20saver

After months of wanting to go to a farmer’s market to pick up produce, I finally stopped by one this morning with my dad.

Last night, I was looking around a few sites on local and organic food when it dawned on me that there’s a farmer’s market that’s open on Saturday mornings and I didn’t have to work at that time so I would be able to go this week. I called up my dad and asked if he’d like to go with me since the market is very close to his apartment and he agreed to go.

I picked up two cucumbers, four peaches, and a dozen brown eggs for $5.50. I was hoping to get more, but there weren’t a lot of farmers there (most likely due to the rain). There’s another farmer’s market that’s open on Tuesdays that I hope to go to this week to pick up the rest of our produce.

To see where there are farmer’s markets as well as organic stores and restaurants near you, check out localharvest.org.

I came across Walkscore.com on a few PF blogs recently and decided to plug in my address to see how walkable my neighborhood was. It got a 74, which wasn’t too surprising for me since I live a few blocks away from a nice shopping area in Richmond where you can find almost everything you need. I can and usually do walk to CVS, Walgreens, my dentist, one of my doctors, and the post office. Kroger is also doable by foot, but we usually buy too many things to be able to walk there and back. Sadly, parks are the farthest away from my apartment.

Just out of curiosity, I plugged in the address for the apartment we’re moving into July 1 that’s a block away from our current apartment and the score jumped up to 77. I really hope that Jake and I continue to walk to the stores that are near to us and push ourselves to walk more often instead of using our cars. I’ve toyed around with the idea of getting a bike for us since so many places are close by, but I’m not sure how often we’d actually use it.

Young and Wealthy, but Normal, that is.

I stumbled upon this article in the Sunday paper and couldn’t help but smile when I read it. Frugality is really taking off with us youngsters and to know that the earth is being benefited from these socially conscious actions makes the sacrifice worth it ten times over.

Now, if only I could say that I was wealthy…

I came across the following article in this past Sunday’s Parade Magazine:

A New Way to Save on Gas
The delivery giant UPS thinks that making right turns instead of turning left at intersections can help the environment. Tom Dowdy, a UPS engineer, says the company redesigned its routes so that drivers would make a minimum of left-hand turns. As a result, the company shaved 30 million miles off its deliveries in 2007 and thus saved the cost of 3 million gallons of gas. It also reduced UPS truck emissions by 32,000 metric tons (equivalent to the emissions of 5300 passenger cars).

What makes right turns so much more energy-efficient? Cars and trucks are not idling in traffic—burning fuel and releasing emissions—when they turn right as opposed to left. (Turning right also is often safer, because drivers don’t have to face oncoming traffic to make a turn.)  “People can’t control sky-high gas prices,” says Dowdy, “but they can make small changes in their driving habits that benefit them financially and environmentally over time.”

I managed to answer my own question regarding a green alternative to plastic bags for picking up after my dachshund, Honey.

A quick search in Amazon led me to BioBags. They are 100% biodegradable bags made out of renewable resources. And even better news- they make tall kitchen bags and liners for kitty litter boxes too!

Once I scrounge up some extra money, I’ll be sure to buy the doggie bags, if not the kitchen bags too. I won’t mind spending the extra money because I know that it will be doing nothing but help the environment. 

I really hope this BioBag concept takes off and all of our current plastic bags become made out of biodegradable resources. It won’t ask people to change their habits, it simply makes their habits more earth friendly.

I consider myself to be a considerably “green” person.

Despite the fact that the recycling truck doesn’t pick up at apartment buildings in my city (for reasons unbeknownst to me), we recycle our bottles, newspapers, etc. We collect it all in a big plastic tub and I take it to a recycling center not far from our apartment whenever it starts spilling over.

I turn off lights when I leave rooms, I turn the heat down at night and when we leave the apartment, I unplug appliances when we’re not using them, I walk where ever I can, I use the backs of sheets of paper- in a nutshell, I try my hardest not to waste resources.

As of late, my two biggest pet peeves concerning the destruction of the environment are plastic water bottles and plastic bags.

I couldn’t tell you the last time I bought a bottle of water. I have a Nalgene-like bottle that I take where ever I go and just fill it up with water from our Brita pitcher, tap water, or water from a water fountain. Jake largely does the same.

A few months ago, the cabinet under our kitchen sink was starting to spew out plastic bags whenever we cracked it open. I finally put my foot down and refused to let another plastic bag enter our apartment. We began bringing our own bags when we went shopping (and got a nickel or dime per bag for doing so) and continued to use plastic bags to tote our lunches to work. We finally got the bag situation under control and to the point where we would have to start buying canvas totes to bring to the store since the two we have wouldn’t be enough to bring home all the groceries.

Then, we got a dog a few weeks ago.

We were not planning on getting a dog anytime soon for various reasons, but Honey, a 13 year old dachshund, was no longer wanted by the family of a friend Jake and I are close with. Ever since I was little, I’ve always wanted a dachshund and once I met Honey, I just couldn’t say no to her sweet little face.

When we take Honey for her walks, we always bring along a plastic bag so we can pick up after her. Since we’re using all of our plastic bags for dog duty (or doody, however you want to see it), we can’t bring our own when we go shopping and instead, need to get more bags. I absolutely hate plastic bags and I would much prefer to use canvas tote bags to schlep our groceries home, but we need plastic bags for walking Honey.

Are there any green options when it comes to picking up after your dog? I really want to end the plastic bag cycle.