We had our first ice cream cone of the year today. I recommend when you are getting ice cream or gelato to order it in a cone if you can so you can eat your “container,” and compost the hand wrapper and/or napkins. Most ice cream cups are plastic-lined paper and go in the trash.…
My neighborhood collects plastic eggs to reuse each year. Each year we hold a neighborhood egg hunt. See if there is a neighborhood organization, church group or craft organization that would be interested near you. Submit eggs closed to help the volunteers. Recycle broken plastic eggs in your curbside recycling if your provider will allow,…
I want to share what I do for dry shampoo. We were on a boil water notice here in Austin last week until yesterday so I was relying heavily on my dry shampoo with all the winter head gear. I get major oily hat hair with anything I put on my head which is why…
It snowed and iced a lot here in Texas last week. We were not prepared clothing-wise. Austin doesn’t get real snow, mostly ice when it does get cold enough, and our family does not participate in any winter sports. Because kids’ feet grow so fast and it also doesn’t rain that much here, we also…
This is a repost of my January 2021 article in the Mueller neighborhood newsletter, The Front Porch Flyer. In the world of zero waste, one of the big books is Secondhand: Travels in the New Global Garage Sale by Adam Minter. The book does a great job of balancing what’s going on in the world…
*Note on the use of the word Christmas: I try to use as many words as I can to capture and make available as much information as possible. Not everyone is going to know all the terms for something so I try and make sure I think of all the alternatives. At the same time…
My favorite R: Repair for a Little Playmate Igloo Cooler I’ve had this cooler since elementary school summer camps. I’m in my 30s so this is a quality product and holds a lot of memories for me. My son started playing with it this spring and he was doing great with it until one day…
Happy Halloween Everyone! I want to share a few ideas for how to handle your pumpkins and gourds after they’re done as decorations. Fresh Pumpkins Pumpkins in good condition (not soupy or moldy) even if they’ve been carved can be donated to the Central Texas Pig Refuge or a similar organization in your area. No…
These homemade popsicles are based on an idea my mom had when my brother and I were little. We’d pour a single serving of yogurt or orange juice into one of the smallest Tupperware cups, freeze, and then chip away at the filling with a grapefruit spoon. It’s a process, it’s cold, and the chipping…
This may not be the most “zero waste” idea I’ve posted here; however the larger volume of bubbles made at home does save transportation costs of driving or delivery and the endless plastic bottles, plasticy-metal seals, and lame tiny bubble wands. So it’s “Reducing” virgin materials and waste. I’m allergic to standard bubble solution. It’s…