Tomorrow we’re celebrating Earth Day, so it’s a great time to look at some unique and interesting ways that tea can intersect with issues of sustainability.
One really easy thing to do with old tea leaves is use old dregs as compost. Even discarded tea leaves carry a substantial amount of nutrients that can help give a needed, healthy boost to your favorite potted plant or that fickle rose bush in the garden. Think of it as do-it-yourself fertilizer that doesn’t take any extra effort on your part. You can also think of it as one more thing that won’t end up taking space in a landfill somewhere! Leftover water from brewing doesn’t have to go straight back down the drain. Instead, use it to water plants around the house or outside. It’s a small but easy way to get more use out of the water you use for tea.
When you’re not drinking tea yourself, why not brew a cup of Compost “Tea†for Mother Earth herself? This is a special “drink†intended especially as a gardening and farming tool. Just 1/4 teaspoon of good Compost Tea has been shown to contain over a billion bacteria as well as several strands of fungi that are beneficial to plant growth. Good bacteria out-compete other harmful organisms and also improve the water-holding capacity of soil. Fungi help decompose old plant material and retain nutrients. It’s easy to make and the main ingredient is your very own heap of compost collected at home, which can be made up of many things, including old tea leaves. If your garden or your houseplants are looking particularly sad, give it a try!
For a truly creative use of spent tea leaves, look no further than these Lego bricks made out of tea leaves and coffee beans. Here’s an idea that could really change the way we play and build! It’s a great example of looking at an already existing product and finding a way to build it in a more sustainable way that reuses old materials instead of discarding them. The best part? The Lego pieces are fully functional and interlock in the same way as regular plastic blocks do.
