The New Compost Bin!

Okay, so we wimped out on trying a worm bin. If you don't get them right they can be smelly and the worms die - so I guess, even a change agent can be a creature of habit sometimes.

Anyhow, the bin is complete and absolutely fabulous! It's a rectangular-shape with an opening in the bottom to shovel out the humus that accumulates.

The problem we had with our last bin was not enough air circulation and that resulted in moldy foods sitting in the bin. Hopefully, the chicken wire lining inside the the bottom portion of the bin will help by providing more air circulation while keeping out the little mice that live under our deck. (Wishful thinking, right?)

My husband used old wood - in its former life it had been a deck, and as you can see, it has a beautiful silvery color to it now.

We threw in the inaugural bowl of kitchen scraps just before the Thanksgiving holiday and it has increased substantially since then.

Did you know that pasta and bread can be thrown into a compost bin too? Of course, they have to be free of sauce, oil, cheese, and the like, but rinds of sandwiches, left-over noodles, and stale bread are great for the bin.

And while we've added another green component to our new digs, I am thinking about Christmas and how we can greenify this holiday season. As I ponder a greener holiday, I consider the past...

I have childhood memories of wrapping paper and toy packaging spilling over in our garbage cans, ribbon being used once and then thrown out, and of course, the volume of "stuff" that came with the gifts, food, and decorations. Now I am a parent - can I still make the holiday magical and wonderful for my child without all the excess?

Over the next few weeks I will explore holiday gifts, greener giving, and enjoying the holiday season without buying into the commercialism - literally.