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A Fertilizer Breakdown for Spring Gardening

3/3/2021

3 Comments

 
Katie Eastman
  Spring is here, which means it’s time to start fertilizing your plants! While there are some benefits to using synthetic fertilizer, these benefits do not outweigh the harmful effects they cause to the environment and your plant. Synthetic fertilizers lead to chemical build up in the soil of your plant, runoff from the fertilizer harms marine ecosystems, they can easily give your plants chemical burns, and they acidify the soil of your plants if used for long periods. These are just some of the many reasons why you should choose organic fertilizers. That being said there are many different organic options out there, which I’ll be breaking down for you below.
    First, I’ll suggest two options you may already have in your home. The first is compost. Compost makes an amazing fertilizer for your plants. It has a pretty mild smell compared to some of the other organic fertilizers, and bonus points because it is an awesome way to make use of food waste. The second is old water from your fish tank! Due to the water in fish tanks being dechlorinated and all the nutrients from the fish poop, it makes for a great fertilizer that your plants will love. Plus it is really easy to use. All you have to do is change the water in your tank, save the old water, then water your plants with it like you normally would.
    Now for my personal favorite. Worm Castings. Worm castings is just a fancy name for worm poop, but I promise they don’t have a smell. Some of the benefits of worm castings are: it is pretty much impossible to burn your plants with, they have no smell, they are slow release so you only need to fertilize every couple months, and there are many different ways you can use them. You can mix the castings in with your plants soil when repotting it, you can put some on the top of the soil and as you water your plants it will seep down and fertilize them, or if you bottom water you can make it into a liquid fertilizer by mixing two cups of castings in five gallons of water, let it sit for 24 hours, then simply water your plant with the mixture.
    Next up are the most popular types of organic fertilizer fish emulsion, seaweed emulsion, or a mix of both. While these fertilizers are more quick acting than the ones listed above and extremely effective, they stink. When I say that I mean it they smell really really bad, but if you water your plants with them outside then let them air out for a couple hours you should be good and your plants will be well fertilized.
 

Worm Castings:
https://unclejimswormfarm.com/product/organic-fertilizer/uncle-jims-worm-farm-compost-free-shipping/?gclid=Cj0KCQiA4feBBhC9ARIsABp_nbXzPEoxl7e5T6S6KTNybinhzvhvK4mphN9uYXTUf-cPWqvs4CW9e9YaAkD7EALw_wcB

Fish Emulsion:
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Alaska-Fish-Fertilizer-1-Gallon-Natural-All-Purpose-Food/3082865?cm_mmc=shp-_-c-_-prd-_-lwn-_-google-_-lia-_-107-_-plantfood-_-3082865-_-0&placeholder=null&ds_rl=1286981&gclid=Cj0KCQiA4feBBhC9ARIsABp_nbV9lVkluuU3F3PA6TdIkSDqheXg33aBoSwJdIM6RAf1d3pUfoaJyT0aAk6pEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Kelp Emulsion:
https://www.neptunesharvest.com/sw-136.html
Fish-Kelp Fertilizer:
https://www.microlifefertilizer.com/product/microlife-ocean-harvest-4-2-3/




3 Comments

The Teen's Guide to Conscious Thrifting

2/6/2021

0 Comments

 
Mae Stone
 
Navigating the world of sustainable fashion is a tricky job for the environmentally conscious teenager. Fast fashion is cute and cheap, but most of us probably don’t want to contribute to the 1.2 billion tons of carbon dioxide that the fashion industry releases every year. However, buying sustainably can be expensive, and it’s hard to tell if brands are actually eco-friendly. We can all agree that trying to shop for clothes ethically is hard, but luckily, there seems to be a solution - thrifting! Here are some tips on how to be conscious while buying second hand.
 
1. Shift to Thrift
You may be wondering how you can shop more consciously. Nobody can deny that there is a certain thrill that comes with buying new clothes, which makes it easy to be tempted by the cheap and neverending options of the fast fashion industry. Thrifting not only offers the excitement of shopping, but it also provides a sustainable and equally cost-effective alternative to inexpensive and unethical clothes. Replacing your fast-fashion habit with buying used goods is an efficient and practical way to cut down on your carbon footprint.
 
2. Thrift Responsibly
When thrifting, consider how it might affect those in low-income neighborhoods. Ask yourself questions like “am I taking away resources from communities that may need these clothes more than I do?” When thrifting, be conscious that access to clothing choices can have a huge impact on someone’s life. Small things such as professional attire could make or break a job interview. Before you buy, consider whether someone else may need a particular item more than you.

3. Don’t overbuy
While thrifting is a cheap and sustainable way to shop, buying in bulk can become an issue. Apps such as Depop and Poshmark encourage reselling large quantities of thrifted clothes for profit. Resale can be an excellent way to provide access to clothing to people who might not otherwise get the opportunity to buy them, but there is a fine line to walk. It begs the question, “how much is too much?” Overbuying becomes an issue when one person stocks up on in-demand items like winter coats or work clothes. This could potentially hurt those who buy these types of clothes not as fashion but as a necessity. It’s more beneficial to your community to only buy what you need or will wear.
 
4. Re-Donate
Combat overbuying and mitigate your fast-fashion habit by re-donating your unused clothes! Donating your clothes is an easy way not only to support thrift stores but also the environment. Giving your used garments to thrift stores will support the business of that store, which allows more people to access their affordable prices. By giving your clothing a second home, you avoid contributing to 87% of clothing that ends up in landfills. Additionally, when you donate your clothing you can start a cycle of reuse. 
 
Shopping at thrift stores is not only more sustainable, it’s also a fun way to express your style. Happy thrifting!

0 Comments

Thirteen Items You Can’t Recycle in Austin

2/4/2021

0 Comments

 

Mae Stone

Hi, y’all! One of the most important climate-conscious mantras is “reduce, reuse, recycle”. But many of the items you think are recyclable actually aren’t. Putting non-recyclable items in the recycling bin could potentially break and contaminate machines and harm workers. Here are 13 common items that don’t belong in your recycling bin in Austin. 

DON’T recycle these items
Paper
  • Pizza boxes (any grease-covered paper)
  • Coffee cups (like Starbucks cups)
  • Ice cream cups/pints
  • Padded envelopes
  • Biodegradable/compostable products

Plastic
  • Ziploc and plastic shopping bags
  • Styrofoam/bubble wrap
  • Instant coffee pods
  • Chip bags

Metal
  • Clothing hangers (most dry cleaners will take them)
  • Large objects (like pots and pans)
  • Batteries (recycle those here)
  • Electronics 

If you’re not sure what to do with an item search here.

0 Comments

Project Wildflower - where to plant

12/5/2020

0 Comments

 

serafina scalo 

Happy Saturday folks! Today is the day that ACCo launches our new Project Wildflower, where we'll be delivering free wildflower seed packets to anyone in the Austin community so that together we can all make our city extra beautiful next spring. Check out our latest Instagram post for more information, and if your interesting in getting a wildflower packet delivered to you, fill out our delivery form here :) 

If you have a spot in the city that you already know you want to plant your wildflowers at, great! But if you don't, not  to worry, because here are ACCo members' favorite spots in the city that we think would be perfect for scatting your wildflower seeds.

ACCo's top tips on planting wildflowers this year:
1. Go hiking along the greenbelt and scatter some seeds there! Look for areas with at least some sunlight (not foresty spots).
2. Plant in your favorite neighborhood park. As long as there's moderate sunlight and a somewhat open space to drop the seeds, planting right in your neighborhood is a super easy way to contribute to the biodiversity in your area :)
3. Make a wildflower seed bomb! Making seed bombs is easy and you get the added bonus of getting to throw them out the window (wherever there's open space by the side of the road... preferably not at other cars or pedestrians!) For an easy article on how to make seed bombs, click here.
4. Stop at road medians around town. As long as it's a safe spot to be standing, road medians are a great place to plant wildflowers, and easy to find.
5. Plant them in your front yard! Everyone on your street will be glad that you did, and you'll get to see them every day! there's no shame in staying close to home :)

 happy planting!

 

0 Comments

Easy Ways to Eat More Sustainably This Fall

11/4/2020

1 Comment

 

serafina scalo
​

As the summer weather comes to an end and leaf bags begin to line the streets, it's beginning to feel a lot more like fall. With that also comes a new season for produce, and (surprise!) new opportunities to eat more sustainably ;) Eating sustainably can mean buying locally sourced food, growing a garden, or ordering from restaurants that prioritize using local and organic goods, One of the easiest ways to eat more sustainably is buy local and seasonal groceries and produce. But figuring out how to get local food and what's in season can be difficult! So here are my best tips on where and how to buy local and seasonal food <3 

The easiest way to buy local and seasonal? Go to farmers markets! 
There's dozens of farmers markets located all across Austin and Travis County Area, Even on cooler days, visiting your local farmers market can be a great way to get local food, buy from cool small businesses, and support your community. And you can bring your dog! what's not to love? ;')
By area, here are my personal favorites:

North-central Austin: the Texas Farmers Market at Muller (Sundays, 10-2).
Far North Austin/Cedar Park: the Texas Farmers Market at Lakeline (Saturdays, 9-1)
Sunset valley/south: Barton Creek  Farmers Market, (Saturdays, 9-1) and also SFC Sunset Valley Farmers market (Saturdays, 9-1)
East Austin: Boggy Creek Farm, (Wed-Sat, 8-1)
Downtown: SFC Downtown Farmers Market (Saturdays, 9-1)


If your looking for something a little more hands-off, try CSAs: 
For when you don't have time to visit farmers markets, there's many austin-area CSAs (Community supported agricultrues) that sell weekly or monthly boxes of seasonal produce from local farms. Local Harvest  is a great website for finding a specific CSA group that fits your personal preferences for what kind of foods you want and there's tons of options on there, but Johnsons Backyard Garden is great because they offer home delivery and sell to most of the greater travis county area.  

For people who don't have time to find recipes that use in season produce but still want to eat locally and seasonally, theres a reallly awesome company called Trashless that sells locally-sourced grocery store items (everything from BBQ sauce and hummus to tortilla chips), local baked goods, pre-packaged meals, and (most bodaciously) meal kits that come with all the food needed to cook a meal and even the recipe! 


How to shop seasonally at your go-to grocery store
So what IS in season right now anyway, you ask? Here's how to find out! Its pretty easy to shop sustainably at any grocery store as long as know what's in season near you. Here is a really great website where you can look at anywhere in the US and it will tell you whats in season for every month (pretty cool, right?). Right now the highlights are apples, beets, citrus, figs, and melons :)
This is also a great general list of seasonal produce in Texas:

Picture
Happy fall!! I hope you enjoy the cooler weather, and hopefully buying some tasty seasonal produce ;)
1 Comment

Hiking in Austin

11/1/2020

3 Comments

 

Abby Greendyk

As the weather changes and the autumn season goes into fulls swing, I've been exploring different nature preserves and hikes around the Austin Area. Here are some I've been on in the past weeks: 
  • Last Friday, I went to the Barton Creek Greenbelt Trail. There are a few entrances to this area, but I found that the least traveled one was on the Northeast side of the 360 highway, next to the office buildings. 
  • I also enjoyed exploring at the Riverplace Nature Trail in Westlake, especially in the beautiful weather this weekend. Although you have to pay a fee to hike here, the views and vast area is totally worth it.
  • I would recommend the Turkey Creek Trail, too. Being right next to Emma Long Park, this area is a little more heavily trafficked, but it is a beautifully shaded trail that's great for dogs as well. 
  • Lastly, if you're up for the drive, the Reimers Ranch Park is just outside Dripping Springs, and has always been one of my favorite places to be. If it's hot, there's swimming in the Pedernales, but if not, the trails themselves are expansive and amazing. Totally worth the trek for me :)
3 Comments

Local Vegetarian Restaurants!

10/11/2020

0 Comments

 
Nora Daly

​With the growing awareness around the meat industry’s harmful impact on the environment, I’ve been trying to cut down on my meat consumption lately. Though vegetarianism has been considered fairly difficult in the past, it has *thankfully* become much more accessible. The food industry is changing, and pretty much any meal thought possible can be found without meat. (crazy!) 

All that being said, here are some of my favorite vegetarian-friendly restaurants local to Austin:
  • First on my list is Bouldin Creek Cafe on S 1st Street. All of the meals here are vegetarian, and there are some vegan options as well. While their most popular dish, the “Veggie Royal” sandwich, is really good, my favorite thing at the cafe is their vegan blueberry cornbread.
  • Conscious Cravings, also on S 1st Street, is a vegan food truck that primarily sells wraps. Everything is vegan, delicious, and healthy. My favorite here is the avocado wrap, which is basically a big salad inside a tortilla, but everything is good, I promise.
  • Mr. Natural is a local vegetarian restaurant with two locations (one in South Austin, one in East). They sell everything from breakfast, lunch, and dinner, to desserts of all kinds, and everything is really, really yummy. 
  • We all know and love P Terry’s, but I’ve recently made the switch from their burger to their veggie burger, a decision I’ll never regret. Next time you’re sitting in the drive-thru line, maybe consider changing your order to the veggie burger, for both your enjoyment and earth’s!
  • Okay, my last recommendation is the vegetarian tacos at El Tacorrido, which has five locations throughout Austin. Though there are only a few vegetarian options, the “taco de veduras” is well worth the trip. Happy eating!

0 Comments

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