Hot or Not

COMPOSTING vs. Garbage

Composting is basically the decomposition of organic material, but when used as a garbage alternative, can lessen landfill waste and provide a homemade fertilizer for indoor or outdoor plants. Compost bins are already popping up all over Eau Claire, in the East Side Hill neighborhood, especially. A compost bin can be small enough to fit in your kitchen or made larger if you have a yard. After it’s set up, all you need to do is to remember to separate out your organic materials (think fruit peels, egg shells, etc.) and wait for nature (or worms) to take over. Look for kitchen-sized bins at Hummingbird Pottery and Just Local Food Co-Op. If you don’t have a garden or plants of your own to fertilize, consider emptying these smaller pots at a community garden. Check out composting101.com to get started. 

Garbage is gross. But what’s worse is how it’s stinking up our Earth! Landfills can pollute the environment by contaminating groundwater and soil, releasing methane, and harboring disease vectors. Americans produce about 4.6 pounds of garbage per person per day. Yuck!

METAL vs. Plastic Water Bottles

Portable drinking water is probably the best thing since, well the sun, and we’re getting smarter at it all the time. Undeniably, the hottest way to tote your H2O is the metal water bottle. A safer and less waste producing option, metal bottles also beat out their plastic counterparts in both durability and style. There are plenty of metal bottle vendors, but if you’re feeling particularly awesome, snag a Volume One bottle and show your Chippewa Valley pride!

OK, so water is definitely a good thing to drink. It keeps you healthy and hydrated, but what are not so healthy, environmentally speaking, are plastic water bottles. When it comes to pre-filled water bottles, the waste created is enormous. Of course, some people think enough to recycle them, but not enough. Hence the increasing trend of reusable water bottles, but there may be a problem there, too. Plastic reusable water bottles are colorful and durable, but they also may be toxic. Many reusable lexan bottles can leach Bisphenol A (BPA), a xenoestrogen, which is linked to certain cancers, decreased testosterone levels, and an increase in neurodevelopmental diseases. Scientists haven’t agreed yet, but better safe than sorry!

EATING LOCAL vs. Eating Wherever

Food is food, right? WRONG. Locally grown food cannot only be better for your health, but better for the environment, too. When you eat locally (and seasonally), your food doesn’t have to be shipped as far, it’s selected and grown based on freshness, nutrition, and taste, rather than shelf-life, and is less likely to be doused in chemicals. Think it’s too difficult to eat locally? Check out the farmer’s market, Just Local Food Co-op, and the Menomonie Market Food Co-op for a wide variety. Take the “eat local” challenge!

Sure, you may not be as restricted to seasonality at a restaurant or grocery store chain, but at what cost? With all the food preservatives and additives, genetically altered crops, and E. coli outbreaks, you’re getting more than just food. Not eating locally can also have other detrimental aspects such as fuel-guzzling transportation, low biodiversity, and hurting the local economy.