Time to Say Goodbye

Since 2008, Conscious Cow has scoured the globe to find fresh, relevant info about keeping stuff out of landfills by composting, recycling, repurposing, renewing and reusing.

It's been a fun and fascinating journey for the Cow, and hopefully for you, too!

But since this blog launched, these topics have become more mainstream.  You can now find all the info you need to reduce your hoof-print on the planet via TV, web, books, magazines... even iPhone apps!  (the Cow just downloaded EcoSnoop).

Also, you may have noticed a dearth of blogposts at this site in recent months.
The Cow's alter-ego has been happily inundated with new commitments.  She didn't want to neglect Conscious Cow; it just happened.

My friends, the time has come to say goodbye.  Thank you for visiting and taking my message to heart.

one final time:
Ciao from the Cow!

Recycled Washing Machine

Did you know you can recycle your old clothes washing machine?


Neither did Conscious Cow, until recently.  The Cow is learning all about energy efficient appliances these days, so look for more news about RETHINKING energy consumption later.

For now, check out the energy star website for info on Recycling Your Washing Machine!

Ciao from the Cow!

Paper Industry Stops Trashing Planet

Conscious Cow loves recycled paper; it keeps paper out of landfills, and out of incinerators, and keeps our forests intact.  But there's still a lot of virgin paper made from trees in the office supply stores.  (Conscious Cow hopes the office supply store whose name rhymes with a type of tree will change their ways very soon.  On the plus side, OFFICE MAX sells reams of paper made from 100% post-consumer waste!)

If you think post-consumer recycled paper is the ultimate in conscious consumption, Conscious Cow has news for you! 

  

It's true, that recycled paper uses 55% less water than virgin paper.  Still, the paper industry is one of the largest water polluters in the world!  Tragic, when you consider how many creatures have such limited access to water. 

(Conscious Cow's friends in El Porvenir, Nicaragua travel 5-10km by foot or horseback to the nearest farm to get water, when it's available. They transport it back to their village in reused oil drums.)

The good news is; the winds are changing, and while some old-school paper manufacturers wake up, new conscious paper manufacturers are entering the forest.

For example, Living tree paper offers tree-free (made with hemp & flax fibers) and recycled content paper products

An even eco-friendlier choice is Ecopaper made from agro-industrial waste (aka pre-consumer food waste), like coffee pulp and banana plant fibers that would normally be scrapped.

Greenfield Paper provides handmade plantable paper (paper with seeds in it, so you can skip the landfill and the recycling bin and let your words grow into flowers).  This is the source for eco-cool note cards, stationary and even gift wrap.

There's more to this story, but for now...
Ciao from the Cow!

What are you printing on?

Conscious Cow loves books that wax poetic about recycling and reducing consumer waste. Conscious Cow also loves it when creatures walk their talk. Seriously, doesn’t it make sense for publishers of those “tree hugging” books to print them on 100% post-consumer recycled content?

Let’s save our magical leafed friends (aka trees) and use what’s already out there!

Steps YOU can take to reduce the number of trees felled each year:

1. print on both sides of the paper
2. reduce your font size (and use a magnifying glass if necessary)
3. shrink the margins on the page
4. buy tree-free paper (more about that in another post)
5. cut used paper into squares for use as scrap paper
6. save envelopes that come with bills & other correspondence for reuse as scrap paper
7. shred used paper and make new paper
8. call or email the publishers of your favorite books and tell them you want them to print books on 100% post-consumer recycled content paper

Mostly Recycled Shoes from Kigo

When another blogger tipped Conscious Cow off to unique footwear by Kigo, the Cow just had to learn more.

(When folded, the shoe is about the same size as a wallet... super-convenient for urban commuters)

Rachelle Kuramoto, who co-founded the company, answered questions promptly and candidly.

Cow's first concern is: is the unique footwear made from 100% recycled materials?

Rachelle says, "The uppers and liners are recycled, the adhesives are water based, the insoles are EVA (which is not recycled but breaks down more rapidly than other soft–core rubber materials) and the stain treatment is non-toxic and EPA approved. The outsoles are currently the only non-eco friendly material, and we are meeting with the manufacturer this month to discuss a recycled or rice husk rubber option."

Cow's next question, which may be less important to other creatures and really has nothing to do with the 3 R's, is: are these shoes available in purple?

Rachelle says, not yet. "We actually prototyped a purple shoe, and it is still in the rotation, though not immediately. We appreciate the feedback – it helps us to decide how quickly to pull a color into the style lines!"

For taking initiative, making cool shoes (soon available in purple), and striving to improve the eco-footprint, by increasing the content of recycled materials in the product, Conscious Cow awards Kigo footwear 4 COW PIES. (when the outsoles are eco-friendlier, Kigo will get 5...) Bravo, .

Arugula Goes Green

Okay, okay... Conscious Cow is well aware that arugula already is green, but now it's greener, since Locally Known started packaging their organic arugula and other salad greens in eco-friendly 100% recycled plastic containers.

That's two less things to be guilty about: a healthy lunch in a recycled/recyclable container.

Ciao from the Cow!

Conscious Coffee at Zumi's

When not chewing cud, Conscious Cow loves a great cup of coffee. In the charming town of Ipswich, MA, Zumi's Coffee & Ice Cream stands out, not just for their joe, but for their socially responsible and eco-friendly business practices.

Owner Umesh Bhuju, a Nepal native, is sensitive to fair trade issues, and purchases all of his signature blends from a roaster who is also a pioneer in socially responsible coffee importing. Zumi's coffee is certified fair trade and organic, but Umesh doesn't stop there...

He won Conscious Cow's heart when he showed off the bucket where he and Zumi's staff store used coffee grounds. They save the grounds for a local farmer, who picks them up and uses them as compost. (MOO, MOO, MOO tastic!)
Check out the battery recycling station Umesh set up for members of the community to drop off their little bundles of chemicals-that-don't-belong-in-a-landfill! Zumi's has to pay to dispose of these batteries, so by collecting them, they're serving the community and mama earth!
Without question, Umesh Bhuju and Zumi's Coffee & Ice Cream have earned Conscious Cow's top honor of FIVE COW PIES!

p.s. Our friend Umesh makes one heck of a Soy Latte, and locals & tourists are crazy about the ice cream.

Papier Mache Goes Eco-Cool

Tuesday Winslow has been working with recycled material since she was a child. Back in the day, she drew and painted on the cardboard sheets that came home from the dry cleaner inside her father's shirts.

In 1995, the artist began working with old newspapers to create elaborate papier mache pieces. Why newspaper? “It’s non toxic, inexpensive and a very hands on medium to work with,” she says.

How does she do it?

1) Tuesday starts by creating a relief design from clay


[the first step - a picture of a clay image]

2) Tuesday pours a plaster of Paris from the clay design
3) She shreds the newspaper, soaks it in water, and creates a mache by chopping the wet paper in a blender
4) After expelling the excess water, Tuesday adds water-based glue to the mache mixture
5) Finally, she places a design element (like a map or colored paper) in the plaster of Paris mold, and fills the rest of the mold with the paper mache

Sound easy?
Sometimes it takes 2-3 days to prepare colored paper combinations.
“I usually have several pieces going at one time. I may create anywhere from 2 - 6 frames in 2 - 3 days,” explains the artist.

Tuesday prepares the paper pulp in bulk by shredding the paper, soaking the paper in water for at least 2 days, and then chopping and expelling excess water, which takes about 3 hours.
She leaves the pulp exposed to air for about 5 -6 hours, which helps to dry out more of the water.
Once a piece is molded, it takes another 2 - 3 days to dry. Adding a mirror or picture frame backing takes an additional 1 day to dry.


["Tearsyellowpage" was designed with a telephone directory and yellow paper accents.]


[This black & white sunburst mirror is a 5" magnet picture frame designed with colored paper.]

Talk about dedication to craft! Tuesday has been doing this for fifteen years, and her work continues to evolve. Eventually she plans to make furniture & other useful items from papier mache. After that, she's thinking it'll be time to publish a book about functional papier mache designs.

About her materials:
Paper mache made from 100% post consumer waste
international stamps purchased by the pound from sellers via classified ads and the internet
imagery taken from discarded magazines
chlorine free, acid free, lignin free colored paper
maps from the Department of Defense. (printed in the USA.)

Tuesday’s favorite design element: the combinations of colored paper with recycled newsprint


Want one? Tuesday has done commission work for individuals and businesses and is available to do commissions. Check her out at www.mirrorsdecorated.com

For dedication, serious eco-cool, and vision, Conscious Cow awards Tuesday Winslow with FIVE COW PIES!

Until next time, Ciao from the Cow!

Compost Consciousness

What happens when you compost?

Composting is a way of recycling organic matter. In the home, food scraps may be placed in a backyard compost pile or put into a variety of compost bins, where they will break down into humus, or compost. On the commercial level, food scraps collected by an industrial hauler are put into a giant tumbler where they break down into humus, or compost.

Compost is recycled back into the ground in the form of fertilizer for gardens, houseplants, and commercial farmland. Most food-based biodegradable plastic and paper products break down easily and quickly in the commercial composting process.

Are your single-use items biodegradable?
Read the label! Look for items made from: bagasse, bamboo, PLA, or potato starch.

Or look for this logo:

Why not put food waste in the trash?
Every year in the United States, we throw away 27 million tons of garbage. Much of that is food waste or recyclable material. Biodegradable items put in traditional landfills are usually mummified in the capping process used to protect groundwater.

One study cited at BPIworld.org found 40 year old newspapers that were still legible in a San Francisco landfill! Additionally, food is a major producer of methane in landfills. Methane is a greenhouse gas that cows have been blamed for in the past several years. Conscious Cow is glad to clear the air on this subject!

Families and business owners will find that composting saves both money and the earth.

Businesses can visit Find-A-Composter to find the nearest commercial composting facility.

Home composters will find a variety of composting bins at:

Want to raise awareness about composting?
Check out our Compost Consciousness Clothing line.