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EDWARDS1411's Recent Blog Entries
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Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Be the change you want to see in the world. ~ Mahatma Ghandi
SP's "30 Days to a Greener Lifestyle" tip today is,
"Size matters. Smaller is better when it comes to cars and houses, among other things. Small sizes are more energy efficient, use fewer materials, produce less waste and cost less money."
www.ecomii.com/tips/buy-a-small-car tells us that when it comes to your car, by going small lessens the damage your driving does to the environment. The carbon emissions from cars are some of the biggest contributors to global warming and air pollution and according to the Inter Press Service, more than half of a 2-car family’s carbon emissions come from the vehicles they drive. Even the best large car or SUV only gets about 20 miles per gallon on the highway, whereas a small car or hybrid can get 40 mpg or more. You can see how enormous this difference is when you consider the fact that the difference between 25 mpg and 20 mpg can total 10 tons of carbon dioxide emissions over the car’s lifetime.
And, www.fool.com/personal-finance/home/2
008/09/18/bigger-isnt-always-better.aspx points out that U.S. homeowners now have roughly three times more living space per person than their grandparents' generation - that the average American home has doubled in square footage since the 1950s, while family size is down from 3.7 people at the height of the baby boom to just 2.3 members per household. Obviously big houses are less environmentally sound as they use more building supplies, require more energy to heat and cool, and create more storm runoff that places more demand on drains and waterways. Despite more energy-efficient ways of harvesting building materials and heating and cooling homes, bigger homes (even well-insulated ones) tax our resources much more strenuously than their smaller counterparts.
Today's environmental "food for thought" is,
"The American lawn uses more resources than any other agricultural industry in the world. It uses more phosphates than India and puts on more poisons than any other form of agriculture." ~ Bill Mollison
Monday, April 18, 2011
Be the change you want to see in the world. ~ Mahatma Ghandi
Today's "30 Days to a Greener Lifestyle" tip is,
"Go natural. Natural materials produce less waste and last longer than man-made materials like acrylics. Choose wool, cotton, leather, silk and linen over synthetics whenever possible."
According to naturalhealthcare.ca/eco_and_environ
mentally_friendly_fashion.phtml
three things make a material "environmentally-friendly".
1. The renewability of the product. Renewable resources are items that can be replenished in a relatively short amount of time (as opposed to millennia.)
2. The ecological footprint of the resource. How much land (usually measured in acres) it takes to bring one of the plants or animals to full growth and support it.
3. The eco-friendliness of a product. How many chemicals it takes to grow/process the product to make it ready for market.
Some interesting info about "eco-friendly" materials.
Hemp:
- Is the crop with the most potential for eco-friendly textile use.
- The ecological footprint of hemp is considerably smaller than that of most other plants considered for their fibres. Hemp plants grow very quickly and densely which makes it difficult for weeds to take hold, eliminating the need for herbicides and artificial fertilizers. It requires no irrigation as it thrives on the amount of water in the average rainfall, and it is highly pest-resistant.
- Hemp has naturally long fibres which makes it suitable for spinning with a minimum of processing. Those fibres are also long-lasting, in fact, historically hemp has been used for making naval ropes that were used in and around water because they resist rot.
- Hemp fabrics come in a variety of weights and textures. You can purchase fabric or clothing, woven or knit; buy yarn, rope, belts and a wide range of products made of this versatile plant.
Organic Cotton:
- Organic cotton is much more environmentally friendly than the traditional variety as it uses no pesticides, herbicides, or insecticides during the growing cycle.
- Usually manufacturers using this plant to make textiles follow up the process by using natural dyes to further reduce the amount of chemicals dumped into our ecosystem.
- Even more promising is a new cotton that is grown in the tradition of the Aztecs - coloured cotton. Sally Fox, a biologist, spent ten years perfecting a coloured cotton with long enough fibres to be spun into thread. She managed to get it to grow naturally in shades of green and brown. It has the added benefit of not fading (in colour) and in fact, it gets more vibrant with the first few washings.
Soy Silk:
- Soy silk is made from the by-products of the tofu-making process. The liquefied proteins are extruded into fibres which are then spun, and used like any other fibre (woven, knitted, etc.).
- The high protein content makes it receptive to natural dyes.
Bamboo:
- Bamboo is a highly renewable grass, and it is probably this property that has resulted in its being classified as "eco-friendly". It also has natural antibacterial properties and the fabric "breathes". The resultant cloth is also biodegradable.
And some interesting info about new materials on the horizon.
Ingeo Corn Fiber:
- Made by Dow Chemical, Ingeo is created by extracting the starch and then sugars from corn, and processing them to make a fibre, which can be spun into a yarn or woven into fabric.
Fortrel EcoSpun:
- While not "natural", Fortrel EcoSpun is a polyester fibre made out of recycled plastic bottles which can be made into fleece. Manufacturing this fibre is preferable to creating new petroleum-based fibres, and given the sheer amount of plastic bottles in existence, finding a new use for them is a plus.
And today's environmental quote is,
"Now I truly believe that we in this generation must come to terms with nature, and I think we're challenged, as mankind has never been challenged before, to prove our maturity and our mastery, not of nature but of ourselves."
~ Rachel Carson
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Be the change you want to see in the world. ~ Mahatma Ghandi
Today's "30 Days to a Greener Lifestyle" tip is,
"Eat seasonally. Seasonal foods are fresh and more nutritious. Plus, they don't have to travel far to get to your table and are rarely imported from far-away countries."
The nearer your food has been grown to where you live, then the less time it has spent on a truck, boat, or plane in getting to you and thus less energy is used and less CO2 emissions are spewed into the environment.
www.ecolife.com/health-food/eating-l
ocal/seasonal-food-guide.html gives us four other good reasons to eat seasonally.
• Flavor: Fruits and veggies eaten shortly after they’re picked during their peak growing season will taste fresher and much more flavorful. Seasonal eating is therefore like inviting a party to your mouth!
• Environment: When grown in their ideal season, plants are naturally stronger and more resistant to pests and disease so that they require fewer pesticides and fertilizers (soil amendments and pest management for organic farmers, of course).
• Nutrition: Some fruits and vegetables can only be grown in certain seasons. When buying them off-season, you’re likely purchasing items that were picked weeks, if not months, earlier. Since produce starts to lose nutrients shortly after being picked, out of season options will have lower nutritional values.
• Support for local farmers: When you purchase fresh, seasonal food, naturally it will have to come from local farmers. This helps to keep wealth within your community and supports family farms.
So make it a practice to eat produce that is grown in the area where you live and buy it at its peak of ripeness rather than the produce that was packed unripe and shipped thousands of miles. An added bonus is that seasonal food is often cheaper than out of season produce. Take a nice drive to a pick-your-own field, buy from farm stands and visit farmers' markets in the city which are usually open from Spring to late Fall. And, of course, there's nothing better than eating fresh fruit and veggies that have come from your very own garden!!!
Today's environmental quote is,
"To forget how to dig the earth and tend the soil is to forget ourselves." ~ Mahatma Gandhi
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Be the change you want to see in the world. ~ Mahatma Ghandi
Today's "30 Days to a Greener Lifestyle" tip is,
"Recharge. Using rechargeable batteries is worth the investment. You'll get dozens of uses out of a single battery that would otherwise be used once. That saves you money, trips to the store, and waste."
Throwing old batteries away can create environmental problems by leaking chemicals and of course adding to the landfills. Using rechargeable batteries is good for both for our wallets and the environment as they can be recharged and reused many times.
www.motherearthnews.com/Nature-Commu
nity/Rechargeable-Batteries-Benefits.aspx tells us that there are three main types of rechargeable batteries.
1. The nickel cadmium battery (NiCd) is known for its long life but lower voltage potential than its competitors.
2. Another type, the nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) has higher voltage that the NiCd, but requires more charges.
3. And a step above the rest, is the lithium-ion battery which is more expensive than other rechargeable batteries, but stores more energy and lasts longer between charges. They’re perfect for battery-operated tools and they’re better for the environment because they don’t contain harmful toxins. And since lithium is a natural metal, it is available in great quantities.
Even rechargeable batteries have to be replaced. www.call2recycle.org/promote-battery
-recycling-this-earth-day-.php?s=&c=1&
d=82&e=540&q=1&a=1151&w=2
has developed educational tools to help us promote our environmental commitment through rechargeable battery recycling. Check it out!
Today's recycling quote is,
"Do not wait for extraordinary circumstances to do good action; try to use ordinary situations." ~ Jean Paul Richter
Friday, April 15, 2011
Be the change you want to see in the world. ~ Mahatma Ghandi
Today's "30 Days to a Greener Lifestyle" tip is,
"Reduce packaging. Look for products without excess packaging, like concentrated detergent, in the produce aisle, forgo the plastic baggies. Instead of buying individual yogurt cups, buy one large tub."
www.everydayhealth.com/healthy-home/
eco-friendly/tips/how-to-reduce-packag
ing.aspx has some good suggestions on how we can reduce packaging.
- When choosing between two similar products, select the one with the least unnecessary packaging.
- Remember that wrenches, screwdrivers, nails, and other hardware are often available in loose bins.
- At the grocery, consider whether it is necessary to purchase items such as tomatoes, garlic, and mushrooms in prepackaged containers when they can be bought unpackaged.
- When appropriate, use products you already have on hand to do household chores.
- Recognize and support store managers when they stock products with no packaging or reduced packaging. Let clerks know when it's not necessary to double wrap a purchase.
- Consider large or economy-sized items for household products that are used frequently, such as laundry soap, shampoo, baking soda, pet foods, and cat litter. These sizes usually have less packaging per unit of product. For food items, choose the largest size that can be used before spoiling.
- Consider whether concentrated products are appropriate for your needs. They often require less packaging and less energy to transport to the store, saving money as well as natural resources.
- Whenever possible, select grocery, hardware, and household items that are available in bulk. Bulk merchandise also may be shared with friends or neighbors.
- It is important to choose food services that are appropriate to your needs. One alternative to single food services is to choose the next largest serving and store any leftovers in a reusable container.
Something to consider: If we ate mostly fresh fruit, vegetables and grains that we either grew ourselves or purchased from local growers, packaging would be greatly reduced and our health would improve - two great benefits for ourselves and the environment.
Today's recycling quote is,
"A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people." ~ Franklin Delano Roosevelt
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Member Comments About This Blog Post:
Blog. You teach us so much.Thanks
