Composter Winner

CONGRATULATIONS to the winner of our composter- SANDY MORALES! She was randomly drawn from all the people that reposted our EPGD posts and signed up for our newsletter! We hope you put it to good use and keep us updated!

Speaking of composting- on to our efforts! BUGS are in the bin now! Yay! Right? We think so, according to what we’ve been reading, at least! Bugs are a part of the ecosystem and are needed to help break down all the plant matter that we’ve been throwing in the bins. We’re sure that, just like anything, moderation is the key though! We’re trying hard to balance the brown with the green matter, along with the amount of moisture we’re adding. You don’t want it so soupy that mold takes over, but you don’t want it so dry that nothing can break down. It also appears that certain bugs help more than others.

Below are a few websites that we discovered, giving us the downlow on the creepy crawlies!

Daves Garden

Plant Care Today

Desert Dogs

Though we are saddened by the fact that we constantly find dogs that have been dumped when we do our desert cleanups, we are grateful to all the rescue groups that step in to help. Without good people balancing the scales, these sweet babies wouldn’t have a fighting chance. Thank you to Muttlove Dog Rescue and From the Heart Animal Rescue for taking in 4 of the most recent dogs we’ve found. Also, a huge thank you to all the fosters that opened their homes to these pups! Here are the pupdates you’ve been waiting for!

Chamomile was found in the desert last month, abandoned. She was taken to Animal Services, has been spayed, chipped, and is now in the care of Muttlove. She is waiting for someone to give her the best Christmas present ever: a loving home!

Glory, seen above, is our sweet old lady. She was found in the desert, barely able to walk. She was riddled with tumors, anemia, hair loss, eye issues, and underweight. Luckily, after a couple of months with the best foster family and countless good samaritans contributing to her healthcare, she is doing SO well! She has gained weight finally, is getting medicine to help with her joint pain, and is scheduled for surgeries to help correct her eye issues and tumors in early Dec. She, too, is needing a forever home for the holidays! She LOVES being with other dogs, cuddles, and a nice quiet home to relax in. If you’re interested in this sweet girl, please contact Muttlove on Facebook @Muttlovin

Blondie is another one of our desert doggies. She is sweet, small, soft, and loves other dogs. She was pulled from Animal Services by From the Heart Animal Rescue and is currently safe with a foster family now. If you would be willing to let her into your heart and home, please reach out to them on fthas.org

Marge has those sad eyes that make you want to scoop her up and hold her! She was also picked up in the desert and was at Animal Services with Blondie. From the Heart also took this girl in and she is pending adoption right now! Fingers crossed! Yay!

My first time composting

For the longest time, I have wanted to try composting. I’d heard a lot about it but wasn’t very clear on the details. It wasn’t until I bid on a double-barrel crank composter and won it, that I started to take it seriously. I figured the best way to learn is to jump right in, mistakes and all!

So, here goes my journey, trying to figure out the ins and outs of this. I will continue to update everyone on my progress and invite our amazing community to offer advice along the way. If you are more veteran at this, I am open to learning from your experiences. I also encourage those of you that have never tried this to take the plunge with me!

It already feels so good to know that the food and paper waste I create isn’t going into the landfill. It is like running a science experiment, checking the material breakdown daily! I feel like a kid again! I can’t wait for all that I’m doing to turn into soil gold!

As a bonus, we will be giving away a slightly used composter (Hey, what do you expect?! Green Hope Project is all about recycling!) to one lucky individual that reposts any of our social media messages about supporting us during Giving Day OR who signs up for our newsletter (www.greenhopeproject.org). We will have a drawing at the end of next week for everyone that qualifies and announce the winner via social media.

Visit us at https://www.greenhopeproject.org/el-paso-giving-day to make a donation for Giving Day, so we can continue to do all the great art, education, and environmental initiatives we’d like to do in this great region! Any donations given specifically on October 15th will be matched by Walmart!

Thank you for joining me on this adventure.

CP

P.S. I found this infographic helpful.