The Big Bad Five

Periodically, I receive a little booklet from our local utilities called "Eco @ Home". A cool little publication with hints on conserving energy and reducing our carbon footprint. What I learn most is we can all do our part and teach our children with very little effort. We just need more awareness.

There was a neat article on the worst 5 products we should avoid in our households.

1. PETROLEUM-BASED CLEANERS. We've been bombarded so heavily with antibacterial cleaners that they are believed to being more harmful than good. We're building super bacteria that are becoming impossible to kill. I've used vinegar and baking soda for years. (Gold star for me!)
2. DISPOSABLE BATTERIES. We Americans send 166,000 tons of them yearly to the landfill where the toxic chemicals from them seep into the soil. Buy rechargeable. This is where I fail miserably. I'm always picking up batteries. (Take away my gold star.)
3. INCANDESCENT LIGHTS. I think we're all doing pretty good at this one. Everyone I know uses the CFLs.
4. WATER BOTTLES. Ten years ago, who would of thought drinking water bottles being an environmental problem. The main source of this is only 10 percent gets recycled. The rest are left in the trash, beach or on the side of the road. We use the Brita water filter at home. Taste better, too.
5. STYROFOAM. A petroleum-based plastic made of styrene monomer, a possible human carcinogen. Styrofoam is my arch-enemy. The biggest pain in the world to get rid of, especially the "peanuts" that usually comes with my husband's Ebay purchases. They fly all over the place; and if the garage door is open with a little breeze in the air; nuts, I'm all over the neighborhood chasing them down!

See, these are little changes we all can make.  And "Just say No" to styrofoam.

(By the way, my dogs have nothing to do with this blog. I just wanted to add their picture.)

The power of one.

I just took out the Sunday evening trash pickup. It included 2 bags of lawn clippings for recycling, 1 bin of recyclables and 1 bag of garbage.

Ten years ago it would have meant 4 bags to the landfill.

We're a nation of over 111 million households. Muliply that by 3 extra bags a week to the landfill.

See. We can make a difference.

Making sense of going "green"

All of us want a better life for our children and grandkids (like my adorable ones in the picture). Where we used to think in terms of better job, bigger house, more money; our aspirations now include a healthier and cleaner environment. “Conservation” is a common word these days. “Social awareness” is making its way up our vocabulary. We all know what “eco-friendly” means. Or do we?

We are bombarded by so many new slogans and catch phrases, we not sure what is “green” and what is just a marketing tool.

I found some of the following phrases and their meanings on http://www.sustainabilitydictionary.com/.

SUSTAINABILTY: Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Very powerful word.
CONFLICT-FREE: A product that can certify it wasn’t obtained through the use of violence. Think “Blood Diamonds”.
CARBON-NEUTRAL: Giving back to the earth what you take. Many manufacturers are now adopting this policy. For example, planting trees to counter act the greenhouse gases created in their production process. Individuals can also strive to become carbon-neutral.
UPCYCLED: Taking disposable items and transforming them into something of greater use and value. Glass is a great example of this.
POST-CONSUMER PRODUCT: Used by one consumer, recycled and remade into another product. Paper products are the first thing that comes to mind. It wasn’t that many years ago where we never saw that little “made from recycle paper” logo. Now it’s everywhere.

I hope I brought you a little knowledge today. Remember, "Knowledge is Power".