recycled life

i have been searching for this documentary for over 1 year now wanting to rent it. well, no luck. i managed to finally find it on youtube. i am almost at a loss for words.

it's about people who live in guatemala city's garbage dump, considered the most toxic dump in central america. they search through heaps of trash that is dropped of daily for food, clothing and even items that can be RECYCLED. yes, recycled.

it really makes me baffled at the people i interact with in my life. how is it so hard to put a plastic bottle in a bin? if you are that lazy, your complaints about getting fat are ridiculous to me. no wonder why you are. you need your escalade to go to then end of the driveway! i'd hate to see what happens when you can't afford that escalade anymore and downgrade to an amc pacer. i'll probably wind up laughing at you as you struggle to figure out how to walk.

this has prompted me to do some research on recycling programs for various towns in the state i live in. if i think they're inadequate, i may start some petitions. wish me luck!

here's the link to 'recycled life' (it's in 4 parts). please watch- and think!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWZFN1rkaSc

tired of high food prices? then grow your own!

i'm completely new to this. i have never gardened in my life. but i do like my fresh veggies. and i really prefer living head lettuce versus a regular one. it stays fresh so much longer and retains more nutrients. however, it doesn't run cheap. so this spring i set out to give growing a shot. i really didn't have much to work with besides a very over gown lawn, some planters my landlord had sitting in the garage, and some potting soil.

so for a mere $7, i got my hands on some peat pots and bibb lettuce seeds. within a few weeks, i had sprouts. finally, i transferred them to the large pots. mind you i have no experience in this.

and this is what i came up with in about 3-4 weeks:


taa daa! yummy fresh lettuce. every day. sitting on my porch. i have been lucky this year and had no pests. for watering, my landlord keeps a trash barrel that fills with rain water, which i use instead of a hose. i eventually plan to try and find ways to filter the rain water to use for laundry, cooking, etc. i'll let you know how that goes.

so if i can do it (with minimal space and resources) so can you!