So here it is, I’m going to start writing about my attempt to move towards a zero waste lifestyle. I have no plans to reduce my waste to a mason jar. But there is a lot I can do, to use as little as possible. And here I want to write about it.

I’ve been collecting glass jars for awhile now, and I planted a sundeck vegetable garden last summer. But now I’m ready to get a little more serious.

Yesterday I created a Herb Garden on my window sill using glass jars which I purchased filled with yogurt. I thought this was a cute way to use them instead of throwing them out. In here I have planted Dill, Cilantro, Parsley, Basil & Chives.

I also wanted to start some plants which can be planted outside once the weather warms up. Which here in the East Kootenay’s wont be until about late May. I used an empty egg carton, and a cut up milk carton. This is way cheaper and less wasteful then buying a plastic tray for starting seeds.

So far I’ve only planted Basil and Oregano in there, because those are seeds I had left over from last year. But I plan to buy a bunch of new seeds soon, and fill every time I have an empty egg carton and milk carton. Then once they can be planted outside I will transplant them from there.

The other thing I’ve got going on is last years tomatoes. I planted these far too late in the season, and they didn’t start producing fruit until November. So I moved them inside and enjoyed the winter crop. Now however it is March 1, and they are still alive and well, sitting in my kitchen waiting for Spring. They don’t produce fruit anymore, so we’ll see how they do for a second season. I’m not sure if they will produce more once they are outside again – but I’m going to experiment and see what happens.

OK, on to food. One thing that creates a lot of waste is FOOD. I work full time and have two teenagers at home, so disposable packaging is in everything we buy. I’m going to try and be proactive this week. I made a bunch of waffles this morning to freeze, then during the week we can eat these instead of Eggo’s in the mornings.

I’m also attempting to bake my own buns. I’ve tried this a lot of times before and they never taste as good as store bought ones, but here’s another try!

My hope is that we can use these to make sandwiches next week. I’ll let you know what happens with those.

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton