The Green Buck Stops Here

This is an excellent site for all things green. The Daily Green

http://www.thedailygreen.com/?src=nl&mag=tdg&list=dgr

The other thing is conservation. There seems to be a growing consensus in Washington that eliminating the bans on off-shore drilling and drilling in ANWAR is the answer to our energy problems, though I’ve never heard of any real effort for a government conservation plan. During WWII, there was a big government push on conservation of resources. Of course there was rationing but the rationing was accepted, in part, because the government made people feel it was their patriotic duty. I’m not calling for rationing but having a government sponsored public relations push would make a lot of sense. My Dad told me a story of the WWII days when the federal government would hold big, nighttime pep rallies in large stadiums. They would hand out cigarette lighters to everyone who came in and after giving their speeches on what a difference ordinary people could make if they worked together, they would have everyone light their lighters at once. He said the stadium lit up brighter than daylight.

Putting my tree-hugging tendencies aside, conservation just seems like the more practical and logical choice. It is a choice. We can pressure our leaders to make efforts in that direction. If that doesn’t work we can always just do it ourselves.

I’m guilty of forgetting about this too often so don’t call me perfect but… taking your own reusable containers to restaurants and fast food joints can make a big difference for our environment.

Styrofoam is a favorite choice of restaurants because it’s cheaper for them but is the most toxic container to the environment. Not only does it not break down in the landfills, when it breaks it releases toxic gasses from the little bubbles inside and you can’t just throw it into the recycle bin. Paper and cardboard containers will break down in the landfills but you can’t recycle them if they’ve been contaminated with food. Plastic bags can be recycled but you have to collect them then take them back to the store.

A couple of benefits to consider besides the environment:

1. Saucy Asian foods don’t drip out of the Styrofoam containers, through the plastic bag and on to your car upholstery or your nice clean shirt if you have your own tight fitting lid.

2. Fewer fast food containers floating down the roads and alleys after trash/recycle pickup days.

Any kind of reusable container will work that fits the food and will get it home clean and in one piece. You can google “Reusable Take-Out Containers” and can come up with all sorts of cool stuff or you can just dig through all those Tupperware containers we all have stuffed in our cabinets. I have to explain what I want when I take my own take-out containers just like I used to explain to the grocery clerks not to wrap my groceries in plastic bags before putting them into the canvas bags, but they do eventually catch on.

I recently read a particularly nasty question in a blog the other day. The question was, “Is it Al Gore stupid or Michael Moore stupid to believe in global warming?” Although the question might be considered distasteful, it is not at all surprising if you have been following the political debates over the environmental movement. It’s become very common for arguments to be riddled with name calling and belittling with no real substance. These attacks fly around the airwaves and on the internet in emails and blogs.

The political arena has turned this very real issue into nothing more than a battle cry and the term “global warming” puts many people into a tailspin. What’s really at stake is the health of our planet and our standard of living. It’s time we stop worrying about the political bickering, stop wasting our efforts and hard earned money and begin dealing with the real facts.

Neigh Sayers argue that what’s happening to our planet is just the natural cycle of climate change. What they don’t mention is that these natural cycles normally take place over thousands of years. Sudden changes usually only happen after a huge natural disaster such as the eruption of Krakatoa. The increased changes we’ve seen since the industrial revolution began have been man-made. The changes have been much more dramatic in the last few decades with the increase of industry, number of cars on the road and the population explosion.

I’m a Believer because I have seen the changing climate in my own home town where I’ve lived off and on for most of my life. There are some places where the air and water are cleaner but that’s because man-made fixes have cleaned up man-made messes. In my city this is not so even though it is finally attempting to go more green. There are fewer snowfalls, more droughts, it gets warmer earlier in the year and our hot season starts in June instead of late July or August. Our air quality used to be good but on some days I can see the haze just by looking at the houses across the street. I don’t need a weather alert to tell me when the ground ozone is at a dangerous level. I just have to walk outside of my house and feel the throbbing headache that won’t go away until the ozone clears.

Political arguments have delayed our efforts to clean up our planet and we are pumping money into the pockets of the politicians and the oil and coal industries who are causing the delays. The answer is very simple. We have to stop waiting for the politicians to fix things for us and take personal responsibility. Going green is the practical thing to do and it’s a less stressful and more pleasant way to live. As individuals we might not be able to clean up the whole world but we do have the individual power not to add to the problem.

It doesn’t matter if you believe in global warming or not. We all want to breathe clean air, to drink fresh water and enjoy good health. We must clean up after ourselves and stop our over consumption of products made by industries that dump toxins into our atmosphere and water supplies. We can increase our national security and create more jobs by not using so much oil and oil based products and switch to clean energy wherever possible. We can become healthier by not loading our bodies down with so many chemicals. We must stop dumping our messes into our neighbors’ yards.

No matter what our political ideology is, no matter if we believe Earth needs saving or not, we must see that political attacks and our attacks against each other get us nowhere. The fact is, going green saves money and that’s something most of need and want. We must stop waiting on the politicians and make the small, inexpensive and free changes in our lives that can make a big positive impact on our environment and our pocketbooks.

© 2008 - Mimi Gibson maintains www.thegreenbuckstopshere.com
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Most people think putting food waste into the trash can is harmless because it just rots away at the landfill. The fact is that rotting food creates a lot of methane which is a serious contributor to greenhouse gases. OK, then, just put down the garbage disposal. The problem of that is it’s hard on your pipes (ever had to pay a plumber to unclog your sewer pipes?) and it goes into the city sewer system. It still emits methane as it decomposes and the city has to use more energy to clean up the mess. The cost, of course, is passed on to you through your utility bills. My city has even asked us NOT to use our garbage disposals. Fortunately, there are several easy alternatives:

Supplement your pets’ diet:

Be careful with this one. There are several foods that you should not feed your pets. I don’t remember where I got this list but I remember it was from a reliable source. You can ask your vet or do a search on-line for more information.

Avocados, Beer, Nuts, Chocolate, Candy, Caffeine, Grapes, Raisins, Onions, Bones, spoiled food of any kind and, my own addition from personal experience, Pork.

Despite what some pet food manufactures may say, adding safe food scraps to your pets’ food is good for their health and gives them the variety they crave. They have different tastes just as humans do so experiment to see what they like. Limit very salty and processed food. They don’t need it any more than we do and the processed food might be hiding an ingredient that could be harmful. How does it save money? Mix it up in your pets’ food. You use less pet food and adding food that would otherwise be thrown away.

Feed the wildlife:

There are many foods that your local wildlife would gladly dispose for you. It’s probably best not to put your pile too close to the house or you might have uninvited guests in for seconds.

Composting:

This sounds like a lot of work but there are different way to do it and you end up with rich and free fertilizer. Any food that does not come from animal sources, except egg shells, and is not too greasy will work. Just toss it in with your yard scraps, etc., and let nature take it’s course.

If you don’t want to do the compost thing, you can bury your scraps directly into your garden. Just spread it out so your plants don’t become overwhelmed.

Worm Condos:

This is a excellent option for anyone who doesn’t have pets or a yard. The worms will turn your waste into worm castings which is one of the best fertilizers and is very expensive if you buy it at the nursery. There are many different ways to do this. You can buy worm condos or you can easily and cheaply make your own. You can buy worms (red wigglers) on-line, from a bait shop or just dig them up yourself. The same rules for food in the compost goes for worm condos. There’s a wealth of information on the internet on the subject. Don’t just click on the “sponsored inks.” Look around for what other people have done so you can find something that works for you.

If none of these ideas spike your interest, just don’t buy and cook more than you can eat. That’s about as free and easy as you can get.

After so many years of being the one in charge of keeping everyone fed, I’m burned out. I cringe at dinnertime because I really DON’T WANT TO COOK! I’m still in charge of this never-ending task but I found a solution that’s easier than making a trip for take-out. It’s a big plate of fresh steamed vegetables.

Buy a variety of fresh veggies (organic and local is best), cut them up in large chunks and stick them in a steamer. After 10-15 minutes, your work is done.

I didn’t buy a special expensive steamer, I just bought an inexpensive steamer insert that fits into the bottom of any deep pot. Fill with water up to the steamer bottom, throw your veggies in and cover with a lid. Cook on high for 10 - 15 minutes, depending on the veggie and your preference. Steaming veggies retains much more of the nutrients, taste, color and texture. You can add any flavoring you want but I think the taste of the veggies is wonderful as is. Because they have retained more of their nutrients, you feel more satisfied and you don’t have such an urge to snack later on in the evening. There’s not much to clean up which makes me happy.

You really don’t have to eat meat three times a day. That’s something that developed in our culture over the years because… well… I guess just because we could. Protein comes from many different sources, not just meat. Eating a variety of grains, fruit and veggies throughout the day will give you all the protein and nutrients you need without supplements. A great source of information on how to get all the essential amino acids you need without meat is Diet For a Small Planet by Frances Moore Lappé.

Now, if I could find a way for my groceries to magically appear in my kitchen, I’d be a very happy woman.

Microsoft’s Edison Debuts, Joining Tools from Google, the EPA and Snap.com

Lowering energy use on your home and business computers not only lowers greenhouse gas emissions, it also LOWERS YOUR UTILITY BILLS saving your hard earned money. Here’s the story from The Daily Green that will tell you all about it.

The Daily Green “4 Free Software Tools to Save Energy on Home Computing”
http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/eco-friendly/pc-energy-efficiency-47080703?src=nl&mag=tdg&list=dgr&kw=ist

Here are the direct links to the free downloads.

Edison from Verdium or Microsoft’s environment page.
http://verdiem.com/
http://www.microsoft.com/environment/campaign_edison.aspx

Energy Star’s EZ-WIZARD
http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=power_mgt.pr_power_mgt_ez_wiz

Snap.com’s CO2 Saver
http://co2saver.snap.com/

Google’s Energy Saving Gadget
http://desktop.google.com/plugins/i/energysaver.html

Remember, no matter what the political debate says, being kind to the Earth saves you money.