recycling

We live in a plastic world, and I don’t mean superficially.

We’ve heard the term bandied about in ecological circles—but what are microplastics and how can we avoid polluting our planet with them?

With the Internet flooded with images of seahorses hanging on to pieces of straw, and penguins living on floating plastic islands, and whole swathes of plastic mini-seas floating in the high seas, it’s high time we educated ourselves about microplastics. What harm can they do—to our seas and ultimately our blue planet?

The reduce-reuse-recycle philosophy of my youth evoked images of bottles, cans, and paper. My friends and I lamented the poor animals with necks caught in plastic rings from six-packs of cans. To this day, I diligently seek out recycling bins everywhere I go, from restaurants to house parties.

But what to do with my old clothes?

Thirty years ago and about eighteen miles from Aspen, Colorado, Jerome Osentowski built a “hoop house,” a tunnel made of polyethylene that heats up due to solar radiation. He had in mind a greenhouse and kept adding to it with recycled steel and other materials. Over the years, his original hoop house design expanded into five greenhouses that now produce food via climates ranging from Zones 6 through 12.

We all know that composting is a good thing. But why is sending food scraps to the landfill a bad thing? Don’t they simply become compost there?

Welcome to the sustainable housing series with Basmati.com! Each week, I’ll write an article that talks about structures that promote sustainable living. I’ll cover everything from construction to average price. This week, I'll be exploring Earthships.

Week 1: Earthships