No Waste Wednesday #30–Food Waste

Reference:  Resolution posted 12/31/12.

Like us, many are enjoying pot lucks and barbeques this summer.  Friends and family are visiting.  Vacations are underway.  And like us, you are buying too much food and cooking/preparing volumes uneaten.  Lots of food is wasted. 

The “Love Food, Hate Waste” website, http://england.lovefoodhatewaste.com/, is based in the United Kingdom; but applies to anyone wanting to cut down on food waste.  “When you throw away food you are not just wasting the food, but also the resources such as energy, fuel, time and water that went into growing, harvesting, storing, transporting and cooking the food.” 

Great tips and calculators for planning portions for two or twenty.  Also provides guidelines for food storage.  (Note:  When the website describes saving pounds, remember they are talking money not your weight!  HaHa) 

Not only do we want to cut down on our waste, saving pounds/dollars is just as important.  Food for thought.

No Waste Wednesday #29–Nail Polish

Like most women, I have tried out my share of nail polish on fingers and toes.  Wild colors applied either by me or at the salon.  Pink.  Red.  French.  Little Jewels.  Painted Flowers.  Who knows how much it has cost to date and how much harmful acetone was used to take it off.

Stop the madness.  Seriously, stop.  As of today, for me, no more.  Just a good old fashioned cleaning with a stiff brush, push back the cuticles (my Dad told me when I was a little girl you had to see the “moon” at the base of the nail), and buff the nails for a good shine.  It looks healthy, it feels good, no harmful chemicals, and you will save a bundle (time and money).   No more hazardous waste in the trash, either.

Tall Ship

Our little marina had a special ship visiting today.  A very tall ship, named Lady Washington.  The following is the official website description of the ship.  My picture really does not do justice to the size and the intricate rigging.  Really fun to see up close.

Launched on March 7, 1989, the Lady Washington was built in Aberdeen, Wash., by Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Authority, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit public development authority. The new Lady Washington is a full-scale reproduction of the original Lady Washington.

In 1787, after the war, she was given a major refit to prepare her for a unprecedented trading voyage around Cape Horn. In 1788, she became the first American vessel to make landfall on the west coast of North America.

A pioneer in Pan-Pacific trade, she was the first American ship to visit Honolulu, Hong Kong and Japan. Lady Washington opened the black pearl and sandalwood trade between Hawaii and Asia when King Kamehameha became a partner in the ship.

The modern Lady Washington was thoroughly researched by historians and constructed by skilled shipwrights. She was launched as part of the 1989 Washington State Centennial celebration. The new Lady Washington is a U.S. Coast Guard inspected and certified passenger sailing vessel.

No Waste Wednesday #28–Oyster Shell Recycling

In our neck of the woods on the Olympia Peninsula, recycling oysters shells is not only required; but critical to the survival of oysters.  Removing large, edible-sized Pacific oyster shells from a beach removes tiny Pacific and Olympia oysters which are attached to the larger shells.  Removing a legal limit of 18 oysters may actually remove three to five times that number of oysters - young oysters which would otherwise remain on the beach and grow to edible size.

The circle of life.

No Waste Wednesday #27–A Convert

No, not a convict.  A convert.  My husband.

Yesterday, I was about to toss our expired hair appointment cards into the recycle.  The husband says, “What are you doing!?” 

“Well, I am about to recycle these expired appointment cards from our hairstylist.”

“Did she write the appointment in pencil?”

“Yes.”

He walks over, grabs a pencil eraser and erases the date off the card.  “Here, ask her to write the new date on the card the next time we go in.  We can reuse these.”

Wow!  I am loving my zero waste man!