how old is that apple core?

One of our favourite sites - Ideal Bite - has a tip on taking a load off our landfills.

Did you know that regular plastic bags not only take ages to decompose, but that they actually PRESERVE what's inside?

Ideal Bite advocates the switch to biodegradable bags, which cost a little more, but are just as strong, and biodegrade in as little as 10 days -- finally allowing those food scraps to decompose!

For all you Canadians, Grassroots sells BioBag kitchen bags on their site, which are certified 100% biodegradable and 100% compostable bags made from corn.

thaw thighs the green way

Great tip of the day from our friends over at ideal bite on thawing food.

The Bite
Make no boneless legs about it, next time you thaw something from the freezer, stick it in the fridge the night before. Or, if you're crunched for time, immerse it in water or zap it in the microwave - either way, you'll cut(let) H2O waste from running them under the tap.

The Benefits
-(Drum)sticking it to water waste. Regular faucets use 3-5 gallons per minute, so thawing out that chicken breast can drain a tank fast.
-More money for giblets. You can save about $25 per year on your water bill by adopting this tip.
-Getting a leg up on energy waste. If you normally run your frozen foods under hot water, you'll save a little power and money on water heating by sticking them in the fridge or immersing them in H2O instead.

Wanna Try?
Three options: 1) Stick food in the fridge the night before (sometimes longer for meat - about a day for every 5 pounds); 2) immerse it in water (in the sink or a bowl) for about an hour; or 3) get acquainted with the defrost feature on your microwave.