Deciding to be more Green, or whatever you want to call it

Is it possible I have been "green" since I was five years old? I have always been teased by my dad that I am a hippie. It's funny because I don't think any of my friends view me this way. I am in fact a vegetarian and decided to become one at five years old. Joey is the one and only boy I have ever even dated that ate meat. I am not saying meat is right or wrong, it's just not for me. I don't like the way it tastes and I don't like what it's made out of. Joey on the other hand is steak and potatoes all the way. Making dinner, as I love to do, has always been a fun task of satisfying my "hippy-dippy" ways while keeping a meat eater happy. I love using fresh produce and have always felt awful we never composted the remains (living in an apartment doesn't really support composting). Behold, homeownership now allows us to not only have wallpaper, but a compost of our very own.

Our Outside Composter

We wound up with this beauty for a few reasons. First, the price caught our attention. For the high ratings this received on Amazon, we were thrilled it was $20-$100 LESS than it's competition. The Soilsaver Compost Binis just one option of composters of course. You can buy ones you can spin around, or ones like this you have to mix yourself.  We decided on doing a little bit of extra labor (once every 2-3 weeks, not bad, right?) in exchange for having a sturdier composter. From our research we gathered it will take 2-4 months to turn our veggie peels and coffee grinds into valuable soil our yard will love. 

Our Inside Composter

This little guy had mixed reviews, but sometimes you have to take a chance. We thought it matched our "future" kitchen the best. Norpro Ceramic Compost Keeperis his name, and we found him on Amazon too. We think he is handsome enough to keep on the counter and the refill pads are cheap enough to not get upset about maintenance. Those pads are really the only thing that needs to be bough after your purchase of your composters. 

If you are undecided about composting, let us give you some pro's and con's, and hopefully we will help you decide!

Pro's to Composting:

You will have to buy less garbage bags!

Less of your waste will go to the garbage man!

Less trips to the curb to drop your garbage bags!

You will create super nutrient soil which you can use in your garden or yard!

Minimal work and minimal money to get going!

Con's to Composting:

You will have to maintenance the bin every few weeks by mixing it or spinning it

You will have to do a little trash management (what can go in the composter and what cant?)

It takes a few months to give you that rich soil (the hotter the environment, the quicker the composition)

We'll let you know how it goes in a few months! In the meantime tell us what you do around your house to be a little green. We are always curious what other people are doing and how they do it! Our next step may be a solar powered kitchen! News on that soon!

Comments

[Jessica @ The Happy Semi-Homemaker]

Thanks for the tips! I'm thinking about starting a compost.. but I fear it will be too stinky in my small apartment.

[Joey and Lana Make a House a Home]

@Jessica, maybe starting with the small ceramic one in the kitchen to see how you do? I know it has filters to keep it odorless. Do you have a fire escape or any outside space? The warmer it is, the quicker it will compost. But a big one in your apartment I think would not work at all! Stinky and the bugs are break down the rubbish!