By: Vicki Duong

Who would’ve thought that other than singing and conversing with your plants that composting would be another great way to solidify that wonderful human-plant relationship? Not only is composting a terrific way to add needed nutrients to prolong the life of your plants and garden, it’s also a fun way to bond with and get involved with your plants.

Like feeding and caring for your child or pet, composting for your plants is an ideal process to jumpstart your plant’s life. Composting is much easier than you think as long as you’re committed to the process. Even if you’re the type of person who’s always on the go and doesn’t really have a lot of time, all you really need is just food scraps to add to your plants’ soil. Granted that this is a simple premise, not every single food waste can be composted. No-no’s like dairy products, bones, meats and fats can’t be composted. Not only that, they won’t decompose properly, smell real icky after a day and attract unwanted visitors like rodents.

Scraps like fruit rinds, vegetables, crushed eggshells, and even coffee grounds are terrific for composting. Coffee grounds especially act as activators (they generate heat) because of the high amount of nitrogen that they turn up. The aforementioned goodies act as a buffet for itty bitty microbes, making the composting process quick, easy and effortless. (Disclaimer: by quick I mean anywhere from three to eight months).

After you’ve gathered up your food scraps and have placed them in your compost bin or directly into your soil and burying them (the latter method is probably best for composting in the garden), we play the waiting game. Yes, it takes a while, but patience is a virtue. After a few months, you’ll have a wonderful pile of rich compost ready to add to your garden or house plants. Simply mix in your newly made batch of compost to your soil and your plants and garden will thank you with wonderfully blooming flowers, healthy and deliciously yummy fruits and vegetables, and a long lifespan that both you and your plants will truly appreciate.

wesjen asked:


We want to collect food scraps in the kitchen for composting in the yard. What is the best solution for collecting the food waste so that you can periodically take it out? We don’t want something stinky or icky that might attract bugs. Are there any good products? Thanks!

By: Roger Munns

Ski resorts world-wide have been actively participating in recycling and composting projects since as early as 2001.

Most resorts are now using 100 percent recyclable materials throughout day-to-day operations. Resort restaurants are using environment friendly utensils and carry-out containers and composting food scraps with wood shavings to use in landscaping throughout the resort.

Some resorts are passing their recycling and composting knowledge to their guests. Several also take a one dollar donation from guests to donate to organizations dedicated to helping the environment.

Bob Candler, snowboard rider and inventor, has gone further in his attempts to help the environment. Candler has spent the last 15 years designing the world’s first fully recyclable snowboard: the Makboard.

‘Taking care of our planet is something that should be important to all riders,’ Candler said. ‘I created a board that, instead of ending up in a landfill, could be melted down and reshaped into another snowboard when its life is over.’

‘Ultimately, what we’re trying to do is keep these things from ending up as pollution,’ Candler said. ‘As snowboarders, we’ve got to be on the front lines doing all we can to protect what we all love: the mountains, the environment and everything that makes snowboarding so much fun.’

With the combined efforts of ski resorts and skiers like Mr. Candler, our resorts and mountains will be much nicer places to spend free time.

Many ski shops also recycle ski and snowboard equipment by taking in trades and selling used equipment for a fraction of the cost of new equipment. Recycling older ski or snowboard equipment offers someone else the opportunity to learn to ski or snowboard at discounted prices.

The number of snowboarders in North America is starting to catch the number of skiers. Many of the world’s leading ski resorts welcome higher numbers of snowboarders year after year. Resorts that offer ski lessons are starting to include snowboard lessons for beginners and intermediate snowboarders as well. Snowboard rentals are readily available in the ski rental area of most resorts.

Associations like the United States of America Snowboard Association and the United States Ski and Snowboard Association promote snowboarding competitions throughout the ski season.

Competitions include events like Rail Jam, Boardercross, Slalom and Giant Slalom. Competitors are divided into age categories and range in age from under 7 years to 22 years.

In the years to come, skiers, snowboarders and other winter sports enthusiasts will benefit from the recycling efforts put forth by resorts and fellow skiers alike.

Skiing families will learn more about recycling and protecting the environment. They will take that knowledge with them throughout other aspects of life.

Their children will teach other children how to recycle and reuse items they may normally throw away.

Small efforts by a lot of people can help make a difference in our national forests and mountains. Helping in the recycling efforts will ultimately lead to cleaner, safer environments for families to enjoy.

Superstar asked:


I placed an order one month ago via one website an acquaintance recommended. They still haven’t shipped my order but charged my debit card. I just demanded my money back and order cancellation.

By: Jim Allen

If you’re looking for another way to make a positive impact on the planet, in addition to recycling, look no further than the wonderful world of composting. In basic terms, composting is the act of breaking down organic food and yard waste into a potent soil amendment called humus. But actually, composting is a bit more. It is about providing an environment where this process occurs quicker, usually in a compost bin or compost tumbler, and with the correct ratios of certain organic matter – you can’t just go throwin’ everything in and hope for the best.

Composting really is an art. Depending on your climate and time of year, your pile may need more or less of certain things to achieve the optimum carbon to nitrogen ratio for the organic matter to properly break down. Also, composting is not a free-for-all for your food scraps and waste. There are many things that are no-no’s as far as the compost bin goes, including meat and bones, grease and oils, dairy products, fecal matter (that’s right, no poo), diseased plants and weeds. Actually, it may be better to give a list of compostable items, so here goes:

From the yard: chemical-free grass clippings, dry leaves, shrub and tree waste, sawdust and wood chips from untreated wood, straw and hay, dead plants and flowers, potting soil, dead insects.

From the kitchen: coffee grounds and filters, tea bags (no staples) and leaves, fruit and veggie scraps, corn husks, crushed eggshells, hair from brushes, cereal (oatmeal for example), bread and flour, leftover pasta without oil or dairy-based sauces, rice, all-natural fibers like cotton, shredded black and white newspaper, paper towels.

All you need to get started is a compost bin of some sort, a suitable place to put it, and some basic information that can be found in any composting guide. If you’re an apartment dweller without a yard, there are smaller indoor units that can be kept indoors or on a patio. And don’t worry if you’re not into gardening, if you produce rich, fertile humus, there will be no shortage of people vying to take it off your hands. So start composting today, its fun for the whole family and is great for the environment.