Lucky readers, today you get to hear about that time I pretended I was a hippie - which, for the purposes of this post, I am defining as
Hippie: hip pee; a do-gooder attempting to help save the earth from global warming and stuff. A good person.
Or maybe I'm not a hippie...maybe I just picked what seemed like the easiest solution to a problem I was having...,
Are you confused enough now that you want me to explain, or are you too busy laughing at how inaccurate a description of me that is?
A couple weeks ago, one of my roommates had a brilliant idea that would solve a couple problems we'd been having: (1) there is no dumpster in our building area, so we have to walk the distance of 5 buildings to get to one...and we're too lazy for that shiz. And, well, things start to get stinky when you're keeping trash in the closet.... and (2) we don't have a garbage disposal, which means the trash is even stinkier because it has banana peals and stuff in it.
So the solution? A rubbermaid container from Target, dirt, and a couple (hundred) worms.
We decided to make a compost which, my roommate and the internet inform me, is actually good for the environment!
Ready to hear how we made that happen? Lucky for you, I've made a step-by-step instruction list!
Walk downstairs to the scent equivalent of what you believe to be a wall of garbage. Take the trash out, and furnish the apartment with Glades. The entire downstairs will still smell for the rest of the day. Go to work to escape the smell.
(2)
Decide that the only solution has Al Gore's stamp of approval: a compost. Start out slow though - just get a big rubbermaid container, put it outside, and start tossing your junk in:
- fruit cuttings, peels, or remains (like that gross papaya your roommate thought she'd enjoy, and then immediately threw out when she got a whiff of it)
- egg shells
- liquids, such as milk or juice
- basically, at least the way we see it, anything you eat.
(3)
Notice that your compost is attracting flies, and decide to make a trip to Walmart for dirt and worms.
(4)
After debating whether to go with all-purpose fertilizer or African Violet-fertilizer (eventually deciding on all-purpose), head home with two bags of the brown stuff and about 5 containers of worms. Worms that neither you nor your roommate want to have to touch (pro tip: you will have to touch the worms when you leave the open container on the table, and the worm tries to escape).
(5)
Using a stick you found next to the tree outside, stir the contents of your rubbermaid bin, effectively burying all your garbage from the past couple weeks. Take pictures to use as evidence when you brag to your family and friends.
(6)
Put the lid back on, and put your newly created compost somewhere outside where you can easily get to it. We keep ours on the porch, right next to the sliding door.
My roommate informs me that eventually, we'll have a rubbermade container full of extremely fertile dirt. So, if gardening's your thing - win win, right?
Have you ever done something like this, or are you going to now? Is there something I didn't mention?
<3
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