Think twice before you throw your food in the trash. You have an alternative, composting. For those who live on campus and have a meal plan composting is easy. The dining hall has an area to put food scraps and napkins into for composting. For the students who live off campus composting seems to be more difficult—especially for those living in apartments. But it is not as difficult as it seems.
Composting bins are available for $40.00 from the City of Durango and San Juan Resource Conservation and Development. Contact information is available at the official city website, www.durangogov.org. There are many types of composting bins. Holding bins are highly recommended for apartments. They can be placed on apartment balconies. You can use your compost for a balcony garden or for houseplants.
If you are interested in constructing your own composting bin and have limited space here is how. The following materials are needed: a power drill or a hammer and a nail, a plastic storage bin, an extra lid for the storage bin, green composting matter such as: grass, vegetable peels, fruits, coffee grounds, and teabags, and brown composting matter such as: cardboard, newspaper, and wood shavings. Don’t compost meat, dairy, or starchy food. First, drill or hammer small holes in the plastic storage bin. Place a lid on the bottom of the storage bin. Then add alternating layers of green and brown matter into the bin. Add water for moisture. If the mixture becomes too moist or begins to smell add additional brown matter. Turn your mixture at least twice a week. Harvest your compost by running it through a sifter.
Creating a compost bin is not only a great way to reduce your waste, but great for your plants as well. You can use your compost for a balcony garden or for houseplants—reduce, reuse and enjoy.
This article first appeared in the Independent, Fort Lewis College's weekly newspaper.
Bike Co-op
When visitors first arrive in Durango they notice a common hobby among the locals, biking. For some it is just a hobby, a way to escape the pressures of school and work, and for others it is a method of transportation. It shouldn’t shock you to be driving down Main Street or up college drive and have a bicyclist pass you. The patron saint of bicycling in Durango is Melvin Smylie, who for thirty years took donations of old bicycles and gave them a second life, fixing them up and then selling them at affordable prices.
After Mr. Smylie passed away, Durango Cyclery began to fix up the old bicycles he had left over. The problem was that people kept donating bikes. Russell Zimmerman, owner of Durango Cyclery, and mechanics Bob Gregorio and Jon Bailey kept fixing them up and giving them away. With such an outpouring of bicycles, they decided to start a bike co-op so people can fix up their own two-wheelers and stay on the road. The co-op will also provide a source for budget bicycles for those who can’t afford fancy mountain bikes and just want to get around town. An average price for these cruisers will be $25.
The co-op is something the cycling community has been talking about for years, and a local donor has given the co-op a warehouse rent-free the first year to store the hundreds of bikes they’ve accumulated. To keep up the spirit of Mr. Smylie, the plan is to fix up old bikes and give them away every year for bike-to-work day. The co-op will offer monthly membership as well as mechanical and technical advice. The rest of the money it needs to operate will come through donations, grants, and fund raising. If you want more information on the bike co-op, stop by the Durango Cyclery or call 247-0747.
This article first appeared in the Independent, Fort Lewis College's weekly newspaper.
Be a Local Shopper, Help out the Environment
Its Monday afternoon, classes are over, your done with work and you’re ready to chow-down. You have several options, you can go to a supermarket and grab some quick grub; but before you run for the “one-stop-shop,” think about how these products came to Durango.
Buying your food locally can make more of a difference to the environment than you think. Supporting locally grown food helps out the local economy by supporting farms, supporting sustainability and supporting small business. Every dollar spent locally generates nearly twice as much income for the local economy compared to shopping at supercenters. Besides economics, you help reduce the plastic packaging that companies produce to transfer large quantities of food across states. By buying locally you help out the local economy and help the earth.
The effect of smog and vehicle related carbon emissions play a big role in the health of the planet. When you sit down and think about how many semi-trucks it takes to deliver tons of food to supermarkets across the nation, you begin to realize it is a clear waste of fossil fuels. Especially when communities like ours are adequate places to produce food and sustain ourselves. You not only support local farmers but you also help in a bigger way to relieving some pressure of the oil crisis.
Supermarkets are tempting. There are days when I feel basically too lazy to take the extra steps to help out the environment. I know, however, that if we want to actually see change in our environment we have to take the steps to do so and turn our words into actions. Besides, we live in a beautiful part of Colorado that has a great growing season under un-polluted skies. We should not let this go to waste.
Green Freedom