HylaBrook's Blog

Earth Day 2008
Apr 22, 2008 | 8:27 AM PST
Tags: Earth Day , recycling , Freecycling , food safety , Composting

I am celebratring my 39th Earth Day. The first, in 1970 was held just after a group in my home town of Rolla Missouri started a club called CURE, Citizens United to Restore the Environment.

CURE started a recycling program in Rolla that year. When I was married and moved to Cedar Rapids, I had to learn to throw away recycleables. At first I saved them up, thinking it couldn't take too long to get recycling going here. It took years, so I did end up throwing a lot of cans, bottles and newspapers in the trash. We, like much of the country, now have curbside recycling. We must remember that if we so not buy products made from recycled materials, much of that also ends up in the landfill.

I not only recycle, but I work really hard at re-purposing and re-using. I also compost much and started worm composting to make winters as productive as summers with the compost. I also established a relationship with a cafe a few blocks away and I get all of their coffee in unbleached coffee filters, and I can have their fruit and vegetable trimmings any time I want to. If I get much of that, I am going to have to get my neighbors to save all of their papers for me so I can use that as brown material.

I use glass jars and bottles from foods I buy to save leftovers, store grains and legumes, oils, etc. I am eliminating plastics from my kitchen. I feel sure that heat and plastic do not mix safely and plastic used for food will be proven not to be 100% safe. I also use unbleached waxed paper and parchment and find "If You Care" products the best and their muffin papers do not stick to anything!

I Freecycle, but I am highly selective of how far I drive to pick things up. I tell people my range of pick-up distances when I post my requests. I got the 200 canning jars I will need this year from Freecycle, and also plastic cat litter pails to use for my worm farm.

Earth Day has brought on awareness of our impact on the environment. Since the first Earth Day, the endangered species lists have been established and has graduates, the American Bald Eagle as a bold symbol not only for our nation, but now also for our environmental efforts.

And today, Earth Day 2008, I have the privilege of giving a tour and garden talk to a group of High School Seniors. I hope some of the concepts I share sink in to some of them.