If you’re trying to reduce your contribution to the landfill, composting is a great way to go!  Perks of composting include saving money on trash pick-ups, better soil in your garden, and lowering your garden water needs by up to thirty percent!

Still need a reason to give it a try?  Consider the fact that yard trimmings and food scraps accounted for 25% of all solid municipal waste in 2006 — that’s one quarter of all trash that could have been turned into fertilizer for home gardens!

Depending on where you live, you may be able to get a compost bin for a reduced price.  If not, you can inexpensively build one of your own.  Once you’ve got your compost going, read this list of astonishing items that can be safely composted!

Composting doesn’t require a huge lifestyle change, either. Just keep a small bin in your kitchen where you can toss food scraps as you cook.  Then empty it into the larger bin outside.  You will need to pay attention to the ratio of things you put in, however.  Compost works best when it contains equal amounts of “green” and “brown” organic material.  Green materials are things like fruit rinds and grass clippings, while brown materials include twigs or dead leaves.  Keeping your compost moist at all times will also help to break it down quickly into super fertilizer!

Are you already a master composter?  Leave us your best tips in the comments!

One of the easiest ways to eat local in the winter is to prepare in summer.  During this season’s bounty, it’s hard for me to remember that in winter the farmer’s market stocks only kale, onions, and mushrooms.

Fortunately, taking advantage of summer’s abundance is both fun and rewarding.  What’s better than a peach pie in February or strawberry preserves in November?  And buying fruit in season is often far cheaper than buying out-of-season produce at the supermarket.

For many, canning is the first thing that comes to mind when you talk about preserving food for the winter.  But canning isn’t the only way to save your favorite treat for the colder months!  Drying, freezing, or simply keeping items in a cool cellar are all equally great ways to preserve foods.

Your Green Goal this week is to try at least one of the tips below.  Have a better way?  Leave us a comment and share your knowledge!

• Prepare and freeze fruit pie fillings.  For an even easier pie, freeze your filling in the shape of the pie pan, so all you have to do is prepare the crust and pop the frozen fruit inside before baking!

• Use this handy drying guide to find out the best way to dry produce from your garden.  Dried cherry tomatoes make a yummy, summery addition to soups and pastas!
• Try your hand at freezer jam!  A quick and easy alternative to canning, you can use almost any kind of fruit you have available.

• Store your root vegetables in a cellar, basement, or create an insulated storage box with these guidelines from the National Gardening Association.

• Did you end up with more cucumbers than you can eat? Try this recipe for Bread-and-butter pickles to create a snack that will last you through the year.

• For even more ideas and detailed information on home canning, visit the National Center for Home Food Preservation’s website.

Now that it’s finally summer in most parts of the country, fresh produce is in abundant supply.  If you’re not able to grow your own, why not check out the farmer’s markets in your area.  Farmer’s markets are an easy, fun way to stock up on local fruits and veggies while supporting small farms in your area.  An added bonus is that many farmer’s markets focus on organically and sustainably grown crops, and the price is generally comparable — or better than — prices at the grocery store.  And many markets have vendors selling more than just produce; you may even be able to find locally made cider, honey, and cheese!

For your Green Goal this week, visit the Local Harvest website to find a farmer’s market in your area.  Bonus points for buying an item you’ve never tried before!

When I think of house plants, I immediately think of Jon Arbuckle tirelessly watering and talking to his ferns, trying to get them to grow.  Of course, he was always thwarted in his attempts.  But maybe Jon had the right idea…

In a 1980s study conducted by NASA (yes, NASA! They were looking for ways to keep air inside orbiting space stations clean), researchers found that common house plants can help purify the air inside buildings by filtering chemicals like trichloroethylene, benzene, and formaldehyde from the air.

While there’s currently some disagreement over whether or not house plants can actually improve indoor air quality, I’m inclined to believe that having plants in your living space provides some kind of benefit — whether through improved air quality or just through improved mood.  And who can deny that a thriving plant makes a room look so much more inviting?

Your Green Goal this week?  Head to the nursery and pick out a plant!  Here are a few of our top picks for easy to care for house plants (unless you live with Garfield, that is):

• Heart Leaf Philodendron
• Chinese Evergreen
• Warnecki
• Dracaena
• Golden Pothos
• Mother-in-law’s Tongue / Snake Plant
• Spider Plant
• Aloe

Of course, if you have kids or pets, please take extra care in picking out plants as some can be toxic if eaten!

October Monthly Friend: Sarah MacGregor

Name: Sarah MacGregor
Age: 34
Hometown: Vernon BC, Canada
Current location: Prince George BC, Canada
Occupation: Virtual Assistant / BellyDance Instructor

Interests: Dancing, Painting, Gardening
Dreams: I’m living them!  I get to work at home, make my own schedule, and not bother with a car; I have a big yard now with a big garden that’s probably going to get bigger every year; I get to teach dance classes out of my own home studio; I have a sweetie that loves and supports me; I have two kitties.  The only thing I would change is to move back to southern BC so that I can ditch the long winters and have a longer growing season.

How long have you used reusable menstrual products?: Since January of this year and I’m never going back!
Reason for making the switch to reusables: I hated to think of all the garbage I was creating using disposables, and I wanted to lose the “diaper rash” that most of those so-called dry weave products always gave me.  GladRags made complete sense as soon as I heard of them, and once I learned that I could use my soaking water to nourish my plants I was completely sold!

Funny anecdotes, deep thoughts, or anything else you’d like to share: My favorite quote that I like to remember whenever I’m hesitating about trying something new: “Don’t worry if you fall flat on your face – at least you’re moving forward” – Anonymous

Hey GladRag Gabbers!  I heard the most inspiring interview on the radio the other day that I am telling everyone I know about it.  I am a huge fan of National Public Radio, listening to it for much of my days in the studio.  One of my favorite shows is the Splendid Table with Lynne Rossetto Kasper.  It took a while to grow on me, but I love learning all kinds of interesting facts and cooking tips, so now I am a regular listener, podcaster, and weekly free e-newsletter subscriber.  For example–here's one thing I bet you didn't know that I learned on this show:  cracking an egg on the rim of a bowl is actually more prone to get egg shells in the egg than if you crack it on a flat surface like a countertop.  Try it if you don't believe me, but it's true–the egg will form a perfect crack right around the middle if you use the latter technique. The show that played last weekend was an interview with  author Dan Buettner and his book  The Blue Zones.  This book is a fascinating study on longevity in the habits of four groups whose members frequently make it into their 100's.  Among the behavior patterns of this elite crowd are things like: maintaining close friendships, gardening, eating simply.  To listen to the interview online, click here. (This show was dated June 6, 2009.)

I know it's very retro, but I still get a morning newspaper subscription. Unless I shred them for my worm bin, or use for a painting drop cloth, they go straight into the recycle bin. But here's a great way to recycle them in a more useful manner. I'm not much of a gardener these days, because my CSA delivers almost more veggies than I can use, but if you have a green thumb,  check out this great way to make seedling pots -  here are the instructions, courtesy Little House in the Suburbs. 

I just wanted to say that I love GladRags. I rotate between the pads, the sponge and the diva cup, all of which I think are great. I’ve been saving my blood for fertilizer for my plants, and I’ve never had a more beautiful garden! It’s really nice to take from my body, give back to the earth, and nourish her, so that she can nourish me and my family. Three cheers to GladRags for making such great products available!

- Brittiney

It has been a busy time here at GladRags. Besides our day-to-day efforts of sending out great products to smart women, we’ve recently moved from our too-big warehouse to a smaller just-right-sized commercially-zoned house. That means we have to be very neat and clean to keep things functional here. Too much mess or a few of days not picking up after ourselves and the place becomes dysfunctional. But it feels good to be operating in a more efficient, compact space. We’re in a thriving zone of North Portland and it’s fun to watch all the activity out the window. There’s a bus stop out front and we’re right on a bike lane that is full of bikers come rain or sun so it always feels very alive here.  And the garden holds surprise after fragrant surprise.

Spring has brought a lot of new things to GladRags besides the garden surprises. This blog has been on our “to do” list for months, we’ve introduced the new Moon Cup , and Sara is just working on in-store packaging for the new Pantyliner . It’s already meeting with great success on the website and will be our May special on the site.

- Brenda