This post might come way out of season for some of my readers. Just remember that this info is available here, though, and come check it out again during the appropriate season!
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Sometimes the end of the road for our tomato plants comes before all the fruit currently growing can finish ripening. Whether your plant is shutting down because of an impending frost or simply reaching the end of its lifespan, you can salvage all those green tomatoes!
1. Remove all viable tomatoes from your plant. Cut them off with just a centimeter or so of vine attached. If they are too small or too hard, compost them or enjoy a serving of fried green tomatoes. If they are whitish, however, you can make a go of them.
2. Sort your tomatoes by color. Divide them roughly into "slightly pink/orange," "light green/whitish," and "solid green."
3 a. Put the "slightly pink/orange" tomatoes in a brown paper bag and place it somewhere warm. These tomatoes will ripen on their own nicely, probably in just a few days.
3 b. Wrap each of the "light green/whitish" and "solid green" tomatoes in newspaper and place them in a shallow cardboard box. (Alternatively, you can fill the box with shredded paper or straw and place the tomatoes directly into the box, leaving room between each tomato.) Put the whiter tomatoes together and the solid green ones together. (The whitish ones will reach an orange tone faster, so you'll want to be able to easily locate them without looking at every tomato.) Put the box someplace cool and dark.
4. Check your tomatoes every 2-3 days. Remove any that show signs of rotting or other problems. Move any tomatoes that turn orange from your box to your bag. Take any that turn [optimal color for the type of tomato you're dealing with] from your bag to your kitchen counter, and enjoy!
26 January 2010
19 January 2010
Sustainability in the Classroom
If there are any other educators out there reading this blog, you may be excited to learn that there are lots of ways you can help teach the next generation how to take better care of the Earth than their forebears.
Here are some places to begin:
-For the science classroom: Students Learn Environmental Stewardship, Improve Science Scores: Middle-Schoolers' Test Scores Boosted by Integrating Horticulture Lessons
-For the science, social science, or English/language arts classroom: The No Impact Project has designed lesson plans on the themes of consumption, energy, food, transportation, and water. Each lesson is designed for one 50-minute class period and may be used singley or together.
-For the art, math, science, social studies, or English/language arts classroom: Cool It Schools motivates students worldwide through sustainability-based and environment-centered projects, showcases, and even competitions in a wide variety of categories.
You can easily find many other great options and lots of supportive research out there. If there are any specific programs that you know of and like, please feel free to leave their websites in the comments! Working as a community of educators, we can help shape the future faces of sustainability.
Here are some places to begin:
-For the science classroom: Students Learn Environmental Stewardship, Improve Science Scores: Middle-Schoolers' Test Scores Boosted by Integrating Horticulture Lessons
-For the science, social science, or English/language arts classroom: The No Impact Project has designed lesson plans on the themes of consumption, energy, food, transportation, and water. Each lesson is designed for one 50-minute class period and may be used singley or together.
-For the art, math, science, social studies, or English/language arts classroom: Cool It Schools motivates students worldwide through sustainability-based and environment-centered projects, showcases, and even competitions in a wide variety of categories.
You can easily find many other great options and lots of supportive research out there. If there are any specific programs that you know of and like, please feel free to leave their websites in the comments! Working as a community of educators, we can help shape the future faces of sustainability.
12 January 2010
Old Electronics
Having broken down electronic equipment in your home can be stressful. It clutters up your house, taking up valuable space.
But don't just throw these items away! Many electronics have hazardous substances in them -- like lead and mercury -- that you definitely don't want seeping into the earth via landfills. (In fact, disposing of electronic waste in the regular garbage is illegal in some states.)
So what's a person to do? Recycle your electronics! Some brands -- like Apple and Dell -- take back their products once you are done with them. See a good list of such retailers here. If your product doesn't qualify, you still have lots of easy options.
Staples and Best Buy take back and recycle all sorts of electronics, regardless of the brand. While Staples charges $10 for every non-Dell product you bring in, Best Buy's recycling program is essentially free for all products they accept.
Electronics recycling is a big deal these days, so information and options abound out there. Even Comedy Central can help you with their Address the Mess campaign. Slate also recently ran a helpful article called "How to Dispose of Old Electronics in a Responsible Way." So, happy de-cluttering!
NOTE: For information specific to cell phones, which can be reused for great causes like giving people suffering from domestic violence a lifeline to call the police, see this article from green is sexy.
But don't just throw these items away! Many electronics have hazardous substances in them -- like lead and mercury -- that you definitely don't want seeping into the earth via landfills. (In fact, disposing of electronic waste in the regular garbage is illegal in some states.)
So what's a person to do? Recycle your electronics! Some brands -- like Apple and Dell -- take back their products once you are done with them. See a good list of such retailers here. If your product doesn't qualify, you still have lots of easy options.
Staples and Best Buy take back and recycle all sorts of electronics, regardless of the brand. While Staples charges $10 for every non-Dell product you bring in, Best Buy's recycling program is essentially free for all products they accept.
Electronics recycling is a big deal these days, so information and options abound out there. Even Comedy Central can help you with their Address the Mess campaign. Slate also recently ran a helpful article called "How to Dispose of Old Electronics in a Responsible Way." So, happy de-cluttering!
NOTE: For information specific to cell phones, which can be reused for great causes like giving people suffering from domestic violence a lifeline to call the police, see this article from green is sexy.
06 January 2010
Frosty Temps
Even in our southern suburbias, we can have some cold days. I mean, Central Florida is having freezes every night right now!
How do we deal with the cold as efficiently as possible? Your goal should be to avoid using the heat as much as possible. Many people say that you can fairly easily lower your thermostat a degree a day without noticing much difference. So, if you're still in the 70s, start lowering it. You might be surprised how low you can take it! Our heat isn't set to come on unless it gets below 58, and we're fine. Even with our thin FL blood!
But just because we want to tread lightly on our energy use during the winter doesn't mean that we are entirely without control. You can keep you house warmer than your heater cut-off with some simple practices.
1. Use windows wisely. In the morning when the sun comes up, open all your curtains and blinds. Let the solar energy poor into your house all day long. When the sun starts to go down, tightly cover all windows to keep the cold air out. Doing this faithfully will keep the temperature warmer inside than it is outside!
2. Seal your sockets. Put those child-safety covers on all electrical outlets that are on perimeter walls of your home. This will help combat air leaks.
3. Drafty doors. It's the perfect time to check your weatherstripping! But even good looking weather stripping might not be enough to keep the chill out. Get a door draft stopper (like those bean bag snakes, remember those?). Or improvise your own: Roll up a towel and put three rubber bands on it: one on each end and the third in the middle.
Sometimes trying to keep the cold out is not enough. Let's say your house does dip down below that 58 degree mark (or whatever you have bravely set your thermostat to). Then what?
1. Wear more clothes. An easy one. Double socks, sweatpants, and lots of layers on top while you're at home. Do not underestimate how comfy you can be like this! :)
2. Enlist the help of your partner, friends, and/or pets. Cuddle up on the couch under a blanket. (Our cat has actually gotten desperate for our attention since it's gotten so cold. He'll do anything to sit on or be held by us!)
3. Pick your room wisely. Remember that south-facing windows get the most sun. Consider spending your time at home in your southern rooms. This might be a nice change of pace anyway! (A second choice should be west-facing rooms, which get the second best sun.)
Need some encouragement or motivation? Check out Crunchy Chicken's Freeze Yer Buns Challenge 2009-2010! You'll find a great community of brave -- though perhaps a bit frosty -- greens there.
How do we deal with the cold as efficiently as possible? Your goal should be to avoid using the heat as much as possible. Many people say that you can fairly easily lower your thermostat a degree a day without noticing much difference. So, if you're still in the 70s, start lowering it. You might be surprised how low you can take it! Our heat isn't set to come on unless it gets below 58, and we're fine. Even with our thin FL blood!
But just because we want to tread lightly on our energy use during the winter doesn't mean that we are entirely without control. You can keep you house warmer than your heater cut-off with some simple practices.
1. Use windows wisely. In the morning when the sun comes up, open all your curtains and blinds. Let the solar energy poor into your house all day long. When the sun starts to go down, tightly cover all windows to keep the cold air out. Doing this faithfully will keep the temperature warmer inside than it is outside!
2. Seal your sockets. Put those child-safety covers on all electrical outlets that are on perimeter walls of your home. This will help combat air leaks.
3. Drafty doors. It's the perfect time to check your weatherstripping! But even good looking weather stripping might not be enough to keep the chill out. Get a door draft stopper (like those bean bag snakes, remember those?). Or improvise your own: Roll up a towel and put three rubber bands on it: one on each end and the third in the middle.
Sometimes trying to keep the cold out is not enough. Let's say your house does dip down below that 58 degree mark (or whatever you have bravely set your thermostat to). Then what?
1. Wear more clothes. An easy one. Double socks, sweatpants, and lots of layers on top while you're at home. Do not underestimate how comfy you can be like this! :)
2. Enlist the help of your partner, friends, and/or pets. Cuddle up on the couch under a blanket. (Our cat has actually gotten desperate for our attention since it's gotten so cold. He'll do anything to sit on or be held by us!)
3. Pick your room wisely. Remember that south-facing windows get the most sun. Consider spending your time at home in your southern rooms. This might be a nice change of pace anyway! (A second choice should be west-facing rooms, which get the second best sun.)
Need some encouragement or motivation? Check out Crunchy Chicken's Freeze Yer Buns Challenge 2009-2010! You'll find a great community of brave -- though perhaps a bit frosty -- greens there.
01 January 2010
Resolutions: 2010!
What are everyone's 2010 eco-resolutions?
Here are mine:
1. Sustainability in the classroom: This spring I'll be student teaching. With any luck, I'll be teaching full-time in the fall. Therefore, I'd like to take my knowledge and passion about sustainability into my classroom to share it with my students. One of the biggest goals of social studies is to give students the tools they need for getting along in today's world. There are no more important tools that those that help ensure there's still a "world" to get along in.
2. Write in the neighborhood newsletter: I wrote a short article on wise water use for the fall newsletter our neighborhood does. I'd like to write on other green topics for the newsletter this coming year.
3. Curb our take-out food addiction: Ben and I have never had a problem with take-out foods until this year. It's frustrating since in most other parts of our lives we've been living more sustainably! This year, I resolve to slowly but surely get our rate of consumption of meals that require disposable containers to once a week.
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Need some encouragement for your own resolutions? Check out Alternet's Guide to New Year's Resolutions for 2010.
Here are mine:
1. Sustainability in the classroom: This spring I'll be student teaching. With any luck, I'll be teaching full-time in the fall. Therefore, I'd like to take my knowledge and passion about sustainability into my classroom to share it with my students. One of the biggest goals of social studies is to give students the tools they need for getting along in today's world. There are no more important tools that those that help ensure there's still a "world" to get along in.
2. Write in the neighborhood newsletter: I wrote a short article on wise water use for the fall newsletter our neighborhood does. I'd like to write on other green topics for the newsletter this coming year.
3. Curb our take-out food addiction: Ben and I have never had a problem with take-out foods until this year. It's frustrating since in most other parts of our lives we've been living more sustainably! This year, I resolve to slowly but surely get our rate of consumption of meals that require disposable containers to once a week.
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Need some encouragement for your own resolutions? Check out Alternet's Guide to New Year's Resolutions for 2010.
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