tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post3651791253472658268..comments2023-10-14T09:44:21.840-05:00Comments on People I Want to Punch in the Throat: Live Free (and Compost) or DieJen Piwtpitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09576108150881254072noreply@blogger.comBlogger103125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post-46046478240078932762015-08-26T21:08:57.154-05:002015-08-26T21:08:57.154-05:00If you go inland, you can see people cutting down ...If you go inland, you can see people cutting down trees just to throw them in the garbage while burning coal. New Hampshire is the antithesis of crunchy. Heck, even go like two miles out of downtown Portsmouth and you'll see douchebags "rolling coal" in their lifted pickups.CPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16511862163004794374noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post-48243058334315184152015-08-19T15:12:47.081-05:002015-08-19T15:12:47.081-05:00I grew up in FL and moved to NH 10 years ago. We l...I grew up in FL and moved to NH 10 years ago. We loooooovve it up here! It's progressive in all the right ways, and old-fashioned in all the right ways. There are like zero Douchey Dads, Dolce moms or Absolutely Appalling Offspring here! I haven't even met any over-achieving moms, though I'm sure they're out there. Seriously, the moms are super laid back, the dads are super involved, and the kids (even teens) are super mature and polite! It was quite a change from Central Florida, which now that I think back on it, very well might be the mothership of people you'd want to punch in the throat. <br /><br />I didn't notice more crunchy people up here than there, but I did notice that virtually no one here cares about fashion, which is sort of a relief! I do know one OAEM, and one OAE non-mom, who would make the women in your story look like underachievers. I made (most of) my own sometimes-organic baby food. I used cloth diapers but took disposables on trips. I've done some composting but didn't stick with it -- yet. But my views on the environment didn't come from living in NH but from the environmental science classes I took in college, and also from my first boss who gave me the recycling bug.Splash90https://www.blogger.com/profile/06953803156644741921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post-91327490814493108002014-05-05T19:15:29.724-05:002014-05-05T19:15:29.724-05:00I live in NH...Portsmouth is its own entity. The ...I live in NH...Portsmouth is its own entity. The rest of NH does not roll like that I promise you.Katiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01282224293165584996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post-86545148485461273792014-04-22T21:05:29.013-05:002014-04-22T21:05:29.013-05:00When I lived in Oregon, Portland had those toilets...When I lived in Oregon, Portland had those toilets and I actually really liked them. I grew up in San Diego which is full of trash and pollution, and when I moved up to the Pacific Northwest my Husband introduced me to recycling. It's like a habit for me now. I don't have a compost pile but if I throw a can or bottle into the garbage can, I feel like I have just killed a litter of puppies.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11863459562373859985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post-78812975388291621942014-04-22T19:34:30.965-05:002014-04-22T19:34:30.965-05:00I live in good old NH and I can proudly say that I...I live in good old NH and I can proudly say that I don't compost and wouldn't wear comfortable shoes or fleece if my life depended on it. Portsmouth is THE crunchiest place on the planet. Beautiful, though. Our NH is a wonderful place to live, I must admit.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17993054731093519691noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post-55852002125834976702014-04-22T15:23:02.764-05:002014-04-22T15:23:02.764-05:00I could definitely get on board with a curbside co...I could definitely get on board with a curbside compost collection. I doubt that will happen in TX though :) Autumn Cabralhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05884669630480583022noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post-27456075394718163002014-04-22T13:30:23.405-05:002014-04-22T13:30:23.405-05:00we have very little choice but to be super Green a...we have very little choice but to be super Green around here. the school sends all lunch garbage back home in the kids' lunch totes. Thanks for throwing that half eaten container of OPEN yougurt back in folks! appreciate that.<br />And our waste removal company only allows so much garbage at the curb. They won't take away leaf and yard waste any more but once per year --- which happens BEFORE Christmas, so unless you haul your live holiday abomination to the dump yourself, it sits in the backyard all summer.<br />However, I do love the compost. I love that all that stinking rotting garbage is not in my house under my sink messing the sweet smell of my soy (eyeroll) candles. And since I do garden, then it does come in handy for great soil. I had my super earth friendly MIL buy me the container when she saw me dump a whole Thanksgiving meal of scraps in the regular garbage bin. For shame. <br />and score. LA Botcharhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09045857399816360885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post-58390364453155646442014-04-22T13:16:53.757-05:002014-04-22T13:16:53.757-05:00Guilty as charged. I am a mid-level OAEM. But I am...Guilty as charged. I am a mid-level OAEM. But I am in recovery. For the record, though, even though I compost, that means I toss food in a pile in my backyard and ignore it all year. When I need dirt, it is magically in there instead of having to buy it at Home Depot, and my trash can, which I never empty more than once a week, doesn't stink. I use cloth napkins because I am cheap and I don't want to buy paper. And the 3 can recycling system at Whole Foods makes my head hurt every time. Being Green can be a good way to be healthier and save money, but it should not become another excuse to make us Moms feel superior over one another.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06534999556359609275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post-34037423950830483412014-04-22T09:19:44.863-05:002014-04-22T09:19:44.863-05:00Our city has curbside recycling. I did make baby ...Our city has curbside recycling. I did make baby food but drew the line at cloth diapering. We try to compost but I am afraid of the bins (i do not like bugs), our city will be implementing curbside compost pickup in the future which would make things easier on me. Navy Hawkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10745840150213875539noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post-81459022501557882012-03-07T06:06:17.039-06:002012-03-07T06:06:17.039-06:00Thankfully our city just picks up our big recyclyi...Thankfully our city just picks up our big recyclying bins every week so it's easy peezy. I thought of this post this morning. Been up with the kid since 5:30 cause of a belly ache so I figured I would be productive. I have "organice, free range" chicken baking in the oven for tonights dinner....yes, at 7 a.m., I have no idea what "free-range" means but I am "that mother" this morning....LOL. That was the chicken Trader Joe's was selling so I bought it. :)solo$12https://www.blogger.com/profile/01607431645264839811noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post-14668020174872545132012-03-04T20:45:09.393-06:002012-03-04T20:45:09.393-06:00Pretty sure people in Portsmouth shave... as a mat...Pretty sure people in Portsmouth shave... as a matter of fact, I'm a very well cared for girl. Nails are painted, hair is straightened. And we are proud of or clean town. you won't be walking around in a dump here, like many other places in the US. If you don't like it, maybe you could move?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post-25431430960081972812012-03-04T20:15:27.979-06:002012-03-04T20:15:27.979-06:00ugh - I would not last in that town at all... I ha...ugh - I would not last in that town at all... I hate people like that - <br />Compost on your own time for god sakes....Lady Goo Goo Gagahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12069299966003506030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post-39210883749523013082012-03-04T00:53:25.989-06:002012-03-04T00:53:25.989-06:00Actually, Vermont sounds more like Seattle than Ne...Actually, Vermont sounds more like Seattle than New Hampshire. By far the most environmentally friendly of the New England states. Southern NH is pretty crunchy (Dover and Portsmouth for instance) but it gets significantly less so the further north you head. My parents still throw all their trash in one bag, and the town dump still burns trash when the land fill gets too full.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post-13635046090800366222012-03-03T13:49:13.872-06:002012-03-03T13:49:13.872-06:00Move to Seattle and they pick up your yard & f...Move to Seattle and they pick up your yard & food waste so you don't have to compost it yourself. They do it for you - and in the Spring they give you a couple of bags free if you come and pick them up. It's amazing how small our trash can is now - who knew? But I still have to stop and read all the different cans when we go out because they are always changing the rules.Monkey's Mamahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01437699085199871699noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post-38651820460585062202012-03-03T10:35:47.218-06:002012-03-03T10:35:47.218-06:00I was thinking the same thing. My husband is from...I was thinking the same thing. My husband is from ME (an entirely diff place in many ways) but we both spent a LOT of time in NH while growing up, continue to vaca there now and visit my in-laws that also live in NH (Concord/Lakes area). While there are pockets of the OAEMs all over New England I don't think the NH has an especially high number of them. VT might but there a plenty of folks that don't have an environmental clue.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post-40358852086369633562012-03-02T13:53:59.124-06:002012-03-02T13:53:59.124-06:00I'm from Portsmouth... you must have been at M...I'm from Portsmouth... you must have been at Me and Ollies... hippie sandwich capital of P-Town. There are sooo many great restaurants here, it's too bad you weren't here for longer. I love my town and who can honestly say that?!?) I hope you enjoyed yourself... and i would have never stared at your napkin taking situation... but then again, i don't eat there. They give pretzels with sandwiches and I think that's weird.Amynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post-81758481926186233472012-03-02T12:08:05.375-06:002012-03-02T12:08:05.375-06:00Oh, but I do have to add this: I was confused by t...Oh, but I do have to add this: I was confused by the refuse bins at the McD's near my house when we went a couple of weeks ago. The only choices were recycle or compost, and I had to puzzle over it for a moment. However, we don't go there often, and I know to kind of presort it on the tray next time I treat the kids to Happy Donald's (my 4 yr old's name for the place) as a bribe to behave. ;)Kristiannahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05635110361473119954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post-47977307394243669702012-03-02T11:52:47.678-06:002012-03-02T11:52:47.678-06:00I love your blog, but I have to say, I think you&#...I love your blog, but I have to say, I think you're way off the mark with this post. I would never glare at someone for not doing all I might choose to do, and I don't do other things people who're more over the top then I do, but I'm proud my community (I'm in the Bay Area) is working to help reduce some very bad problems the 'use and toss' mentality our society developed has created. Yeah, I am still trying to figure out the right can to put some trash in some places, but I also hope soon our refuse company will give us wet compost boxes along with the recycling and green waste carts. My family of 5 has plenty of room in our smallest size 'trash' cart every week and I'd love to see that improve even more. This planet is our only home at this point. Learning how to do better is not a choice like playing with stupid elves and pretending they're making messes at night, KWIM? It's kind of vital. I'd like my great grandchildren to think their planet doesn't suck ass. :)Kristiannahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05635110361473119954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post-68644208598440291782012-03-02T06:53:35.111-06:002012-03-02T06:53:35.111-06:00In St Louis, our zoo is the greenest place I'v...In St Louis, our zoo is the greenest place I've been and it has the fancy toilets, as do some malls (I think that's the other place I saw them). I have yet to see more than trash & recycle options in public, but I haven't been back to the zoo since summer. I recycle and am almost the only one in my family and my in-laws who really does it with any conviction. The biggest thing the rest who even attempt mess with for the most part is aluminum cans. My grandma did train me at an early age to toss things like stale cereals/crackers/bread, etc out "to the birds" in the backyard. I take it a step further and toss apples that are mealy out for the deer and whatnot and leftover pizza for the raccoons. We live near a state park and get lots of wild visitors, so I rarely see leftovers for more than a day when we toss things out. I have yet to have wildlife digging in my trashcans since they know the food is likely not there. Also, when my snake ignores her dinner (we thaw frozen rats from the pet store for her) i toss those in the back yard for hawks & wild snakes to eat. I have an exterminator come regularly so I don't have problems with insects or rodents in the house (which I would do whether I threw food out or not), and honestly have never seen an indication that I am in danger from anything but the aunts that seem to plague everyone I know these days. Actually, my exterminator is pretty convinced our foundation was poured on top of an ant colony, so they'd probably be an issue either way. The point is I think you can be a green mom without having to be OA Green mom, but I see signs popping up here in the midwest that we're headed that way too... Is that really SO bad?Jenderellahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13486118540640988894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post-14835179450554178262012-03-02T00:35:43.307-06:002012-03-02T00:35:43.307-06:00I feel like you just described every dinner outing...I feel like you just described every dinner outing I have since I've moved to Oregon. I'm from the midwest, and was completely new to this save-the-earth live-green philosophy...My first year here I was constantly getting in trouble for not recycling enough (so I forget sometimes!)- and I'm not sure I'll ever get the hang of the trash/recycle/compost bins found everywhere. I think it's great that people are so passionate about saving the earth or whatever, but when they shove their lifestyle down my throat and give me those condescending stares...Well, it makes me want to punch someone in the throat.MrsYhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03515254115989883416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post-29716500193925358882012-03-01T18:33:09.835-06:002012-03-01T18:33:09.835-06:00It sounds like Popover's! That place is great!...It sounds like Popover's! That place is great!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post-68769968595833622692012-03-01T16:52:51.690-06:002012-03-01T16:52:51.690-06:00True, true! We are lucky, here in california, the...True, true! We are lucky, here in california, there is a truck that takes our yard scraps and compost items away to a composting site so we don't have to deal with the mess or chore at home! Thank you to waste management.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post-70069783984280787012012-03-01T16:44:02.302-06:002012-03-01T16:44:02.302-06:00I made my own baby food, used cloth diapers, make ...I made my own baby food, used cloth diapers, make my own homemade cleaning products, and just about die when anyone leaves something plugged in when not in use! I think the difference is I don't talk about it to anyone who will listen. I just do it because that's what I feel comfortable doing, and it doesn't bother me when people don't do those things. I think people who brag about doing those things are doing it more for the recognition than and real convictions and that's annoying. Those are the people I want to punch in the throat.Faronnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post-72419219714738704232012-03-01T13:24:22.924-06:002012-03-01T13:24:22.924-06:00Wow... When this whole tree-hugging, crunchy, Birk...Wow... When this whole tree-hugging, crunchy, Birkenstock-wearing, long-stringy-gray-hair-is-sacrosanct, judgemental garbage started really becoming a religion up here in the Vermont/New Hampshire region, I rebelled. Purposely took more napkins when they were present. Left my reusable grocery bags unused and took plastic in their stead. Even discarded a plastic water bottle or two into the trash to watch them go dig it out when I walked away! Their "natural" personal hygiene often just leaves me wanting to provide a brush and a bar of soap AND a razor(for the "ladies") as I walk past them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5984487997306130330.post-12685739469948007382012-03-01T11:51:24.180-06:002012-03-01T11:51:24.180-06:00My husband is from NH. Born and raised. His whole...My husband is from NH. Born and raised. His whole family is still there, which means we go out there(from Chicago) about three times a year. In the summer we usually spend a week on the seacoast. While there we always go into Portsmouth for a day or two.<br /><br />What you saw? Never seen. Never experienced. And I've eaten in Portsmouth many times. <br /><br />I honestly don't equate NH with being super crunchy. Hell, I always thought of it a little of the opposite. My inlaws are considered well-off, but their condo association doesn't even have a recycling program. It's bizarre.Charlihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03391456788553332712noreply@blogger.com