"Green" Grannies

I’ve been blessed to be surrounded by amazing people who make me want to be a better person. These people challenge my world-view, stretch my perspective and encourage me to be a better person. My mom and my husband are two of the most amazing people I’ve been privileged to be in relationship with. Even my brother (who infuriates me because we’re both so opinionated, like to be right but are often on opposite sides of debatable topics) challenges me to see the world though a different lens and respect the voice of the “other”.

No one person can provide more wisdom than that which I have gained from my grandparents and some of the senior adults I’ve worked with. They have asked me to evaluate life, love, marriage and even conservation.

Many of these seniors lived during the great depression, where energy and environmental conservation were not trendy but necessary. Here are some tips that they’ve shared with me:

-When cooking (not baking) in your oven, turn it off when your meat or vegetables (not baked goods) are about ¾ of the way done. It’ll finish cooking while the oven cools off
-Save your soapy dish water. The particles left in the water, along with the suds, will act as fertilizer and pesticide for your plants.
-Put your banana peels, vegetable particles and crushed up egg shells around your flower beds or potted plants. Your plants will love them… you don’t have to compost them prior to adding them... just throw it on your plants, a little silly looking but good for your leafy family. (Stay away from proteins and fats… NO BUENO)
-Always save the water that we let run as we are warming it up for a shower or to do the dishes. You can filter it and drink it, add it into the washing machine so it needs less to hit the limit as it fills up, water your plants… you get the idea. One lady said, “I’m paying for that water, I’m gonna use it!”
-Re-use zippie bags. Either wash them out (if you smack a wet zippie on your backsplash, upside down, it’ll dry out no problem) or have dry food zippies/smelly-food zippies/half-used vegetable zippies labeled and separated so when you want to grab one, it’s easy to re-use…

It all seems kind of common-sense(ish)… but they are all easy and practical tips.

I feel like we often disregard seniors, saying they are “out of touch” or “cling to the past” but there’s a lot to learn from their life experience.