Are you a huge fan of The DC Moms yet? There are some great writers over there and I'm thrilled to be part of it. I hope you'll head over and check out my post about the day I stopped buying napkins and paper towels. You can do it, too!
Original post by Smiling Mama. Thanks for reading!
Showing posts with label going green. Show all posts
Showing posts with label going green. Show all posts
Friday, January 13, 2012
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Paper towel dilemma
I know that the title of this post really drew you in. I thought of calling it "paper towel emergency" to really get your attention. But, that would have been disingenuous as I don't have an emergency on my hands but I do have a true dilemma. And, dear readers, I am confident that you can help me out.
I've blogged before about the various ways we are trying to be more green at home. And, really, so far it has been easy. Reusable shopping bags? Check. Green cleaning supplies? Check. I even told you about how we have stopped using paper napkins and paper towels. (Abel has finally stopped adding paper towels to the grocery list and Lucas knows exactly where to go to get a new cloth napkin when he needs one. He, Lucas, that is, does occasionally try to use the table cloth as a napkin which I really can't blame him for as we do have some matching sets!)
But, here's the thing: there are some times when I really, really need a paper towel!
First, to microwave bacon. I always layer a few paper towels, bacon and a few more paper towels on a plate in the microwave. Works great. How do I do this without paper towels? I mean, we don't eat a lot of bacon, but I did recently make Surburban Bliss's recipe for spaghetti carbonara (totally delish!) and needed some bacon. I was reluctant to use rags for the layering so broke out a few of my fancy paper napkins--you know, decorative cocktail napkins--which I simply can't resist buying on clearance at Target. They worked okay. Definitely not as good as paper towels and besides who wants to waste nice napkins--even clearance priced ones--on bacon grease?
Second, to keep herbs. Rachel Ray taught me that the best way to keep herbs fresh in the fridge is to wash them, pat dry, wrap in a paper towel and store in a zip lock. But, my definition of being green means no paper towels and no zip lock bags. What am I to do?
The only solution I can think of is to keep one roll of paper towels high up in my cabinets to use for occasional and specific purposes like these. Are there other options I'm not thinking of?
Have you run into any dilemmas like these as you try to be more green?
I've blogged before about the various ways we are trying to be more green at home. And, really, so far it has been easy. Reusable shopping bags? Check. Green cleaning supplies? Check. I even told you about how we have stopped using paper napkins and paper towels. (Abel has finally stopped adding paper towels to the grocery list and Lucas knows exactly where to go to get a new cloth napkin when he needs one. He, Lucas, that is, does occasionally try to use the table cloth as a napkin which I really can't blame him for as we do have some matching sets!)
But, here's the thing: there are some times when I really, really need a paper towel!
First, to microwave bacon. I always layer a few paper towels, bacon and a few more paper towels on a plate in the microwave. Works great. How do I do this without paper towels? I mean, we don't eat a lot of bacon, but I did recently make Surburban Bliss's recipe for spaghetti carbonara (totally delish!) and needed some bacon. I was reluctant to use rags for the layering so broke out a few of my fancy paper napkins--you know, decorative cocktail napkins--which I simply can't resist buying on clearance at Target. They worked okay. Definitely not as good as paper towels and besides who wants to waste nice napkins--even clearance priced ones--on bacon grease?
Second, to keep herbs. Rachel Ray taught me that the best way to keep herbs fresh in the fridge is to wash them, pat dry, wrap in a paper towel and store in a zip lock. But, my definition of being green means no paper towels and no zip lock bags. What am I to do?
The only solution I can think of is to keep one roll of paper towels high up in my cabinets to use for occasional and specific purposes like these. Are there other options I'm not thinking of?
Have you run into any dilemmas like these as you try to be more green?
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Going Green
I'm pretty excited about all the little ways we're "going green" in our household this summer.
1) Green cleaning. Although my mom literally laughed at me when I told her I was hosting a "green cleaning" workshop earlier this spring and she questioned my green cleaners when she cleaned my house recently, I do use green cleaners and promise they work! (Well, maybe not so well when you've been in the hospital and haven't really cleaned the bathtub in a few weeks....!)
2) Eating locally. There are several ways we're reducing our carbon footprint as far as food goes and I'm loving all of them.
First, back in April we started getting our milk delivered in re-usable glass bottles from South Mountain Creamery. Every Tuesday morning we put out our cooler and ice packets and receive milk, butter, yogurt, free range eggs, grass fed beef, or any other delectable item I order that week. I can't tell you how wonderful this is. And, the milk is actually cheaper than buying organic in the grocery store!
Second, we bought a share of a CSA -- that's a community supported agriculture farm. Every week we go pick up fresh veggies, herbs and flowers as our share of the farm's harvest that week. Half of the harvest goes to people like us who have purchased shares and the other half is distributed free or at reduced prices through the Capital Area Food Bank. So far this summer we've enjoyed amazingly sweet strawberries, wonderful spicy salad greens, bok choy, Chinese lettuce, chives, fresh lavender and all kinds of other wonderful treats.
Third, we've been patronizing our local community market. Started by a local citizen, our community markets will run every other Saturday morning through the summer. Last weekend I spent just under $40 on fresh bread and pastries, fresh homemade pasta, homemade pasta sauce, Maryland wine, a big bag of organic salad greens and baby squash. Our dinner on Saturday, breakfast on Sunday and lunch on Sunday consisted entirely of these local, fresh ingredients. Yum!
3) Rain Barrel -- Last Saturday Abel attended a workshop hosted by Progressive Cheverly and made a rain barrel for our back yard. Total cost $20 (plus a $15 donation we made to help defray other costs) and total time less than 1 hour. After last night's big storm, we've got a good amount of water in it to use to water our new plants!
My next project is to start a compost pile--I'm just a little nervous about getting started. I'll keep you posted!
1) Green cleaning. Although my mom literally laughed at me when I told her I was hosting a "green cleaning" workshop earlier this spring and she questioned my green cleaners when she cleaned my house recently, I do use green cleaners and promise they work! (Well, maybe not so well when you've been in the hospital and haven't really cleaned the bathtub in a few weeks....!)
2) Eating locally. There are several ways we're reducing our carbon footprint as far as food goes and I'm loving all of them.
First, back in April we started getting our milk delivered in re-usable glass bottles from South Mountain Creamery. Every Tuesday morning we put out our cooler and ice packets and receive milk, butter, yogurt, free range eggs, grass fed beef, or any other delectable item I order that week. I can't tell you how wonderful this is. And, the milk is actually cheaper than buying organic in the grocery store!
Second, we bought a share of a CSA -- that's a community supported agriculture farm. Every week we go pick up fresh veggies, herbs and flowers as our share of the farm's harvest that week. Half of the harvest goes to people like us who have purchased shares and the other half is distributed free or at reduced prices through the Capital Area Food Bank. So far this summer we've enjoyed amazingly sweet strawberries, wonderful spicy salad greens, bok choy, Chinese lettuce, chives, fresh lavender and all kinds of other wonderful treats.
Third, we've been patronizing our local community market. Started by a local citizen, our community markets will run every other Saturday morning through the summer. Last weekend I spent just under $40 on fresh bread and pastries, fresh homemade pasta, homemade pasta sauce, Maryland wine, a big bag of organic salad greens and baby squash. Our dinner on Saturday, breakfast on Sunday and lunch on Sunday consisted entirely of these local, fresh ingredients. Yum!
3) Rain Barrel -- Last Saturday Abel attended a workshop hosted by Progressive Cheverly and made a rain barrel for our back yard. Total cost $20 (plus a $15 donation we made to help defray other costs) and total time less than 1 hour. After last night's big storm, we've got a good amount of water in it to use to water our new plants!
My next project is to start a compost pile--I'm just a little nervous about getting started. I'll keep you posted!
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