The New Look of Compost

In many realms of life, being eco-conscious can be achieved without a lot of hassle. We can make a big difference by buying organic or locally grown food, driving fuel-efficient vehicles, and even wearing eco-chic clothing and jewelry. Until recently, whether or not to compost would not have been considered an easy environmentally aware decision. This is changing, however, as several companies are producing new receptacles and devises that make it possible for even the most finicky of us to compost with ease.

The Basics

Compost describes the process that occurs when nitrogen and carbon rich materials, such as vegetable scraps and paper products, come together and decompose. Humus (not to be confused with the lovely chick-pea spread of a similar name) is the final product of this process and looks like dark, moist soil. It is very rich in nutrients and can be used as a fabulous fertilizer. Composting is a great way to create homemade garden fertilizer as well as to divert waste that would end up in a landfill. The Old Way Many households and even municipalities in the United States are currently composting. This typically becomes an activity akin to gardening. The nitrogen-rich food scraps are collected in the kitchen and periodically placed into an outdoor bin. In this bin, the scraps are mixed with carbon rich materials such as dried leaves or paper products. Eventually, the contents of this compost bin will completely decompose leaving the valuable humus. The unfortunate part of this process is that you are essentially creating a bin of decomposing or rotting waste that you must monitor and add to. It can take up to a year for the compost to be ready, and when it is, you must “harvest” the final product by essentially digging through the bin to sort out pieces which did not decompose and then collecting the humus to be used in your garden. This procedure involves buckets, shovels, and a willingness to get dirty at the very least. The New Way While digging around in outdoor compost bins might sound like a lot of fun to some, for those of us who are looking for a cleaner way or who may not have the time or outdoor space to dedicate to a compost bin, there are some alternatives. First, when it comes to collecting food scraps, there are many products now that make this an attractive and easy thing to do on any kitchen counter. The Kitchen Compost Crock, available online, is a ceramic container which not only can be an attractive addition to any kitchen, but also comes with features such as a carbon filter to absorb odors. Once the food scraps are collected and stored in this or a similar container, there are now options for creating the final product right in your kitchen. Bokashi, which is originally a Japanese method of food scrap fermentation, combines an air-tight container with a Bokashi mix, containing many micro-organism, to produce a garden supplement in days, not months. Airtight bins and the Bokashi mix are available online and are a great way to divert your food waste quickly, easily, and without all the mess. For those of you who are ready to take the next step beyond eco-conscious purchases and recycling, compost is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint as well as create a product which is useful for your garden, as a gift to a friend, or even as a donation to a local public garden to help curb their use of chemical fertilizers. Image Credits: Spikes Sanctuary, Gardeners.com, Cleantechnica.com

Making Your Home Business More Eco-Friendly

Typically the Green Connoisseur brings you important products, new eco-friendly items and information on how 'green' can still be luxurious. Today, we'd like to focus a little on the entrepreneurs and business owners who visit our blog. Below you'll find some great green tips for making your home business more eco-friendly. Less Paper Those who work on the computer via e-mail and chat conferences are already engaging in a green practice; using less paper. However, there are some things that will need to be printed and for that, it's important to choose the right kind of paper. Purchase locally sourced paper as opposed to imported paper. Typically, the cheaper paper is the imported kind. Less energy and waste is involved in the process of making local paper, whereas the imported kind is typically from China. China must import products into their company to create the paper and by the time it's finished and shipped back to us to purchase, a great deal of waste has accumulated and a great deal of energy has been used. Of course, recycled paper is always a good idea as well. Recycling Printer Cartridges Recycling your printer cartridges is a must if you want to keep your home office as eco-friendly as possible. Unfortunately, many printer cartridges are difficult to recycle, and they may be destined for the landfill. In this situation, Waste Farmers or a similar company can really help. Waste Farmers is a company devoted to finding a way to recycle everything - from electronics and scrap metal to plastic and mixed products. Devoted to helping companies create zero waste, Waste Farmers can be a huge help when it comes to making your home office more eco-friendly. Reducing Energy Waste Reducing energy waste is a huge part of making your home office greener. Most individuals make a conscious effort to turn off the light when they leave the room, but you can take it even further. Leaving a computer monitor on overnight uses as much energy as printing 800 pages on a laser printer, and research says more than 70% of computer monitors are left on overnight. Rather than relying on overhead lights during the day, open the blinds and allow natural light to come inside. Simple measures like this can make a huge difference in how green your home office is! Green Up the Office with Plants Plants are wonderful at making you feel more comfortable in your environment and they're great for decorating. Even better, they help to remove harmful elements in the air. From formaldehyde to ammonia - office furniture and electronics often emit harmful contaminants. Plants help remove these contaminants. Find the top 10 plants for removing harmful chemicals from the indoor air here. Purchasing Green Products For all of your office needs, strive to purchase products that are recycled and created from sustainable resources. Websites like The Green Office provide all sorts of things one needs for a home office, and they're all recycled or created from sustainable resources. The great thing about The Green Office is that they have options for everyone - from those just getting started making their office more eco-friendly to those who are striving for a zero waste office. While none of these things are difficult to implement in your home office, each one of them can make a huge difference! Photos Courtesy of www.TheGreenOffice.com, www.ManchesterRecycles.com, www.LuckyBambooShop.com.