Chico, Sustainable

Between recycling and composting of food waste, my wife and I have reduced the amount of trash in our house to a trickle. We fill up one large lime green garbage bag (purchased from Waste Management) every couple of months, and we would like to decrease this even further.

The number one strategy that has helped us to reduce our waste is buying in bulk. Buying in bulk is easy to do, and is less expensive than purchasing in packages. S & S, Chico Natural, Winco and Raley’s offer substantial bulk options. We bring the food home in plastic bags, and empty them into large glass containers that seal tight. Most of the plastic bags can be reused, especially if they were used to hold dry goods such as cereal or beans.

Here is a quick overview of the variety of items you can buy in bulk in Chico:

--Cereal
--Nuts and dried fruit
--Soup mixes
--Baking staples (flour, sugar, salt, etc.)
--Rice and other grain
--Snack foods (trail mix, animal crackers, etc.)
--Beans, peas, and lentils
--Pasta

You can even bring your own plastic containers to buy items such as liquid soap, honey, or peanut butter.

The Simplest Way To Make Dry Beans Edible
(This process requires less than five minutes of labor!).
Dry beans are cheaper than canned beans, and because they are lighter than canned beans they require less energy to transport to market. Also, purchasing them in bulk requires no packaging to deal with.

1) In the evening, place the desired amount of beans in a pot. Add enough water to cover beans completely. Walk away.

2) The next day, when you get home from work, drain the water and rinse the beans.

3) Add water to the pot to cover beans completely. Add any of the following seasonings: Salt, garlic salt, cumin, lemon pepper, red pepper (not too much), oregano. Stir.

4) Turn stove on to low and cover pot. Right before you go to bed, turn stove off (stove should be on for at least 5 hours).

5) In the morning, place pot in the fridge. If beans are not soft, repeat step 4 that evening.

6) Use as you would a can of beans.