Take the challenge

Slim down with the ‘Waste Diet’ 6

There are people who talk about reducing, reusing, and recycling -- and then there's Maren Engelmohr.

Engelmohr, a St. Louis architect with an impressive set of green credentials, her husband, and her two children are embarking on a year-long "waste diet," and are challenging you (and me) to do the same:

The Waste Diet is a campaign to encourage people to reduce their Household landfill waste. Our household is committing ourselves to not sending any waste (or very minimal waste) to the landfill for the entire year of 2008. We are challenging every household in the country to try it for at least one day, one week, one month, or one year. Join us in our quest for less waste.

Do you know how much waste your household produces? I decided to measure ours and in one month alone, we sent over 240 lbs of waste to the landfill! I'm not so proud. We also generated over 100 lbs of recyclable waste including glass bottles, plastic, metal, aluminum, cardboard, etc at our local recyclers. Let us know how much waste you send to the landfill and what you are committing not to do in 2008 (click on "The Challenge" tab for more info).

If we can do it, so can you. Our household is comprised of a family of 4 who live in a suburban town in the Midwest. My husband and I have full-time 8-5 jobs and our 2 children attend the local public elementary school. We have a dog and 2 cats. We live in a 4 bedroom house on a suburban infill site about 1/4 acres. We own 2 gas-guzzling vehicles and use electricity to run a plethora of convenient appliances. We do, however, live in a brand new green home (see "About Us" for more info about our green home) which is the inspiration for our quest. This will truly be a challenge for us. Our hope is to find environmentally friendly waste solutions while not drastically changing our lifestyle in the hopes that we'll offer ideas and inspirations to others.

Take The Waste Diet challenge. Measure your household landfill waste for one month and send us your results along with your "Waste Diet" goals for less waste in 2008. Click on "The Challenge" tab for more info. We will post stories and results on our website www.thewastediet.com We want to hear from you!

I'll be trying to follow Maren's example, and tracking her success. Check out her website for more information.

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  1. javaearth Posted 5:57 am
    05 Feb 2008

    see a reduction in wasteI think this idea is okay.
    I saw a reduction in waste, by doing the following:
    1)Stopped drink soda

    2)Stopped using baens frim cans. and soaked my own beans

    3)Cooked more at home
    the list is longer....

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  2. offthelister Posted 10:35 am
    05 Feb 2008

    Hot to get off (mailing lists)Since last June -- when I recycled 50 catalogs in one day -- I have been contacting direct marketers, banks, charities, et.al, asking to be removed from their mailing lists.
    Bad idea.  Inertia was met by indifference.
    But enough about me.
    My (continuing) adventure into the black hole that is Direct Marketing can be found at http://www.jonnyhal.com/otl_blog.
    In addition to my pain, you will find actionable ways to cut the junk you get everyday.
    Good luck to all of you.
    jHal

    trash pixels, not the planet

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  3. loserbear Posted 3:47 am
    06 Feb 2008

    "Green" HouseThey could start with their house first. There's no need for four bedrooms if you only have two kids. I'd like to know how many square feet it is. Even if it's a "green" house, it would have been better to green an older house, thereby avoiding the destruction of yet another wildlife habitat.

    Chickens, cows and pigs are also fuzzy cute animals with feelings. So don't eat them.

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  4. loserbear Posted 3:50 am
    06 Feb 2008

    Pretty Big HouseOK, I looked it up on their Web site and their house is 2,600 square feet. That's pretty big, and experts say therein lies the problem we have on our hands.
    But I applaud their waste-reduction effort.

    Chickens, cows and pigs are also fuzzy cute animals with feelings. So don't eat them.

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  5. marene Posted 4:26 am
    06 Feb 2008

    Green HouseWe actually really struggled with our decision to build a new house verses fix up our old one.  I agree with the reasons you mentioned.  We ultimately decided to build new for several reasons.  We had a very unique opportunity to build a green house and set an example for other new homes.  We built on a subdivision that would have otherwise been a new non-green house.  Surprisingly it was cheaper to build new than renovate and green up our existing house.  We tried to make it as efficient as possible.  The fourth bedroom is actually a guest rm/ office/ kid's playroom.  My handicapped parents live in another state and need a place to stay when they visit so we needed a room for them on the first floor. Our house is no larger than the national average size of a 4 bedroom home and is much smaller than most new 4 bedroom homes being built today.    It seems like there is always a negative side to everything.  Even doing this waste diet, I've noticed that we are probably using a lot more water than we used to because we wash out the recycable, wash reusable containers, wash cloth napkins and dish towels, and flush the toilet more with the new cat litter.  It's hard to get everything right.  Thanks for the input!

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  6. verkwon Posted 5:38 am
    06 Feb 2008

    kitty litter, etc.first off, kudos.  great to see this here and your efforts are cool.  second, be prepared for some pretty significant and detailed critiques from folks here.  i think you'll find most here have done much of what you're doing, and all the so-called easy stuff:  REDUCE, i.e. no soda as above, bulk foods, less purchasing in general...
    on that note, flushable cat litter?  i don't know the lifecycle analysis here, but this really seems silly.  yes, your eliminating it from the landfill, but really just transferring it to another waste system.  which is worse, more landfill space or more water use and sewage disposal?  and as you note flushing a lot more water.  what are your other options?  training the cat to use the toilet, but not flush?  composting?  i don't  know, i don't have pets, i like animals, but they don't fit my lifestyle, and this brings in all kinds of eco questions.  you'll find tons of tips on saving water on this site.  how often are you washing those cloth napkins, towels, sheets, etc? perhaps it need not be so frequent; americans have fetishized cleanliness.  have you explored using your "gray" water to water the garden?  dual flush toilets at the very least should be part of your green house.  
    i'd like to know the enviro options for pet owners.  anyone?
    good luck

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