3 Ways I'm Going Green in the City: Composting, Container Gardening & Public Transportation

Going green can sometimes pave the way for some unusual habits. This includes anything from recycling table scraps as fertilizer to charging your iPod with a car battery. Below you will find some of the seemingly unconventional ways that I am going green in my own life.

Odd Way to Live Green #1: Compositing

Composting can be a very dirty and smelly business; however it is one of the best ways to go green. By saving your table scraps and using them as fertilizer you reduce waste, put helpful nutrients back into the earth, and reduce your exposure to toxins.

I must admit that the idea of composting only gave me images of rotting fruits and vegetables. I was also completely intimidated by the process. However, after some research on the internet I found that composting can be easy and not as smelly as I was expecting. If you would like to try composting for yourself visit Compost Gardening.

Odd Way to Live Green Tip: Container Gardening

I live in a city. Needless to say I don't have vast acres for a backyard and barely have any room for a garden. In order to do my part for the planet and grow some organic food I decided to take up container gardening.

Container gardening is simple, all you have to do is plant your food in a container and place it outside. For instance, I had this plastic toy swan that my grandfather gave me as a child. It was originally supposed to be used as a pot for plants but my 6 year old self had a strange affinity for it. Now, in my adulthood I have found the swan and have begun using it as a place to grow some fresh organic basil. In fact, my entire porch is full of old containers and pots with food growing in them.

Odd Way to Live Green #3: Don't drive.

I don't drive and I never really have. Instead I use public transportation to get to where I need to be. Fortunately, I live in a pretty big city so this is feasible. If I knew how to ride a bike I would probably skip petroleum based transit all together and just ride.

For those of you who must drive and still want to go green there are lots of things you can try. You can cook on your car engine, dry and steam your laundry inside the car on a hot day, charge your phone or iPod with the car battery, or use your car trunk as a green house. For instructions on how to make your car unusually green read 4 Creative Ways to Live Greener Through Your Car.

Once I have established these methods as habits I hope to add some other unusual methods to my lifestyle, including adding raw food to my diet. For more wacky and entertaining ways that people are going green read The 8 Weirdest Ways to Go Green.

Sources:

4 Creative Ways to Live Greener Through Your Car

The 8 Weirdest Ways to Go Green

Compost Gardening