The Green Path Company » GREEN Tips

Growing Up Green

admin — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 22:32:35 +0000

09 Green Resolutions – revisited

admin — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 13:11:44 +0000

Do your part to control pollution

admin — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 15:22:40 +0000

Summers always pose a difficult choice for us, especially in the Southwestern desert, because as the temperatures rise so does our use of electricity and the potential for ozone and dust pollution. There are several simple things we can do to help combat these potential dangerous situations and help us avoid the dreaded “High Pollution Advisories”

1. Refuel your vehicles after dark and check your tire pressure to help improve your gas mileage

2. Park your car and go inside to avoid idling in long lines at the bank, fast food restaurants, pharmacies or at your local coffee shop

3. Conserve electricity with these simple tips: Wash clothes in cold water, line dry your clothes Vs using your dryer, lower your hot water heater thermostat to 120, put your outdoor lights on a timer or use a dusk to dawn sensor.

4. Use a rake instead of using a leaf blower.

5. Switch to electric lawn and garden equipment Vs gas powered mowers and trimmers

6. Car pool and consolidate errands whenever possible.

2009 Simple Green Living Tips – Green Resolutions

admin — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 13:17:25 +0000

The what, where, when and how of composting

admin — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 22:57:27 +0000

The answer to the why part of the composting question is the easiest to address. Americans throw out around 25% of the food we make and table scraps account for 12% of the trash in our landfills. It is a waste to waste this waste, especially when you can put most of it to a much better use. Composting can help create a natural, beneficial additive for your garden soil and allows you to bypass using chemical fertilizers and soil enhancers. It’s great for plants, shrubs and for organic gardens, so if you have been thinking about starting a garden now is a great time to do so and composting is a great place to start.

Anybody can start a compost pile but most of us don’t know the first thing about where to begin or what to do to manage the pile. It is actually a fairly simple process to get started and it begins with your compost bin. There are a variety of different methods you can use to construct your compost “home”, ranging from building your own to buying a commercial tumbler. The benefits of a store bought bin are that they are clean, neat and an attractive way to manage the process. The downside is that they are usually small and only make a small amount of compost and are expensive.

You can also go rustic and build your own from a few pieces of scrap wood and chicken wire. Build a 3 sided box that is 4 to 5 feet wide and high with an open front. Wrap the 3 sides in chicken wire to keep creatures out and voila, you have a composting bin. You can get step by step instructions from Bluegrass Gardens and BackyardGardeners.com.

Once you have a bin you’re ready to begin composting! Here are some simple steps you can take to create your masterpiece.

A. Choose a shady location that is out of the way BUT still in view so you don’t forget about it.

B. Add “brown” material for the 1^st layer. Build a 6 inch high layer of hay, straw, old leaves and/or sawdust in the bottom of the bin. Add water…

C. Add “green” material. Build a 2 to 3 inch high layer on top of the “brown” layer using green grass clippings, manure and table scraps. Add water…

D. Repeat this layering process until the bin is full. Make sure you moisten each layer prior to adding the next layer.

E. Wait a few days and then “turn” the layers using a pitchfork or shovel.

F. Cover with a tarp to keep the rain out and preserve the moisture you added during the layering. This is important to help the compost pile “cook”.

You now have a compost pile and it is important to manage the pile to insure that the natural process takes place without many complications. There are few “do’s” and “don’ts” of composting that you need to be aware of beginning with what and what not to add to your pile. You can add:

1. Natural things like hay, straw, pine needles, leaves, flowers, weeds, and trimmings from trees and shrubs.

2. Kitchen scraps like egg shells, old bread, vegetables and fruit scraps and some animal manure.

3. Wood chips, sawdust and shredded black and white newspapers

You should never include things like meats, oils, fish, dairy products or bones as they attract unwanted creatures to the pile. You also want to avoid diseased or insect-infested plants, grass or weeds treated with herbicides or feces from dogs, cats, pigs or humans.

It is very important to have the right mix of these items to make sure the pile heats up and decomposes in the most efficient way. The general rule is to use the C/N ration. This is the mix of carbon based products to nitrogen based products. The “brown” layers you built in the initial process are your carbon products and the “green” layers contain the nitrogen products. A 25:1 ration of carbon to nitrogen is considered the correct ratio for your compost pile.

The final step is managing your compost pile. You can handle this either of two ways depending on your time table for useable compost. If you don’t want to exert much effort and don’t need the compost for a while then go through the initial process of building and turning the pile and then let it go. In about a year you will have compost for your garden or flower beds. If you want the process to move along more quickly then you will need to tend your pile.

After about a week you should check the pile for moisture and heat. Just dig down a foot or so to see if the pile is moist, if so let it go, if not then water it thoroughly. There is fine balance to this so make sure the pile is not soggy as this will impede the process. The rule of thumb is to keep the pile as moist as a wrung out sponge.

In addition to the moisture level it is important to keep the heat on. A hot pile means that the natural process of decomposition is working. If the pile feels as cool as the outside air you will need to turn the pile and add more nitrogen based product like grass clippings, kitchen scraps or manure. You can “turn” the pile using a pitch fork and removing the top and outer layers, set them on the ground and then remove the inside and lower layers and place them on the ground as well. Then put the top and outer layers in first and the cover with the lower, inside layers.

If you take an active part in the composting process you should have usable compost in three to four weeks. You just need to decide which method suits your needs best and begin.

The “art” of composting is a complicated skill to learn and can only come from experience and researching the process. The Compost Guide is one of the best resources for a complete guide to composting, including troubleshooting, where to buy bins, how to use compost and much, much more. Now it’s up to you to make the decision and get started. We will!

CSA article

admin — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 14:02:34 +0000

A new revolution has begun. The rise of CSA is upon us! No, it is not the Confederate States of America but a co-op group called Community Supported Agriculture; a union if you will, of local farmers and consumers who work together to plan, grow, harvest, distribute, and consume locally grown produce, eggs, and meat.

CSA is a shared financial agreement between the farmers and consumers that benefits both farmers and consumers. The farmer receives financial help to offset the cost of growing his crop and the end consumer receives fresh, healthy, local produce, usually on a weekly basis. Each CSA group works on its own to best meet the needs of its community and the products it provides vary by state and region. Some CSA’s provide fruits, vegetables, eggs, and meat, while others provide produce only.

A typical CSA is made up of three groups: the farmer, a core group, and the community. The farmer is responsible for planning and harvesting the crop as well as determining the final cost for the crops, which includes investments for seeds and supplies, salaries, and distribution costs. The Core group is also involved in the planning process and helps develop the CSAs distribution process. The community or “share holder” pays a yearly fee based on the final cost for the crop divided by the number of end consumers involved in the CSA. The final distribution process varies by CSA but can include home delivery, pick your own, working shares, and weekly pick up points.

The idea for CSAs originated in Japan in the early 1970s and migrated to the United States in the mid 80s. The first U.S. CSA started in Massachusetts at Indian Line Farms in 1985. Today there are over 1,500 CSA’s spread across the United States and

Canada and their number continues to grow.

There are additional benefits to CSAs other than just providing fresh fruits and vegetables:

1. They build a sense of community between the farmers and local consumers. Many CSAs provide crops for local food banks and provide employment opportunities for the local homeless community. CSAs offer the opportunity for families to visit and participate in picking their own fruits and vegetables instead of just signing up for the CSA delivery or pick-up system.

2. CSAs are stewards of the land and most, if not all, farm organically, meaning they don’t using herbicides, pesticides, or artificial fertilizers, to produce a safer, healthier source of produce. Organic farming also protects the ground water supply from toxic runoff, resulting in a healthier environment for all of us.

3. CSAs serve as educational outlets and provide apprenticeships and training for people interested in becoming involved in the farming process.4. CSAs provide the farmer with a guaranteed market for its crops and boost the local economy by infusing the community with local food dollars.

5. Many CSA’s publish newsletters that list produce news and recipes, as well as social events happening throughout the year that help connect the shareholders to the farm.

Sources including Local Harvest, NewFarm Farm Locator, and Local Food Directories are great places to start your research on CSA if you’re interested in getting involved with a nearby participating farm. So do your homework, find a farm near you that participates in a CSA and go local, go green, eat better and it may also be fun!

The CSA has risen!

admin — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 13:51:55 +0000

No, it’s not the Confederate States of America but Community Supported Agriculture. We here a lot of talk about supporting local businesses to help lower our carbon footprint and we just discovered a fresh way to do that. We joined a local CSA, Crooked Sky Farms, located in Glendale, AZ and meet them once a week to pick up our locally grown, organic produce. CSA’s are beginning to “crop” up all over the US and Canada and provide fresh fruits and vegetables to their members who join and are part of an emerging trend of consumers who want to eat healthier and infuse $$ back in to the local economy. It’s a simple process and one we are excited to be part of. We picked up our first load last week of Anahiem peppers, sweet potatoes, melons, spinach and basil. The produce you get will depend on the area in which you live, the time of year and the type of crops that are native to your area but what’s the same is they are fresh, locally grown and delicious!

In addition to the benefit of eating healthier fruits and vegetables, CSA’s also provide educational opportunities with apprenticeship programs, “pick your own” produce options and tours for schools to teach kids about farming, organic growing methods and ideas on how to start your own garden. Many also provide newsletters with recipes, crop reports and social events throughout the year.

To find one in your area, check our sources like Local Harvest, NewFarm Farm Locator or Local Food Directories and I’ll be there is one near you.

Green Kids

admin — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 23:09:15 +0000

I have been reading alot about how to raise “green” kids, “green” parenting and educating our children to grow up green. There are some very innovative ideas covering a wide variety of subjects from recycling, to composting, to reusing “trash” for art projects and many, many more. We know we need to educate them on the 3 R’s, CFL bulbs, water conservation and energy conservation but I don’t think we put enough emphasis on being outdoors, teaching respect for nature, animals and in the case of my granddaughter bugs! She is 2 1/2 years old and loves bugs and creepy crawly creatures like ants, beetles, lizards almost anything that plays or crawls outdoors. We have a cabin in the mountains in northern Arizona and when we take her up there she spends every waking hour outside. She wants to look for lizards, loves to watch ants crawl on the rocks and dirt and is enthralled by the numerous beetles that gather around our porch lights. The first thing she wants to do when she wakes up is go out “into the garden”, that’s what she calls the area in front of our cabin. She likes to fill the bird feeders and then sit on the porch and watch the woodpeckers, humming birds and blue jays that feed on the “breakfast” she provides. She likes pine cones, running in the woods and looking for squirrels and is so excited when one runs up a tree. Her parents take her hiking during the winter and spring and she loves looking at the cacti, birds and rocks along the trail, basically being outside. Well enough about her but my point is that children are never to young to learn and the best way to teach them respect and love for nature is to get them involved. Let them play outside, expose them nature and teach them not to be afraid of what nature has to offer. It has been a great learning experience for me as well. It is an amazing opportunity to see the world through the eyes of a child and nature is much more interesting when you experience it with them. So take the time to look at a bug, pick up a pine cone and sniff a flower with a child, you will rediscover what’s really important in life!

Replace the Plastic but “RTB!”

admin — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 16:16:53 +0000

It’s encouraging to see more and more people ditch the plastic shopping bags in favor of reusable bags. It’s also encouraging to see more and more retail outlets offering some type of bag for customers to purchase. Unfortunately there still remains a problem with this process. Well more than one problem but until big grocers and retailers stop offering plastic bags as a choice we will have to rely on ourselves to help solve the problem. The problem I am talking about is to remember the bags when we go shopping. Even with the best intentions we all seem to “forget” from time to time. We have our bags in the car all the time and we sometimes forget to take them into the store with us until it’s too late. Frustrating as that is we have come up with a solution that works for us. Remember the old song line “Tie a yellow ribbon round the old oak tree”, well we tie an organic cotton ribbon round our old steering wheel as our reminder to Remember the Bags (RTB). Kind of like tying a string around your finger to remind you to do something. It works for us, so far, and in additon to this solution I have a few others that may prove helpful to you.

Try these ideas out and let us know how they work for you and also let us know if you have tried and true methods you use that we can pass along.

1. Write on your shopping list “Remember the Bags” and highlight it so it stands out. This should remind you as you head out for a shopping trip to bring your bags.

2. Put a sign or note on your garage door or whichever door you go out to get into your car to RTB.

3. Put a sticker on your steering wheel as a reminder.

It doesn’t matter what you do as long as you remember, so continue to spread the word about replacing the plastic AND more importantly RTB.

Breath a little easier, naturally

admin — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 13:00:13 +0000

In our effort to make our homes more eco-friendly and energy efficient we have sealed up our homes to prevent cool air from escaping in the summer and warm air seeping out in the winter, and in doing so have trapped indoor pollutants in our living and breathing space.

I don’t mean to be an alarmist, but the materials used to construct our homes, furniture, carpeting, and many other common household products emit harmful vapors into the trapped air in our homes. The most common chemicals are formaldehyde from carpets, plywood, furniture, and insulation; benzene from particle board and paints; trichloroethylene from paints, lacquers, and varnishes; and carbon monoxide. An accumulation of these chemicals in our homes has the potential to cause a variety of health problems including respiratory issues and skin problems.

Before you rush to the mountains or move into a cave, you should know that there is a simple solution to this problem, common house plants. You could also open doors and windows to ventilate your home, but for summers in the Southwest and winters in the Northeast this is not a viable solution. Going green indoors is an effective and inexpensive way to combat this issue.

NASA conducted a study in the early 80s, in an effort to find a way to purify the air in their space stations and found that common houseplants can remove up to 85 percent of the airborne pollutants and help control humidity levels. Over the last 20 years subsequent studies have verified NASA’s results proving that houseplants can purify the air in our homes at a rate of one or two plants per 100-square-feet of home. These studies have also shown that in addition to removing pollutants, they can also remove up to 50 percent of airborne molds and reduce dust particles by as much as 20 percent.

There are many other benefits to bringing some living, breathing green into your life; plants can make rooms feel warm, friendly, and more inviting, they can lower blood pressure and stress levels, and can help improve concentration.

There are a wide variety of houseplants that are especially effective at removing the pollutants in our homes and most are low maintenance and even hard to kill for you non-green thumbs. These plants are effective air purifiers and only require minimal water and sunlight, and an occasional dusting:

Bamboo Palm: formaldehyde, CO2, benzene, trichloroethylene

English Ivy: formaldehyde, CO2, benzene, mold

Peace Lily: formaldehyde, CO2, benzene, trichloroethylene

Spider Plants: formaldehyde, benzene, trichloroethylene

Dracaena: formaldehyde, CO2, benzene

Several other common houseplants varieties are sturdy and work well as natural air filters, it all depends on your preference in plant style: Rubber trees, Golden Pathos, Ficus, Chinese Evergreens, and Snake Plants come in a variety of shapes, colors and sizes. Check your local nursery for the plant that best fit your needs and climate.

You can all breath a little easier now that you know about our little green helpers, the common houseplant. No need to get rid of all your furniture, carpeting, and interior walls of your home, just pick up a few house plants, give them a little TLC and take a deep breath.