Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - An Easy Household Guide - Book Review

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I was very excited to review Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - An Easy Household Guide by UK author, Nicky Scott. Because my husband and I wrote Trash Talk, which is a similar guide written for North Americans, I was very interested to learn how individuals in the UK are dealing with reducing waste.

With the 96-page book, the author attempts to provide a guide for people to follow; "in a world of confusing messages" where overwhelming environmental problems weigh down our hearts, Nicky hopes to encourage readers with positive information. Cute little illustrations by Axel Scheffler accompany most of the pages, adding a little touch of humor.

One of the first things Nicky discusses is the importance of refusing to purchase over-packaged items - in fact he states it is the main focus of the book, and it does briefly discusses avoiding disposables, things that cannot be recycled and those that are made from all virgin materials. Whereas the book seems to concentrate on how to reuse or recycle existing trash, it also comments on seeing the reuse, repair or recycle potential for products we are considering buying. He also suggests taking advantage of re-fill retailers (i.e. in Canada: Body Shop, Sampson Soaps, etc) and bulk outlets (grocery stores, bulk products at hair salons, etc). The author mentions that maintenance increases the likely hood of reuse and stressed donations and private sales. Tips are included on ways to make the recycle system run more smoothly and interesting UK statistics.

Chapter three hosts 59 pages of an extensive A-Z guide for items that are commonly found in waste bins. What to do with Fluorescent and CFL bulbs, funeral alternatives to consider, what the various numbers on plastics mean -it's all covered here in this tidy book. I found the information about all the different kinds of batteries, particularly the button-cell variety (watch, camera, calculator, etc), quite interesting. Interestingly, I never considered donating furniture too battered for reuse to upholsterer businesses and classes, where they may wish to reuse the frame to make new furniture.

Readers may find that some of the information is repetitive and Chapter four seems to reiterate what the book is trying to say. I enjoyed chapter five, which discusses the future of zero waste and cleaner waste (less toxic or greenhouse gas producing), very much. The book closes with an excellent resource section that offers roughly two-dozen organizations along with their contact information and lists about thirty books that are certain to make the environmentalist in you drool with anticipation.

Nicky Scott, Chairperson for the National Community Composting Network (CCN) in the UK, is the author of three small books (roughly 4 x 6 inches) dealing with waste reduction and has appeared in two videos about composting. His interest began while working at a compost business as a young man, and the passion grew while he studied at the UK's leading organic research organization, The Henry Doubleday Research Association. As initiator and Secretary of one of the first community composting projects, which continues to created jobs, and the head of the newsletter for the CCN organization - he is a busy man. Between all this, he squeezes in time to run workshops and give lectures. In his spare time, Nicky is a musician and artist.

Author: Nicky Scott
Illustrator: Axel Scheffler
Publisher: Green books (UK)
ISBN: 1-903998-40-9

~ Lillian Brummet: co-author of the books Trash Talk and Purple Snowflake Marketing, author of Towards Understanding; host of the Conscious Discussions radio show (http://www.brummet.ca/)

Raised Bed Vegetable Gardening Part 2

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If you have been considering raised bed vegetable gardening, then you are not alone. In fact, many people are starting to grow these vegetable gardens. The popularity has spread because of how many advantages one will have when choosing to use a raised bed. Not only that, but you can build a container in any shape you wish and can use this gardening system no matter where you live. You can make your vegetable garden as simple or complex as you wish. Perhaps the best thing about raised bed vegetable gardening is you can choose which soil you want to use. This allows your vegetables to stay healthy and produce year round. Below are a few more advantages to building a raised bed vegetable garden.

With a raised bed vegetable garden everything stays in place. You do not have to worry about certain plants or vegetables growing wildly within your garden. You will also be able to pick and cut over grown plants with much ease. No more bending over to pull weeds out of the ground and fight with deep plant roots. With your raised bed garden, weeds and plants can be removed easily. This is a major reason why raised bed vegetable gardening has become so popular.

Another great thing about having is the ability to have no concerns with draining. You will be able to see the water draining from your plants out of the bottom of your container. In order to ensure proper drainage however, you must make sure your container has small holes about an inch from the bottom. Another great tip is to place rocks under the soil to help drain the water. No longer will you have to drag a heavy hose all around your yard, because you can strategically place your raised bed garden close to a water source. Are you starting to see the beauty in this type of vegetable gardening?

You do not have to worry about pets or children messing up your produce. You can build your bed high enough to avoid any interactions with dogs or kids who may harm your plants. Another great precaution is to line the bottom of your bed with netting so you can also stop burrowing pets.

If you are thinking about raised bed vegetable gardening then you have an exciting road ahead. It takes time and money to get started, but the advantages of building a raised bed are too great to overlook.

Thank You to all of our gardener friends and we really appreciate your support. Please contact us anytime with any questions,

The Watch Us Grow Team

Phil Faustini, Grandson of Stephen Follett, creator of "Watch Us Grow" In the 1940's Stephen Follett developed this unique Plant Food. After many years of trials and experiments on all types of plants and crops. 1952 was the year "Watch Us Grow" was made available to the public. Since then the positive testimonials have poured in from all over the world, from professional to novice growers "Watch Us Grow" has made believers out of them all. Go to http://allpurposeplantfood.com/ try some for yourself or get a FREE plant feeding guide. See why the gardening world is so excited about "Watch Us Grow"