How green is that shiny new refrigerator?
August 15, 2008
Consumer reports takes a look at a number of refrigerators and rates them for you. They also show how the current regulations to measure capacity may not be up to snuff. According to Consumer reports, manufacturers calculate volume by measuring the height, length, and width of every part of a refrigerator box and totaling the results. Makers include the space occupied by shelves, hardware, and the indentation where you fill a glass with water and/or ice.
August 14, 2008
Big box retailer Ikea may start offering solar panels with your easy to assemble furniture.
Ikea recently announced plans to invest $77 million into its GreenTech energy fund with the goal of eventually producing solar panels, efficiency meters, and energy efficient lighting. They will be investing in start-ups in the green space to bring these new products to market as quickly as possible. Read the full story at Inhabitat.
Swat Down Vampire Power
May 14, 2008
Vampire power is the power that your electronics use when they are in standby mode. You know, things like the microwave, DVD players and yes, definitely your printer. Department of Energy, national residential electricity consumption in 2004 was 1.29 billion megawatt hours (MWh)—5% of which is 64m MWh. The wasted energy, in other words, is equivalent to the output of 18 typical power stations.
There is a movement afoot to encourage manufacturers to either remove or diminish the wattage of standby power, and Britain is moving fast to ban them altogether.
What can you do?
The first one is easy. If you only use your DVD once a week, un-plug it. If you don’t want to have to manage this yourself all over the house, and easier answwer is to get a Smart Power Strip
Want to see how much power your devides are using when you’re not looking? Get a Watt Meter
Reducing packaging
May 14, 2008
We all get frustrated by the insane packaging that some things come in. Even kids. So what to do? U Florida has some good ideas.
Is this really organic? Should I care?
May 11, 2008
So, you’ve decided to go organic. You go down to the grocery store and proudly fill your cart with all these lovely products shouting ORGANIC in bold colors, and it makes you feel better.
As it should. Well, at least it should if those products are REALLY organic. The problem is that they might not be all organic at all.
Organic food has the following benefits:
- Grown or raised by a producer whose methods are in balance with nature, and do not harm or destroy the environment.
- The farmer is committed to the environment and the quality of his produce and fostering healthy soil and growing conditions.
- Land on which organic food is grown has been free of toxic and chemical pesticides and fertilizers for three years prior to certification.
- Sustainable farming practices arte in use, like crop rotation to allow fields to recover from year to year, and cover crops are planted to add nutrients to the soil and hold back weeds.
- Organic meat, poultry and egg products come from farms that do not administer antibiotics or hormones, use organic feed, and give animals access to the outdoors.
- Processed food has been minimally processed, with no artificial ingredients, preservatives, radiation or genetically modified organisms.
So, how do you know?
Ask. Ask the farmer at the farmer’s market, the local grocer or the butcher if their food is organic. Read the labels, especially on packaged foods.
Only USDA certified-organic foods are allowed to use the word “organic” in the product name.
BUT, organic ingredients can be listed on the packaging of products that are not organic (for instance, “contains organic barley”).
In addition, if a company is certified as an organic producer, it can use the word “organic” in its company name, even on products the company makes that are not organic.
Regulation
Since 2002 Organics have been regulated by the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Organic Program.
The National Organic Standards Board defines organic agriculture as “an ecological production management system that promotes and enhances biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity. It is based on minimal use of off-farm inputs and on management practices that restore, maintain and enhance ecological harmony.”
All that said, the regulations are getting stretched now that big business is getting interested in providing organics to the customers. The Organic Consumers Association tells us about these “sneak attacks” to try to bring more conventional ingredients into organic products.
Oh, and speaking of regulation, you may find farmers at the local market who bristle at the idea that their produce is not worthy of notice because it’s not organic. The fact is tht getting certified can be prohibitively expensive for a small farmer, and some have simply opted out. They grow their produce as if it were certified though, and they will happily share with you how their produce is raised. Some farmers use the natrual certification instead for this reason.
A recent article in the Loudount Times noted “To be certified organic, a farmer must go through a rigorous certification process by the United States Department of Agriculture, typically a three-year initial process with certified agents and inspectors studying the land, extensive documentation and daily record-keeping. In 2002, the USDA established the program to federally regulate farming with no chemical substances.”
To buy organic or not is still a good question. Automatically buying something because it says organic on the label is probably not the best answer. You still have to think about your purchases and know where they come from and what’s in them. Take the time to educate yourself about local products and make your choices based on what is healthy for you.
Timberland – putting their best foot forward
May 7, 2008
Who better than a company known for their hiking and rough and ready work-boots to think about their company’s environmental impact and do something about it? Not only do they use recycled materials and low impact inks in their packaging, they use re-cycled materials for many of their products.
They’ve reduced their chemical usage and carefully select the ones the do use and they are increasing their organic consumption. They’re also making sure their suppliers are stepping up by conduction environmental audits for tanneries that supply them. They are also creating strategic partnerships with organizations that share their values to expand their impact on the industry and the world.
Find out more about Timberland’s dedication to corporate social responsibility, and next time you go out to but hiking boots, ask how the company you’re buying from makes the world a better place.
Make less trash
April 24, 2008
There are a lot of ways you can easily reduce what you add to the landfill. Here’s a short list.
- Don’t buy water in plastic bottles. Fill your own from a filter instead.
- Buy items in bulk or from loose bins when possible to reduce the packaging wasted.
- Avoid products with several layers of packaging when only one is sufficient. About 33 of what we throw away is packaging.
- Buy products that you can reuse.
- Maintain and repair durable products instead of buying new ones.
- Check reports for products that are easily repaired and have low breakdown rates.
- Reuse items like bags and containers when possible.
- Use cloth napkins instead of paper ones.
- Use reusable plates and utensils instead of disposable ones.
- Use reusable containers to store food instead of aluminum foil and cling wrap.
- Shop with a canvas bag instead of using paper and plastic bags. If you have plastic bags re-sue them as long as you can.
- Buy rechargeable batteries for devices used frequently.
- Reuse packaging cartons and shipping materials. Old newspapers make great packaging material.
- When you buy packing “noodles” buy the kind made from corn products. They are totally recyclable as animal feed or compost.
- Compost your vegetable scraps.
- Buy used furniture – there’s lots and it’s cheaper too!
Composting in your kitchen
April 20, 2008
Composting your home waste takes dedication. Whether you’re worm composting or using a bin in the backyard, the compost needs constant attention to work properly. Often people start out with good intentions but just don’t keep it up. The compost doesn’t get turned, it rots or draws pests etc, etc.
This seems like a pretty good alternative to the usual compost bin. The compost is heated so it degrades faster and the bin turns itself so there is no handling necessary. when the compost is ready it drops into a receptacle in the bottom, ready to add to your garden.
The best part for me is that you can keep it right in the kitchen, where it’s easy to toss in the trimmings and dinner leftovers as they occur instead of trudging out to the compost bin and mixing it in.
Take a look at Nature Mill.
It IS easy bein green
April 19, 2008
Are you thinking about going green but you don’t know which products are available as alternatives to what you use now? Going Green has already done your homework for you!
Check out their store online of products from a wide range of purveyors, ranging from Fair Trade sporting goods to cleaning products that won’t trash your home’s internal environment.
Paper or plastic?
April 16, 2008
The scourge of the plastic bag is slowly starting to slow. Cities like San Francisco have banned the use of non-biodegradable plastic bags at large grocery stores this year and at large pharmacies next year. These stores can use bio-degradble bags for just 2 cents more per bag.
Statistics vary, but the common figures are these:
- It takes approximately 430,000 gallons of oil to make 100 million non-degradeable bags.
- 4-5 trillion bags are used worldwide per year.
- According to the US Environmental protection agency, less than 1% of these bags get re-cycled per year.
- Plastic bags are estimated to take about 1000 years to decompose.
What about paper?
Greening your garden
April 14, 2008
- Get rid of the pesticides. Bring in beneficial insects or mulch
- Compost your kitchen scraps with worms
- Look for re-cycled planting containers, or use household containers that have seen better days
- Grow your own food. Vegetables from the garden taste SO much better, and they can be quite lovely to look at too
- Join a community garden and share your knowledge with others so they can get green too
- Glean the produce you don’t need from your garden and share it with local food shelters
- Use plants that are native to the area. They’ll grow better and need less coddling
- Add a rain barrel under your downspouts. put a screen over the top to keep out debris and insects and you’ve got water free for the taking
- Water in the early morning hours. The water will soak into the groud before it evaporates
- Mulch. Mulch keeps down insects and weeds and helps to retain moisture
- Plant for the world. Plant for the bees and the butterflies who help our farmers raise their crops.
- Lose the lawn. Lawns use up huge amounts of water for the value they return to the uniuverse. Think about planting sedges or low water plants. Even a vegetable garden uses less water than a lawn.
- Get a push mower. Get your workout and quit stinking up the planet
Green in death as in life?
April 12, 2008
We’re all gonna die, but why do we have to add more toxins to the body before we put it in the ground when you can have a natural burial?
Natural burial adds no formalehyde or embalming fluids and either cremates or buries the body in a shroud or plain box so your body returns to the soil naturally rather than having to be placed in a sealed coffin so thetoxins don’t leach into the water table.
Oh, and if you’re buried at Fernwood your loved ones even get your GPS location in case they need to find you again someday (humor, don’t castigate).
For more info go to:Forever Fernwood, 301 Tennessee Valley Rd., Mill Valley, ca (415-383-7100). Natural burial pricing varies.
Treated wood warning
April 8, 2008
Building a deck, a fence or other outdoor project with wood? You might want to know more about treated wood before you make your buying decisions.
The leading treated wood product, chromated copper arsenate (CCA), recognized by the greenish tint it imparts to the wood, was taken off the market at the beginning of 2004. The problem is the arsenic in the compound, which leaches into the soil over time, a particular concern in wildlife areas as well as children’s playgrounds. Although the arsenic contamination level is fairly low in soil, it is more readily released by fire, such as open pit fires or barbecues and using this type of wood in the home fireplace is discouraged. Disposal of large quantities of CCA-treated wastes or spent timber at the end of its lifecycle has been traditionally through controlled landfill sites.
Another problem is the mainly copper-based replacements for CCA corrode fasteners faster than CCA did, which could increase the speed at which structures deteriorate. This could have an impact on property liability (decks collapsing from structural failure before the wood degrades)
Some alternatives to copper are being developed:
Cooee Biosciences has developed and patented non-toxic, environmentally-friendly options, which specialize in the control and management of water content in natural and man-made materials.
Envirosafe Wood Treatment Products has a process that utilizes a mixture of boron, silicates and a patented “binder formulation.
Hardwick Distributing claims that a product they represent, Permasil WB will “prevent the CCA in treated wood from leaching out and with the borate additive will stop termites as well as the growth of fungi”.
The EPA offers a host of information on CCA and alternative options.
Alternative to plastic water bottles
April 2, 2008
Finally somebody’s come up with an answer to the plastic water bottle conundrum.
A British company, Belu is producing bottles out of corn.
Green computing
January 29, 2008
The one laptop per child foundation believes that empowering children in developing nations by providing them with laptops in their schools and networking them with the rest of the world can help these children advance their own societies.
The OLPC Association focuses on designing, manufacturing and distributing XO laptops to children in lesser developed countries.
Besides providing the laptops of course, there must be a program to educate the children and teachers on how to use this as a tool for learning. ULPC formed a team to work with countries to develop their own learning teams. The goal is to help each country develop a deeper understanding and richer practice in using laptops for learning. The first workshops in countries will be in Ethiopia, Ghana, Rwanda and Nigeria during October 2007.
-
Subscribe
Currently Reading
