Ethical Consumerism and Green Living

[ClazzJassicalBass]

I have a bunch of tote bags and keep one in my messenger bag or my bass bag just in case I make an unplanned stop at a store.  Hmm.. maybe I'll unload some for free on here if my collection keeps growing.

I just got two 500-page bagasse sugar paper reams (80% sugar cane waste/20% cert. plantation fiber) I'd ordered from ecopaper.com.  While looking for tree-free printing paper, I came across hemp paper, banana plant paper, cotton fiber paper, and paper made of.. yes, elephant crap.

[Margotlev]

does anyone want a couple of used window boxes for urban gardening?
free! or I'll throw them out.
thanks

[DancNspin]

I might be interested.  How do they attach to the window?

[Margotlev]

I don't have anything to attach them with. They're just long plastic boxes that fit on the windowsill.  I had them out on the stoop last summer and grew lettuce in them.  I had one on my kitchen window sill for a while and grew onion shoots and herbs in it. contact me off-list if you want them - margotlev at gmail

[westernqnscomposts]

Hey I haven't been able to read every comment in this feed as it's pretty long but it seems that a lot of people are taking some really important steps in the right direction. Seriously, congratulations! It's important to show that you care for your community and your body. They're both pretty irreplaceable and have a huge impact on one another.

For those of you doing a lot of cooking with fresh, local or maybe organic produce have you considered composting your kitchen scraps? There are several drop off sites in the surrounding area including, the actual markets that you may buy your produce from.

Check out the site for drop-off times and locations

http://bignyc.org/drop-sites

[yippee1999]

Hey everybody!  Glad to see this topic here.
I too try to remember to have my Baggu shopping bag with me at all times.  Sometimes I might forget it's in my other tote bag, or it might be in my 'laundry' pile.  (I do try to wash it pretty regularly since food, i.e., fresh watermelon etc. can sometimes leek in my bag)..
But anyway, for those shopping trips where I DO need to take a plastic bag from the store, I save all of mine up and then bring them to Whole Foods, who accepts plastic bags for recycling.
Does anyone know of any places besides Butcher Bar on 30th Ave., that sell grass-fed, antibiotic-free meats?  What about good quality fish?
I also agree that living in NYC automatically makes us greener than most...that is, assuming we use public transportation only.  (I have to say I'm shocked and disheartened at the number of NYers...generally in the outer boroughs but still close to public transportation, who have cars!)  I make orders from Fresh Direct maybe 5 times per year, and for those orders I try to stock up especially on heavier, bulkier items like laundry detergent, paper products, etc.  (And Fresh Direct carries many Seventh Generation items.)
For those of you who may happen to live in the vicinity of 21st Street and 30th Drive, there is a guy who runs Hellsgate Farms, and who invites people in the nabe to drop off compost at his house on 30th Drive.  (I don't know the exact address...I just know the house by site, but if interested you can google Hellsgate Farms and ask him about composting.  Right now I think just a handful of people who happen to know this guy drop stuff off, but I'm sure he'd appreciate others doing the same.  You can also get info on where this guy offers his produce.  I know last year he had an arrangement with Queens Kickshaw on Bway, where they offered some of his produce for sale.)  I know that this guy, Rob, is also looking to facilitate more green homes in the area. )
Which brings me to a related question.... I myself am interested in purchasing a home in Astoria and couldn't afford a single family on my own....nor are there many single families to choose from.  I'd love to see if I could find one or two other people to maybe buy a 2-3 family home.  I'm looking for like-minded people who'd be interested in having a vegetable/fruit garden on the property, a rain barrel, maybe a chicken coop if we have the room, solar panels, composting, etc.  There may or may not be some communal space in the building...a living type area perhaps with a small kitchen, but overall I'd envision we'd have our own 'apartments'...and that the communal aspect would be mainly with regards to the external aspect of the home (green energy use, outdoor space, etc.).  Naturally we'd need to meet up, talk about our own personal goals, understand everybody's financial situations, our ideas of what kind of home we'd want, and we'd need to have our own lawyers to ensure our own needs are all met. 
If anyone might be interested in just meeting up for starters, and seeing if we are on the same page, you can email me directly at yippee1999@yahoo.com.
Thanks!!
Lynn