Teasers, Agitprop, and Funnies

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Gdiapers: Starter Kit  
A post about a possible alternative to the disposable/cloth diaper debate and living green with baby at The Mini Max.

Labels: Baby, Green

Permalink posted by Maxwell at 10:08 PM

Wide Open Spaces  
You might have heard that we had a baby, and ever since the apartment has just gotten smaller and smaller. A few weeks ago Eric rented a storage space for those things that we really will want to save for the day when we might have more space or another baby (!) but no longer need at the moment. However, I don't want this new space to just become a place to put our garbage so we can buy new garbage (as I say garbage in the most endearing way, I love my garbage!) At the same time I'm all about decluttering. I think it's vital to my well being and the well being of my family. I have space to think in a room that is filled with less stuff.

Becoming a mom is turning me into a person with the desire to be a minimalist, but with the reality of carrying three times more things around me with every move I make.

Here is some of the things we have been doing and I hope to do with all our stuff.

Clothes and some appliances (the juicemaker?) will go to the Salvation Army or Goodwill.

Old computers and an old television set were dropped off at Build It Green. We have more electronics to pass along. Left to our own devices we tend to just hold onto these things for years. I think this is a great program if you live in New York. They will wipe your hard drives clean, or you can do it yourself with one of the free programs they mention on the site.

Here's a list of what they accept:

Working and non-working:
Computers (laptop & desktop),
Servers, mainframes
Monitors
Printers, scanners, fax-machines, copiers
Network devices (routers, hubs, modems, etc.)
Peripherals (keyboards, mice, cables, etc.)
Components (hard drives, CD Roms, circuit boards, power supplies, etc,)
TVs,VCR & DVD Players
Audio visual devices
Radios/Stereos
Cell Phones, pagers
PDAs,Telecommunication (phones, answering machines, etc.)
Media (floppies, cd's, zips, VHS tapes)**

**Gets sent to www.greendisk.com - if you have a lot of media please go to the website, pay a small fee, download an address label and send it directly to them.

New York has curbside recycling. We have been diligently recycling our cans, glass, and plastic for years, but we have not been recycling our paper. We don't take a newspaper, I read it online, and I was frankly ignorant of the rules, so we haven't been taking advantage of that. Here are the rules for recycling in NYC from the National Resources Defense Council. You can also read about them at the NYC Wastele$$ site.

Paper: Yes

Newspapers, magazines &
catalogs

White or colored paper
All mail (even envelopes
with plastic windows),
wrapping paper, etc.

Smooth cardboard
Cereal and other
boxes (liners removed),
tubes, packaging, etc.

Paper bags

Softcover & phone books

Corrugated cardboard
(flattened & tied)

Paper: No

Plastic- or
wax-coated paper
Candy wrappers,
take-out containers, etc.

Soiled paper or
cardboard

Soft paper
Napkins, paper towels,
or tissues

Carbon paper

Hardcover books,
spiral bindings


*Please note: paper recyclables must be placed in clear bags or green-labeled containers.

Metal Glass, and Plastic: Yes

Metal cans
Food, aerosol (empty), etc.

Foil wrap & trays

Plastic bottles & jugs
For detergent, soda, milk, juice,
water, shampoo, etc. -- any bottle where
the neck is smaller than the body

Glass bottles & jars

Beverage cartons & drink boxes
For milk, juice, and other beverages

Household metal
including:
- Wire hangers
- All metal appliances
(from washing machines and
stoves to toasters and irons)*
- All indoor and outdoor metal
furniture, including cabinets
and window screens
- Metal pots and pans, cutlery
and utensils

*Call 311 before discarding
appliances that contain CFC
gas, such as refrigerators
and air conditioners.



Metal cans
Food, aerosol (empty), etc.

Foil wrap & trays

Plastic bottles & jugs
For detergent, soda, milk, juice,
water, shampoo, etc. -- any bottle where
the neck is smaller than the body

Glass bottles & jars

Beverage cartons & drink boxes
For milk, juice, and other beverages

Household metal
including:
- Wire hangers
- All metal appliances
(from washing machines and
stoves to toasters and irons)*
- All indoor and outdoor metal
furniture, including cabinets
and window screens
- Metal pots and pans, cutlery
and utensils

*Call 311 before discarding
appliances that contain CFC
gas, such as refrigerators
and air conditioners.

Metal Glass, and Plastic: No

Motor oil or chemical
containers

Styrofoam
Cups, egg cartons, etc.

Food containers
For yogurt, margarine,
take-out, salad bar, etc.

Plastic bags, wrap or film
Sandwich wrap, grocery or
dry cleaning bags, etc.

Plastic trays or tubs
For microwave, etc.

Plastic utensils, plates,
cups, bowls

Plastic appliances,
toys, furniture

Lightbulbs

Pane glass, mirrors,
ceramics, glassware

Pump spray nozzles

Plastic caps or lids

Batteries


*Please note: metal, glass and plastic recyclables must be placed in clear bags or blue-labeled containers.

TIPS
To ready your metal, glass and plastic containers for recycling, rinse them clean and place them in a clear bag or blue-labeled container; caps and lids should be removed. You should place paper recycling in a separate clear bag or green-labeled container and tie flattened corrugated cardboard with strong twine.

Collect glass, plastic or aluminum beverage containers with a 5-cent deposit, such as those for beer, soda and other carbonated drinks, and take them to a local grocery, deli or other store for recycling. (You can also put your redeemable cans and bottles out with your other recyclables where needy individuals may find them and turn them in for the nickel deposit.)

If you live in a building that does not recycle, contact your building manager or superintendent to set up a recycling system for tenants. You can report recycling violations anonymously online or by calling 311.

See, I didn't know that milk cartons were recycled with the plastic bottles.

We've cleaned out our pantry and are getting rid of the small amounts of latex paint we were saving for touch ups that will never happen. NYCWastele$$ also provides information fro recycling and donating latex paint.

You can find out about recycling in your area by visiting Earth 911.

Labels: Declutter, Green, Recycle, Reduce, Reuse

Permalink posted by Maxwell at 4:49 PM

The Growing Up and Greening of Cowgirl Funk  
Obviously Going Green has been going on for quite a while, in my lifetime we've cycled through the trend at least a few times. In junior high I owned "The 50 Simple Things Kids can do to Save the Earth" and hung a poster of the planet as seen from space over my bed. In high school I was an officer of our school ecology club (which I think existed mostly to sell rainforest cookies). Certainly Green is everywhere in current years.

I think it makes sense. I've certainly fallen off the green wagon in the past ten years or so, I'm good at doing some things, terrible at others. Embarrassingly terrible at others. I think it can't be just about buying cool green consumer goods. One of the most important things I can do is Reduce.

Over the next few months I hope to use the blog to make myself accountable and to share with you how I, an average person living in an apartment in New York with a husband and a baby, am learning to become more green. And all the usual stuff: what works, what doesn't, a few jokes, and some ranting. Oh, and I have to tell you that No Impact Man and others have already been doing this for quite a while.

Also, especially since I have a baby, it's time to become the proverbial grown ass woman. I have to admit that my inspiration in this arena is Lisa at The Rage Diaries. Most of my issues, at least initially, involve organization, adult homemaking (less cake baking and more...not continuing to live the way I did through most of my twenties), and perhaps even fiscal responsibility. Sexy stuff. Beyond accountability, I can only offer you the perspective of a person who is definitely not an expert or even on her way to her own media empire.

Labels: Green, TCB

Permalink posted by Maxwell at 8:55 PM