As those of you who've known me for years and years prolly recall, I was
quite the lil "save the earth" "love your mother" "hug a tree" kinda
gal. Life's been so crazy here I've lost track, but I am getting back
on course and am starting to make small changes that will make an
impact. And I feel really good when I do it, too. I've begun taking
re-usable bags to the grocery. It takes as much gas to drive a car one
mile as it does to make 14 plastic bags! That's crazy.
Try
calling your trash provider to see if they offer recycling. I called
mine today to inquire and found out they'll loan me a bin and p/u for
*free*. I coulda been doing this for months. I feel like an ass.
When SPRING comes, air dry your laundry. You can even put it in the
dryer when it's done for a few seconds to fluff it up so it's not funky
feelin from air drying. This still uses WAAAAY less energy.
When
you can, use chemical free stuff. It's expensive so I cannot always
comply... but I do whenever I have a few extra dollars to spend.
Check out your produce! Some of it comes from distant parts of the
world! It's more important to eat organic if it's an item that's known
to be high in pesticides, other than that, buy local. It's not helping
to buy organic tomatoes from, say, Chile. It's also cool to help local
farmers.
Compost, compost, compost. It's as simple as setting up a
spot, making sure you know what not to throw in it, and using a tarp or
something as a cover. It doesn't have to be elaborate. Look it up,
it's easy. Once it's done, if you're not into gardening, sell or donate
that nutrient-rich soil to someone who will use it.
Make saving our planet a part of your daily life with easy changes. Start today with help from these resources.
~Activism~
American Forests
The average person is responsible for emitting 94 pounds of carbon
dioxide every day. It takes four trees, which act as natural air
filters, to offset the carbon dioxide each person generates in a month.
For each dollar donated, American Forests plants a tree. For more
information and to plant trees, visit www.americanforests.org.
Earth 911
Find information about environmental services and events in your community, visit www.earth911.org.
Engines Off
Lynn
Romanek from Glencoe, Illinois, has organized parents at her childrens'
school to turn off their cars instead of idling in the parking lot.
Idling 10 minutes less per day can keep 550 pounds of carbon dioxide out
of the air every year. For more information visit www.enginesoff.org.
Greendimes
A group that reduces junk mail and plants trees. For more information or to sign up, visit www.greendimes.com.
Treehugger
For ideas on green living, visit www.treehugger.com.
Stop Global Warming Tour
Learn
more about Sheryl Crow and Laurie David's tour and what you can do to
find solutions for global warming. Visit www.stopglobalwarming.org for
more information.
The Green
Simran Sethi hosts The Green on the Sundance Channel. Visit www.sundancechannel.com/thegreen for more information.
The Green Book by Elizabeth Rogers and Thomas Kostigen
Simple things you can do to save the planet. Find more at www.readthegreenbook.com.
Shopping and Cleaning
Ecobags
Bringing your own bag when shopping saves plastic bags. Visit www.ecobags.com.
Method Home
Method
offers some cleaners that are dye- and perfume-free, nontoxic,
biodegradable, naturally derived and never tested on animals. For more
information, visit www.methodhome.com.
Mrs. Meyers cleaning supplies
All
of their cleaning supplies are made with natural essential oils, are
biodegradable and phosphate-free. For more, visit www.mrsmeyers.com.
Seventh Generation products
Seventh
Generation is one of the leading brands of nontoxic household products.
For more information, visit www.seventhgeneration.com.
Shaklee
This
company has been producing natural cleaning products—everything from
dryer sheets to stain removers—for 50 years. Call 800-670-6251 or visit
www.shaklee.com to save 33 percent on the Shaklee Healthy Home pack and
15 percent off all other items at Shaklee.
Energy
BITS Ltd. smart power strips
Even
after turning off a computer, power continues to flow to computer
peripherals like printers and scanners. This power strip ($32.99) stops
the energy from being wasted. For more information visit
www.bitsltd.net.
Carbonfund.org and Terrapass
If your
local utility company doesn't offer green power, you can reduce the
environmental impact by purchasing offsets. In this system, you give
money to companies like Carbonfund.org or Terrapass, which use it to
develop renewable energy sources. For more on purchasing power offsets,
visit www.carbonfund.org or www.terrapass.com.
Duke Energy
Duke Energy provided energy efficiency starter kits for audience
members. The kits are available to their customers in Indiana and
Kentucky who qualify for in-home energy audits. For additional
information visit www.duke-energy.com. Check with your local energy
company for similar ways to save energy.
GE Energy Smart lightbulbs
GE Energy Smart bulbs use 70 to 75 percent less energy than
incandescent lightbulbs and last up to 10 times longer than incandescent
bulbs. For example, by using a 26-watt compact fluorescent
lightbulb—equivalent to a 100-watt incandescent lightbulb—users can save
up to $59 on energy costs over the life of the bulb. Saving energy
saves money and is better for the environment.
Water bottles
Nalgene water bottles
These water bottles are durable, inexpensive, can be used
repeatedly and are widely recyclable. For more information visit
www.nalgene-outdoor.com.
New Wave Enviro Products
Corn-resin bottle with filter ($8.99) provides pure, clean drinking
water and can be reused up to 90 times, and the bottle biodegrades in
just 80 days. For more information visit www.newwaveenviro.com or call
800-592-8371.
SIGG water bottles
Using a premium reusable
bottle like SIGG greatly helps reduce unnecessary environmental waste
caused by plastic PET water bottles. Get more information at mysigg.com.
Grocery store
During 1 trip, you make hundreds of decisions that can have real
environmental impacts. With just a few easy changes, you can make a
positive difference in the world.
~Instead of regular aluminum foil or plastic wrap, purchase recycled aluminum foil.
It uses just 1/20th of the energy needed to produce regular foil.
~Look for items without extensive packaging.
Most food packaging material uses some petroleum-based plastic.
There are several ways to cut down on the energy and waste this
produces. Look for minimally or unpackaged items instead. Experiment
with bringing your own packaging or buying in bulk. Purchase brands that
use bio-based instead of petroleum-based plastic. Recycle or reuse
packaging materials you end up having to buy.
~Bring a cloth bag to the grocery store instead of using its plastic bags.
An estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed
worldwide each year. That's 1 million bags used per minute. And,
according to the EPA, more than 380 billion of those are discarded in
the U.S. Less than 1 percent of those are actually recycled. Instead,
these bags will clog landfills, create litter, choke streams and harm
marine wildlife, like whales, seals and sea turtles.
~Buy local and organic.
Buying seasonal, locally produced food helps in a number of ways.
Most food travels 1,500 miles from "farm to fork." But buying local food
drastically reduces the energy spent on food shipping. Local goods also
tend to use minimal packaging, are fresher and come in more varieties.
The best way to track down local food is at your local farmers markets
or through the Community Supported Agriculture department. Farmers who
grow produce organically use less fossil fuel and release fewer
greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. Organic farming is better for the
land, for the farmers, and for the consumers.
