Wasteful.

After reading "7" (see review here and enter the GIVEAWAY!), I knew something had to change. I processed for a few days. And today, we sprang into action. We're tackling waste this month. Ick.

"But as certainly as God created man in his image, he first created the earth. With the same care he designed 60,000 miles of blood vessels in the human body, he also crafted hydrangeas and fresh water rapids and hummingbirds. He balanced healthy ecosystems with precision and established climates and beauty. He integrated colors and smells and sounds that would astound humanity. The details he included while designing the earth are so extraordinary, it is no wonder he spent five of the six days of creation on it. So why don’t we care for the earth anywhere near to the degree we do our bodies? Why don’t we fuss and examine and steward creation with the same tenacity? Why aren’t we refusing complicity in the ravaging of our planet? Why aren’t we determined to stop pillaging the earth’s resources like savages? Why do we mock environmentalists and undermine their passion for conservation? Do we think ourselves so superior to the rest of creation that we are willing to deplete the earth to supply our luxuries? If so, we may very well be the last generation who gets that prerogative."  - Jen Hatmaker in "7"

I don't even want to talk about the mounds and mounds of MY trash that are sitting in a landfill somewhere. I don't want to talk about the gross excess in our lives that leads to this much trash. A lot of it is because I'm too lazy. It's sickening, disheartening. So, I do want to talk about how we took some steps in the right direction today.

Composting and recycling, to be exact. I found this awesome tutorial on Pinterest about building a simple compost bin. So, we built a simple compost bin like this:

Purchase or repurpose one 30 gallon tub with tight fitting lid.

Drill 8-10 holes in the bottom of the tub and in the lid.

 It should look like this when you're done. 

Fill 1/8 to 1/4 of the tub with dry leaves/grass or shredded newspaper. 

Cover with dirt.

 Add your food/paper items to be composted. 

 

Cover those with dirt, add water to dampen.  Close up and wait!  I'm looking forward to adding the compost to my square foot gardens this year!

 We also set up a little recycling center under the carport.  I don't think you're supposed to have this much fun sorting through the trash, but it's liberating when a lot of it gets to go out here instead of in the trash can!  I'm working on some cute labels for them.  I've always WANTED to recycle, but I've just been too lazy to care enough.  That stops now!

We have a few other things we're thinking about changing in regards to waste.  I'll keep you updated as we journey through minimizing our waste and begin to take care of the earth God created!