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Moving Toward a Zero Waste Lifestyle By Cassandra Rosas

February 12, 2021 By Debra Quillen Leave a Comment

It can seem like not a day passes by without more bad news concerning the environment. In the face of such huge reported problems, it’s easy to feel helpless and be discouraged. But there’s an effective approach that everyone can take to reduce their impact on the planet’s resources, and it involves working toward a zero-waste lifestyle.

What is the Zero Waste Lifestyle?

Modern society can be hugely wasteful of resources, whether through uneaten food, unnecessary packaging, or excessive use of energy. Embracing a zero-waste approach means looking at every area of your daily life, and considering if there’s a way of approaching it with greater thrift. The idea is that while every step may be a small one, the combined results can be huge – and they only increase as more people become involved.

Essential First Steps

Moving toward zero waste is a project that never stops growing and developing, but getting started needn’t be a major disruption to your lifestyle. Here are just three changes you can make that will have an immediate impact on your carbon footprint, and can serve as a basis to build a longer-term approach around.

– Using Glass Jars

Glass jars are an excellent way of storing dried goods in the kitchen. They’re more attractive than Ziplock bags or Tupperware containers, and can be reused again and again. They can also be taken to loose-goods stores and filled direct, avoiding the need for extra packaging.

Look in thrift stores for second-hand jars you can give a new home, or even better, reuse mayo jars, jelly jars, and others instead of sending them to landfill.

– Use Grocery Tote Bags

Reusable cloth bags can help you make a dent in the billions of plastic and paper grocery bags that are used and discarded each year. They needn’t cost much to buy, and can last years if treated well and washed with care. And for full zero-waste brownie points, you could make your own totes out of old cloth shirts or sheets.

– Prioritize Reusable Items

Many other single-use everyday items can be replaced by reusable equivalents to reduce plastic pollution. Buy sturdy plastic or metal drinking straws instead of the lightweight disposable ones which only last a drink or two.

Buy a good reusable water bottle and fill it before leaving home, instead of relying on bottled water on the move. Return to using old-fashioned washable handkerchiefs instead of disposable tissues, or use old rags for cleaning rather than single-use cloths. The possibilities are endless with a little thought.

Moving On: Using the Five Rs

While even these small starts can add up to a big difference, there’s a handy way of approaching a more advanced level of zero waste lifestyle. The Five Rs concept was devised by Bea Johnson, a leading light of the minimalist living movement, building on the original Three Rs of reduce, reuse, and recycle which were introduced in the 1970s

Adding two extra Rs of refuse and rot, the new Five Rs add up to a comprehensive approach to keeping your own waste footprint to an absolute minimum, without needing to live a spartan or self-denying life.

1) Refuse

You can start working on your waste footprint by refusing the unneeded items which are thrust toward you almost every day. From marketing magazines, leaflets, and flyers, to promotional gifts and other freebies, there’s no reason you need to accept whatever you’re offered just because it’s free. And in any case, the vast majority of these free items are barely glanced at or used before finding their way to the trash.

Also, don’t accept single-use items or unnecessary packaging if there’s a readily available alternative. Always consider whether there’s a recyclable or reusable version of a product which you can buy instead, to stop wasteful items from entering your life at their source.

2) Reduce

As well as refusing unnecessarily wasteful items, it’s an excellent strategy to reduce the overall amount of things you buy wherever you can. For example, plan a week’s menus in advance, and shop only for the ingredients you need, rather than buying things out of habit and wasting a proportion of them. You’ll spend less at the store, and discard less at the end of the week.

For items other than foods, decide whether any particular purchase is for something you’ll genuinely use. And if it is a justifiable buy, aim for quality so that the resources consumed to produce the product are likely to give lasting value.

3) Reuse

Rather than throwing something in the trash when it’s no longer needed, consider ways to put it to a new use, just as with re-purposing glass jars for storage. Likewise, if an item is broken or damaged, see if it can be repaired rather than discarded.

And if an item is in good condition but simply unwanted or unused, consider donating it to a thrift shop so that it’s not wasted in the future.

4) Recycle

Most everyday items today can be bought in recyclable packaging, so choose these whenever possible. Not only will the act of recycling preserve resources, but as you vote with your wallet recyclable materials will increasingly become the standard option.

5) Rot

Lastly, any vegetable scraps from the kitchen or trimmings from the garden can be rotted down into compost if you have the yard space. However, don’t add meat or dairy to your compost as they’ll attract pests and risk disease.

Luckily, most areas now have a drop-off point where waste food of all kinds can be left, with the collections being processed in a waste management center or biofuel production plant rather than being sent to landfill.

Specific Zero Waste Tips for Everyday Home Life

If the idea of zero waste is an attractive one to you, here are some concrete steps you can take to begin your journey toward being garbage free.

1) In the Kitchen:

– Eat unprocessed foods wherever you can to reduce packaging and the carbon footprint of their production.

– Try to reuse leftovers, for example making broth from bones and vegetable off-cuts.

– Reduce detergent use by making an organic homemade cleaning product for your work surfaces. Combine equal parts of distilled white vinegar and water, and add a few drops of tea tree oil as a natural disinfectant.

2) The Bathroom:

– Buy your shampoos and soaps in bulk, refilling smaller containers for daily use.

– Leave behind expensive skincare products and use DIY personal care and makeup products. For example, a mixture of raw honey and extra virgin olive oil makes a great moisturizer that uses far less resources.

– Use a homemade toothpaste containing baking powder, a few drops of peppermint oil, and enough water to make a stiff paste.

– Use recycled toilet paper, and washable cloths instead of disposable wet wipes.

3) Laundry and Cleaning:

– Buy your laundry detergent in bulk, and use distilled white vinegar as a rinsing aid.

– White vinegar also makes a great organic surface and window cleaner. Simply mix one part vinegar to eight parts water, and add a little cornstarch to hold the mixture together.

– For more stubborn dirt, mix a quarter-cup of vinegar, four cups of water, and a tablespoon of baking soda to make a natural homemade cleaning product. For extra freshness, try adding a little freshly squeezed lemon juice.

4) Bedroom and Closet:

– When the time comes, replace synthetic bedding with natural fiber materials like organic cotton or linen.

– Combine the clothes in your closet in new ways, rather than buying whole new outfits.

– Donate unused clothing to charity to extend its life, or use worn-out items as cleaning rags.

5) Dining and Social Gatherings:

– Use real plates, cutlery, and fabric napkins rather than disposable ones at social gatherings.

– Buy drinks and so on in bulk rather than as individual servings.

– For informal gatherings, serving finger foods cuts down on the plate washing afterward.

6) Medicine Cabinet:

– Don’t go overboard on supplies that will go out of date. For once, buying in bulk isn’t a good idea for general consumer medications with an expiry date.

– For repeat medications, ask if your current container can be refilled rather than using a new one each time. However, bear in mind that this isn’t legal in every state.

– For minor ailments such as colds, consider herbal teas or essential oils rather than expensive commercial preparations. They’re often just as effective, but with much less waste and resource consumption.

7) Garden:

– Compost garden cuttings and waste to return the nutrition they contain to the soil.

– Reuse larger cuttings as a mulch to protect the soil and retain water.

– Grow your own fruits and vegetables in your backyard, rooftop, or even on a balcony.

– If realistic, collect rainwater in water butts to lessen the amount you take from your local supply.

8) Office

– Don’t print documents unless you really need to.

– Use old-style refillable pens rather than disposable plastic ones.

– Recycle or compost shredded documents rather than throwing them in the trash.

– Store your data in the cloud where feasible, rather than using hard drives and memory sticks which quickly become obsolete.

These tips only scratch the surface of the many ways you can cut your garbage generation down to size. But remember: zero waste is an aspiration and a direction of travel, and not a hard and fast rule. Modern life means completely eliminating waste is probably impossible, but every step you can take toward being trash free is an important one with real-world results.

Originally posted on Porch.com

 

Filed Under: Community and Lifestyle Tagged With: farm community, new home sustainable community, teaching kids conservation

Amazing Agrihoods: Farm-to-Table Living for a Healthy Community

July 21, 2020 By Debra Quillen Leave a Comment

Anna Desimone, author of “Welcome to the Agrihood” recently published a great article in Iconic Life. The article offers a glimpse into the various agrihoods around the country, including Serosun Farms.. A wonderful review of  the many options for a healthier, happier lifestyle.  Click below to see the full article.

https://iconiclife.com/agrihood-healthy-community/

Filed Under: Uncategorized

This Years 5K will Support Traumatic Brain Injury

June 22, 2018 By Debra Quillen 3 Comments

The Fritz Stickland & Family Brain Injury Journey

“July 28, 1997 was the date that changed Fritz, Jane, Alex and Allison Stickland’s lives forever.  One single moment in time and place that would alter the course of a marriage, a successful career and a family structure.”

That’s what I remember in the beginning…wishing that there had been just 2 minutes difference that would have changed that near fatal experience where I almost lost my entire family in one horrible car accident.  I can still remember arriving home to a dark house after a long day of work and riding my horse.  I had an ominous feeling as I entered our home which should have been a flurry of activity with two young children ages 2 and 7 and their father cooking dinner.  I still can hear the kids crying in the background on the answering machine as a man at the accident scene was trying to contact me two hours prior.  The panic I felt not knowing the condition of my husband and having enough information to know they had been in a very bad accident with a semitrailer.  The mental control that was necessary to drive to the hospital safely.  Arriving to find my kids with a social worker who desperately needed their Mommy.

I think most people who have experienced the effects of traumatic brain injury to a family member or loved one will always hold those memories of before, during and the new normal after.  It is a life changing moment that begins with fear and prayers for survival, wishing it had never happened and then acceptance and hope for the future.

Brain injury is very unique to each survivor as the trauma that occurs is caused by a specific accident and no two events are exactly alike.  In Fritz’s case, he and the kids were sitting on a bridge stopped in traffic when a semi traveling too fast in the opposite direction neglected to brake soon enough and jackknifed directly into our Camry at the driver’s side.  The truck hit Fritz with such force that he experienced brain sheer and a subdural hematoma.  After emergency brain surgery which included removal of dead brain tissue due to the hematoma, it took two weeks before Fritz was stable enough to be sent to Marianjoy for rehabilitation.  He had to relearn to sit up, eat, talk, walk and regain the most basic physical and mental capabilities that were second nature in his prior life.

Acute rehabilitation lasted four weeks and he was able to come home while continuing outpatient rehab for another six months.  Due to the care and support required to manage Fritz’s recovery, attending to the emotional scars that my young children experienced and managing our home and finances without a partner, I lost my job.  Brain injury has many victims.  At 39 years of age, Fritz had been a very successful sales professional who sold very technical Cisco networking solutions to CFO’s and CIO’s of various companies.  Since that time, he was never able to maintain a job of any kind due to the deficits from his injury.  He has to be on several medications to manage his behavior and treat epilepsy caused by scar tissue in his brain.  He has been back to Marianjoy for rehabilitation twice due to falls that resulted in additional brain damage.

The family held together through all of this change and created a new life by pursuing a dream that Jane and Fritz had always wanted.  They purchased property in Hampshire, IL in 2001 and built their equestrian business called Serosun Farms.  Working outside doing farm work and taking care of horses was very therapeutic for all.  Giving Fritz a safe place where he could still work in a supportive environment.  A happy place for the kids to grow up and thrive.

It has been a long 20 years, but we keep moving forward.  Fritz has still maintained a positive attitude despite the limitations he endures.  His outgoing personality that made him the life of the party and always the top salesman wherever he worked still remains. His love and knowledge of the NFL has kept him competitive in his Fantasy League as his friends can attest!  His children have grown to be compassionate adults who understand the challenges life can bring as they’ve seen their father live with disability.

The reality and challenge for most TBI survivors is financial difficulty.  The costs associated with ongoing care, physical rehabilitation, medications, psychiatrists, neurologists, hospitalization, etc. is great and can be overwhelming.  Everyone deserves a quality life and we support fund raising for organizations devoted to helping TBI survivors and their families.   The more help and rehabilitative support as well as social programs for this population can restore hope, capabilities and happiness.  We want to help others to thrive as this has been our life’s work for Fritz.

Thanks for reading our story.

Sincerely,

Jane Stickland (Fritz’s wife)

Serosun Farms

 

Filed Under: Community and Lifestyle, Events

Serosun Farms Equine Services  Presents Cutting Edge Laser Therapy and Wellness Services

June 5, 2018 By Debra Quillen Leave a Comment

 

New Equestrian Services coming soon!!  

 

Serosun Farms Equine Services is excited to announce the launch of a new wellness program at Serosun Farms Equestrian Center.  Ultimate horse care and welfare has always been the goal for Jane Stickland throughout her forty four year equestrian career.

From managing a barn and show team in high school, to running a horse sales and training business in various locales and in 2001 building the Serosun Farms world class equestrian facility, she has always pursued excellence in horse care and management as the basis for competitive success.

Jane’s experience was focused on hunters and jumpers in the 1970’s, eventing in the 1970’s to 2000 and importing jumpers from Europe since 2001.  Her experience in training numerous horses over the years has given her diverse challenges as no two horses are exactly alike in physical and mental capacity.  “It’s the old saying of if I had the tools and knowledge that I have now back in the day!”  per Jane.  “Keeping event horses sound in the old three-day format and jumpers at the low/high/grand prix level requires a lot of knowledge and attention to detail.  The technical level that the horses need to reach is the same but the path to get there has to be tailored to the individual horse.  These horses are essentially professional athletes and need to be managed accordingly because the availability to continue training is required to reach the upper levels.  The more time the horses are sidelined with injuries sets the program back and ultimately can limit how far they go.”

So to get to the crux of what would be ideal is they don’t get injured in the first place.  This really applies to all horses, competitive or not because people make the investment to own a horse to enjoy the riding experience and if all your doing is spending money on vet bills, it’s not much fun.

Jane wanted to have success and longevity with her horses in competition but always believed she would inevitably reach those goals if her horses were foremost happy and healthy in their job.  So to get to where Serosun Farms Equine Services is today is the constant search for better ways to manage supportive equine therapies that are non-invasive, drug free, stress free, targeted and most effective.

The time has arrived to share the knowledge and expertise we have brought together through our new Cutting Edge Laser Therapy Services (www.celasers.com) and the collaboration of our Equine Wellness partners.  The three general pillars that laser therapy provides great benefit to the equine athlete are:

  • Accelerate the rehabilitation and healing of many common lameness disorders.
  • Maintain the peak performance with any equine athletic discipline.
  • Prevent the occurrence or recurrence of athletic injuries.

One of the most important aspects of equine sports medicine includes the maintenance of these athletes at their highest level of performance.  Deep-tissue laser therapy is an invaluable tool for this endeavor.  All athletes have to endure the rigors of training.  This training results in pain and soreness.  Periodic therapeutic laser applications allow these equine athletes to recover faster and therefore train more efficiently.

The ability to use laser therapy to prevent injuries is often overlooked or even considered non-efficacious.  How important would it be to establish blood flow and elasticity within the tissues of the suspensory tendon, in an equine athlete that is predisposed to stress in this anatomical area, before a competitive event?  Deep penetrating laser therapy accomplishes this goal as well as providing muscle tissue therapy to support the joints and keep the horses moving at their optimal level.

An analogy to this application is currently being used by athletic trainers.  A high percentage of Major League Baseball pitchers are having a therapy session applied to both shoulders and elbows before their scheduled start.  This preventive application technique has allowed them to warm up more efficiently and perform at a higher level.  After the game, these same pitchers receive additional treatment to allow them to recover faster and stay in the starting rotation.

In summary, Laser therapy is a very effective and safe therapy and is cumulative in effect.  Each treatment is complementary to the last on a cellular level.  Each case is unique and a therapeutic goal/plan will be established setting realistic expectations for the owner or trainer.  Proper shoeing, dental care and saddle fitting are imperative to achieving optimal results.  A few of our wellness partners include a top class chiropractic practitioner and long line rehab and training services.We are currently using the laser now with amazing results.  Jane has received her MLS laser therapy training and certification and is actively treating horses at this time.  There is a grand opening educational event and celebration with wine and appetizers taking place on Thursday, June 28 starting at 5:00 p.m.  There will be guest speakers, demonstrations and representatives of the Cutting Edge Laser Therapy product attending as well as Serosun wellness partners.  To find out additional information about these exciting services or to attend the event, contact Jane Stickland at 847-922-9809.

Filed Under: Equestrian, Equestrian Care Tagged With: equestrian laser therpy, equine sports medicine, laser

Regenerative Agriculture

February 15, 2018 By Debra Quillen 1 Comment

Here is an interesting article on one of the new faces of agriculture – regenerative agriculture.   There are a lot of interesting things happening and organic may not be the “be all end all” in terms of turning our food system and farm system around.

 

https://civileats.com/2018/02/13/no-till-farmers-push-for-healthy-soils-ignites-a-movement-in-the-plains/

Filed Under: Farm and Garden, Food & Farm, Sustainable Agriculture

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Recent Posts

  • Moving Toward a Zero Waste Lifestyle By Cassandra Rosas
  • Amazing Agrihoods: Farm-to-Table Living for a Healthy Community
  • This Years 5K will Support Traumatic Brain Injury
  • Serosun Farms Equine Services  Presents Cutting Edge Laser Therapy and Wellness Services
  • Regenerative Agriculture

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