size
7. planted a new peony, Queen Wilhelmina, in the pink garden
8. planted 6 azalea bushes, two in the pink garden, and the rest on the sunny side of the house
9. transplanted briar rose from wild common area of neighborhood to our pergola.

Yet to do:

1. put in 10 tomato plants (which arrived yesterday)
2. plant two asters we picked up at a garden sale at the local Art Museum
3. move one of our boxes into sunny spot as our Maple has now grown so tall it is in complete shade.
4. plant green beans, fava beans, limas, and edamame
5. plant butternut squash
6. plant peruvian wonderflowers on side of patio (after that container is completely weeded)
7. plant flowering fern in front shade garden
8. plant Virgina Bluebells (from same Art Museum sale) in side shade garden
9. get and plant cukes and sweet peppers

We've got our work cut out for us, but in truth, I'm just happy to be getting outside! Here's to some sunny days so the work can get done.

It's Not Easy Being Green (3) - Diapering Dilemma

This is quite possibly the biggest debate in the realm of green parenting: Cloth or Single-Use Diapers? And it's not easy. Are cloth diapers really that much greener, once you factor in all the washing and chemicals used to keep them clean? Do you really want to put enough plastic, sewage, and chemicals into the landfill to take you to the moon and back? For my money, the reality is that using single-use diapers is equivalent to this scene from Mad Men (they won't allow it to be embedded). No one today would dream of leaving that much trash at a picnic site, and if they did, they would be roundly criticized. And yet, the alternatives for diapering are so time consuming (and messy), right?

There is a learning curve, but the use of the hybrid diaper has been the best thing since, well, since the last time we were diapering a child. We use gDiapers. They look like this:

There is a cloth outer pant, and inside plastic liner, and a cloth or compostable soaker. We've opted for the disposable inserts, as they can be composted, or simply flushed. Even if they do wind up in the landfill - let's face it, we will be out and about and not always able to get to a potty - they will biodegrade leaving no plastic or chemicals in the earth. We do find we have a fair amount of laundry with them, but as anyone who has ever lived with a baby can attest, that comes with the territory, with or without cloth diapers.

As I said, this has been an easy decision for us. They are convenient enough for us to use regularly and simple enough to launder that it doesn't take more time than doing the regular wash (you can even put the plastic liner in the washer). I'd recommend this hybrid system to anyone wanting to get away from the single-use system. It's brilliant.

It's Not Easy Being Green (2) - Greenest Shipping Methods

I've noticed when ordering from Diapers.com (who is currently having a sale on their green products!) that they offer a green shipping method. So it begs the question, what is that? I did a bit of research and here's what I discovered.

One of the best ways to help the environment stay “green” and become “greener” is to reduce our carbon footprint. As many families know, it is now possible to buy green foods, green cleaning supplies, and even green vehicles. Green shipping, however, is not something we hear much about.

There are several ways in which you can choose greener shipping options. First of all, you can try to reuse packing material whenever possible. If you need to send a package and do not have packing material that you can recycle, try to buy materials made from recycled products. Consider popping popcorn and using it in place of packing peanuts or newspaper wads. In addition, when you need to send a gift that you've ordered online, choose to have the gift wrapped and sent directly to the recipient rather than having it shipped to you first. It is much better for the environment if the package is shipped only once. Finally, you should choose ground shipping whenever possible. Sending packages via an aircraft is harder on the environment than sending them via ground shipping.

After taking all the measures you can to lessen the environmental impact of shipping, you should consider which carrier you should use. The two major shipping contenders in the United States are UPS and FedEx. So which one is greener? Well, according to UPS, its services are greener than those of FedEx. UPS claims that it operates more alternative fuel vehicles than does FedEx. UPS also states that its airline fleet is at least 30% more efficient than that of FedEx. In addition, UPS has set company goals to decrease its carbon footprint including emissions reduction and community outreach.

On the other hand, FedEx claims that its services are greener. In fact, in April 2010, FedEx launched a new program entitled EarthSmart, which was designed to minimize the company's impact on the environment. Since then, FedEx has been working to increase vehicle efficiency, decrease aircraft emissions, and add to its ability to produce and utilize solar energy. EarthSmart can be divided into three separate focus areas: workplace culture, business solutions, and community outreach.

It is not yet known for sure which of these two companies is the greenest. However, it is inspiring to know that both FedEx and UPS are setting goals for reducing their impact on the environment. Each company is attempting to improve the efficiency of their vehicles and aircrafts. They are also both attempting to utilize more alternative sources of fuel and energy.

It should also be noted that many of the smaller shipping entities, including DHL, are implementing greener shipping methods as well. If you choose to use one of these companies instead, simply search its website for information on the environmental impact of the company's practices. Choosing to work only with companies that care about the environment will entice other companies to follow suit.

It's Not Easy Being Green (1)

I'm the sort of girl who's committed to a greener, healthier, less polluted, more peaceful earth. Our family tries to do what we can to make a difference in reducing waste, reducing the amount of chemicals emitted into the environment, and promoting growth and education within our small realm of influence. Sometimes it's easy, other times, not so much. Let's face it, if it's not convenient, we probably won't do it. In light of all of this, I'm beginning an occasional series of posts entitled "It's Not Easy Being Green." The goal is to share with you the ways our family is attempting to be kinder to the planet, and to ourselves, and perhaps to inspire you to consider being a bit greener too. If you have ways that your family is being green, I'd love to share them here on the blog. Please let me know about them!

Additionally, my summer reading theme this year (and it's been a while since I've been inspired to select a summer reading theme) is Being Green. Big surprise, no? Here are some of the titles I've already purchased. (Yes, I realize it would be greener to use the library, or audio books I can just download. Perhaps I will give myself that goal this year.) If you have suggestions, I'd be happy to add them to my list.

1. Gone Tomorrow: The Hidden Life of Garbage, Heather Rogers
2. Green Gone Wrong: How Our Economy Is Undermining the Environmental Revolution, Heather Rogers
3. Green Metropolis: Why Living Smaller, Living Closer, and Driving Less are the Keys to Sustainability, David Owen
4. The Green Collar Economy: How One Solution Can Fix Our Two Biggest Problems, Van Jones

Reflections on Motherhood (In No Particular Order)

1. Having a second child is a gift I give myself: I am less stressed, more knowledgeable, less strapped for cash, and more flexible than the first time around. I publicly apologize to my first born. We were crazy young people when you were born. We didn't know.
2. Breast feeding is the single most isolating thing I can think of doing. And as my sister so ironically pointed out, you're with someone the entire time. For a women who struggles with depression anyway, it was a poor choice. I LOVE bottle feeding. And I enjoy the time with my little man all the more for it.
3. I am a baby-wearer; no doubt about it.
4. Bed rest is not for the faint of heart. It can break you. Fortunately I have Netflix and Facebook and a new iPhone. I survived. ::Roar!::
5. There really is an app for that.
6. I still feel the need to do it all myself. Big surprise. Letting others help has been a learning experience. I shall be happy when I can, in fact, do it all myself. Even if it is an illusion.
7. Having a baby in February is not too bad, especially when you can get to the hospital without incident. The weather has been crap, but who cares? We can't go outside anyway. And there won't be any pressure to have a backyard birthday party as he gets older.
8. My children make me a better person.