20 Ways to Reuse Coffee Grounds and Tea Leaves

People love their caffeine. I myself have a relationship with tea that is borderline addiction. So when I came across an article the other day about how to reuse tea leaves and coffee grounds, I had to share it on my blog. Besides the inherent "eco-friendliness" that comes with reusing something, coffee grounds and tea leaves can be used to replace many harmful chemicals (for example, using them instead of insecticides to control ants, as you'll see below). Here are some ways to love coffee and tea a little more...

What to do with coffee grounds

1. Soften skin

Exfoliate with a body scrub made of coffee grounds, coconut oil and a little brown sugar. Gently massage it on in the shower, rinse, be soft.

2. Please the flowers

Use coffee grounds as mulch for acid-loving plants — roses, azaleas, rhododendrons, evergreens, hydrangeas and camellias. They like coffee grounds for the natural acidity and nutrients they add to the soil.

3. Sadden the ants

Sprinkle coffee grounds around areas of ant infestation to deter them.

4. Deter gastropods

Used grounds are said to repel snails and slugs, so sprinkle them in problem areas.

5. Simplify fireplace cleaning

Before cleaning the fireplace, sprinkle with dampened used coffee grounds, which will weigh down the ash and thus eliminate clouds of smoke-flavored dust.

6. Make a sepia dye

Soak used grounds in hot water and use as a dye bath for Easter eggs, fabric and paper for a lovely, soft brown tinge.

7. Keep cats at bay

Keep kitties out of the garden with a mixture of orange peels and used coffee grounds distributed around plants.

8. Encourage the carrots

To boost a carrot harvest, mix seeds with dried coffee grounds before sowing. The extra bulk makes the wee seeds easier to manage, while the coffee aroma can nourish the soil and help repel pests.

What to do with tea leaves and tea bags

Some tips call for dried leaves, here’s how. When you’re finished brewing tea, place the leaves into a large strainer or colander. Press out as much moisture as possible, and then spread the leaves on paper. Let the leaves dry thoroughly, turning over several times in the process. Also note that wet tea leaves stain, so if you are using wet tea leaves on or near a porous surface, be sure to test in an inconspicuous place first.

9. Tame stings and burns

Cool tea bags can bring relief when applied to bug bites and minor burns, including sunburn. For overall skin irritation, put spent tea leaves in a bath and soak.

10. Soothe your eyes

The tannins in tea have anti-inflammatory effects, which is why cool ones are often employed on puffy eyes. (The chill also helps with swelling.)

11. Feed the garden

Use tea leaves as food for garden plants — green tea is high in nitrogen, and as a bonus, the leaves can ward off pests and insects. This is also good for houseplants, so add old tea leaves to their water.

12. Boost potted plants

When potting plants, place a few used tea bags on top of the drainage layer at the bottom of the planter before adding soil. The tea bags will help to retain water and will also leach some nutrients into the potting medium.

13. Quell the cat box smell

Sprinkle used, dried tea leaves in litter boxes to help reduce the smell.

14. Eliminate other pet odors

Sprinkle dried, used green tea leaves on your pet’s pillow, bed, in the doghouse, or other smelly spots to eliminate odor.

15. Freshen the carpet

Sprinkle dry tea leaves onto the carpet, crush them lightly and let sit for 10 minutes, then vacuum. This will refresh the carpet and deodorize your vacuum cleaner and bag. (Especially helpful if you have pets.)

16. Treat the dog

As an extravagance, loose leaf gunpowder tea is a treat for dogs to roll around in. It’s great for the aroma and luster it adds to the coat.

17. Freshen mats and beds 

It is common in Southeast Asia to wash straw sleeping mats in tubs of water to which tea has been added. The tea works as a deodorizer, so you can apply this method to yoga mats and air mattresses.

18. Save the fridge

If you’re out of baking soda, place dried, used green tea bags or leaves in a small open bowl in your refrigerator to help absorb odors.

19. Wash your hands

Rid your hands of food odors (garlic, onions, etc.) by rubbing them with wet green tea leaves, an instant deodorizer.

20. Deodorize kitchen surfaces

Rub wet tea leaves on cutting boards and counters to remove food odors.

President Obama Addresses Climate Change

As I have mentioned in previous posts, politics had been bringing little attention to the threat of climate change lately. So yesterday, I was happy to hear President Obama finally address it as part of his inauguration speech. Hopefully this means significant steps will be taken to help the environment and that the proposed climate change summit will take place.
I for one am glad to have a president that actually listens to the science behind climate change and realizes the importance of protecting the environment. Hopefully he, scientists, and Congress can work together to pass some important legislation on this matter.

Art and Nature: How the Natural World Boosts Creativity

Here's something interesting a friend shared with me... an article that presents an argument against deforestation from an artistic point of view. Edinburgh University's Iain Woodhouse, who maps forests using satellites, photo-shopped the trees out of some famous paintings to show the aesthetic value they have. Below is van Gogh's "Olive Trees with Yellow Sky and Sun" with and without trees.

The second one is pretty boring. Unfortunately, deforestation is happening more and more as the human population grows. More room is needed for us to live, grow crops, and raise livestock. Everyone knows that trees are important in carbon sequestration, soil integrity, and providing habitats for wildlife. But I also believe that preserving forests is essential in preserving our happiness and peace of mind. How depressing would it be if there were no more places where you could go hiking and camping, or just go for a walk? Of course there will always be national parks and such, but I wouldn't want to have to travel far to enjoy nature. I'd rather have it right outside my door. Maybe that's just a result of where I'm from, which is surrounded by woods. But I lived in a city while going to college and I can honestly say I was not as happy there simply due to the surroundings. Nature provides us with inspiration... how many great works of art are landscapes or seascapes, or portray animals or flowers? Without inspiration from nature, the work of artists like van Gogh, O'Keeffe, and Monet would be virtually non-existent. As an artist myself, I wouldn't know what to paint if nature were eliminated as subject matter and inspiration. An article from Psychology Today states:

The study of the relationships between mental acuity, creativity, and time spent outdoors remains a scientific frontier, but the latest research suggests that exposure to the living world can enhance intelligence for some people. This probably happens in at least two ways: first, our senses and sensibilities are improved through our direct interaction with nature (and practical knowledge of natural systems is still applicable in our everyday lives); second, a more natural environment seems to stimulate our ability to pay attention, think clearly, and be more creative, whether we live in suburbs or urban neighborhoods.

The article states that one study from the University of Illinois found a reduction in ADD symptoms in children exposed to nature. Another article from Psychology Today states that a 2012 study from the University of Kansas concluded that "people from all walks of life show startling cognitive improvement — for instance, a 50 percent boost in creativity — after living for a few days steeped in nature." Not really sure how they measure "creativity" though. A 2006 study from Denmark found that 58 percent of children who were in close touch with nature often invented new games to play, but just 16 percent of indoor kindergarten children did.

One of my paintings... sans trees, this would be an empty field with a rock. Super exciting.

I think the most fun times I've had were outdoors... kayaking, hiking mountains, exploring underground caves, etc.. I've had more fun going to log cabins in the middle of nowhere than going into cities. Maybe that just means I'm a sociopath. Whatever the case, nature is fun... try to spend more time outdoors. You will feel better and apparently be a more creative person. The more people that appreciate trees and the environment, the more people will take steps to save them.

Time for a Plan

Today I'd like to share an article from The Guardian sent to me by my friend, Alex Palombo. The article states that President Obama is considering hosting a climate summit to come up with a strategy to combat climate change. This is exciting news considering climate change was barely mentioned during the campaigns, and has not been a majorly discussed issue since Obama was re-elected, even in the wake of hurricane Sandy. The summit would not just address what Congress can do on a national level, but what can be done at all levels of government. It is important to get the American public involved in mitigating global warming, and by targeting local governments, it will be possible to do so.

Environmental leaders, such as Jeremy Symons, the senior vice-president for conservation and education at the National Wildlife Federation, say that Obama needs to come up with a plan before the State of the Union address so he can outline his agenda. The proposal for this summit is apparently under "very serious consideration" by the White House. Environmental groups say Obama needs to come up with a clear plan and take "concrete steps" forward. We can only hope he does so. The State of the Union is scheduled for February 12th, so tune in to see if the proposed climate change summit is among the important issued discussed.

To read the full article, click here.

Green in 2013

It's hard to believe in a few hours it will be 2013 already. And of course with a new year comes new resolutions. This year, why not make a resolution to help the environment? A little effort can go a long way in this case, and you're helping more than yourself. Pick one or more of these ideas to add to your list of goals for 2013:

• Stop using plastic bags. Instead, bring reusable bags when you go shopping. If you haven't already, read my post about the environmental damage caused by plastic bags here. 
• Make sure to recycle if you don't already. It is really important and easy... you already take out the trash, so it's not hard to have a separate bin for recyclables.
• Switch to reusable water bottles and mugs. I also wrote a post about why plastic water bottles are so bad for the environment, which you can read here. If you do this one thing, you could have a major impact on helping the environment.
• Get healthy and lose weight! This is a typical New Year's resolution, but it can also help the environment. When you eat healthier, it often means cutting out processed foods and junk foods, which are usually produced in factories that use a lot of fossil fuels and put a lot of man-made chemicals into their products. Eating more fruits, vegetables, and natural foods also cuts down on packaging. Apples don't come in any packaging, but chips come in a bag that must be thrown away. Eating a more vegetarian based diet is also better for the environment, because a lot less energy is required to grow fruit and vegetables.
• Start a compost pile. For those of you that live in rural and suburban areas, you can do this in your yard or woods around your house. For people who live in more urban areas, they do sell indoor compost bins.
• Make sure to turn off lights, TV, and electronic devices when you are not using them. Being more conscious and making sure to do this can reduce CO2 and SO2 emissions from the coal burned to provide electricity. This can help slow global warming and prevent acid rain.
• Educate yourself! Learn about the environmental problems we are facing, what you can do to help, and teach others about them. Ask your friends and family to adopt some eco-friendly practices as well.

I hope you find these ideas helpful and give them a try. If you do, I'd love to hear about it, so send me an email or leave a comment! I hope you have fun celebrating tonight and that the new year is a happy one! AYJ\ü

The McRib is McNasty

I happened to come across this article on Yahoo by chance and I thought I should share it. Today, McDonald's is bringing back the McRib sandwich nationwide. This may not seem like an environmental issue, but if you have followed my blog, I posted a while ago about why eating a more vegetarian-type diet is better for the environment. You can read that here, but in short; less resources used to raise the food, less pollution, and it's healthier and more ethical. Meat is especially an environmental and ethical problem when it is produced in large-scale, factory farm settings. If that's news to you, you'll really be surprised to find out how disturbing the McRib is in particular.
The article lists 11 "amazing" facts about the McRib. I think "amazing" is being used here to mean "disgusting" and "people actually eat this?" Yes, I'm using that as an adjective. But anyway, lets go over some of the lovely facts...

• The McRib is made of "restructured meat product." That's a mixture of tripe, heart, and scalded stomach, which is then mixed with salt and water to extract proteins from the muscle. "The proteins bind all the pork trimmings together so that it can be re-molded into any specific shape — in this case, a fake slab of ribs." Not exactly the pork you had in mind. 
• What's in a McRib? Ok, well there's stomach, heart, tripe, and also pickles, bread, onions, and barbecue sauce. Think that's it? It actually contains over 70 ingredients, including azodicarbonamide, which is used to bleach the flour in the bread, and also in the production of foamed plastics. In the UK, it is recognized as a respiratory sensitizer. 
• Not really an environmental issue, but the sandwich has 500 calories, 26 grams of fat, 44 grams of carbs, and 980 milligrams of sodium. 
• An undercover investigation in 2010 revealed that Smithfield Foods, the supplier of pork to McDonald's, was inhumanly treating the pigs. They were crammed into crates, covered in blood, and baby pigs were tossed carelessly onto carts. I didn't watch the video because I don't want to see that, but there is a link to it on the article. 

To read the full article, visit http://finance.yahoo.com/news/11-amazing-facts-about-the-mcdonald-s-mcrib-170212930.html

Holiday Decorating and Gift Ideas

So I know I have mentioned this site before, but if you haven't seen it, I really recommend checking out http://tumblr.earth911.com/. I'm not really familiar with Pintrest, but I think it's similar to that. They've got lots of environmental art, gift ideas, and so many great craft ideas. If you're on a budget for gifts or just like making crafts like myself, these ideas are great, and they utilize materials you might otherwise throw away, which saves garbage from going into landfills. Here are some things I thought were cool...

Here are some craft ideas that use mason jars. The candles are really cute.

Here are some cool ideas for handmade ornaments.




It may be a little late for some of these fall ideas, but I think some of them could definitely be used for the winter too. I absolutely love the pine cone garland.

Over-the-ear headphones are popular this year. There are the EKOCYCLE headphones from Beats by Dr. Dre, made from at least 31% recycled material, and also these headphones from LSTN, made from reclaimed wood. I think the earbuds are really nice. And when you buy headphones from LSTN, they donate money to help a deaf child receive medical attention and a custom hearing aid.

Check out Roozt to for eco-friendly clothing and accessory gifts.

And beauty and spa products always make good gifts for girls. Stop by any Whole Foods, natural food store, or even a regular supermarket, and pick up some things like Burt's Bees or Dr. Bronner's products, soy or beeswax candles,  or organic tea.


And remember, I make handmade gifts too. Not that I'm shamelessly promoting myself or anything... but yeah, if you want to take a look that'd be cool. You can find them at http://katiedt.weebly.com/handmade-gifts.html. I make ornaments that would be good Christmas gifts, and also custom pet gifts, among other things.