Museum of Litter

How to Save Water with an Expired Credit Card

 

I upcycled an old credit card into a kitchen scrapper. 

 

 

I based it on an old Tupperware scrapper (left) my mother had from back in the day. I never liked that scrapper because of the way it felt. It was stiff and had points on it. This credit card scrapper (right) works so much better. It's smooth, thin and extremely flexible. It fits comfortably in your hand and can get into all different shaped curves.

 

It is amazing how much water you can save using this tool for kitchen cleanup. 

 

I use it to scrape food particles from plates, pots, skillets & spatulas, to clean crumbs from counters, and to scoop scraps from the sink.

 

Because the plastic is thin it slides easily under anything, even burned on food in skillets, leaving only a thin layer of grease to clean up. After using the card all you need is a quick wipe with a soapy sponge and a quick rinse.

 

If I had cleaned the dishes with a sponge or dishcloth there would have been food bits attached to them that would need to be washed away and rinsed with water. I find it takes a lot of water to clean the cleaner. This scrapper saves lots of water. I live/travel in an RV and know that I use no more than 20 gallons of water weekly for kitchen cleanup and hand washing.

 

How to make your own scraper:

 

1. Use a small glass or saucer as a guide to draw a wide curve on one corner of the credit card.

2. Cut the corner off.

3. Make the curve as smooth as possible. You can see some sharp edges in my cut. You'll want to cut it smoother or sand it with an emory board. You don't want sharp edges that will scratch your pots and pans.

4. Sometimes I make another curve at the opposite end to create a sharp point that can be used for cleaning small spaces.

 

 

Other kitchen cleanup water saving tips :

 

• Wash the dishes as soon as you're done eating. The longer the food stays on the plate the more like concrete it becomes and it takes more elbow grease and more water to clean.
• If possible, don't stack plates and bowls before washing them. That way you can wash only the top of the bowl or plate because you haven't gotten the bottom dirty... saves about 1/2 of water use per item.
• Wash the bowl of the spoon, the tines of the fork, the blade of the knife. If it's not dirty, you don't need to wash the handle every time.
• Turn your water to a trickle rather than a full stream coming out of the faucet. Yes it's a little slower but it makes you more mindful. You don't need Niagara Falls forcing thru your faucet to rinse a fork.
• If you can, wash a number of items and then rinse them together, letting the water from one item run over or collect in another . For example, let the rinse water from the silverware collect in a bowl as a first rinse. Pour that bowl of water over a washed plate. You'll need to give each item a final rinse, but you won't waste as much clean water rinsing each item with fresh water.

These tips may sound nit-picky if you're not used to thinking in terms of water conservation. But sometimes just a couple of tablespoons of extra water have made a big difference to me when I've been boondocking. If you find yourself in a drought or any situation where you really need to conserve water (as we all should be doing) I hope these ideas will come in handy.

 

I love my scrapper and wouldn't be without it. Let me know if you make one and what you think.

 

A New Earth Day Tradition: Gift Giving

I definitely think less is more. As someone who's an anti-consumer what I'm about to say sounds sacrilegious, especially on Earth Day, but what about starting a new Earth Day tradition--of gift giving? In addition to the many eco ways Earth Day is already celebrated, why not also celebrate with green gift giving? Not just any gift. Not more useless stuff. Sustainable gifts!

 

It's the one a day a year people acknowledge the earth. It would be great to give gifts that honor the people and groups that work year round to protect and preserve the planet. It's a chance to create awareness and/or give back to a group you feel offers a valuable service and let them know you appreciate the work they're doing.

 

Give what you have.

 

If you have money............give a gift.

 

It's said that we really give gifts we'd like to receive....well in this case, it would literally be true. An Earth Day gift doesn't have to be just for eco friends.  You can give this to someone who doesn't yet know about the importance of being litter-free and reuse. Give a butt bucket to the smoker you know for their car. Or a personal ashtray. You can give someone who brings home purchases in plastic bags a pretty reusable fabric shopping bag. Or, how about a copy of the book Plastic Free by Beth Terry? Or a spork for meals on the go. Or glass straws to replace single use plastic straws from the awesome Strawsome. Or a wonderful reusable bottle for someone who usually buys single use plastic water bottles. Or a water filter so they can fill their reusable bottles with healthy clean water. Or art made from litter by somebody around the globe, like me, who ARTiculates the need for litter-prevention. Visit the Museum of Litter GIFT SHOP. Your gift purchase or donation is an acknowledgement of someone practicing good environmental practices or an opportunity to make someone more ecologically aware.

 

You could also make a donation in their name to an eco organization and have that company provide a gift notice, for example: A donation has been made in your name to the Museum of Litter to support litter ongoing litter prevention education. It's especially important to support small groups working on a shoestring where you know the money will actually go towards furthering a cause and not just to huge overhead.  The Museum of Litter's goal is to go out of business because there's no more litter but each year it struggles to stay in business. I'm sure there are lots of small eco groups in the same situation. So your purchase or donation is not only a gift, it educates someone who might be unaware and supports a green business as it works towards sustainable solutions. 

 

If you have time..............volunteer.

 

You can always pick up litter. Get a group together or go solo. You can do this in honor of someone, or her or his kids who will inherit the planet, and document it via Instagram and Litterati. They will see exactly what and where you did your cleanup. Approach your neighbors, coworkers or friends and sign up as a group for Adopt a Street. Volunteer at a local eco organization in your community. You can even volunteer in someone's honor and tell the person you're doing this in their name.

 

If you have a creative streak ...............make something.

 

Make a reusable bag. Make a portable ashtray. Cover an old plastic prescription bottle with attractive fabric, then fill it with baking soda and you have a wonderful small personal ashtray. Make cloth bags for holiday gift-giving. You get the idea. Get creative.  What other ideas do you have?

 

So, what do you think of the idea of giving gifts on Earth Day? How will you celebrate this year? Will you be giving green?