Topic: Earth Bytes

Global change starts locally.

Eco-Friendly Composting Links

Guide to Compost

Who's Composting How?

Green Government Ideas

Think grass clippings, banana peels and dried leaves are just trash? Think again. This week Earth Bytes looks at composting, the science of using organic materials to enhance soil and grow plants. Here's a starter guide on why composting will benefit the environment and how to get started.

Why compost?

• Compost can suppress plant disease and pests.
• Compost replaces commercial (and often toxic) fertilizers.
• Compost is free.
• Compost keeps household waste out of landfills.

Get Started

• Find a dry, shady spot near a water source in your yard for the pile.
• Add carbon “brown” ingredients (twigs and dried leaves) and nitrogen “green” elements (coffee grounds and grass clippings) as you find them. Good compost should be balanced - check the EPA compost site for measuring ratios.
• Keep the pile damp (not too wet because it’ll smell) and stir it frequently. The extra O2 will help decomposition and prevent smell.
• Avoid using meats, pet droppings, diseased plants, fat, grease or too much nitrogen-rich material. You'll spread bacteria, attract animals and stink up the neighborhood.
• When material at bottom is dark and rich, you’re ready to compost.

For tips, uses and more general info on composting check out compostguide.com, composters.com and epa.gov/compost.

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Earth Bytes: Composting

Think trash is just trash? Think again. This week Earth Bytes looks at composting, the science of using organic materials to enhance soil and grow plants. Here's a starter guide on how to use grass clippings, banana peels and more to benefit the environment and your wallet.

Take a look at our full story with more tips and tricks on being eco-friendly through composting here.

Courtesy of Plum Miami Beach

It’s no secret that prices at the pump are putting a serious dent in
our individual and collective wallets. And with the holiday season upon
us, who doesn't want to take a road trip somewhere fun to see family
and friends?

Global change starts locally.

EPA

Earth 911

EHSO

Waste Age

Eco-Battery

Batteries are the modern man's best friend - and worst enemy. They make all our favorite gadgets work (remotes, toys, radios, etc), but they can also release harmful chemicals. This week, Earth Bytes gives you the scoop on batteries and how to dispose of them.

The facts

• The EPA estimates that Americans buy more than two billion alkaline and button batteries a year.
• Household batteries contain mercury, nickel, cadmium and other metals. These metals can eventually contaminate our water supply.
• Americans throw away nearly 180,000 tons of rechargeable and singe-use batteries every year.
• A single car battery contains anywhere from 18-21 pounds of lead and about 11 pounds of sulfuric acid.

What you can do

• Use rechargeable batteries instead of single use ones. One rechargeable battery can replace 300 single use batteries over the battery’s lifetime.
• Recycle rechargeable batteries. They contain nickel and cadmium, which can seriously harm the environment.
• Recycle car batteries. In the U.S., an average car battery contains 60% – 80% recycled plastic and lead.
• Don’t incinerate any battery. Heavy metals like mercury, lead, nickel and cadmium can vaporize or otherwise contaminate the soil through the battery ash.

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Earth Bytes: Batteries

Batteries are the modern man's best friend - and worst enemy. They make all our favorite gadgets work (remotes, toys, radios, etc), but they can also release harmful chemicals. This week, Earth Bytes gives you the scoop on batteries and how to dispose of them. Take a look at our complete story on batteries here.

Plum Miami Beach

Global change starts locally.

Ants, beetles, slugs and the like are every lawn-lover’s worst nightmare. You see a pristine, manicured lawn; they see an all-you-can-eat buffet. It’s tempting to solve the problem with pesticides, but commercial products can be toxic to your family and your foliage. Try these ecological and economical alternatives instead.

• Get crafty with cardboard: Curb cutworms by placing cardboard collars around plants. Bury collars one inch into soil and leave two inches exposed.
• Recycle stale beer: Lure slugs to their demise with a shallow dish of skunked beer.
• Do dish duty: Exterminate insects with a few spritzes of dishwashing liquid combined with water.
• Dabble in mixology: Keep caterpillars, flea beetles and other insects at bay by coating your greens with homemade garlic-pepper spray (recipe below).

Garlic-Pepper Spray
6 cloves garlic
1 minced onion
1 gallon hot water
1 tbsp dried hot pepper
1 tsp pure soap
Mix together all ingredients and let sit for 1-2 days. Spray on plants, preferably after a rainfall, and watch those pesky critters disappear.

For more information, check out cdcg.org or hgtv.com.

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Earth Bytes: Bug Be Gone

Jonathan Vigliotti/Christina Mitchell

Global change starts locally.

Let’s face it: we spend a lot of time at work. While we look at ways to make our homes a little greener, why not do the same for our work space? This week, Earth Bytes gives a few ways to save energy and money in the office.

• Use natural light whenever possible. It saves on electrical lighting usage and is easier on the eyes.
• Use energy savings settings for power adapters and battery life (if using a laptop).
• Turn PCs, monitors and copiers into sleep mode at the end of the day. Energy costs can fall up to 50 percent.
• Unplug seldomly used equipment. Anything plugged into the wall (phone chargers, scanners, etc) draw energy whether they're in use or not.
• Replace Google with Blackle. The search engine uses an energy-conserving black background to save up to 15 watts of energy on some monitors (varies by monitor type, size and manufacturer).

Hit up sdge.com or treehugger.com for more ways to save energy in the office.

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Earth Bytes: Office Energy Savers

In this week's Earth Byte, Plum Miami Beach host Christina Mitchell shows us how to save energy while working in the office. Take a look at the full story and see how you can do your part in helping the environment.

Plum Miami Beach

Global change starts locally.

We love takeout for its' convenience, but hate it for its' containers. Those plastic totes transform into massive environmental burdens. This week, Earth Bytes looks at different ways to repurpose takeout containers.

• Discover your green thumb. Convert deep containers into mini pots to grow herbs, small plants (Venus flytraps are cool) and bulbs. Long, shallow containers make great seed trays to grow bedding plants.
• Get organized. Plastic containers are great for the toolbox. Store nails, nuts, bolts and loose equipment mess-free. The earth and your wife will thank you for it.
• Get crafty. Channel your inner artist (or your kids’) with a little superglue, paint for plastic, seashells, markers and other arts and crafts materials to transform ordinary plastic containers into chic candle holders.
• Make a donation. Check with your local elementary schools to see if teachers could use the containers for storage (think erasers, crayons, pencils).
• And don't forget, the recyclin bin that's always hungry for items.

Check recyclethis.co.uk or diylife.com for ideas to reuse plastic and paper take out containers.

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Earth Bytes: To-Go Containers

In this week's Earth Byte, Plum Miami Beach host Christina Mitchell talks about easy ways to put those plastic take out containers to good use. Easy storage solutions are just one take out container away!

Plum Miami Beach