Composting Heroin?
4/08/2008
They say that there's no such thing as bad press but after reading this article at the BBC, I'm not so sure anymore.
I've always said that the more we hear about compost in the news, the better it is for everyone. You know, to get the word out that it's good for the environment and all. Well I may have to retract that statement now.
Apparently this retired 70 year old gardener was using his compost pile to store the heroin that he was dealing from his garden.
Umm... so is heroin a green or a brown?
Posted by Anthony 5:55 PM 3 comments
Labels: compost news
Composting Coffee Grounds
4/02/2008
Everyone seems to be jumping on the compost bandwagon lately and that's a good thing. Imagine my surprise, during one of my usual lunch breaks spent wandering around stores with my camera, when I saw these bagged coffee grinds in Borders Bookstore.
The sign says, "Free coffee grinds to add to your garden's soil. Plants love it!" How cool is that? Now I know that Starbucks has been doing this for years but it's good to see some other stores following their lead.
And my 4 newly acquired bags of coffee grinds have already been added to one of my compost bins. I think they had some more in the cafe section of the store but I already took a picture of their display and then swiped it so I wasn't going to be too greedy.
I'm not a big fan of putting the grinds directly in the garden as they suggest so of course I composted them. I really have way too many leaves and need to get my piles cooking. Free coffee grinds are a great start. Thanks Borders.
Posted by Anthony 5:35 AM 14 comments
Labels: compost news
Composting Under The Sea
3/17/2008
Everything is better,
When it is wetter,
Under the sea.
- Sebastian - The Little Mermaid
That little crab was on to something and scientists at The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric research (NIWA) must have been listening. They're currently experimenting with compost and mussels in hopes of making a healthier environment for marine life and in the process, create the most delicious mussels.
Underwater compost sounds a little tricky because it would seem to me to be too wet. They always say that your compost should be about as wet as a wrung out sponge. But when you combine one of my favorite sea foods and compost, how can you go wrong. Good luck to the folks at NIWA.
Posted by Anthony 6:41 AM 0 comments
Labels: compost news
Composting Plastic
2/06/2008
This is a blog about compost and gardening but today I'm going to talk about the Olympics. No, they didn't add a synchronized composting event to the games (although that idea has some potential) but they did use biodegradable plastic for food packaging at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
The other day I did a post about how I thought that this company selling compostable cutlery was pretty cool. It's a step in the right direction when it comes to keeping things out of the landfill. So when I did some further research I found out that more than 75% of the 660 tons of garbage that was created at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney Australia was either recycled or composted. And biodegradable plastic used in the food packaging played a big part in that 75% number.
There's still some issues with this new products like the fact that it's more expensive than regular plastic. Also these products won't compost in your average home compost bin and will take 18 months in a commercial compost environment to break down. So that means that if you can't compost it at home, this stuff is going to wind up in the landfill. Sadly, I don't think anything composts in the landfill.
I recently read on Tiny Choices that biodegradable garbage bags are at the opposite end of the spectrum and are breaking down too soon. What good is a garbage bag that falls apart before the garbage men come to pick it up.
But like I said earlier, any step in the right direction is a good one. The biodegradable plastic people will figure it out eventually and when they do, think about all the different products and packaging that I'll get to put in my What's Decomposing blog posts.
Source for Olympic Data:
Posted by Anthony 10:00 AM 2 comments
Labels: compost news
Biodegradable Plastic
1/20/2008
Now here's a good idea that's almost ready for prime time. You may have heard that they can now make biodegradable plastic using corn. So the whole supermarket paper or plastic argument may be going away sometime soon. But did you know your next picnic or BBQ could become more green too? All you need is some compostable cutlery.
How cool is this? These knives, forks and spoons are biodegradable and can be composted. They're made from corn starch "and other biodegradable fillers".
If you explore around this Eco-Products site, you'll see they also have compostable cups, plates and other cool things. The containers and plates are actually made from Sugarcane.
Unfortunately, these green products are probably a little too expensive for me. I think I can get a package of 500 forks from Costco for under $10. These compostable forks are sold in cases of 1000 for $45. But as they become more popular I'm sure the price will come down. And then I'll be the first on my block to have a Zero-Waste BBQ.
Posted by Anthony 10:44 AM 7 comments
Labels: compost news, environment
Compost Quote
1/16/2008
Here's an awesome quote that I just found while going over the articles Google sent me. You find a lot of interesting things in the news when you have a Google Alert for Compost.
This is from an article about how E. coli has been getting in our food supply lately. It was in the San Francisco Chronicle. The quote comes from a letter to the author that was written by Ian Davidson (it's the second letter on the linked page).
The application of properly made aerobic compost and the liquid extract of such compost (known generally as compost tea) to the foliage and root system of a plant creates a microbial force field around the plant that is naked to the human eye. By inoculating plants with these beneficial organisms, it is virtually impossible for pathogenic organisms to even touch the plant, because the beneficial aerobic organisms are in such dominance.
Well said, Ian. And on a personal note, I'd love to have my own "microbial force field". I'd use it on my kids all the time.
What's that honey? The kids are chasing each other with brooms again? Don't worry, the force field is up, they'll be fine.
Oh well, I guess I'll have to settle for a microbial force field around my garden. And that's not a bad thing to settle for.
Posted by Anthony 10:55 PM 0 comments
Labels: compost news
Improving Compost's Image
1/14/2008
Let's face it, compost needs a makeover. The only press that compost gets is when there's a neighborhood battle over a stinky compost bin. You don't hear teens at the mall saying things like, "Dude, compost is the awesome!" Even Al Gore really didn't mention much about compost during his many speeches and events that helped him earn a Nobel Prize.
When you think of compost, if you're like most non-gardeners, you think of garbage. And besides Oscar the Grouch, how many things associated with garbage are even remotely popular?
Well this composter would like to take his hat off to Julia Roberts. While Britney's meltdowns are making big news by demonstrating a celebrity who's falling apart, Julia Roberts is making news by doing it right and going green. I've read a few articles where she mentions what she's doing to be more environmentally friendly and one of those the things she's mentioning is composting.
It sounds silly when you talk about composting, but it’s something that is manageable in my household, something that I know we can accomplish.
Pssst... composting is good for the planet. Pass it on.
Posted by Anthony 8:41 PM 3 comments
Labels: compost news
