Live Green in Plano

Renewable Energy

2012-02-28T10:04:00.003-08:00

Interested in learning about, using, and promoting renewable energy?

Interested in learning about solar energy?

Interested in learning about the vast wind energy in Texas that is already being utilized?

A really good way is to get involved locally.

A really good way to get involved locally is to attend a NTREG meeting?

Which leads to the question --- What is NTREG?

NTREG is the North Texas Renewable Energy Group. It was established in 2001 with the primary goal of educating North Texans about the power of renewable energy ("RE"). As the NTREG webpage states - "NTREG members come quite literally from all walks of life. You need not be an engineer or the proverbial rocket scientist to be an active and productive participant with us." NTREG is a 501(c)(3) non-profit volunteer organization, and is the local chapter of the Texas Solar Energy Society (TXSES), which is the state chapter of the American Solar Energy Society (ASES). NTREG monthly meetings are currently being held at the REI store in Dallas on LBJ Freeway. Information about upcoming meetings is available at their website - http://www.txses.org/NTREG/events.htm

At the most recent meeting on Saturday, February 11, the presentation "Denton Municipal Electric's Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Initiatives" was lead by Lisa A. Lemons. Lisa is the Energy Efficiency & Sustainability Manager for Denton Municipal Electric. This was a very informative presentation and interactive discussion about Denton's initiative to become the "Greenest City in Texas" which began in earnest in 2007. Denton's municipal electric utility now obtains 40% of its electricity from renewable sources, which is one of the highest, if not the highest percentage in Texas. Most of this renewable energy in Denton is coming from the Wolf Ridge Wind Farm, which sits in rural Cooke County, north of Muenster, Texas, only about 30 miles from Denton.

Denton has also recently issued a request for proposal (RFP) for a purchase power agreement for 10-20MW of solar generation. The responses for the RFP are due February 21, 2012 (VERY SOON). If the responses are within the financial objectives of the project, the objective is to have the system online by June 2013. Denton's RFP was modeled after the recent RFPs that San Antonio, Texas has issued for larger solar generation systems (up to 400MW).

As we know, the sun shines a lot in Texas! And, we also know that we generally have the biggest demand for electricity when the sun shines a lot in the summer. So spend some time to learn about solar energy and other renewable energy - come to the next NTREG meeting!

Larry Howe
Plano Solar Energy Advocate

Dallas Regional Science and Engineering Fair

2012-02-27T12:36:00.004-08:00

This past weekend, I had the honor of being a judge at the annual Dallas Regional Science and Engineering Fair held at Fair Park. There, over 1000 middle and high school students from across the metropliex congregated to show their projects, with the winners in the competition advancing to the state competition that will be held in San Antonio, with the top seniors advancing to the international science fair.

I asked to be a judge in the environmental management division among the middle school students, and was extremely impressed with all of the submissions I judged.

The first place went to Katrina Druffner at All Saints Catholic School, who demonstrated a filtration method for removing copper and other heavy metals out of water using banana peels and lemon rinds. In many developing countries, particularly around areas with metal mines, potable water is difficult to find that isn't contaminated with heavy metal content. Her project demonstrated the effect of the negative ion charges from fruit that could be found in those regions as a way to help filter out those contaminants. In addition, Katrina won the junior division in the United States Naval Science Award.

Among the other projects that I assessed that would be of interest to those who follow Live 2 Live Green here in Plano:

- What type of human hair is most efficient in cleaning up automobile oil spills? (Wavy brunette hair is three times as effective as straight black hair and superior to blond hair). This project garnered an honorable mention and was won by Yingyan Ho and Jerry Liu, two students from Rice Middle School here in our own Plano, Texas.

- Are water turbine blades that are straight generate more power than turbine blades with individual cups? (Blades with cups generate twice the power than straight turbine blades). This project was also an honorable mention awardee from Reagan Cantrell at Schimelpfenning Middle School.

- Which types of worms were more efficient in creating the most compost? (It turns out that red worms were superior to earthworms, creating twice as much compost per weight).

- Which types of commercial mulch retained the most water among 30 different brands (Scott'sbrand Deep Forest Brown), although Texas Pure was also ranked high for it's water retention properties as well!

In all, I was very impressed to see the ingenuity among the student submissions I judged and was glad to see the interest among our youth in trying to find ways to help protect our environment.

Good luck to those who advance to the state competition, and for those who want to see more details on the science fair, please go to the following link:

http://www.drsef.org/

The Sustainability Steward

Monthly Goals

2012-02-23T14:26:00.002-08:00

Hi everyone, it's me again and I hope you all had an amazing Valentine's Day! First off, I'd like to thank Deb Bliss for taking the time to come to the Environmental Club meeting at my school yesterday. We all loved having you there, and all the tips have given us a lot to think about, so thank you very much! Now moving on to this week's topic, we're going to be talking about being green generally around the house. There is one for each month, so hopefully, you can try to keep a goal set for each one.

January
Laundry tips: In homes, washing machines are the second largest consumer of water- toilets are first. So run full loads as often as possible you do fewer loads. For electricity, 90% of a washer's use can be to heat the water, so use cold water for a majority of your laundry. Thinking of upgrading? High efficiency models can use 40-50% less water and 50-65% less electricity.

February
Protect the water supply: Clean water is often taken for granted-just turn on the faucet and out comes drinkable water. However, water supplies can easily become contaminated from air and ground pollutants. One gallon of motor oil can potentially contaminate 1 million gallons of drinking water, according to the EPA. Take motor oil to a recycling center. Reduce the use of fertilizers, pesticides, and household chemicals that can end up in the water supply through runoff.

March
A greener clean: Many household chemicals contain harmful chemicals. Look for products that have no ammonia, chlorine, petrochemicals, sodium lauryl or laureth sulfate, and that are dye and fragrance free.Never mix products or reuse bottles, as many chemicals can react with each other. Buy products in bulk packaging and in packages made of post-consumer recycled plastic.

April
Sustainable wood: Sustainability refers to the balance between resource consumption and replenishment time. Because of fast growth rates, some trees and grasses, such as bamboo, can and maples, are more sustainable than other slower growing trees, such as oaks and redwoods. Look for products that are responsibly harvested.

May
Mosquito control: From irritating bites to disease, mosquito can make a day outside miserable. Help control them around your house by removing areas where standing water can accumulate. Buckets, tires, rain gutters, planters, and toys are common breeding grounds. Change the water in birdbaths and fountains and empty rain barrels at least once a week. Use insect repellent when outside and make sure windows and doors are tightly closed.

June
Maintain yard equipment: Lawn mowers, blowers, grass trimmers and chain saws are large sources of pollution. Avoid spilling gas or allowing oil to leak onto the ground. Keep equipment maintained by changing the oil and air filters on a regular basis. Use manual tools where possible , such as manual hedge clippers and rakes instead if gas powered trimmers and blowers.

July
A Green picnic: When throwing your summer picnic, think green. Send invitations by email or call your guests personally. Have everyone bring something they grew or bought from a local source. Decorate with items from your yard, such as summer flowers in a pretty glass. And, don't forget to have everyone bring their own container for leftovers.

August
Backyard burning: Backyard burning is common, however it can be dangerous to your health and bad for the environment. Emissions from burning are not filtered so ash and gases are released directly into the atmosphere. Toxic chemicals can be released and can settle on crops and water sources. When considering burning, determine if it can be disposed of in a better manner and contact your local government about burn times and restrictions in your area.

September
Prescriptions medications: Most medicines should not be flushed down the toilet since they can contaminate the water system. Dispose of unused medications properly. First, take the medicine out of its packaging and mix with something unpleasant, such as used kitty litter. Then place in a sealable container and put it in with your regular garbage. A growing number of areas now have take-back programs. If you are unsure of how to dispose of an medication, contact your pharmacist.

October
Fall leaves: Collecting fall leaves has become a burden to many local landfills. Mulching the leaves in your yard may be a good option instead of raking and bagging. Mowing over the leaves breaks them down so they can be reclaimed by the ground. Large piles can be mulched up and used in glower beds. Dry leaves are a good 'brown' source for your compost pile. Be careful and do not mow over a pile higher than the mower as this can start a fire.

November
Driving tips for better gas mileage: You cannot control rising gas prices, but you can decrease your fuel consumption by driving smart. The Department of Energy states that aggressive driving can decrease your gas mileage by up to 33% on the highway and 5% around town. Accelerating steadily and observing the speed limit are two of the best ways to maximize fuel efficiency. Removing excess weight, reducing idling times, and using cruise control and overdrive gears are other good ways to increase fuel economy.

December
Update your home: Updating your house now will save you money in the long run while helping the environment. Begin with smaller projects, such as adding weather stripping to doors and windows, changing to water-saving shower heads and adding extra insulation. Adding new windows and updating heating systems are larger projects but can make a huge difference. Check with your leader and tax preparer as there are many home improvement loans and rebates now available for 'green' upgrade.

Information from: Better Homes and Gardens Calendar-Greengirl (:

Mass Transit

2012-02-23T14:20:00.003-08:00

In yesterday's Dallas Business Journal, a report was release that the metroplex is ranked 148th among US metropolitan areas in usage of mass transit. With 2.9 million workers in the area, just over 1.5% actually commute using public transportation, whether it by through DART or the Ft. Worth Transportation Authority. The city of Arlington, with a population of 380,000, has the distinction of being the largest city in the nation without any public transportation system within it's boundaries. Details of the article can be found below:

http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/news/2012/02/13/dfw-ranks-148th-for-workers-using.html?ana=fbk

As we continue to grow as a region, we need to take steps now to correct this. Try carpooling if mass transportation isn't feasible. But, more importantly, consider taking a bus. If, you're like me, and have never used a DART bus within the city of Plano, try it out and see how it works for you. You may be pleasantly surprised!

The Sustainability Steward

When I Get That Feelin, I want NATURAL Healin:

2012-02-01T15:11:00.000-08:00

You know the feeling. Pain and pressure right below your eyes, the inability to breathe the slightest bit of air through your nose, and of course the resulting chapped lips from days of “mouth breathing”. Yes, possibly the worst symptom of those pesky pesky viruses. Congestion. Yuck! When you are unable to clear those blocked passages, you will have to inevitably endure another infection. The sinus infection. For years now, I have dealt with sinusitis about 2-6 times per year.

Every time I got a cold, it would turn into a sinus infection. Apparently, my sinuses don’t drain very well. I am happy to say that this year is the first year I have managed to stay free from that obnoxious infection. Even though cold and flu-like viruses swept through my house several times since September, I have managed to avoid getting a sinus infection. How?? I discovered Xylitol.

Some of you may already be using xylitol as an all natural sugar substitute. Xylitol can do more than just sweeten your tea. Many dentists agree that xylitol can help in cavity prevention. According to the California Dental Association, xylitol inhibits the growth of the bacteria that cause tooth decay and over time will decrease the acids that attack the surface of the tooth. In the same way, xylitol helps prevent sinusitis by preventing the bacteria in your nasal passages from growing and making a home in your sinuses. Recent studies have shown that kids chewing xylitol flavored gum had a 40% reduction in middle ear infections. Using a xylitol based nasal spray regularly can decrease the amount of bad bacteria and can stimulate your bodies natural defenses. Sugar alcohols, like xylitol, have demonstrated the ability to prevent bacteria from attaching to your cells decreasing your chances of infection. Unlike sorbitol and other sugar alcohols that feed bacteria and fungi, xylitol prevents the growth of bacteria and can slow the growth of candida albicans.(yeast)

New studies are revealing all sorts of possible benefits of Xylitol. Improving bone density, increasing white blood cell activity, and hormone imbalances are potential benefits of xylitol being discovered. Xylitol is available in many different forms at health and grocery stores. You can find tooth paste, mouth wash, nasal sprays, supplements, chewing gum, breath mints, sodas, and even baked goods. All sweetened with xylitol.

So, go ahead, grab that brownie and enjoy it, guilt free.

-EcoDad

Staying Green in Your Bedroom

2012-01-31T08:19:00.000-08:00

Hi again! It's been a while, but I hope everyone's doing well in 2012 and keeping up with their green resolutions. (: Well, I'm back this week with more suggestions on how to stay green, but this time for your bedroom.

1. Unplug your chargers when your phones are done charging- Though your phone may not be hooked up to the charger, that doesn't mean it's not using electricity. Whether or not the phone is connected to the charger doesn't make a difference, as long as the charger is plugged into the wall, it's using electricity. Which means not only is there electricity being wasted, but you're unnecessarily wasting money on unneeded electricity.

2. Recycle your batteries- Instead of chucking your batteries in the trash can once they're done, collect them, and once you have a substantial amount, send them to your local battery recycling center. Often times, you can take it back to the place from where you purchased the batteries, and they'll gladly take them for you.

3. Keep your blinds open and your lights off- As long as there is still plenty of sunlight outside, try keeping your blinds open and lights off. This way you'll be saving electricity, and your room might even become warmer!

4. Turn your computer completely off at night- Although your plugs will still be connected to the wall, you'll be using less energy by turning off your computer.

5. Reuse scrap paper- Print on two sides, or let your kids color on the back side of the used paper.

Hopefully these tips keep you busy for this week, and you work to make them a part of you everyday schedule!

Until next time,
greengirl (:

Green Resolutions

2012-01-06T14:49:00.000-08:00

First of all, I'd like to wish all of you a very happy new year! Hopefully, everyone will be able to keep up with their new year's resolutions, because I know I haven't been very successful in the past. (: I'm sure everyone has their normal resolutions like eating healthy, exercising more, making new friends and all that, but how about some green resolutions too?

To start you off here are some popular resolutions people have come up with for 2012:

1) Go read meat free- going completely vegetarian might be a big step for some people, but if you're up for the challenge, why not try it? Though red meat does taste very good, it is a lead producer of waste, greenhouse gases, and more. It's also been recently noted that nowadays, much of what they put in the meat is actually really bad for you.

2) Ride your bike or walk to work more often- all it'll take is a little more time on your part, and it'll also give you many health benefits.

3) Don't buy bottled water- try using an at-home filtering pitcher and you can help make a dent in the 1.5 million barrels of oil used to make plastic water bottles each year, and you'll also save as much as $1,400!

4) Remember reusable bags- whether it's grocery shopping or clothes shopping, bring along a fashionable tote to carry your new items

5) Cut back on paper towels- all they really do is create more trash and messes in your home, so try using a towel this year

These are just a few possible resolutions, but hopefully they're enough to get you started on making some of your own!

Until next time,
greengirl (:

Happy New Year!

2012-01-03T14:30:00.000-08:00

2011 is over! It's been a long year, and it feels great turning the page into 2012. Along with your other resolutions, whether they be about health, family, or work, don't forget to set goals about the environment! No matter how well you're doing now, 2012 is the time to be even more eco-friendly. My personal goal is to be more aware of my trash, to discover how much I waste and eventually recycle more. Some other examples could be to create your own vegetable garden, to use more products that are organic or environmentally friendly, or even just to use public transit more. Whatever your goal, remember that your effort in 2012 can lead to a better environment of 2013.

Good Luck!
<3Lucy

GO GREEN AND SAVE GREEN!

2012-01-03T13:41:00.000-08:00

(Adapted from an article by the Worldwatch Institute)

Believe it or not, living greener can actually save you and your family so much money in the long run. Here are 10 simple things you can do to save money, reduce your carbon footprint, and benefit the environment.

1. Save energy to save money
• Adjusting your thermostat just a couple of degrees lower in the winter and a couple of degrees higher in the summer will not feel too different but can save so much money and energy. Also, it has been proven unhealthy to spend too much time in air-conditioned and heated rooms anyway.
• Using compact fluorescent light bulbs rather than incandescent bulbs
• Always unplug appliances when they are not in use and TURN THE LIGHTS OFF WHEN YOU ARE NOT IN A PARTICULAR ROOM.
• Wash clothes in cold water whenever possible. Research shows that as much as 85% of the energy used to machine-wash clothes goes to heating the water, and that is hardly necessary.
• Use a drying rack or clotheslines to save energy rather than machine-drying everything. (It doesn’t shrink your clothes like using a drying machine would!)
• Try to shower using more moderate water temperatures. Using water that is too warm is unhealthy for the skin and can causes rashes and dry skin.

2. Save water to save money
• Take shorter showers! We all like to have the luxury of taking a long, hot bath or shower, but reducing water use will lower water and heating bills as well.
• Try installing a low-flow showerhead that will reduce the pressure, speed, and amount of water used while taking a shower.
• Always turn of faucet, sink, and shower knobs tightly. A leaking faucet may not seem like that much water, but the amount of dripped water adds up over time.

3. Less gas to save money
• Walk or bike to work and school! This saves on gas and parking and vehicle maintenance costs while improving cardiovascular and muscular health and fitness.
• Try to carpool as much as possible. Think about it; that’s half of the gas money saved when you carpool with one other person, and even more money will be saved with more people involved.

4. Eat smart to save money
• Try eating less meat, starting with one meatless meal per week. Meat costs more at the store and is more expensive considering the related environmental and health costs.
• Buy locally raised and seasonally fresh poultry and produce.
• Purchasing from local farmers keeps money in the local economy.
• Though fast food and junk foods seems cheaper than fresh and healthy foods, eating too much of the former will have lasting and costly health consequences in the long run.

5. Skip the bottled water
• Not only is bottled water expensive, but it generates large amounts of container waste as well.
• Buying a water filter and pitcher is a small investment that will prove efficient and money-saving in the long run.
• Many studies have shown that bottled water is actually less pure and drinkable than tap water, and may be contaminated by harmful chemicals from the bottle. By getting rid of the bottled water, you can make a positive difference in terms of economizing, protecting your health, and protecting the environment.

6. Think before you buy
• Try to find new or gently used secondhand products. Consider a service like Craigslist or Amazon to get that done.
• Check out garage sales, thrift stores, and consignment shops for clothing and other items
• Try to find items with less packaging and buy brands of companies who attempt to reduce packaging and create greener products.
• Before making any purchase, always ask yourself, “Is that really necessary?” and “What will I used it for?” If you have any second thoughts, you should probably refrain from purchasing it.

7. Buy smart
• It saves money, time, effort, and packaging to buy things in bulk.
• Buy clothes that do not to be dry-cleaned to save water, time, and energy.
• Invest in high-quality, long-lasting products rather than objects than can only be used once.
• Invest in durable cooking utensils: metal and silver forks, spoons, and knives, and quality pots, dishes, bowls, etc. They can be used so many more times and in so many ways and protect the environment so much more.

8. Borrow instead of buying
• Instead of buying something that will only be used once or twice, why not borrow from parents, friends, or neighbors? These items could include books, tools, expensive appliances, bags, etc.
• In addition, you could split the price on an item and share it between two people or among a group of people, taking turns keeping and using it.

9. Dispose correctly of your waste
• Recycle as much as possible!
• Don’t be a litterbug. Pick up trash and wrappers around the house, at school, on the streets, at a park, etc.
• DO NOT put electronics and batteries in the trash. Take your unwanted electronics to the store to be refurbished or recycled, or take those appliances to a hazardous waste site to dispose of it properly.
• Try starting a compost bin! It saves the amount of trash that needs to be taken out, and it will save you from having to throw out so much food. The soil can be used as fertilizer at it contains many nutrients, and you can plant crops, flowers, or trees to create a more fresh and air and environments.

10. Make your own things
• Put those hands to work and create useful and creative objects from things around the house.
• You can make very effective, non-toxic cleaning products from ingredients like baking soda, vinegar, lemon, and soap. This saves money, time, and packaging and improves indoor air quality.
• Try making containers from stray objects around the house instead of going out and buying plastic and chemical-heavy containers. You can even personalize and decorate them!

As you can see, living green is definitely the way to go, as it is beneficial for every aspect of life. It saves you money and improves your health. It creates a healthier and more beautiful environment. However, each member of society must contribute toward this goal in order to create this environment, and you can start by taking these simple steps.

Erin

University of Texas at Dallas Wins the 2011 Innovation in Green Building Award

2011-12-19T14:07:00.000-08:00

The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), along with the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), awarded the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) with the 2011 Innovation in Green Building award. The college received this award for its newly constructed, LEED Platinum Certified Student Services Building.

This award recognizes a college like UTD that is an innovator in using Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) to develop a green campus.

The newly constructed, four-story, 74,000 square ft. building houses 14 departments. The cost of building the Student Services Building was under $1.1 million.

The Student Services Building was designed with several project goals and outcomes:

Texas Temperatures- We all know how hot it can get here in Texas during the summer! The design team chose to install terra-cotta louvers on the outside of the building. They protect the building from the rays of the sun, and reduce heat gain as well

Making Use of Natural Daylight- Another important aspect of construction was controlling light and solar heat gain while providing daylight to most interior spaces. Approximately 76% of the rooms inside the building are afforded natural daylight.

Conserving Rain Water- The design of the building incorporates water conservation measures ranging from automatic sensors in faucets to outdoor systems. In the event of a thunderstorm, or even a light shower, rain water is collected in a two-tank, 40,000 gallon cistern to irrigate the Student Service's Building's drought-tolerant landscaping.

Doing Less With More- Sharing conference rooms and reducing the number of individual offices in the SSB allowed designers to dedicate 73 percent of the building’s space for specific service purposes. The remainder, including hallways and equipment closets, serves general operational purposes.

<3
Eco-Ninja101

When I get that feeling, I want Natural Healing - Pooh’s Secret Medicine

2011-12-14T15:36:00.000-08:00

Ever wonder why everyone’s favorite bear never gets sick? Despite going on adventure after adventure though the woods, Winnie the Pooh always stays healthy. The rains can come down down down, and the wind can blow as hard as it wants, but it’s not going to get this bear down. His secret? Honey of course.

Raw Honey has many health benefits. Besides being a great tasting healthier alternative to table sugar, raw honey can help kick start your immune system. It contains live enzymes and many vitamins and minerals, including B complex, A, C, D, E, & K. It also contains amino acids and is a powerful antioxidant. It’s antimicrobial and antibacterial properties can help shorten the duration of colds. Taking a spoonful of honey, will help ease the pain of a sore throat. The honey will coat the throat providing soothing relief while it begins to attack the infection causing you pain to begin with.

Studies have shown honey to be effective at healing respiratory infections as well. Theses include bronchitis, sinusitis, rhinitis, cold, and flu. Unlike sugar that can depress your immune system, raw honey can actually jump start it. Give your immune system a super stimulant by adding honey to you Echinacea tea and help defeat those nasty colds. Make sure you wait until the tea has cooled to luke warm. The heat will kill the live enzymes and some of the nutritional content in the raw honey.

Local raw honey is even effective at treating seasonal allergies. My wife has suffered from allergies all her life. She began taking local raw honey just a couple months ago, and she has seen a noticeable improvement.

There is also research being done that indicates honey aids in the healing of burns and scrapes. “Honey provides a moist healing environment yet prevents bacterial growth even when wounds are heavily infected,” notes Dr. Peter Molan of the Honey Research Unit at the University of Waikato, New Zealand. Honey has shown to be more effective than antibacterial ointment when used to treat burns. Next time your little boy falls down and scrapes his knee, squeeze a little honey on it before applying the band aid.

Winnie the Pooh’s appetite for honey is insatiable. Perhaps because the reported benefits of raw honey are seemingly endless. Desperate parents out there, try giving a spoonful of honey to aid in water retention and help against bed wetting. Some say honey can aid in sleep as well. New benefits of honey are continuously being discovered. People are beginning to use honey as an energy booster, a digestion aid, and as a natural food preservative, Women are using raw honey as an alternative to synthetic beauty products. Could this be Pooh’s secret to how he has managed to stay so cute and cuddly for 85 years? Don’t wait until you get a rumbly in your tumbly. Go pick up a bottle and start experiencing the benefits of raw local honey today.

****Do not give raw honey to infants. A bacteria in raw honey, clostridium botulinum, is dangerous for infants****

Eco_Dad

Recycling at School

2011-12-05T15:11:00.000-08:00

Last time, I talked about different things you could do to help recycle in the kitchen. Hopefully, you guys found those tips useful! This week I'll be giving some tips on how to recycle at school. School is a place where so much can be done to save, but things inevitably end up not getting done. With some luck maybe we can change that. (:

We all know how many worksheets get passed out at school everyday, but have we ever given a thought to whether or not the backside of the paper is being used? More likely than not, the papers are printed one side. If you ever notice something like this, it wouldn't hurt to just casually ask the teacher if he or she has ever considered printing double sided. In any case, you can always use the back side of the paper as scrap paper, so either way you'll be using the entire sheet!

With all the paper being used in a classroom, whenever you get the chance, make sure to throw your papers into the recycling bin. If you see a classmate throwing something recyclable into the trash can, why not ask him or her to try the recycling bin as well?

Take the bus to school! Everyday, millions of teens are either driven or drive to school-just imagine how much pollution there is! By taking the bus, you can ensure that at least one car will be off the road, so why not give it a try?

Instead of bringing a paper bag to school and having to get another one every single day, why not try getting a lunch box instead? Not only will you be saving money on stocking up on paper bags, but you'll be helping the environment as well.

That's all for this week, but hopefully it's enough to get your mind teeming with ideas to save at school as well!

Until next time,
greengirl (:

It’s the holiday season!

2011-12-03T15:56:00.000-08:00

Everyone is busy with shopping, finding great deals, choosing just the right gifts, and running around being Santa Clauses. There are so many ways that we can be green while shopping, wrapping, and getting ready for the Christmas season.
Here are some tips on how to have a sane and green shopping experience (Adapted from an article by Dan Shipley from thedailygreen.com):

1. Make a List
Before buying, make a list of the items you might purchase for the people in your life, along with the cost of each item. Then, sleep on it. Modern marketing has made an art of turning the shopping experience into a cognitive morass that confuses your brain into spending too much money on things you don't need. Eliminate the waste by following Santa's example. A list will help you make better decisions and keep to a budget.

2. Check it Twice
Before making a purchase, check the price to get a good deal. But also check out the product and manufacturer. Greenpeace rates the makers of electronics (Nokia and Sony top the list), the Rainforest Action Network has just identified three publishers of children's books to avoid (because their policies support Indonesian deforestation) and HealthyToys.org will help you avoid toxic toys. Using resources like these are important, since marketing claims are often misleading.

3. Shop Online
Online shopping is generally a greener way to shop, essentially because trucks can deliver goods efficiently and it takes a lot less energy to run a warehouse for boxes of goods than a mall. So take a break from leftover turkey and check out the deals online.

4. Donate While You Shop
Donations to major charities were down 11% last year, according to a Chronicle of Philanthropy report documenting the worst decline in 20 years. Many sites channel a portion of the money to your designated charity. In addition, many credit cards encourage the accumulation of points that can be applied to your balance, redeemed for purchases or donated to charity. You could elect to donate the points accrued during the holiday to charity. Both are painless ways to essentially direct corporate profits to charities of your choice.

5. Shop from Your Favorite Charity
Modern non-profits often have marketplaces of their own, and the proceeds of sales benefit the organization's mission. Some examples: WWF, The Nature Conservancy and the Hudson Sloop Clearwater. Before exploring the for-profit options, see if your favorite non-profit has the right item.

6. Use Online Coupons
Several sites make finding coupons for green gifts easy. Check Ecobunga, Pristine Planet and greencouponcodes.com for deals on sustainable, organic and Fair Trade products.

7. Buy Local
When you do leave your desk and hit the streets, look for opportunities to buy from local artists, artisans and businesses. That way the dollars you spend contribute more to the community where you live. Downtown business districts have suffered in the last generation as shoppers got in the habit of shopping at suburban malls, but you can join the movement to revitalize city districts by spending your holiday dollars there. A vibrant downtown helps preserve outlying farms, forests and open spaces by attracting development to urban centers.

8. Buy Certified Gifts
Whether you're buying electronics (Energy Star), clothing (Organic), jewelry (Fair Trade, Conflict Free) or books (Forest Stewardship Council), there's likely a reputable third-party government or non-profit certification program that has already done the hard work of vetting the product. Shop for products made by companies that consistently pay fair wages and manufacture products without burdening the environment.

9. Reduce Waste Before It Happens
The mound of wrapping paper, plastic clam shell packaging, boxes and ribbons filling trash bags on the curb Dec. 26 isn't made on Christmas morning. It's made with each purchase during the shopping season. Choose products made from recycled materials, with minimal recyclable packaging... and be creative when you wrap your gifts. You might just find that you end up with less waste than when you started!

The Christmas season is one of the most waste-creating occasions of the year. Here are some tips on how to reduce the amount of packaging and trash, reuse certain items and materials, and recycle everything else:

· Use fabric and yarn for gift-wrapping. These materials add pizzazz to the present in addition to being eco-friendly, durable, and reusable.

· Use bags and tissue paper for your presents. They are not as eco-friendly as fabric and yarn but are reusable nevertheless.

· Avoid using tons of gift wrap paper and excessive ribbons. Be careful when unwrapping these presents so the wrap, ribbons, and flowers may be reused.

Other tips:
· Don’t leave on your Christmas lights 24/7. Try to set the lights to have automatic timers that will turn them off and on at specific times. This can save so much energy!

· Look for a “green” tree. Artificial trees are actually quite damaging to the environment as they are usually made in China and require great amounts of pollutants to be emitted to be created. However, using fresh Christmas trees perhaps requires annual trips to load them back and forth and can wither easily.

· Choose incredible and unique green gifts under $20! You can easily find items made by independent artisans and made from natural materials without the usual loads of packaging and trash. Making your gifts from objects around the house is awesome as well!

Enjoy your holidays, everyone!

-EY

When I get that feeling, I want Natural Healing: A Spot of Tea

2011-12-03T15:51:00.000-08:00

When I get that feeling, I want Natural Healing:
A spot of tea.

You are at work. You are feeling miserable. Stuffy nose, cough, sore throat all the wonderful symptoms of a good cold. The nice elderly women who works with you says, “let me make you a cup of tea. It should help you feel better.” You drink the freshly made tea, and sure enough your throat does feel a bit better. A little fresh air starts to pass through your clogged sinus cavities. You think to yourself, I have got to get some of this tea on my way home.

What is it about tea? Does it really have healing powers? How does drinking a cup of tea help me feel better?

Hot tea has a couple immediate benefits when you drink them. First, the steam helps loosen up the mucus that is preventing you from breathing. Second, the hot liquid has an immediate soothing effect on your sore throat. What makes tea so effective is the herbs used to make it. Most notably, Echinacea.

Echinacea is prescribed to us by mother nature. It is one of natures natural antibiotics. Echinacea stimulates our immune system making our own defenses stronger. It stimulates the cells responsible for identifying and “tagging” the intruding cells. Then, Echinacea stimulates the growth and production of white blood cells or the solider cells. Whether viral or bacterial, the new army of white blood cells can surround and conquer the intruding infection. Unlike antibiotics, echinacea works with our body keeping us strong. Antibiotics do kill the bacteria that cause the infection, but it also tears down our own defenses. Thus, increasing the chances of getting sick again. Furthermore, the anti inflammatory effect of echinacea helps open up swollen, clogged sinuses. Once mucus starts to drain, you begin feel better. The ability to breath lifts your spirit. You know the worst is over, and you are on the road to back to good health.

Herbal tea has been consumed for thousands of years across all cultures. It has stood the test of time. It was good enough for the ancient egyptians. ancient chinese rulers, and North American Indians. Echinacea is used my millions of people around the world to combat cold. Next time you are driving home from work feeling sick, stop at your local drug store. Avoid the temptation of all those over the counter cold medicines. Pick up a box of immune boosting echinacea tea, and start your climb back to health. Naturally!

Eco_Dad

Food for Thought Part II

2011-11-28T15:14:00.000-08:00

Last time I talked about how our food supply chain has changed dramatically in the last 50 years or so, and why this should be a matter of concern to us. It’s very ironic that while the large food producing companies are becoming more efficient and profitable, we are becoming sick more often from food-related illnesses. In a study funded by the Pew Charitable Trust, it was found that in 2010, there were 76 million food-related illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths. The money cost to the U.S. was about $152 billion a year, or roughly $1,850 each time someone gets sick from food, I think we need to develop more awareness around these issues and take small but practical steps at the individual level, so that collectively we can start to make a difference. We have to be aware of what the food does to us, what it does to the environment, and whether humane labor and animal practices were followed.
In terms of reading material, you can find works from some leading thinkers on this topic at Amazon.com or your local library. These include:
Michael Pollan:

1. The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals

2. The Omnivore's Dilemma for Kids: The Secrets Behind What You Eat

3. In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto

4. Food Rules: An Eater's Manual
Eric Schlosser:

1. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal

2. Chew On This: Everything You Don't Want to Know About Fast Food
Gary Hirshberg:

1. Stirring It Up: How to Make Money and Save the World

2. Anything But Neutral About Going (Carbon) Neutral
Incidentally, Gary Hirshberg runs Stonyfield farms that makes dairy products that are wholesome in every way (www.stonyfield.com). The company is very successful, showing that you can do well by doing good.
You can also find a number of related videos on this topic. Some of them are:

1. Forks Over Knives

2. Food Matters

3. King Corn: You Are What You Eat

4. Food Beware: The French Organic Revolution

5. Food, Inc.

At home, here are some steps you can take on an everyday level. In the supermarket see if you can buy organic foods (may be a little more pricey), avoid canned and heavily packaged foods, take your own bags to cut down on plastic, check labels, buy foods that are in season locally (a good way to do this is to see if there are any local farmers’ markets in your area), and plan your shopping to reduce the number of driving trips to the supermarket.

-Maya

When I Get that Feeling, I Want NATURAL Healing

2011-11-14T10:42:00.000-08:00

Tis’ the season. No, it’s not the holiday season to which I am referring. It’s the season of chills and coughs, fever and fatigue, headaches and body aches. Some time soon, our kids will develop a runny nose that seems to run until about mid February. That’s right. Cold and flu season is upon us.

When faced with a nasty cold or flu virus, many of us reach for our favorite bottle of over the counter or prescription medicine, particularly if it’s your child who is sick. As a parent, it is heart breaking to see your kid suffer through a dreadful virus. Parents will do anything just to help them feel better. However, many people do not realize the lasting effects modern medicine has on the environment.

The extraction of raw materials, the production and packaging, transportation, and sale of these medicines all leave their impact on the environment. Even more alarming, is what happens when the medicines are discarded. Whether thrown out or excreted by the body in waste, these medicines enter our water supply.

Water treatment plants remove most conventional pollutants, but do not remove man made pollutants, like medicine. Steroids, hormones, pain killers, and antibiotics are just a few of the medicines now being found in rivers, lakes, and streams. Not only is this contaminating the water we drink every day, but we use these bodies of water for recreational purposes every day for swimming, boating, rafting or fishing. Our water supply is our most precious resource and we have to preserve and protect it.

What options do we have when we get sick???

There are hundreds of natural ways to combat sickness. Homeopathic medicine, vitamins, herbs, and even certain foods can help assist our immune system in combating the nasty infections. These methods have been used for centuries, and they have a much smaller environmental impact than modern medicine. Some people may even find that natural means of healing is more effective at lessoning the severity and duration of our sickness. I will begin posting a series of articles on the most popular and most effective means of natural healing. Check back often to learn more about what you can do to feel better while protecting the environment this cold and flu season.

Eco_Dad

Recycling in the Kitchen

2011-11-08T10:20:00.000-08:00

Hey readers, so for the next couple of weeks I've decided to a series of articles that cover different areas of your house and backyard that will list out the many things you can do to recycle in those particular areas. This idea was inspired by a video project we're doing in the environmental club at my school, so thank you environmental club! (: This week, we'll be covering the kitchen. The kitchen is a place that is just teeming with activity, resulting in many, many instances, where we could be making greener choices.

Paper towels, we all use them for anything that comes by us. Whether it's wiping the table clean, the counter top, or just drying your hands, our handy friend, the paper towel, is always there to save us. Instead, why not try using a towel? Just hang the towel by the sink in your kitchen, and every time you have to dry your hands just use that. Replace paper towels for wiping off surfaces with sponges. You can always squeeze out the dirty water from the sponge, so it'll never become too unclean to use, and it is a perfect replacement for your paper towel.

We all wash dishes, but the trick is in how you wash them. When you wash your dirty plates and utensils, do you leave the water running while you scrub at them and put them in the dishwasher, or do you turn the water off? If you turn the water off, than good for you! However, if you don't then we've got a little talking to do. (: While you're washing the dishes, rinse them with water, then use a sponge or a similar thing to scrub the residual food off, give it one last rinse at the end and then make sure to turn off the faucet once more while you put the dish into the dishwasher. This way, when you don't really need the water, the faucet will be off and you won't be wasting any of it.

Filter contaminants such as lead and chloroform, along with the taste of chlorine, from your tap water with a water-filtering pitcher or a faucet-mounted system. You'll also save money over buying bottled water, and reduce the energy used and pollution created in producing, shipping, and disposing of all those plastic containers.

Don't' feel guilty about running your dishwasher, you should use it. The dishwasher actually uses less water than doing dishes by hand. Just make sure to run it only when it is completely full, otherwise you'll have to do lighter loads at more frequent intervals. Also, when the dishwasher is being run, try to run it at its lowest setting-choose light instead of heavy and air dry rather than heat.

Throwing food into the trash can wastes a valuable resource. Turn your coffee grounds, banana peels, and eggshells into a rich soil conditioner for houseplants, lawn, and garden by composting them. Keep a small bucket near your prep area to collect waste and then just add the contents to a backyard compost bin.

Rather than storing leftovers in plastic, try old fashioned glass, ceramic, or stainless-steel containers. While many types of plastic can be recycled, they're all made from petroleum, a nonrenewable resource. So cook a recipe of a favorite dish and pack it in your Pyrex or glass covered dishes.

Until next time,
greengirl (:

Food for Thought

2011-11-03T11:13:00.001-07:00

Are we losing control over the food we eat? Over the last 50 to 60 years, farming in the U.S. has undergone a dramatic change. Farmers who used to cultivate their own lands have been almost completely replaced by corporate farming. Huge areas have been bought by a few large companies and they have used economies of scale and aggressive techniques like chemical pesticides and genetically modified crops to boost their profits. Produce is also being moved across vast distances from farm to supermarket, so that customers get all kinds of produce all year round. This convenience is coming at the cost of a high carbon footprint created by the transportation of these items. So is there no place for the small local farmer who has a direct relationship with his land, and who uses natural methods to grow fresh produce for his local customers?

Fortunately there seems to be a growing movement among small farmers and consumers who are willing to follow older and healthier ways of growing and consuming food products. The debate for most consumers is whether to pay more for food that is healthier for us and the environment. For farmers, it is the choice between pure profits and concern for quality of their produce.
-Maya

My Recycle List

2011-10-27T14:29:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, my parents unexpectedly gifted me with an iPhone. Of course, every minute since then I've been on my phone browsing the app store, downloading anything that I have found interesting. Well while I was browsing, I came across an app that I thought would be extremely useful for all of my fellow earth lovers. The app is called 'My Recycle List,' and it lets you find nearby locations that accept certain recyclable items. The app 'lets you organize items by adding them to your Recycle List.' Using your Recycle List, you can then find the nearest location that will recycle whatever it is you are trying to. Here's a list of some of it's features, in case you would like to learn more about this handy tool:

* Find nearby recycling locations using GPS or ZIP
* Search for multiple materials at once
* Organize and Save your list for future use: Its like a grocery list for recyclers
* Share your recycle list with others via e-mail
* In-app interactive maps and web browser
* Covers the entire United States and some of Canada. International locations coming late 2010.
* Call recycling locations directly or add them to your contacts
* Works directly with our flagship site 1-800-Recycling.com to search over 120,000 locations.
* We've put the most commonly recycled materials together into 9 groups: Electronics, Plastic, Metal, Paper, Glass, Household, Hazardous, Automobile and Yard Waste

Hopefully as you're reading this, you're finding this app as useful as I am, and I hope you download it! In case it has managed to spark your curiosity, here's a link to the page so you can find out more about it yourself, and maybe even get it.

Link to the App: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/my-recycle-list/id375842467?mt=8

Helping Out

2011-10-17T15:04:00.000-07:00

Earth Day may be on April 22nd,but we should never stop helping the environment! Here are 5 simple steps we can take to start us off:

1. Change a Light Bulb: Compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) use 65 % less energy then regular ones and they do not cost that much more. If everyone did this it could change the world!

2. Donate used goods: Don't throw away that pair of jeans donate it to Goodwill! Magazines you have read can be donated to local places with waiting rooms. Remember that saying? One person's garbage is another's treasure!

3. Water...don't waste it: When you are brushing your teeth, turn the water off, and make sure to fix those leaky faucets!

4. Use your own bag: Paper or Plastic... how about canvas? They cost under $5 and can be found in many stylish designs.

5. Walk, Bike, Carpool, Ride the Bus, Take the Light Rail: "Driving a typical car produces 95,000 pounds of global warming pollution," says Kathleen Rogers, president of Earth Day Network. Try carpooling! Like Lucy Hao said, It's much more environment-friendly and you'll get to spend time with your friends while you're at it.

So there you have it! 5 simple ways to start out helping the environment, do you have any ideas of your own? Share some that you came up with below!

More later, greengirl (:

Saving in School

2011-10-13T15:37:00.000-07:00

Wow! It's been a long time. School's started, and it's always busy busy busy! Yet, no matter how busy you are, always keep the environment in mind! Here are some really easy, quick ways to save at school:

1. Wake up in the morning not feeling like P. Diddy? I know. But it doesn't give you an excuse to leave the water running! Close the faucets when your brushing your teeth or putting on make up.

2. Decided what you're going to eat BEFORE opening the fridge. Not only will this save energy, but also time. You might even stick to your diet better.

3. Hop in the car.... with a friend. Carpool, ride the bus, walk, bike-whatever, just DON'T drive your gas-guzzling monster down to school with only you inside.

4. Recycle, recycle, recycle. I can't say it enough: RECYCLE. With all the papers and paper products you get at school, chucking them in the trash would be such a waste. Napkins, paper trays, tissues, paper towels, sometimes even worksheets- all that can go in the blue bin.

5. Be aware! If you see trash, pick it up. It'll only take you like 4 seconds, and you'll be setting an example for other people. Little things like these can really have a ripple effect.

So there you go! 5 simple, fast, yet effective ways to keep your green-living up. What are some other ways to save at school? Have y'all been busy?

Good Luck!
<3Lucy

Recycling Do's and Don'ts

2011-10-06T12:04:00.000-07:00

Recycling Do's and Don'ts
A couple of weeks ago, I joined the environmental club at my school and there have been meetings held every other week since then. Last week, in our meeting, someone brought up a very good issue, that's become especially big ever since school started. People have been 'recycling' more, but they do not seem to be doing it correctly. At least once everyday, I've come across someone throwing a used tissue or wax paper from some art project inside the recycling bin. Though these people may be throwing these things in with a good intention, in reality, their actions are not correct. So, I've compiled a list of things that do and don't go into the recycling bins.

Recycling Don'ts
- dirty plastic bags/wrap/items
- electronics/batteries
- dirty pizza boxes
- wax paper/waxy cardboard -
- anything soiled
- paper forks, spoons, plates etc.
- bottle caps
- hot cups
- sticky notes

Recycling Do's
-any clean paper (nothing with any food or such stains) ie. newspapers, magazines,junk mail etc.
- - cardboard that isn't too waxy & needs to be flattened
- cans/glass
- any clean plastic labeled with a 1-7 (except Styrofoam)
- aluminum cans

Now with these tips, hopefully there won't be any misconceptions about what goes in the recycling bin, and what doesn't. Have fun recycling!

More later, greengirl (:

The Gift of Environmental Life

2011-09-29T11:10:00.000-07:00

Everyday this planet provides us with water, energy, and countless other resources that we greedily use up;sometimes, without a second thought to its reprecussions. But now, we have little 'gifts' of our own for the environment. We can plant a tree; with all the paper we use on a daily basis, it's probably the least we can do-other than recycling. Even better, if planting a tree seems too daunting a task, you can always contact local organizations and donate the money to them, and they'll plant the tree for you.

Another possible present we can give to our Earth is the gift of a clean planet. If we all work together, we can help keep this planet clean. The first step is simple: Don't litter. The second step, however, may be a bit more challenging: Pick up any trash you see lying around. But don't worry, you'll have help. (:

These are only two examples of presents, but don't be afraid to share your own 'gifts' below!

-greengirl (:

Reusing Your Plastic Bags

2011-09-20T09:00:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, so I've already talked to all of you people about how many plastic bags we use everyday, so i won't bore you by reiterating the same facts over again-but, I did find some new ideas for how you can reuse your old plastic bags. Here are 16 ways utilize the same bags once again.

1. Carry Dirty Clothes – Use your plastic bags to bring home the dirty clothes from your trip. No one likes keeping dirty & clean clothes together, and this gives you an easy way to keep everyone happy.

2. Scoop the Litter Box – Flushing cat litter is a bit controversial, since cat waste contains toxins that’s harmful to aquatic life, and unfortunately, scooping is a fact of life for cat owners. You’ve got to put that smelly litter somewhere.
You’re probably using a plastic bag already, so you may as well RE-use one instead.

3. Stash One In the Glove Box – If someone in your family is prone to carsickness, keep a plastic bag in your glove box in case you don't have time to pull over.

4. Take to Concerts – Amphitheater shows and multi-day music festivals come with a lot of waste, and the trash and recycle bins seem to always overflow by the end. Instead of piling your empties on top of an overflowing bin, use a plastic grocery bag to take your recyclables home at the end of the show.

5. Remove Dog Waste – It’s only polite to pick up after your pet, and many areas even provide disposal areas for dog waste. Rather than grabbing the plastic bag provided, you can re-use a plastic bag that made its way into your house.

6. Use Them Again – It may not be as fancy as pulling out a canvas grocery tote, but if you’ve got a bunch of those plastic bags around the house, bring them to the store to tote another load of groceries home.

7. Line a Paint Tray – Next time you’re painting a room, use
a plastic bag to line the paint pan, rather than a disposable plastic pan liner. It takes less plastic, and it’s reuse to boot!

8. Cushion Valuables – Whether you’re packing to move or storing breakables in the attic, you can wrap them up in plastic bags to cushion them against damage.

9. Protect Paint Brushes – If you’re taking a break from painting, you can wrap the brush in a plastic bag to keep it from getting dry and hard. Just stick the wrapped up brushes into the fridge until you’re ready to get back to it.

10. Line Small Trash Cans – Reuse a plastic bag to line small trash cans, like in the bathroom, instead of buying new plastic can liners.

11. Save Energy – Instead of sand, you can stuff a draft dodger with plastic bags.

12. Donate Them – Places like libraries and food banks often need bags.

13. Protect Plants From Frost – Protect your plants from a freeze by wrapping them securely in a plastic bag overnight and removing the bag in the morning.

14. Save Shoes in Your Suitcase – When you’re packing for a trip, stash your shoes in a plastic bag, so they don’t dirty up your clothing.

15. Ship It – If you’re mailing something fragile, wrap it in plastic bags instead of new bubble wrap.

16. Protect Your Knees – Tie a couple of plastic bags around your knees to add some padding while you’re working in the garden.

Hopefully these tips have given you some more ideas on how to reuse those plastic bags that keep showing up everywhere. I'm sure you all have ideas of your own and let's keep them going in the comments!

-greengirl (:

Organic Clothing

2011-09-13T10:58:00.000-07:00

Organic clothing. It may be a foreign concept to most people, but it's something of importance. Normal clothing is manufactured using certain processes that are detrimental not only to us, but to the environment as well. The fibers in your clothes are bleached using cholrine. When the chlorine is released into local waterways, the chlorine combines with organic matter to form dioxins, a class of carcinogenic compounds that is incredibly dangerous to humans and wildlife alike. Once the textiles have mixed with the chlorine, chemical dyes are used on them. The conventional dyes are often made in a lab using heavy metals and other harmful chemicals that are dangerous for those creating the fabrics, as well as dangerous for the environment when it leaves the plant. Of particular concern are Azo dyes, used to give some garments their vibrant yellow, reds, and orange colors, which have been linked to cancer. Going by names such as “D&C Red 33” or “Sunset Yellow FCF,” these potential carcinogenic dyes can also be found in foods.

Just like these few problems above, there are many other details that I won't bore you with. Organic clothing however, gives people a solution to the various issues presented with normal clothing.

• Fabrics would be whitened using hydrogen peroxide, an extremely benign oxidant as compared to chlorine

• Natural dyes are used, created from earth born sources such as earthen clays and, plants extracts

• Only low-impact and fiber-reactive dyes, water soluble dyes are allowed

• Heavy metal-free dyes

So next time you're about to buy clothing, look at the tag and see if they're made out of these materials:

• Organic Cotton
• Bamboo
• Hemp
• Silk
• Wool
• Cashmere
• Linen

-greengirl (:

Waste Not, Want Not

2011-09-08T12:24:00.000-07:00

While on my hunt for possible green topics to write about, I came across an extremely interesting article called, "Waste Not, Want Not." The article talked about how 'waste not, want not' is a saying that everyone has grown up listening to, and it applies to our lives now, more than ever. With our natural resources slowly diminishing, we should be conscious of how much we're using and how much we're throwing away. The article listed some good tips on conserving generally everything, and I found a few tips of my own as well, so here are some possible ways to improve.

The toothpaste in the tube might seem like it's completely empty but it's not. Many times, I've been on the verge of just throwing away a tube thinking it's done, only to have my mom come & show me exactly how much is left. One way to really use all your toothpaste is to not only roll up the tube, but to use your thumb to firmly press down on that area right underneath the cap.

We all have plastic bags, those bags you get when you go to the grocery store & they pack all your thing inside of it? No matter how hard you try shaking them off, they always end up lying around inside your house until you end up throwing them away-at least that's the way it is in my house. Now, it's not really necessary to use a plastic bag in your trashes, but, if you're one of those people that needs a trash bag, why not use your old grocery bags? My sister insists on using a bag for all her trashes, so now we've made her in charge of all plastic bags entering our house. This way, there won't be two bags thrown away with your trash, you can bring it down to just one.

With all the different kinds of sauces & pastes out there, we end up using at least something in everything we cook. Pizza, pasta you name it, we've got a sauce for it. But with all these different kinds of pastes & sauces we use, we've got a universal problem throughout: that little bit of sauce left in the bottom or the side of the container that isn't enough to use & the bits and pieces stuck on the sides end up being thrown away. Well, I came across and noticed my mom using an excellent technique to keep the sauce from being wasted. What you can do to save that bit of sauce is to put a bit of oregano into the jar, then pour small amount of hot water in, and shake. Soon you'll end up with just enough of sauce for your next creation.

Well hopefully these few tips gave you some ideas for your house and you can use them in the near future.
Until next time,
- greengirl (:

Go Green with Lunch Boxes

2011-08-30T10:04:00.000-07:00

Many of you people out there may have to eat lunch outside of the house, or may know someone that has to do so. Everyday across the world, millions and millions of plastic bags, paper bags, ziploc bags & other bagging materials are used & thrown away. Every single one of those materials have the potential of never even being used at all-thus resulting in less wastage. If even half the general population switched out their plastic or paper bag in favor of a lunch box, then imagine how much we would be able to save. Apparently in just one day, one store uses & sells up to 4500 plastic bags-most of them ending up in landfills. So you guys, why don't we try, for just one day, using a lunchbox in favor of a plastic bag? One step at a time, we can all help our world.

greengirl

Get Rid of Your Unwanted Plastic Bags Once and For All

2011-08-29T08:28:00.000-07:00

Every year, we use around 100 billion plastic grocery bags in the United States alone. And while some cities across the nation have banned use of the bag, many of us aren’t so lucky.

Despite making an effort to go shopping with a reusable bag, those ever-present plastic shopping bags seem to reappear in every cabinet, drawer, and box in my house.

No matter what the reason, I can never bring myself to get rid of all of that plastic. If you’ve got an ever-growing collection of plastic bags making you feel guilty, don’t despair!

Here are some practical and crafty ways to use those bags over and over and over again!

1. Carry Dirty Clothes – Be sure to include a plastic on your packing list! Use it to tote home your dirty clothes or wet swimsuits while you’re on vacation.

2. Scoop the Litter Box – Flushing cat litter down the toilet can be difficult, especially since cat waste contains toxins that’s harmful to aquatic life, and unfortunately, scooping is a fact of life for cat owners. You’ve got to put that smelly litter somewhere. You’re probably using a plastic bag already, so you may as well RE-use one instead.

3. Stash Some In the Glove Box – If you or someone in your family is prone to car sickness, you can keep a plastic grocery bag in the glove box, in case you’re not able to pull over in time to avert disaster.

4. Take to Concerts – Amphitheater shows and multi-day music festivals come with a lot of waste, and the trash and recycle bins seem to always overflow by the end. Instead of piling your empties on top of an overflowing bin, use a plastic grocery bag to take your recyclables home at the end of the show.

5. Remove Dog Waste – I think that it’s only polite to pick up after your pet, and many areas even provide disposal areas for dog waste. Try reusing plastic bags from the grocery store instead of buying small ones at the pet store.

6. Use Them Again – It may not be as fancy as pulling out a canvas grocery tote, but if you’ve got a bunch of those plastic bags around the house, take them to the store to tote another load of groceries home.

7. Line a Paint Tray – Next time you’re painting a room, use a plastic bag to line the paint pan, rather than a disposable plastic pan liner.

8. Cushion Valuables – Whether you’re packing to move or storing Christmas ornaments in the attic, you can wrap them up in plastic bags to avoid damage.

9. Protect Paint Brushes – If you’re taking a break from painting, you can wrap the brush in a plastic bag to keep it from getting dry and hard. Just stick the wrapped up brushes into the fridge until you’re ready to get back to it!

10. Line Small Trash Cans – Reuse a plastic bag to line small trash cans, like in the bathroom, instead of buying new plastic can liners.

11. Donate Them – Places like libraries and food banks would appreciate your donation.

12. Protect Plants From Frost – Protect your plants from a freeze by wrapping them securely in a plastic bag overnight and removing the bag in the morning.

13. Save Shoes in Your Suitcase – When you’re packing for a trip, stash your shoes in a plastic bag, so they don’t make your clothes dirty.

14. Ship It – Plastic bags are proven to have the same benefits as bubble wrap and packing peanuts.

18. Protect Your Knees – Tie a couple of plastic bags around your knees to add some padding while you’re working in the garden.

What are some of your favorite ways to use plastic bags? Comment below to tell us your ideas!

Until next week, EcoNinja101 :-)

Do You Make These Mistakes in Packing Your Lunch?

2011-08-22T14:06:00.000-07:00

Hi there, EcoNinjas!

Now that school has started, I decided to make a resolution to pack a zero waste lunch for every day of the year. Did you know that the average disposable lunch can create anywhere from 4-8 pounds of trash? That can add up to more than 300 pounds of trash per year!
Below are some tips for packing an eco-friendly lunch:

Skip the brown bag, plastic bag, and aluminum foil- An easy way to reduce the amount of trash that goes into landfills every year, think about buying a reusable lunch bag. They have great storage options and are super easy to clean.
Pack reusable silverware- Pack your stainless steel with your lunch to reduce the use of plastic cutlery.
Buy your snacks in bulk- That way, you can still enjoy your favorite treats, but without too much of a cost on our environment.
Pack a reusable water bottle- The Environmental Protection Agency reports that every year, approximately 2,400,000 tons of plastic bottles were thrown away. Contribute to reducing that number by buying a reusable water bottle!

Come on EcoNinjas! The world is in our hands!

-EcoNinja101!-

Recycling Together

2011-08-20T18:30:00.000-07:00

Recycling. We've all heard this word before, but it doesn't really mean much to us, does it? Don't worry I was in the same category as most of you people out there, I would never really see the point-when the trash is picked up from our homes, I had always assumed that when the trash collectors took it back to where they worked, the trash would be sifted through and the recyclable material would be separated from the plain trash. Recently, I read that not all trash gets separated. Some of our trash does indeed get sifted through and separated into recyclable and non-recyclable piles, but parts of our trash also ends up in landfills and even in the ocean. To make sure none of our trash ends up harming the environment, here are some easy tips on how to recycle:

1. Find a convenient place to collect recyclable items. Most things come from the kitchen, making it a good spot to set up a recycling center.

2. The great thing about recycling is that it lets you put your favorite old containers, bins, or baskets to use. Assign containers for glass, plastic, and aluminum. To avoid messes, choose solid containers for storing items such as glass jars or cans that may have a sticky residue.

3. Take leftover plastic bags back to grocery stores where they are collected and reused to make plastic lumber.

4. Check the bottom of plastic items to identify what type of plastic they are. If the type is not recycled at your local center, consider ways to reuse the container.

5. Save water and time when recycling cans and bottles. You no longer need to rinse them out or remove their labels.

6. Recycle junk mail or reuse it as scratch paper. To opt-out of certain junk-mailing lists, go to opt-out.cdt.org.

7. Newspapers, magazines, and white paper can all be recycled as long as the paper is clean and dry. Plastic wrap, stickers, or rubber bands should be removed, but staples and plastic window envelopes are OK.

8. Recycle worn-out rechargeable batteries like those used in cell phones, computers, or power tools. Go to www.rbrc.org to find a drop-off location in your area.

9. Divvy up recycling duties among family members and sort items on a daily basis

Hopefully using these tips, we can at least do our own little part in helping the environment. Share these tips with your neighbors & friends and we can all work together in doing our parts. By recycling and using these tips, we can help recycle our materials and keep busy during this drought. Have fun!

Saving Water

2011-08-17T12:27:00.000-07:00

Recently, for the first time in a long time, we finally got some rain. Yet, the drought is still prominent, the lake water levels are still low, and the water restrictions are piling up everyday. According to the New York Times, Texas has received less than half its normal rainfall: 6.53 inches instead of 16.03, and the drought has greatly hurt Texas's agricultural economy. Even worse, some climatologists say that this drought will last to even next year. So, now is the time to be even more water conversant, in order to save the environment and our sanity. Here are some easy ways to save water:

1. When washing dishes by hand, fill one sink with wash water and the other with rinse water, rather than letting the water run

2. For cold drinks, keep a pitcher of cold water in the refrigerator, instead of turning on the tap.

3. Wash your fruits and vegetables in a pan of water instead of running water from the tap. The used water can them be used to water houseplants.

4. Use a broom instead of a hose to clean your driveway and sidewalk and save water every time.

5. Check for leaks in toilets, bath tubs, faucets and swimming pools. (An easy way to test a toilet is to put food coloring in the toilet tank. If it seeps into the toilet bowl without flushing, you have a leak. Get it fixed ASAP!)

6. Add "walkways" and patios to your yard so those parts don't have to be watered.

7. Drop your tissue in the trash instead of flushing it down.

8. Dump extra ice on to a plant.

9. Track rainfall, then water your lawn accordingly.

10. Don't water your lawn on windy days when most of the water blows away or evaporates.

Remember, although we all learned in school that water is a inexhaustible resource, it needs to be conserved in order to protect our environment's ability to support future generations. Share water conservation tips with your neighbors and friends and get involved. By working together and saving water, we can shorten this drought and keep ourselves sane.

~Lucy Hao

Take Action

2011-08-11T08:51:00.000-07:00

Like some of you may have heard, yesterday was an Indian holiday called 'Raksha Bandhan.' In this holiday the sisters pray for the long lives of their brothers, and the brothers, in return, promise to always protect the sisters. The custom is that on this day each year, the sisters tie a 'rakhi'-a kind of sacred bracelet around their brothers' wrists.

So when I was online yesterday, I came across a very interesting article about a governor that was tying rakhis around trees. The logic behind his unusual actions was that, he was trying to protect those trees by calling them his brothers & sisters. In an effort to promote going green in at least his home state, he told the public that in the new version of raksha bandhan not only do sisters tie rakhis to brothers, but men and women also take a pledge to protect trees.

Reading this, I thought that if there are people out there that are willing to go to such lengths, and are actually taking action to promote environmental awareness; then why don't we do something? This article isn't here to give you tips on what else you can do, it's here to just, hopefully, inspire you to do more. And if the message really has gotten through to you, then read the other articles in this blog-that's where you'll find how to actually take action.

Start a Summer Project – Container Gardening

2011-08-09T19:48:00.001-07:00

Container gardening itself isn’t a new phenomenon, but we’ve got a trendy new take. These work great outdoors hanging from a wall or as a centerpiece on the dinner table. Even local businesses have sprung up offering ready-to-go assorted containers for purchase. With summer coming to a close, it makes a great last project before the kids go back to school or just for you.

The idea is to take any plant container you fancy, select several small plants with the same water requirements and unite them. My personal recommendation is to use succulents. They require little water and are sturdy, making them amenable to occasional droughts suffered when vacations happen or life gets hectic. Note of caution, be sure the soil has good drainage if you plant succulents.

I haven’t finished out my container garden yet, but here’s a great picture for inspiration: http://ktrv.images.worldnow.com/images/10381918_BG1.jpg. Please share your tips, or if you have a container garden, link to your pictures.

Heat Can be Yummy

2011-08-08T08:56:00.000-07:00

Like Greengirl said, it's burning outside. It's so hot, I sleep without blankets. It's so hot, I don't even feel like going up the stairs. It's so hot, I lie on the tiles and eat ice cream at the same time (which takes skill). Ice cream and Popsicles may seem like salvation in this heat, but they are not only unhealthy but also horrible for the environment. Popsicles come individually wrapped, which creates a lot of waste, and ice cream is full of heavy cream and high fructose corn syrup.

Here are a few simple, eco-friendly, healthy recipes that will help you keep cool and save the enviroment:

Grape Pops Recipe

(from Pops! Icy Treats for Everyone by Krystina Castella (Quirk Books, 2008))

(makes eight 6-ounce pops)

1 cups seedless red grapes, cut in half
4 cups white grape juice

8 plastic cups

8 popsicle sticks/chopsticks

8 banana slices

1. Stick a banana slice on each stick and place into the center of the cup, banana-slice-side down.

2. Divide the grape halves among the cups. Pour in the grape juice and reposition the sticks.

3. Freeze for at least 6 hours.
4. Remove from the freezer;run tap water over the surface of the cup, and let sit for 3 minutes.

5. Remove from mold and eat!

Citrus Popsicles

(makes eight 6-ounce popsicles)

1 cup of assorted fruit (frozen or fresh. Strawberries, kiwis, peaches, watermelon etc.)

16 ounces of lemon juice

4 cups orange juice

8 plastic cups

8 popsicle sticks/chopsticks

8 kiwi slices

1. Stick a kiwi slice on each stick and place into the center of the cup, kiwi-slice-side down.

2. Pour in 2 ounces of lemon juice per cup over the kiwi

3. Divide the assorted fruit into the cups; pour the orange juice and reposition the sticks.

4. Freeze for 6 hours

5. Remove from the freezer;run tap water over the surface of the cup, and let sit for 3 minutes.

6. Remove from mold and eat!

Yogurt Parfait

(makes 4 servings)

2 1/2 cups vanilla yogurt

2 cups your favorite granola

2 1/2 cups fresh berries (raspberries, blueberries, strawberries (hulled and sliced), and/or other fruit such as bananas, peaches or mangos, peeled and sliced

4 tablespoons honey

1. Line up 4 parfait, plastic, or other clear glasses.

2. Spoon 2 tablespoons of yogurt into each glass and smooth surface.

3. Spoon 2 tablespoons of fruit on top.

4. Repeat the process, adding a bit of honey here and there, to taste.

5. Spoon 2 tablespoons of granola on top.

6. Add a small dollop of yogurt on top of the granola in the center.

7. Position some berries on top of the yogurt.

8. Admire the beauty; Enjoy!

Yum! To be even more ecofriendly, use plastic popsicle sticks/chopsticks, so they can be washed and reused. Same goes with the cups.

~Lucy Hao

Staying Green for Back to School

2011-08-08T08:23:00.000-07:00

Don't let the frenzy of buying back to school supplies derail your eco-conscious ways. Before even venturing out to a store, take stock of what you already have that didn't get used before. Also take into consideration how much use any new things will actually get before purchasing them. Here are some green ideas for some standard items:

backpacks: if a new one is needed, avoid vinyl and look for one made of nylon, hemp or organic cotton. Dsenyo makes cotton knapsacks in bright colors and prints and are handcrafted by women in Africa. A percentage of revenue goes back to their community for youth programs and health education

pens/pencils: look for refillable pens and biodegradable pencils. There are pencils like the ones at TreeSmart that are made from newspaper

paper/notebooks/binders: most stores sell recycled paper-you just have to look for it. Instead of the conventional plastic binders, look for an alternative like those at Jorgel Binders, which are made from cardboard and have removable and reusable metal rings inside. Ecojot's notebooks are made of recycled paper, and they have a limited edition line whose proceeds benefit the Jane Goodall Institute

lunch: a washable and reusable container to create a zero-waste lunch is ideal. The Whimsy Reusable Lunch Kit includes napkins, containers and a recycled lunch sack

clothes: the majority of money spent on back to school shopping goes towards new clothes. Thrift stores or clothes swapping with friends is a great way to save. If buying new clothes, look for quality as well as sustainable fabrics like bamboo and organic cotton as opposed to cheap items that will wear out quickly

Take this time as yet another opportunity to share with your kids why these green practices are so important. It is worth planning ahead and going a little out of your way to make sure we take care of our planet whenever and however we can.

Stuck Inside

2011-08-04T15:27:00.000-07:00

Some of you may have noticed that we have a slight drought problem going on...actually that's an understatement. We're on our 35th day of 100 plus degree temperatures, and things are definitely not looking up at all. The best we can do is just stay indoors, and hope that this streak will be over tomorrow. And to top it all off, there are energy issues going on because of all the people staying indoors and running their air conditioning 24/7-resulting in rolling blackouts. Well, while I was sitting at home and confined indoors, I decided to do some research on how to save energy-and here are some facts that I found:

-Instead of cooking with your stove, try using your microwave- it uses two-thirds less energy than the stove.

-Use the dishwasher! It uses much less water than washing dishes by hand.

-Set your thermostat to 78 degrees and 85 when your way. Use ceiling fans to keep the cool air circulating around your room.

-Turn off appliances, lights and equipment when not in use. It'll use 2% less energy that way.

With these precautions hopefully we'll be able to at least stop the rolling blackouts and prevent people from being forced into enduring this heat. Keep cool!

Green Your Beauty Routine: A Step by Step Guide to Giving Every Day a Green Start.

2011-08-03T12:29:00.000-07:00

Hello Fellow Earth Lovers!

I have always been a fan of homemade beauty products. They are a great way to get creative at home and you have the benefit of knowing exactly what you use as part of your beauty routine. This weekend, I learned some scary facts about my favorite beauty products like: the average woman applies over 160 different chemicals to her face before drinking her morning coffee, and 64% of "natural" beauty products contain chemicals that are harmful to your body and our environment.

Well, EcoNinjas, it's time to take a stand! Below, is one of my favorite recipes to Green Your Beauty Routine. Enjoy!

Orange Yogurt Exfoliating Mask:

Ingredients
1 tablespoon of plain yogurt (I prefer Greek yogurt because it is much thicker)

Juice from about 1/4 of an orange (a splash of orange juice will work just as well)

Directions

Mix the yogurt and the orange juice. Spread the mixture evenly on your face. After 10 minutes, rinse. Instant rejuvination!

Why it Works...

Besides being a tasty treat, yogurt aides in digestion and may even help you feel fuller without adding tons of calories. As far as beauty goes, eating yogurt is good for your hair and nails, because of the amount of protein it contains. It also has zinc, lactic acid, and alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) which is great for calming inflamed skin, and boosting collagen production.

Combined with an orange (did you know that Vitamin C reverses aging skin?) you've got a soothing, natural, exfoliating mask that's both easy to make and kind to our environment.

-EcoNinja101-

Inspiring Kids

2011-08-01T09:43:00.000-07:00

Lately, I've been feeling like all the little things I've been doing all these years to be eco-conscious hasn't added up to much and it sometimes gets difficutlt to keep going. I came across some stories recently about young environmentalists that really inspired me to not only continue with my efforts but to step it up.

Felix, a 9 year old in Germany, was so upset by what he was learning about global climate change that he decided to start his own organization called Plant for Planet with the goal being to plant a million trees in as many countries as he can. Thanks to some media attention, so far just over one million trees have been planted with more than a million pledged for planting

After the Gulf Coast oil spill, 11 year old Olivia teamed up the the Audubon Society to sell sketches she did and helped raise over $200,000 for relief efforts

8 year old Cole in North Carolina got his entire elementary school to send postcards to fast food companies requesting they use recycled packaging. Success came when McDonald's agreed. Now Cole is working with several other elementary schools in his area to keep up the mission

Not only can these kids inspire everyone to do more, but to be more as well. Be a mentor and get kids into nature. There's no better way to cultivate a love of the outdoors and a desire to preserve it. There are proven health and psychological benefits connected to being outdoors, and in addition, kids may begin to see a future for themselves in the environmental field. At the very least, they are more likely to continue to spend time outdoors as they grow older. There are structured programs that can help guide them, but just spending more and more time outdoors will help. Ultimately, kids do what they see. Be an example everyday to encourage them by doing things like growing your own vegetables, composting, conserving water, carpooling, biking at local parks, etc. Hopefully, by staying with it, we can bring up the next generation of inspiring and eco-minded kids.

A Greener Choice

2011-07-27T10:25:00.000-07:00

Recently, one of my relatives bought a house up in the northeast. My aunt and uncle told me that their house was typical of the northeast-it was a 'green house', much more environmentally friendly than any of the houses down south. This perplexed me because I had lived up north for about 11 years before I'd moved down south, and I'd never noticed any major difference in the two.They asked my family and me to come visit them over summer, so we made a trip up north, and ended up going to their house for the first time yesterday. It was, as all new houses are, absolutely beautiful-but it also had a lot of new features that I'd never seen in a house before. Not only were there the usual granite counter tops and hardwood floors, but it also had many energy saving and water conserving upgrades.

For example, their house has new low-flow shower heads that waste less water, and they even have organic paint on the walls. They get their electricity from a green tariff, have energy saving light bulbs, and have extra insulation around their windows to stop expensive, gas powered heating from escaping. They've gone so green in their new home, that they even have a water conserving toilet-but I won't go into the specifics of that! All of the green upgrades to their new home came as surprise to me, because I didn't know that you could even go so green in a house. I researched a little bit more when I got back from visiting their house, because all their features got me thinking-what can we do, in our houses that aren't brand new, to go green? And the results I found astounded me. There are so many ways that you can save energy, conserve water, and just in general, go green. Some ideas are:

-faucet aerators: they restrict some water flow, but make the flow feel stronger

-replacing an old dishwasher: apparently, if you replace an old dishwasher from before 1994 with any brand new model, you can save up to ten gallons of water per cycle

-installing ceiling fans: they help to better circulate the air around the house-taking the cool air from the ac and distributing it around the room

-replacing older toilets: older toilets can use up to 3.5 gallons per flush, whereas the newer models have use up to as little as one gallon per flush

-switching from incandescent to compact fluorescent light bulbs: they last up to 10 times longer, and use much less electricity.

These are just somethings you can do to your home to make it 'greener', but the rest is up to you. Next time you're out shopping for your house, before buying anything, think twice- can I make a greener choice?

A Day in the Life of an Ordinary Piece of Trash

2011-07-20T08:30:00.000-07:00

Everyone litters, so by that logic, it should be an okay thing to do, right? Wrong. Littering might seem like it's not that big of a deal- the trash collectors always come by and pick up all of the trash left lying around, so it shouldn't matter whether or not the citizens pick up their trash. The unfortunate reality is much worse. Let's take a look at a day in the life of a piece of ordinary trash lying around in a street:
"Hello there, I am your ordinary piece of trash named water bottle. I was thrown away by my owners who were kind enough to put me into the plastic bottle section of their recycling can. I got to meet a lot of trash in there, that surprisingly, had the same name and looked just like me! It was the weirdest experience that I've ever had, but that didn't mean that I wasn't sorry to be torn apart from my family, mere minutes after I'd met them. I had just been hanging around talking to my amigos, when all of a sudden, a huge gust of wind knocked our trash can house down. I rolled down the steep side of my trashcan & found myself lying in the back alley street in dog poop, with some of my family members close by. Thankfully, soon after, my owners came by and righted our trashcan and picked up my family of water bottles-except for me. Maybe I was discriminated against, because my dress said Dasani on it and everyone else's said Aquafina, but I didn't know and I guess I never would. I lay there for many hours, pondering my fate, when an innocent dog came by. He picked me up and started running alongside the river that was nearby my owner's house; when he heard his owners shout his name, he dropped me into the riverbank, leaving me stranded helplessly, as always, in between many reeds. It was a while before the wind picked up again and I was violently dropped into the river, resulting in a great big splash. I started floating down the river with various fishes coming by and nudging me along; their touch felt like something was tickling me and I felt the remnants of the dog poop swirling around me and sticking to the fishes. Eventually, the river emptied into the ocean and I could feel the water changing from the nice freshwater, into a somehow more menacing saltwater. I bobbed out at sea for many days, & the only thing that kept me from dying of boredom were the fish that usually followed me around and mistook me for food; it wasn't very fun being partially swallowed, but at least it kept things interesting. I suddenly realized that for some reason, all the fish that usually followed me around had disappeared. This was getting very strange, and for some reason the Jaws theme song started playing in my head. Unexpectedly, I felt myself being bitten swiftly by sharp teeth- that definitely had not felt like an ordinary fish, especially since I hadn't been spit out immediately, like I usually was! I believed this was the end for me, but unbeknownst to my predator (which I believed to be a shark), this would be the end for him too. Silly shark, water bottles aren't food-and eating one might not make him die, but it would poison him-just like it had done to all the other fish. I didn't want to die so soon, but I was happy that it was now, after I had achieved so much in my short life as trash. At least I had accomplished my goal, my parents would be proud of me now-I had poisoned many animals and hurt the habitat of many others by contaminating it with the dog poop I picked up along the way and my sheer presence. I was a successful piece of trash, and even now as I was going down, I was taking one with me. I had a nice life and as I saw the insides of the shark, though I was not happy to be obliterated, I was still proud."

We can see how much impact is caused by just one, measly, little water bottle left in a random back alley-now imagine what happens every day. It's not like in our whole world we've only got one water bottle lying around, people litter all the time, assuming someone else will pick it up. This might come true sometimes, but not always. This story may be exaggerated a little, but not by much-everyday all the litter on the ground does damage the environment. Whether it's by ending up in a bird's nest or by floating out into the ocean, our world is being hurt. Can we do something to stop this?

Creating your own Compost Magic

2011-07-18T17:20:00.000-07:00

Compost has evolved significantly from its humble origins in farming over a few millennia to something even us Plano urbanites can practice under a sink or in the backyard. I can personally attest to its growing popularity around the neighborhoods. Heck, ever since I learned about worm composting, I’ve been taken hook, line, and sinker—my apologies to worms for the fishing metaphor. In my cabinet, I maintain my mini ecosystem of compost wizards in a storage container.

There’s just something kind of magical about watching seemingly worthless materials transform into rich, usable earth. And with the Harry Potter series coming to a close, I’m up for some wizardry. Your ingredients of choice are newspaper, twigs, leaves, most non-meat food scraps, digestive critters (certain worms like red wrigglers), a container and water. This holds true for indoor and outdoor composting.

The beauty of soil manufacture lies in the variety of styles available. Whether you’re interested in it as a casual hobby or time investment, there’s a tried and true method for you. You can start with a small sealed container indoors, have an outdoor open bin that gets ruffled through every once in a while, or even a closed tumbling container. So have some fun, research and if it’s for you start one. Be sure to give us an update on how it goes! Let the magic begin.

For more detailed information on composting, here’s a good overview from about.com http://bit.ly/1132eX.

Vrooom –The sound of Zero-Emission

2011-07-14T10:06:00.000-07:00

Cayenne Red Nissan Leaf

Recently, one of the City of Plano volunteers, Joni, bought a Nissan Leaf, and brought it in for us to see. Joni learned about the car from a Plano article and, since she always wanted an electric car, set out to buy it. The Nissan Leaf is a totally electric car that runs on 100% electricity and has zero-emissions, meaning that it essentially carbon-footprint-free. From the outside, the Leaf looks similar to any other car. With a more careful inspection, you’ll discover that there is no tailpipe, and that there are two hoods: one for charging plugs, and the other for the engine. Compared to a regular, gasoline-run car, the Leaf has many features that make it even more eco-friendly; for example, its seats and carpets are made of recycled water bottles, and its tires are specially made to be low resistance, giving you better mileage. When riding around in the car, the car runs very smoothly and is almost silent, and many viewers said that the driving experience was like that of the Toyota Prius. Joni said that the maintenance for the car mostly included an annually diagnostic of the battery and refilling of the windshield fluid—much less than a regular car! Even better, the battery has a life of about ten years. Since the Leaf is totally electric, some may be concerned about being stranded on a road because of a dead battery. But, Joni said that the car tells you in 5 different ways that it’s running out of battery and that charging stations are being set up all over the city (in fact there’s one near the Half-Price Books at Northwest Hwy). Manufactured in Japan and now in Tennessee, the Leaf takes about 8 hours for a full charge, but only 30 minutes for a fast-charge (which fills up the car 80%). Joni feels grateful and proud that she is able to afford the Leaf, and believes that her car is a good investment. Being environmentally aware, I can definitely see the advantages of owning an electric car, especially the Leaf. Although the car is pricey ($35000 for the car and $2300 for a home charging station), the Nissan Leaf is definitely not as expensive environmentally.

For more information and pictures, visit www.nissanusa.com/leaf-electric-car/index

~Lucy Hao

Water Conservation?

2011-07-13T08:11:00.000-07:00

Being a teenager, I tend to take long showers. The only bad part about these nice, long, and relaxing showers was that, about halfway through I would hear my mom yelling up the stairs, "Turn it off! You're wasting water!" It was pretty annoying because I just didn't understand what she meant by 'wasting water,' or how it even mattered. It was just a couple....or twenty extra minutes, I couldn't be wasting that much water, could I?

Well, last year I had to do a project at school. I was in student council, and that week we were trying to make our school, 'Go green!' by educating our classmates with 'fun facts' about recycling, littering, water conservation, alternative energy sources and air pollution. Everyone was assigned a topic on which you had to research and then have a poster ready for the next day. Ironically, I got assigned water conservation as my topic of research. That night I went home and read up about water conservation-and was astonished to find that my mom had been right. I found an exorbitant amount of information about the various impacts of spending just one extra minute in the shower.

Apparently the average American household is fueled by nearly 2,000 gallons of water a day-almost twice the global average. The amount of water coming out of one shower head inside a normal home is 11.6 gallons, now multiply this with the amount of shower heads in your house and you'll get your total amount of water spent. However, in a water conserving house only 8.6 gallons are used from one shower head, resulting in less water consumption. Five minute showers use up 10 gallons of water...which means that my 25 minute shower wastes 50 gallons of water!

After reading all this information, every time I got into the shower and actually spent my normal 25 minutes in it, I felt guilty. Gradually, the time I spent went down by itself, and amazingly, my mom stopped yelling at me too. Not only was I conserving water by the end, but I didn't get yelled at either. It was a win-win situation for everyone.

Add some Yard Spice

2011-07-10T20:51:00.000-07:00

Have you ever considered going native or reducing turf? Seeing the drought we’re in and water use skyrocketing has been a real motivator for me. Using natives instead of plants unadapted to the harsh Texas summers can significantly lower maintenance and worry. That and incorporating more mulched gardens or pebble paths can reduce the hassle of a wilting and water-needy yard.

One of my favorites is Red Yucca. The plant produces vibrant red flowers and an artsy design while being a glutton for punishment—water it too much and you won’t have nice blooms! Now that’s a plant my garden can handle. Complement the stalwart yucca with a classy rock setup around it, and you’ve just created a zen zone of less neediness.

Butterfly mist is another good friend to gardens. It turns out with nice little flowers and packs on the butterflies, all while sipping water rather than guzzling. You can always make room in a forgotten corner of the yard or along a walkway. Simply remove some grass from there and plant this beauty with a few friends. You’re not going to miss the grass. Plus, the plant adds some more color and value to your yard setup.

Consider changing up the yard a little and adding some new flavor. It’s definitely taken my yard space from a boring, water-needy lawn to a more vibrant, satisfying space.

Contributed by: Alex Ransom

Water Conservation

2011-06-13T18:05:00.000-07:00

Check out http://plano.gov/Water/Water%20Conservation%20and%20Education/Pages/Default.aspx for info about water conservation in Plano!

Acid Rain

2011-06-09T17:13:00.000-07:00

Recently, I did a paper in science class on acid rain. I'd like to share it with you because I believe that it holds important information critical to this topic of Staying Green.

Death Water

Over the years, acid rain has quickly become a monster as it deteriorates and erodes planet Earth. With each passing day, its strength grows, and one day, humans will finally open their eyes and only be able to watch in horror as it destroys not only their homes, but also their health.

Acid rain is precipitation acidified by pollutants in the air. Acid rain contains relatively high concentrations of acid-forming chemicals. It harms humans, plants, aquatic animals, and infrastrucctures as it pours onto Earth. The main causes of acid rain are sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. Acidix substances are generated when these substances react with water, oxygen, etc. in the air. "Car and factory emissions contain nitrogen and sulfur, which combine with water in the air to form nitric and sulfuric acids. These corrosive liquids fall to earth when it rains." (Time-Life, 1999, p. 102). Acid rain is present all over the world. However, there are different amounts in different areas. For example, the lakes of Norway and Sweden suffer from air pollution generated by industrial areas to their south and southwest. Canadians are distressed by the damage from air pollution generated by the U.S. In third world nations and some other countries without pollution restrictions, acid rain tends to be very high. Because acid rain can move about so easily, the problem is a global one.

"Acid rain...does not respect political boundaries..." (Lachapelle, 1995, p. 298). It has an enormous effect on the entire world, and that's not only on humans. The number of fish in an acidified lake decreases drastically at below pH 5 because the pH sensitive plankton and water plants are poisoned and killed off. In a lake of a pH level below 4, fish eggs don't hatch and the fills of adult fish are harmed. Land plants are also devastated. Scientists of the United States Environment Protection Agency noted that acid rain destroys the cuticle of leaves, harms stoma, and ingibits photosynthesis and respiration. "Acid rain is responsible for killing coniferous forests at high elevations and poisoning lakes in much of Europe and North America." (Time-Life, 1999, p. 102). Acid rain alters the soil by dissolving nutrients and helpful minerals. "It robs the soil of essential nutrients and releases aluminum into the soil, which makes it hard for trees to take up water." (National Geographic Website, 2010). It also has many deleterious effects on man-made structures. The acidic solution eventually decays roofing shingles. Acid rain stains and weakens outside materials, resulting in rusted and weathered sculptures and other structures. Ultimately, human healthe is strongly influenced by acid rain. Scientists have linked premature deaths and diseases such as cancer to tainted drinking water.

Like gllobal warming, the problem of acid rain has progressed to the point that it is impossible to eliminate quickly. However, there are things that everyone can do to help decrease the amounts of acid rain. One can try to be as green as possible; energy consumption is closely related to the large amounts of acid rain. One can turn off power to electric appliances when not in use, and use public transportation, bicycle, or walk as much as possible. Purchasing a low-pollution producing car and using it for a long time is also very helpful. Another way to help is to restore a damaged environment. Acid deposition strongly penetrates the fabric of an ecosystem, changing the chemistry of soil and streams, and narrowing the space where certain plants and animals can survive. Because of this, it takes many years for ecosystems to recover. Planting trees, gardening, and clearing litter are all useful strategies to help. One clever way to restore a deteriorating environment is to add limestone to acidified lakes to cancel out the acidity. Both scientists and environmentalists continue to seek methods to aid the war against acid rain.

Acid rain is a global crisis. It destroys both the environment and man-made structures. It also plays a great role in human health all around the world. Along with recycling, being green, saving power, and restoring nature, one also has to remember to look to the future. What one does today will alter the events to come. People must work together to accomplish great things. That is the story of the world repeated over and over again: join hands, and one will succeed, break apart, and failure is sure to come.

-Caroline Zhu

Stay Green

2011-06-09T16:53:00.000-07:00

Staying green isn't the easiest thing to do. Throw that bottle in the right place, make sure not to waste paper, no, you can't put that there, don't litter!, etc. It's easy to be careless - forgetting to be cautious with each item you use every day happens all the time! We slip up every now and then; so what? We're human! However, it's still important that we try our best to stay green. This blog is a reminder to all of you readers out there. An easy way to keep the concept of "green" in your mind is to remember the three R's: Recycle, Reuse, and Reduce. Not too hard, is it?

No, you don't have to get out there right this moment and dig through your neighbor's garbage bins and sort them out; but instead, try to fix your own attitude toward the world. Well, then again, if you're reading this, you probably already have a great outlook on being green, but the importance of attitude is still there. You can lay back and think, "Well, I guess there are others that can clean up this world.". But what if everyone thought that way? Then who would clean up our world? Everyone can help in their own way.

Carpooling or taking public transportation are easy ways to help lower the amount of pollution in our atmosphere. Planting trees, recycling, reducing, and reusing things are all simple things for us to do. You can even have fun doing it! On this website: http://thinkcrafts.com/blog/tab/being-green/ , I found a multitude of arts and crafts you can do with scraps of paper and other tools around your house!

Have fun with this and remember to reduce, reuse, and recycle! Thank you for reading!
-Caroline Zhu

Be entertained, be inspired, be green!

2011-01-05T14:32:00.000-08:00

Join us for a monthly green film! Live Green in Plano and Studio Movie Grill in Plano are partnering to screen a different family-friendly film each month. These movies will focus on a wide variety of sustainability topics. Be sure to check them out on the second Monday of each month at 6:30pm. The first film is FREE!

Coming soon to a theatre near you....

Renewal, Jan. 10th, 6:30pm (Free admission)

A Sea Change, Feb. 14th, 6:30pm

What’s On Your Plate? March 14th, 6:30pm

We hope to see you there! Don't forget the popcorn!

Have a Green Mean Halloween !

2010-10-28T08:19:00.000-07:00

There were a lot of firsts in our house this Halloween. It was our first Halloween celebration after moving from up north to Texas, for the first time we could trick or treat without covering up in layers of fleece and for the first time as a family we decided to Green our Halloween. Here are a few spooky green ideas to get you jump started.

Decorations

· Avoid buying one time use cheap plastic items that will be trashed the next day, only to land in a landfill across town.

· Use pumpkin, gourds, squash which are locally available, think low carbon footprint, cheap and completely bio-degradable.

· Reuse household items such as old paper plates, milk cartons, boxes to make spooky décor that can be used this year and stored for the next. With dry branches from your garden, cereal boxes, black paint and little helping hands make your own black Halloween tree.

Costume

This one was challenging to say the least. It is probably impossible to steer your kids away from the aisles full of costumes attractively displayed in department stores, but do explore some creative options.

· Costume swaps are a great way to get more use out of the 'worn only one time a year' closet space-fillers. Check your neighborhood events - numerous organizations, groups and stores are supporting costume swap events.

· Use old clothes, cardboard boxes and a little bit of your personality to show off green, one of a kind costumes. My husband and I are working on being the Apple family - an iPod and iphone, a marriage made in heaven!

Candy

· Since Halloween is really all about the candy, it’s a great time to explore organic and naturally sweet options. Dried fruits, raisins, flavored pretzels, fruit bites are a few examples of adding a dose of health to the candy basket.

We are hoping that this first green Halloween in our house soon becomes an annual tradition!

To explore additional ideas and tip on this topic please visit the websites listed below.

http://www.greenhalloween.org

http://www.kiwimagonline.com

http://www.thedailygreen.com

Big ideas Small steps: Solar home installations

2010-08-17T20:25:00.000-07:00

A couple months ago when my family moved to Texas we were excited about moving from the cold Midwestern climate to hot southern weather. Of course this was before we realized how hot, how really really hot the Texas summers can get. Once the realization sunk in, we wondered if the hot sunny weather could be used to our advantage. Maybe we could find cost effective solar applications that would lower bills, use the abundant free sun energy and help our family go green in the process. Then the next realization sunk in, solar and cost effective do not go hand in hand. Many families probably go through the same conundrum - Should we invest in solar, what technology is reliable, how does the ROI work and similar. So I decided to get a little help from experts and consumers to help my family and others think through this process. This is the first in a series of blogs on Living Green in Plano dedicated to Solar home installations.

What is Solar?

It is probably safe to assume that by now everyone has heard about solar and has pretty good idea how the technology works. But as a refresher lets go through a quick Solar 101.

Solar energy is derived from the sun and used in many different forms such as heat, light and electricity. It is available in abundance in most parts of the world, is clean, non polluting and renewable. Despite solar power technology being available for decades, it is only now gaining popularity as an alternative source of fuel energy to help reduce our dependency on other forms such as petroleum and oil. Solar power can be used directly through radiant heat or indirectly through photovoltaic systems that generate electricity to run other applications.

Despite all its advantages, solar power struggles from becoming main stream because of three main issues. Firstly solar power is an intermittent source of energy, meaning it is only available during day time directly from the sun. This means there needs to be a good way to store energy during the day time to use through the night. Secondly the technology is still not optimized for cost and efficiency that can be used for mass applications. Third the economics of using solar power may not always be justified, especially in areas where regular electricity and oil is cheap and there are no incentives to help home owners overcome the initial investment.

Solar Attic Fans

This is the first of the many small steps that people can take towards using solar power in their homes. Solar attic fan prices can vary from $300 to upwards of $500 and are available at big retailers such as Costco, Home Depot, Lowes as well as private installers.

The total cost of installation depends on the number of fans required and installation costs charged in your area. Product guidelines suggest that one fan can ventilate up to 1250 sq ft of attic space. Installation costs vary from $0 for a DIY homeowner skilled in carpentry to $50/fan for a handyman to upwards of $150/fan using skilled installation services. Like any home project there is always the tradeoff of saving money by doing it yourself versus saving time and doing it right by hiring the experts. Apart from using freely available solar energy, these fans help lower energy costs, remove moisture and provide ventilation in attics.

The demand for this fan has picked up tremendously in recent days, but long term consumer reviews are unavailable. We installed these in our home this summer and have seen significantly lower attic temperatures. Our household is excited about our first solar installation and looking forward to the next one.

If you have solar installation stories to share, please leave us a comment.

Electronics Recycling in Plano

2010-05-07T11:54:00.000-07:00

Do you have valuable space in your garage, cabinets, or living area taken up by outdated and unused appliances? Don't put them on the curb, recycle them! eRecycler is a family run business that makes sure all your electronics are disposed of in an eco-friendly way.

Mark and I spoke with the team at eRecycler at the Green Expo and when we dropped off our outdated appliances, batteries, and CDs a few weeks ago.

From L to R, Chris Barfield, Gabrielle Bruns, and Lauren Bruns

At the Green Expo, Lauren Bruns (daughter of the founder of eRecycler, Bob Bruns) spent several minutes with us answering all our questions about how they recycle the electronics and the types of electronics they accept. After hearing reports of electronics being sent overseas for recycling, I wanted to find out how eRecycler handled their items. Lauren assured me that none of the items they get are sent overseas. Also, they recycle every part of the electronics. So what kinds of items do they accept?

(from their website)

Electronics Recycling

Computers
Servers
Telephones
Cell Phones
Circuit Boards
Computer Drives
Cable & Wire
Pos Equipment
Mainframes
Networking Equipment
Printers
Test Equipment
Uninterruptible Power Supplies
Monitors
Security Equipment
Lab Equipment
Video Equipment
Batteries
Metals and more
Aluminum
Stainless Steel
Lead Batteries
Copper
Server Racks
Circuit Boards
Memory
Processors
Electric Motors
Switching Equipment
Valves
Brass
Cardboard
Corrugated Box
Paper
Plastics

When Mark and I dropped off our items at their Petal Street location near 635, we spoke with Debra Hamilton. Debra told us that when they receive items, they determine if local charities need the items (like used TVs for shelters). If so, they give them away. Then, they sell any usable items on their ebay store. Everything else gets broken down at their facility and recycled locally. They even do data destruction.

There is so much more information on their website, erecycler.net. Check it out and clear up your electronic recycling the eco-friendly way!

Consuming Less Stuff

2010-04-24T09:49:00.000-07:00

First, I want to give a big shout out to Beth Terry (FakePlasticFish.com) and her post, Earth Day 2010: Buying Green vs. Being Green. In it, she talks about a subject I have come to feel strongly about - that consuming more than we need is not good for the planet, whether the products are considered eco-friendly or not. I know that being a consumer is linked with being patriotic in the U.S., but that seems like an outdated and unworkable mindset to me. I don't want to be called a consumer. I'm so much more than what I buy. How about calling everyone Contributers, implying that their unique personalities, gifts, and talents contribute to our society and our world in a positive way? That feels much more uplifting and inspiring to me.

So in honor of Earth Day (which was Thursday - but really, every day is Earth Day right?), here are a few ways Mark and I have been consuming less stuff we don't need. I encourage you to comment with your list as well.

1. We use baking soda for deodorant, cleaner, in our homemade detergent, and cooking. One recyclable cardboard box instead of many different plastic containers.

2. I've stopped using shampoo and any hair products, and my hair looks better than it ever has. (More on that in a later post). This cuts out shampoo, conditioner, hair wax, and mousse, all of which were in plastic containers.

3. For our wedding registry, instead of asking for stuff, we asked for well-wishes. If someone wants to give us a gift, we've asked that they contribute the money they would have spent on a blender toward our European trip.

4. I'm making my wedding dress out of material I found at goodwill for $15. It's coming along really well. You can check out the progress at the Laughing Princess Sewing Diary.

5. We've stopped using paper towels and toilet paper (more on that in a later post as well). This saves trees and the plastic these products are usually packaged in.

6. We make our food from scratch instead of using pre-packaged meals. Our diet has greatly improved, our fridge looks like a beautiful garden, and we spend time in the kitchen cooking together now, which is really enjoyable. No plastic, no preservatives, no mysterious chemicals and other ingredients. All yummy goodness.

7. We've cleaned out our house and donated the things that didn't have meaning or use for us anymore to Goodwill. This allows us to see what we already have so we don't buy things twice, we've discovered all sorts of treasures, and we have a greater appreciation of our space.

8. We furnished our apartment with awesome used furniture from Craig's List. I think it's a great idea to buy used items. Technically, that's still consumerism, but I think it's better to use what has already been created than use up new resources to create the same thing.

9. We created a virtual Save the Date and Invitation Video for our wedding. No paper (and many of the fancy invitation papers are not recyclable), creative and fun, original, and totally free. By the way, the link to the invitation video sends you to our wedding website, where you can read about how Mark and I met and how he proposed to me.

I'm not anti-consumerism, I'm just not for the needless buying and shopping for "stuff" that is so encouraged in the US. Like do we really need 20 different household cleaners, or can we use items we already have in our home to create great eco-friendly cleaners? Do we need to use ziplock bags, which are not recyclable in my city and are plastic and quickly thrown away, or can we use reusable containers? Do we need to use up a hundred paper napkins, or can we use cloth napkins? Do we need our cookies individually wrapped, or can we buy them all in one bag? These are questions I've asked myself and continue to explore in different areas as Mark and I are changing the way we live our lives.

What are your ideas? In what ways are you consuming less and living greener?

(This article is also posted at NoNewPlastic.com)

Live Green Expo

2010-04-22T15:52:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,

Earlier this week, Mark and I attended our very first Green Expo! We were both very excited about it and were able to learn a lot and meet great people while we were there.

First, we had a great conversation with Suzanne Sutton, who works for The Chiapas Project. She had a table to collect old cell phones and ink catriges. There were postage-paid plastic bags on the table that you could take home, put your phones in, and ship them to their organization. The phones that have value are sold to refurbishing companies who then sell the phones to emerging markets. The phones that don't have value are recycled. The money generated goes to provide microloans to women in poverty in Chiapas, Mexico. The small loans are enough to help them get started in their own business, like "raising animals, growing fruit or weaving fabric" (from the Chiapas Project pamphlet). The income they generate from their business allows them to provide for their family's needs. I asked Suzanne if there was an alternative to the plastic bags because we're going a year without using new plastic. She asked where I lived and said she would personally come by my home to pick them up. Now THAT's a woman who believes in what she's doing.

Our next great learning opportunity was at our local Allied Waste table. Allied Waste is the company Plano uses to handle the recycling, landfill, and city composting programs. We asked them many questions. Here are just a few of them:

Are ziplock bags recyclable?
No.

Even if we take the zipper off?
No.

Is it true that you should take the tops off the plastic bottles before recycling?
This one is tricky, according to Brenda, who was the woman who graciously answered a list of our questions. If the recycling facility workers see a bottle with a cap on, they will unscrew the caps. Otherwise, they go to the buyer for those plastics, and the buyer has a laser that chops off the top part of the bottle. (We weren't clear on whether it was then recycled or not). However, some buyers will not take plastic bottles that have lids on them. If you unscrew the lids, the caps may fall through the filtering screen at the beginning of the process, meaning it will not get recycled.

I was kind of bummed when I heard this because I had just recently posted that they couldn't be recycled with the lids on, which I now understand is not the whole truth. It seems like it's iffy either way. The best option, my friends? Not buying plastic bottles, of course!

We also learned the big role that education plays in recycling. It's not as easy as getting new equipment and using it. The public has to be educated that another recycling option is available, what materials are now recyclable, and how to prepare the material for recycling. So much great information! Mark and I are both so thankful to the people at the Allied Waste booth for taking time to answer all our questions.

There were so many other cool things at the expo, too, like the bio-diesel truck and the green housecleaning booths. There was also wonderful live music and a step-by-step composting tent. A huge thank you to all the hundreds of volunteers who made the Expo possible. If you didn't come, you really missed out on some great information.

As great as the Expo was, I feel there is room for improvement. I was pretty disappointed when I saw that one of the sponsors was Culligan water company. Throughout the expo, there were large bottled water stations for people to use for free. When I turned around, there were at least 10 water fountains not being used. I'm surprised the city would even let Culligan and the other water companies there, some of whom had signs implying that public water was bad and unhealthy, at a city-sponsored event. Plano has excellent water. Water in plastic bottles? That's just tacky. That plastic will be around forever, whether it's recycled or not. It's just tacky and not good for the environment at all. If you want to know more about the history of bottled water and its effect on the environment, check out the this video, from the Story of Stuff.

Also, at the concession stands, there was a fridge filled with plastic soda and water bottles to choose from as well. Plastic plastic plastic. It's just crazy, especially at a green expo.

Maybe you're thinking, "Isn't plastic recyclable?" Plastic is downcycled, which means it reduces in quality every time it's recycled. It's also using up a lot of energy to turn it into something new. If all the bottles were made out of recycled plastic, that's great! It creates a market for recycled products and uses the material that will be around for over 1000 years anyway (none of the plastic ever created has biodegraded yet, so 1000 years is a common guess, but we don't know if it ever will). All the plastic that's ever been made is still here, whether in oceans, littering the ground, in landfills, or being recycled. What's convenient about a bottle of water, whether it's recycled or not, that you will only use for an hour but will be around for generations to come? Nothing.

Despite my disappointment with the plastic water bottles, Mark and I had an awesome time, we learned a lot, we met a lot of great people, and we're so glad Plano decided to host a Green Expo and make it free for everyone to attend.

Did you go to the Expo?
What did you learn?
What was your favorite part?
Share your comments!

Pictures from the 2010 Live Green Expo!

2010-04-17T18:25:00.000-07:00

The Live Green Expo was a new and exciting experience for many people this weekend, including me! Here are some pictures from this fabulous event!

I hope you had as much fun as I did! My favorite part was the eco-friendly fashion show. That newspaper dress was AWESOME!

Things to Know Before the Expo (only 8 days left!)

2010-04-09T20:56:00.000-07:00

(from City of Plano press release April 9, 2010)

The Live Green Expo, presented by the City of Plano, offers North Texans a few important reminders to consider before the big event. The Live Green Expo will be held from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, Apr. 17 at Plano Centre located at 2000 E. Spring Creek Pkwy. in Plano.

PARKING
As always, the Live Green Expo and parking are absolutely FREE! General parking for the event is located at Collin College at Jupiter Road and Spring Creek Parkway (2800 E. Spring Creek Pkwy.). Shuttles run every 15 minutes from Collin College parking areas to Plano Centre. Shuttle service is available all day. Parking for volunteers, officials, media, special guests and the handicapped is located in the east parking lot of Plano Centre. Entry to the east parking lot will require an event pass. No general parking is available at Plano Centre. General parking is conveniently located across the street at Collin College.

WATER
Water stations, sponsored by Culligan, are located throughout the Live Green Expo event area. Remember to bring your reusable water bottle and enjoy FREE water all day. The water stations are easy to find, just look for the Zero Waste stations.

REGISTER NOW!
Pre-register to learn how to make a rain barrel. The Rain Barrel Workshop (available for Plano residents only) provides the opportunity to learn all about rain barrels and participants take home their own 55-gallon rain barrel. The class is available at the Live Green Expo. Pre-registration is required and is easy to do online. There is a $20 registration fee. To register, visit livegreenexpo.net.
Interested in starting your own grassroots environmental movement? Pre-register for Conversation Café and learn more about local foods, a farmers market, zero waste at public events, eliminating polystyrene and plastic containers at restaurants, organic composting, and recycling opportunities for people in multi-family residences. Register at livegreenexpo.net or contact planogreeninitiative@yahoo.com.

BRING SHOES
The Live Green Expo initiated a recycling collection for new and gently worn athletic shoes for the people of Haiti last month using social media such as Facebook and Twitter. The “Shoes for Haiti – Healing with a Sole” shoe collection campaign has shipped over 5,000 shoes to Haiti since its inception. The largest one-day collection event is at the Live Green Expo. Collection containers are located at all the shuttle stops in the parking areas at Collin College.

GOT YOUR BAGS?
Be sure to bring your plastic shopping bags to the Live Green Expo and exchange them for a FREE reusable bag at the “Got Your Bags?” booth in the DIY Room. Recycling plastic shopping bags is good for the environment, reduces landfill waste and the material is used to make things such as lumber for park benches and playground equipment. Don’t forget to pledge to remember your reusable bag when you shop and always recycle plastic shopping bags at your local retailer.

For more information about the Live Green Expo, visit livegreenexpo.net

Simple Steps Series: Reusable Water Containers

2010-04-06T10:45:00.000-07:00

Going green can seem like an enormous task to some people. It's not always an easy choice to make because it seems so huge. Just trying to sort your recycling for the city can sometimes be a bit confusing; an entire green lifestyle is something else altogether.

Enter the Simple Steps Series. Going green can be a lot easier if you just take small, simple steps forward. My husband and I are taking these steps together in our first year of marriage, hoping to grow greener and greener as we go along.

Simple Step 1: Get a reusable water container

I drink a lot of water, whether I'm working out, working around the house, or just plain at work. When I'm on the go, I need a water container of some kind to come with me. Like most people, I was originally drinking out of plastic water bottles; I would buy them, drink out of them, and toss them. Later, thinking I was doing something good, I started to reuse plastic water bottles. This was a bad idea because the more reuse they get, the more likely they are to collect bacteria (yuck).

So, obviously, you don't really want to be drinking out of the plastic water bottles that come from the grocery store or vending machine. Yes, they can be recycled, definitely, but there are greener (and healthier) options. Originally, I thought a reusable plastic bottle would be good, but, geez, more plastic? There's got to be a better choice.

Enter the metal water bottle--aluminum or stainless steel. They don't break easily, and with a quick wash, they can be used again and again. They can also be used to make a fashion statement if so desired. The above picture is the bottle I ended up getting from Dick's Sporting Goods. There were so many options though: colors, patterns, causes, sports teams, the list goes on.

So if you're a big water drinker like me, your first green step is to purchase a metal water bottle. They're not too expensive, and they last as long as you need them to. It'll be your first simple step to a greener life.

Joel Salatin to visit Plano

2010-04-06T09:41:00.000-07:00

The night before the Live Green Expo Joel Salatin will be in Plano at the Art Centre of Plano talking food and farming.

Tickets are limited and priced at $50/person or $80/couple. Food will be served, created completely from the North Texas food shed and made by local chefs.

Contact Tiffany Stephens by Monday, April 12, by phone at (972) 796-4264 or by email at tiffanys@plano.gov.

Proceeds will benefit the future Plano Farmers Market featuring local providers. Check it out!

Fix A Leak Week - Plano Offers Free Resources for Residents

2010-03-19T13:30:00.000-07:00

Did you know that minor water leaks account for 1 trillion gallons of water wasted each year? That's why the city of Plano is sponsoring "Fix A Leak Week", offering free tips and water conservation items for Plano residents to help them save water. As a resident, you are eligible for the following items:

Low-Flow Shower Head
A self-cleaning shower head featuring a non-aerating spray means less temperature loss and big hot water energy savings. Easy to install!

How do you know if you need a new shower head? I found a handy dandy video with an easy tip on how to determine if your shower head needs an overhaul.

This is great for me, a Plano resident, right?
Yes and no. Yes, because just the other day, as I was having a long, hot shower, I wondered if our apartment had low-flow shower heads installed. I was going to look into the issue with my fiancé, Mark, so we could conserve water. However, have you heard that we're not buying any new plastic this year? When I ran into the kitchen to tell Mark we could get a low-flow shower head, he promptly asked, "Is it made of plastic?" I reminded him of how much water we could save. He said, "But plastic lasts forever. Is it made from recycled plastic or metal? If not, is it really worth creating a new piece of plastic that will last forever?" No, definitely not. So, I called the Municipal Center of Plano to find out if the shower head is made of plastic. It is. Ugg. No new shower head for me, at least not a free one. What are my other options? Well, thankfully, I did the test from the video and found out I don't need one, but there are many ways we can reduce our water usage without getting yet another plastic product.

Get wet, turn off the water, get soapy, turn on the water to rinse. This technique is used on naval ships and by Ed Begley (smile) and drastically cuts down on water usage.

Cut down on how long you shower. I don't know about you, but I'm not a 5-minute shower person. I could easily cut several minutes off my shower time to save water.

Share a shower. Have a special someone in your life? Sharing a shower isn't just romantic, it's the green thing to do (wink, wink).

Toilet Leak Detection Tablets
Use dye tablets to check for a leak in your toilet tank. It’s easy and could save you money. Here are a few other ways to help you conserve water:

When it's time to replace your toilet, purchase a dual-flush or high-efficiency model.

Don't use the toilet as a trashcan or ashtray.

If you're really feeling green, get a human composting toilet or make your own! Lots of resources are available online (by the way, if you do this, please let me know how it goes).

Toilet Flapper
Water treatment processes, toilet bowl cleaners and high water pressure cause replaceable parts to disintegrate in your toilet. If you get black “goo” on your hands when you touch the flapper, it needs to be replaced.

Simply visit any Customer and Utility Services counter from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, to pick up these items. Locations include the Municipal Center, 1520 K Ave. (between 15th Street and 18th Street) or the Joint Use Facility, 7501 N. Independence Pkwy. (adjacent to Davis Library). Retrofit items are provided FREE to Plano residents by the Sustainability & Environmental Services department.

For more water conservation tips, visit livegreeninplano.com.
And of course, come to the Live Green Expo on April 17, 2010!

Do you know what the largest source of litter is?

2010-03-13T09:32:00.000-08:00

According to the Keep America Beautiful Campaign, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing education and volunteer opportunities to help create a cleaner environment, cigarette butts are the number one source of litter. While smoking has decreased 28% in the past 10 years (Source), only 10% of cigarette butts are disposed of properly, which leads to a big litter problem. Most smokers don't realize the environmental impact of cigarette littering because cigarette butts are small enough to seem insignificant (Source). However, cigarette butts are made of cellulose acetate, which is a form of plastic that doesn't biodegrade easily. Cigarette butts that are littered on the street or in planters end up being washed into the gutters. Then, they enter our water system and often get washed from our streams into the ocean. Also, small animals often mistake cigarette butts for food and can end up choking or suffocating on them. I was inspired to write this article after a trip I made to the library yesterday. As I was getting into my car, I saw a black bird with a cigarette butt in its mouth. :(

The Positives

Public receptacles for cigarette butts are becoming more common.
Smoking is becoming less common.
Cigarette manufactures are looking for ways to produce environmentally-friendly cigarette butts. Philip Morris, a cigarette manufacturer, sponsors the Guide for Cigarette Litter Prevention on the Keep America Beautiful website.
You are reading this article, so now one more person is more aware.

So what can we do?

If you smoke, place cigarette butts in proper receptacles, including pocket ashtrays.
Most people who smoke don't realize the impact of cigarette butts on the environment, so you can help educate the people you know who smoke.
Learn more about the environment. Knowledge of our current environmental issues usually leads to caring about our environment and wanting to make positive changes.

For more information about this issue, check out Bill Nye the Science Guy's video.

Earth Hour - Did you vote?

2009-03-30T09:44:00.001-07:00

Why did or didn't you observe Earth Hour?
On the evening of Saturday March 28, millions around the world turned off their lights for an hour to demonstrate their awareness of the need to conserve energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

http://blog.epa.gov/blog/2009/03/30/qotw-after-earth-hour/

Por qué observó o no observo la Hora del Planeta Tierra?
En la noche del sábado, 28 de marzo, millones de personas alrededor del mundo apagaron las luces por una hora para demostrar su concienciación sobre la necesidad de conservar energía y reducir las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero.
http://blog.epa.gov/blog/2009/03/30/pdls-despues-hora-tierra/

Earth Day Ideas...What can you do?

2009-03-23T09:34:00.000-07:00

What can people do in their community to celebrate Earth Day?
Earth Day, April 22, is next month. Lots of communities hold events, block parties, and cleanups to encourage everyone to get involved, and have fun while they help protect the environment. Tell us about what folks in your community are thinking of doing.

¿Qué puede hacer la gente en su comunidad para celebrar el Día el Planeta Tierra?
El Día del Planeta Tierra, el 22 de abril, es el mes próximo. Muchas comunidades están celebrando actividades, fiestas de vecindario, y limpiezas para alentar a las personas que participen y se diviertan mientras protegen el medio ambiente. Díganos lo que la gente en su comunidad está pensando hacer.

We've gotta leak!

2009-03-18T08:57:00.000-07:00

When was the last time you fixed a leak?
An American home can waste, on average 11,000 gallons of water every year from running toilets, dripping faucets or other household leaks. March 16-20 is "Fix a Leak" week.

¿Cuándo fue la última vez que reparó una fuga o goteo?
Un hogar estadounidense promedio desperdicia un promedio de 11,000 galones de agua al año en inodoros con fugas, grifos que gotean, u otro tipo de fugas caseras. Del 16 al 20 de marzo es la Semana de Repare el Goteo.

What's the DEAL about DIAPERS?

2009-03-10T11:06:00.000-07:00

Why do you use disposable or washable baby diapers?
Cloth baby diapers require cleaning and care, but avoid replacement costs. Disposable diapers are convenient but must be purchased and disposed of properly.

Upcycling or Recycling?

2008-12-09T08:51:00.000-08:00

Recycling is really "upcycling."

A term coined by William McDonaugh and Michael Braungart in their book Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things, upcycling is "the process of converting an industrial nutrient (material) into something of similar or greater value, in its second life."

Wiki adds: "Upcycling is a component of sustainability in which waste materials are used to provide new products."

Sound familiar? It's recycling!

Aluminum and glass, for example, can usually be upcycled into the same quality of aluminum and glass as the original products.Recycling from a whole new perspective!

How do you dispose of unused medications?

2008-12-08T08:29:00.000-08:00

What do you do with unused over-the-counter or prescription drugs? Drugs and pharmaceutical products include powerful chemicals that have saved or improved countless lives. But even small amounts of drugs need to be disposed of carefully so they don't pollute the environment or harm human health and wildlife. In early 2007 the government set guidelines for proper disposal of prescription drugs: http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/drugfact/factsht/proper_disposal.html

Green Ways for School Days?

2008-09-15T11:22:00.000-07:00

What did you or your school do to be greener this year?
Classroom supplies, school buses, building maintenance, indoor air quality, books and pencils - everything about a school can affect the environment or the people who spend time in school. But there are lots of new ways that schools can be greener such as "clean diesel" buses, recycling, or safer chemicals in classrooms.

E-Cycle It!

2008-09-09T12:27:00.000-07:00

After you buy a new computer, what do you do with the old one?
Last week, we asked what you think about when you buy a new computer. Now, tell us what you do with the old one. You can "ecycle"it, donate it to charity, give it away to a friend or send it packing with your teenager to college. Some people store old computers in their garage or use them for bookends because they're not quite sure what to do with them...obviously, there are better options! =) Tell us your strategy for dinosaur computers.

Bits and Bites

2008-08-25T08:46:00.000-07:00

When it comes to computers, do you minimize energy use? It's time to go back to school, so many Americans are replacing their computers. You can look for the Energy Star label to find one that uses less electricity. When you get your computer home, you can choose energy-saving settings like when to turn off the monitor. What ways do you and your family save energy with electrionics?

Mow, Mow, Mow Your Lawn

2008-08-18T10:05:00.000-07:00

Why do you use a gasoline, electric, battery-operated, or push lawn mower? For many, mowing the lawn is a summertime fact of life. We cut the grass in different ways, each of which varies in its convenience and how it can affect the environment. Do you have a preferred method of disposing of yard clippings and tree trimmings?

Monkey See, Monkey Do

2008-08-11T11:15:00.000-07:00

Do celebrities who champion the environment influence your decision making, and if so, how?

Many people feel that protecting the environment is important. Celebrities sometimes use their high public recognition to raise awareness for causes they support: for example, things you should do (or not do) to protect the environment.

How many Green Buildings Are There in Plano?

2008-08-02T21:19:00.000-07:00

These are the hallmarks of Green Buildings:

1. Use of passive solar energy
2. Natural lighting (day lighting) and adjustable lighting systems
3. Highly reflective roof and building exterior
4. Indoor Air Quality (low VOC materials and ventilation)
5. HVAC energy performance and efficiency
6. Use of on-site renewable energy
7. Waste minimization (recycling, reducing, reusing)
8. Water reclamation and conservation (rainwater harvesting, use of gray water, soil amendment, native or adapted landscape material, efficient irrigation system)

What is the biggest Source of Pollution?

2008-08-02T21:09:00.000-07:00

I think it is human beings.