So! I am all moved into my own studio. It's a great find. I now live in the Kenton neighborhood in North Portland. I have a studio apartment that also has a basement room underneath, so I get two rooms for the price of one. And also, it turns out that there are many things about it that I can do to make it sustainable and Earth-friendly.
1. Outside, across the parking lot, there is a large area for a garden! I dug up the soil and planted vegetables and herbs, as well as sunflowers and a cherry tree. The tree I got for free from Friends of Trees - you can, too. Just go to friendsoftrees.org and look on their schedule, you'll see a Fruit Tree Giveaway day on April 25th. If you miss that one, just contact them to find out future dates. You may be able to get a free or low-cost tree in exchange for volunteering or through one of their grants.
Unfortunately the organic seeds weren't too cheap. I went to New Seasons and found that they cost 3.50 a packet. But that's because I missed the Growing Gardens seed and plant giveaways - I'm not in their program at the minute, I have to re-apply. Interested in getting free or low-cost seeds and starts? Go to http://growing-gardens.org and apply to get in their program... they will help you plant a vegetable garden in your garden space, window boxes, or containers.
I started a very basic compost, but it needs a lot more work. I am thinking of getting a worm bin.
2. Inside, I changed out all the lights to Compact Florescent Lightbulbs. You can get them at Fred Meyer, and many other places. To cut down on initial costs, it's better to get the box of 16-20 bulbs instead of individual bulbs. Although, I did splurge on some "party lights" in pretty colors! Changing to these lights has an added benefit of cutting down electrical costs because it uses less kilowatts. So the initial cost balances out very quickly. Extra measures to save energy include unplugging appliances when away from the house/not in use, using an oil heater, and forgoing air conditioning (very possible for me, my apartment is on the cool side).
3. Inside, I bought Earth-friendly housecleaning supplies. "Bon Ami" is a good scrubbing powder that is like Ajax, but a little better for the environment. It costs about the same, too. I also got natural dishwashing soap and laundry detergent. There's no cheap substitute for these two, that I know of - any suggestions?
Things I need to work on.....
1. Saving water... I take a lot of baths and showers, still haven't cut down on that yet because I love warm water so much. I have been using less water in my baths, though. I also don't water my garden too much, because it's raining a lot lately, but in the summer I will have to water it much more. I need to put out some rain barrels for the garden this summer.
2. Transportation. I need to ride my bike a lot more, but the stairs are so narrow that it's hard to get it out the door and then back in again (I keep my bike in the basement room). I would lock it outside but I only have a cable lock - I think it would get stolen too easily. I think I'll bug my apartment manager to put a bike rack in the laundry room, that would be a lot easier. Meanwhile I ride the bus and the MAX all the time, per usual.
3. Eating. I try to get organic, local produce, but more often I end up with less time and enough money to eat out. I tend to eat pizza and fast food more often than I would like. I am thinking of paying my friend to come over and cook food for me, for the whole week, so I can bring it to work and school at my convenience. I would get the ingredients and try for at least half of them to be locally produced.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
A little change of plans...
So it turns out that I'm moving into my own studio apartment at the end of this month. Not exactly because of roommate drama but because I feel I need to be alone to get my life together, in a sense.
So what this post is about is posing the question: how do I be green and sustainable in a studio apartment? After all, I will most likely have no access to a garden or compost, or other things that would be available in a full size house. I have a few ideas, but maybe some of you could help me out.
Cleaning: Buy vinegar, baking soda, and other cheap cleaning supplies that are environmentally friendly. Use rags instead of paper towels to clean up messes.
Electricity: Insulate the windows with thick quilts to keep the heat in. If the apartment is automatically heated, there's not much I can do to turn it down - or is there? In the winter, unplug the refrigerator and store my perishables outside the window in a cooler (providing there is a little deck or storage area out in the cold). In the summer, open the windows to cool the place, and turn the fan on only selectively (this is easy for me - I love heat!)
Water: Take showers/baths every few days, and in the meantime fill up the sink with soap and water and take a washcloth and scrub myself down. Let the dishes pile up and wash once a week. Fill up the sink with water and soap and scrub the dishes without running water.
Garbage: Put food scraps in the blender and make fruit and vegetable soups, to reduce food garbage or compost. Start a compost out on the deck or storage area, then transport to a nearby park or empty lot once a week to put under the bushes. Alternatively, find a community garden in the area that would has a composting area. Recycle other garbage and put extra scraps of plastic, metal etc. in my arts-and-crafts storage. Continue to use cloth padding for "that time".
Transportation: Use the bicycle most of the time, continue taking the bus. I already do this, so I doubt it will change once I get my own apartment.
So what this post is about is posing the question: how do I be green and sustainable in a studio apartment? After all, I will most likely have no access to a garden or compost, or other things that would be available in a full size house. I have a few ideas, but maybe some of you could help me out.
Cleaning: Buy vinegar, baking soda, and other cheap cleaning supplies that are environmentally friendly. Use rags instead of paper towels to clean up messes.
Electricity: Insulate the windows with thick quilts to keep the heat in. If the apartment is automatically heated, there's not much I can do to turn it down - or is there? In the winter, unplug the refrigerator and store my perishables outside the window in a cooler (providing there is a little deck or storage area out in the cold). In the summer, open the windows to cool the place, and turn the fan on only selectively (this is easy for me - I love heat!)
Water: Take showers/baths every few days, and in the meantime fill up the sink with soap and water and take a washcloth and scrub myself down. Let the dishes pile up and wash once a week. Fill up the sink with water and soap and scrub the dishes without running water.
Garbage: Put food scraps in the blender and make fruit and vegetable soups, to reduce food garbage or compost. Start a compost out on the deck or storage area, then transport to a nearby park or empty lot once a week to put under the bushes. Alternatively, find a community garden in the area that would has a composting area. Recycle other garbage and put extra scraps of plastic, metal etc. in my arts-and-crafts storage. Continue to use cloth padding for "that time".
Transportation: Use the bicycle most of the time, continue taking the bus. I already do this, so I doubt it will change once I get my own apartment.
Monday, February 16, 2009
It's been a while...
A long time since I posted last. I have been so busy that I lapsed a lot on being green and sustainable, especially with winter in effect. There are many things I should have done (like started a compost in the fall, and insulated our windows this winter so we didn't use the space heaters so much). I'm slowly getting back on my feet, though.
I finally figured out what was wrong with my bike - it needed new tires! I had been changing the tubes all this past year, but it was the tires that needed to be changed, so finally I realized the problem and did it. My bike hasn't gotten a single flat since then - I got it fixed in December. I'm keeping the tires pumped up really well, too. Been riding my bike a little more lately since it's steadily getting warmer (I am a wimp about the cold weather, and won't ride my bike in the rain... yet). Other than that I do the usual common-sense things: reduce, reuse, recycle, don't keep water on when I brush my teeth, etc.
But, I've also been planting trees! Check it out: friendsoftrees.org. They do tree-plantings every Saturday, so I've gone to a couple of those. I also volunteer at the office on Fridays. This is one of the organizations I would love to get paid to work for, but there aren't many paying positions available. I plan to just volunteer, get an internship (this spring!), and work my way up into a paid position - probably with AmeriCore. Planting trees - or coordinating plantings - is what I want to do with my life, so this is a great springboard for me. It feels totally wonderful to plant trees too, really healthy for me as well as the Earth.
To do this month, or next month:
-Stop smoking, or get a pipe. Cigarette butts are gross and don't decompose well!
-Insulate the house well enough to cut down on space heater usage
-Bring a coffee mug and food container to work and school, so I don't use more paper or plastic
-Start a compost
-Start plants indoors and prepare the garden
-Buy green house-cleaning supplies
I finally figured out what was wrong with my bike - it needed new tires! I had been changing the tubes all this past year, but it was the tires that needed to be changed, so finally I realized the problem and did it. My bike hasn't gotten a single flat since then - I got it fixed in December. I'm keeping the tires pumped up really well, too. Been riding my bike a little more lately since it's steadily getting warmer (I am a wimp about the cold weather, and won't ride my bike in the rain... yet). Other than that I do the usual common-sense things: reduce, reuse, recycle, don't keep water on when I brush my teeth, etc.
But, I've also been planting trees! Check it out: friendsoftrees.org. They do tree-plantings every Saturday, so I've gone to a couple of those. I also volunteer at the office on Fridays. This is one of the organizations I would love to get paid to work for, but there aren't many paying positions available. I plan to just volunteer, get an internship (this spring!), and work my way up into a paid position - probably with AmeriCore. Planting trees - or coordinating plantings - is what I want to do with my life, so this is a great springboard for me. It feels totally wonderful to plant trees too, really healthy for me as well as the Earth.
To do this month, or next month:
-Stop smoking, or get a pipe. Cigarette butts are gross and don't decompose well!
-Insulate the house well enough to cut down on space heater usage
-Bring a coffee mug and food container to work and school, so I don't use more paper or plastic
-Start a compost
-Start plants indoors and prepare the garden
-Buy green house-cleaning supplies
Friday, May 23, 2008
Installing water-saving devices
One day about a month ago, I received a paper from Trimet and the Portland Water Bureau with an offer for some free sustainability gear, so I filled out the form and sent it in. I got back a couple weeks later a tote back with several items related to biking and saving water. Some items I found didn't fit our appliances, but most of them I could use. So yesterday, I went around the house with a wrench and installed some things to save water.
Toilet: Apparently if you fill up a bag of water and hang it on the side of the toilet, it uses less water to flush (but as far as I've experienced, it still does a decent job of getting everything down). I was given a free bag to fill up with a hook to hang on the side so I just put it right in the downstairs toilet.
Bathroom sink: I also got an aerator for the bathroom sink that regulates water flow from the faucet. I unscrewed the other one with a wrench, and then just screwed the new aerator in place.
Garden hose: The wrench was too small to unscrew the hose from the faucet effectively, but I put all my 90 lbs into it and managed to get it loose. I took the hose around to the back, where our garden is, and screwed it into the back hose faucet (I forgot what those things are called). I was given a free water-saving nozzle for the other end, which was easy to screw on. There are still some drips from both ends when I turn the hose on, but when I turn it off all water flow stops. The nozzle sure makes watering the garden a LOT easier, but with all the rain in the past few days I'm not worrying about that at all.
From Trimet I got a bandanna with a biking map of Portland (so cool!!), biking maps, bus maps and schedules, and lots of pamphlets with advice on getting around Portland without a car.
I'm not sure if everyone got this stuff in the mail, so if you are low-income (like myself and most young people in Portland) and still want to install water-saving devices and get cool bike stuff, just call up Trimet or the Portland Water Bureau, and they should be able to refer you to someone who can send this stuff to you. You can also pass this onto a friend, because even if they aren't interested in sustainability, I'm absolutely sure that they want to save on their water bill!
Toilet: Apparently if you fill up a bag of water and hang it on the side of the toilet, it uses less water to flush (but as far as I've experienced, it still does a decent job of getting everything down). I was given a free bag to fill up with a hook to hang on the side so I just put it right in the downstairs toilet.
Bathroom sink: I also got an aerator for the bathroom sink that regulates water flow from the faucet. I unscrewed the other one with a wrench, and then just screwed the new aerator in place.
Garden hose: The wrench was too small to unscrew the hose from the faucet effectively, but I put all my 90 lbs into it and managed to get it loose. I took the hose around to the back, where our garden is, and screwed it into the back hose faucet (I forgot what those things are called). I was given a free water-saving nozzle for the other end, which was easy to screw on. There are still some drips from both ends when I turn the hose on, but when I turn it off all water flow stops. The nozzle sure makes watering the garden a LOT easier, but with all the rain in the past few days I'm not worrying about that at all.
From Trimet I got a bandanna with a biking map of Portland (so cool!!), biking maps, bus maps and schedules, and lots of pamphlets with advice on getting around Portland without a car.
I'm not sure if everyone got this stuff in the mail, so if you are low-income (like myself and most young people in Portland) and still want to install water-saving devices and get cool bike stuff, just call up Trimet or the Portland Water Bureau, and they should be able to refer you to someone who can send this stuff to you. You can also pass this onto a friend, because even if they aren't interested in sustainability, I'm absolutely sure that they want to save on their water bill!
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Garden
It took me a lot longer to start the garden this year than in previous years. Our weather hasn't been the most cooperative, to say the least. However, I was finally able to plant some seeds and starts yesterday.
First I borrowed a shovel from my neighbor. We both agree that it's a waste for everyone to buy all of their own tools, when all you need to do is walk down the street to your neighbor. I've only lived in Hillsdale for little over three months, and already I have a constructive relationship with at least one neighbor. I let her know that we have things she is welcome to borrow, but she hasn't needed anything yet. I took the shovel and dug a type of "keyhole" garden in the backyard. (Ok, I really need to upload a picture.. the ASKII thing didn't work)
On the top: flowers, pumpkins, and cantaloupe
Far left: carrots
Far right: green zucchini, spinach, and lettuce
Middle vertical: lettuce, green and yellow capsicum (pepper), tomatoes
Middle horizontal: yellow zucchini, carrots
We have lots of extra planting pots, big and small. I used a larger one to plant a start of dill. Dill is extremely delicate, so I really hope it survives. I'm going to get some more starts this weekend, herbs such as basil, thyme, catnip (for my cat!), mint, etc. and fill up all the pots for our back porch.
The dirt is very rich and easy to work with. I don't think there will be many problems with how fertile it is, but just in case I added a bunch of mushroom compost on top (we found a few bags of soil in the shed, the owners must have left it behind) to fertilize it even more. I made sure not to put the mushroom compost too close to the plants, because I've heard that it could burn the leaves and roots. However, I haven't checked the facts on this yet.
Here's a remedy for slugs: Buy a pack of beer and drink most of it (no problem finding beer in our house!) then cut the cans two thirds of the way down. Bury the bottoms of the beer cans in the dirt so that the top edges are poking out. Leave some beer in there. The slugs will be attracted to the beer, crawl in and die a pleasant death while they are totally loaded (I'm making this up - I don't know if slugs get drunk, but it wouldn't be a bad way to go). I know it sounds strange, but it's a home remedy I've heard from several people and apparently it works really well.
We have a grill and we love our hot dogs and steak (the two vegetarians in the house love the veggie patties and smart dogs), so in the summer we will have many delicious burgers and franks with plenty of home-grown vegetables to complement.
First I borrowed a shovel from my neighbor. We both agree that it's a waste for everyone to buy all of their own tools, when all you need to do is walk down the street to your neighbor. I've only lived in Hillsdale for little over three months, and already I have a constructive relationship with at least one neighbor. I let her know that we have things she is welcome to borrow, but she hasn't needed anything yet. I took the shovel and dug a type of "keyhole" garden in the backyard. (Ok, I really need to upload a picture.. the ASKII thing didn't work)
On the top: flowers, pumpkins, and cantaloupe
Far left: carrots
Far right: green zucchini, spinach, and lettuce
Middle vertical: lettuce, green and yellow capsicum (pepper), tomatoes
Middle horizontal: yellow zucchini, carrots
We have lots of extra planting pots, big and small. I used a larger one to plant a start of dill. Dill is extremely delicate, so I really hope it survives. I'm going to get some more starts this weekend, herbs such as basil, thyme, catnip (for my cat!), mint, etc. and fill up all the pots for our back porch.
The dirt is very rich and easy to work with. I don't think there will be many problems with how fertile it is, but just in case I added a bunch of mushroom compost on top (we found a few bags of soil in the shed, the owners must have left it behind) to fertilize it even more. I made sure not to put the mushroom compost too close to the plants, because I've heard that it could burn the leaves and roots. However, I haven't checked the facts on this yet.
Here's a remedy for slugs: Buy a pack of beer and drink most of it (no problem finding beer in our house!) then cut the cans two thirds of the way down. Bury the bottoms of the beer cans in the dirt so that the top edges are poking out. Leave some beer in there. The slugs will be attracted to the beer, crawl in and die a pleasant death while they are totally loaded (I'm making this up - I don't know if slugs get drunk, but it wouldn't be a bad way to go). I know it sounds strange, but it's a home remedy I've heard from several people and apparently it works really well.
We have a grill and we love our hot dogs and steak (the two vegetarians in the house love the veggie patties and smart dogs), so in the summer we will have many delicious burgers and franks with plenty of home-grown vegetables to complement.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Bicycle...continued
Well, my bike success from my last post was short lived. The tire went flat yet again after I'd pumped it up full and left it in the garage overnight. I knew something was really wrong since I've changed the tube six times in the last year and it still went flat soon afterwards. I took it to my favorite bicycle repair shop, which all of you should take note of and write down! Bicycle Repair Collective on SE 45th and Belmont. This shop is the first one I found when I moved to Portland, and now that I'm in Southwest I still take the bus for an hour to get there because it's just that good!
They looked at the whole wheel and determined that it was the "tubeprotector" strip that was actually rubbing up against the tube and puncturing it. I've had my bike for about seven or eight years, and never changed the protector, so I guess it had hardened or something. The guy threw it away and put in a newer, softer tube protector. Those of you who may be having similar problems, you might want to do the same. It cost me about five dollars... no joke. I was thrilled.
I've been riding my bike everywhere ever since. I found that SW Portland is a little too hilly for me in spots, but I can still bike at least part of the way and then put the bike on the bus for the rest of the trip. I am still a fumbling weakling when it comes to getting the bike on the bus rack, but am getting better and no longer need help from strapping young lads (lol). Someday I will be able to pick up the whole thing with one hand and just swing it on! Yeah, right.
On a similar note... I made the mistake of peddling up Terwilliger Blvd. on 36 hours of no sleep. I ran into a guy all decked out in hardcore biking gear, and admitted that it was my first time biking for miles uphill after several months break. He said I seemed to be doing well and I should join a team. How flattering! :) I always considered myself a big wuss and weakling when it comes to biking, but perhaps I should rethink that assumption. I'm way too busy to join a biking team, though.
They looked at the whole wheel and determined that it was the "tubeprotector" strip that was actually rubbing up against the tube and puncturing it. I've had my bike for about seven or eight years, and never changed the protector, so I guess it had hardened or something. The guy threw it away and put in a newer, softer tube protector. Those of you who may be having similar problems, you might want to do the same. It cost me about five dollars... no joke. I was thrilled.
I've been riding my bike everywhere ever since. I found that SW Portland is a little too hilly for me in spots, but I can still bike at least part of the way and then put the bike on the bus for the rest of the trip. I am still a fumbling weakling when it comes to getting the bike on the bus rack, but am getting better and no longer need help from strapping young lads (lol). Someday I will be able to pick up the whole thing with one hand and just swing it on! Yeah, right.
On a similar note... I made the mistake of peddling up Terwilliger Blvd. on 36 hours of no sleep. I ran into a guy all decked out in hardcore biking gear, and admitted that it was my first time biking for miles uphill after several months break. He said I seemed to be doing well and I should join a team. How flattering! :) I always considered myself a big wuss and weakling when it comes to biking, but perhaps I should rethink that assumption. I'm way too busy to join a biking team, though.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Bicycle
Finally, a day when there's no frost on the ground. No hail, no snow, lots of sun. A real spring day! Saturday is my only day off, so I slept late and then went to my friend Cheylene's to retrieve my bike and fix it up. We turned our bikes upside down in her yard, got out some rags, water, and wd-40 and got to work. I cleaned the bike up, sprayed some wd-40 on (have I found the environmentally safe equivalent to this? Not yet), and then got to work fixing up my brakes and tires. To tell the truth, I can get really girly when it comes to mechanics. I usually let an expert friend do it for me while I pretend to be useful. Cheylene's the same way.
This time, however, our mutual friend Micah (resident bike expert) was away at work for a while, so Cheylene and I were left on our own to figure out how to patch and pump tubes and adjust brakes. Even though I was afraid I would ruin something straightaway, I actually managed to get the tube in my tire and pump it up just fine (well only to 30, the hand-held pump kept popping off when I put more pressure on it). Got the wheel on the bike, tightened everything up, and then procrastinated on attending to my brakes. After one cigarette, some water, and an English muffin, I could procrastinate no longer.
I found the brake system to be pretty simple. Basically, I ran my fingers down the wire to the clamps, and then realized that all I needed was one tool to loosen it. I still don't know what the tool's name was, but Cheylene recognized it by sight and found it in her toolbox. I got my brake system smoothed out by some educated guesses and a lot of fiddling - I guess you'll figure out anything if you fiddle around enough!
I put the bike on the bus and rode it to my friend Adelbert's. He bought a new stand-up bike pump, and I was able to get full pressure in my tires with that. Now all my bicycle needs is some cosmetic confidence (it's a little raggedy looking) but meanwhile I'm all set on my own transportation. Not a moment too soon. I can't stand taking buses that I have to wait thirty minutes for... EACH.
This time, however, our mutual friend Micah (resident bike expert) was away at work for a while, so Cheylene and I were left on our own to figure out how to patch and pump tubes and adjust brakes. Even though I was afraid I would ruin something straightaway, I actually managed to get the tube in my tire and pump it up just fine (well only to 30, the hand-held pump kept popping off when I put more pressure on it). Got the wheel on the bike, tightened everything up, and then procrastinated on attending to my brakes. After one cigarette, some water, and an English muffin, I could procrastinate no longer.
I found the brake system to be pretty simple. Basically, I ran my fingers down the wire to the clamps, and then realized that all I needed was one tool to loosen it. I still don't know what the tool's name was, but Cheylene recognized it by sight and found it in her toolbox. I got my brake system smoothed out by some educated guesses and a lot of fiddling - I guess you'll figure out anything if you fiddle around enough!
I put the bike on the bus and rode it to my friend Adelbert's. He bought a new stand-up bike pump, and I was able to get full pressure in my tires with that. Now all my bicycle needs is some cosmetic confidence (it's a little raggedy looking) but meanwhile I'm all set on my own transportation. Not a moment too soon. I can't stand taking buses that I have to wait thirty minutes for... EACH.
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