Environmental Accountability

After almost one month, the daily reports coming in from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster are still very discouraging. Everyone is disappointed and outraged that this even happened, as well as the lack of success in stopping the spill. Without a doubt, this crisis will stimulate some serious discussions and actions for ensuring environmental accountability.

But why does it always take a life/environment altering event to inspire action? Why can't we be more proactive with environmental accountability, instead of just reacting after the crisis?

There are probably numerous "good" answers to those questions, but I am going to propose one of selfishness. If everyone thought more about others than themselves (or their businesses), accountability in all aspects of life, including the environment, would be prevalent.

We can point our fingers at big business such as BP PLC and our government leaders, but what are you, as an individual doing to reduce your carbon footprint....even in your "own backyard"?

Do you recycle? And if so, are you recycling what is only convenient, or are you going above and beyond?

Do you purchase locally grown foods? Besides the health aspects, did you know that the overall process for getting local products to your door, reduces millions of pounds of CO2 emissions and fuel consumption.

Are you buying recycled and/or sustainable merchandise? And, I don't mean just thinking you're hitting the mark, when you "happen" to purchase a recycled item here or there. I'm talking, a concentrated effort to seek out recycled products that are remanufactured or can be reused in their current condition.

Started using "green cleaners" in your home, yet? Not only are they good for your planet, but the statistics are in; they're good for your families health and longevity!

This is our home and our planet. Let's be environmentally accountable even for our little piece of it.

Environmental Ethics Start With You

I define environmental ethics as doing what's right for the environment. And doing what's right, is painstakingly taking care of the only known inhabitable planet in the solar system. It means realizing that lifestyle and habits, have a direct effect on the planet's future.

What do I define as doing "what's right"? Obviously, there are a plethora of options from the basics of Reduce Reuse Recycle, to the complex processes of alternative energy, etc. "The sky's the limit", as they say. It just depends how high you desire to soar!

Recycling

There is more than enough information in every community and state, as well as online recycling resources. Besides setting aside an area at your home to store recyclables, the process of recycling is relatively painless. If, curbside recycling isn't available in your area, there are definitely other options in your community. A slight detour on your errand running day, can usually take care of getting the recyclables to the proper disposal facility.

Non-Toxic Cleaning

Not only is the use of non-toxic cleaning products beneficial to the planet, it's also proven to NOT be detrimental to your family's health. Actually, credible studies are being released fairly regularly regarding this issue. The word is finally out that about the fact that there are over 80,000 chemicals in household products that have never been tested for safety for humans or animals. It's really a simple transition to change over to safe cleaning products, and there are several that are less expensive than the toxic ones.

Energy Efficient Lighting

These might be a little more costly up front, but in the end, they buy earth more time and you also. The CFL and LED light options are getting better all the time. No longer is it necessary to sacrifice good lighting, in order to use a more environmentally efficient product. The facts speak for themselves, it's just a matter of educating yourself.

Take a look at your daily habits and activities. What changes can you make to improve your environmental ethics? Remember, the sky's the limit!!

Come soar with me....

Show Thanks With Less Waste

I realized after creating the title to this post, that it could be written two ways: 'Waste' versus 'Waist'...LOL !! Since, this is my environmental focused blog, I do believe I'll stick with the 'household waste' issues for now ;-)

According to the folks at RecycleWorks.org, household waste increases by more than 25% from Thanksgiving to New Years Day. There is added food waste, shopping bags, packaging, wrapping paper, etc.

Not only can you make easy choices to be less wasteful this Thanksgiving, they may even cost less than your usual holiday habits. Here's a few suggestions to think about:

Shopping
Don't forget to take those reusable bags. Not only are they better than using plastic and paper, but they're much stronger and hold a lot more.

Setting The Table
I know! I know! Paper & plastic products are sooo much easier to use with all the folks coming over for dinner. But, think of the money you'll save if you use your existing plates & silverware and run them in the dishwasher at the end of the meal?

Decorating
Don't go out and buy more "stuff". Look around the house and garage. I'm SURE there are several cool things already in your treasures, that would make great decos, with some slight modifications.

Recycle
Put the food scraps in your newly created composter. And ask your guests to sort out the paper, plastic items into your new recycling area.

By the way, that 'new recycling area' doesn't have to be anything fancy. I use old garage bins and cardboard boxes to service my family's recycling needs. Don't go crazy, just be a little more savvy.

The saying, "Waste not. Want not.", couldn't be more applicable here. Remember, baby steps is okay!

Have a safe and blessed Thanksgiving!

Recycling - It All Comes Back To You

I don't think it's any secret that I have a passion for environmental stewardship. No act is too small to improve one's carbon footprint on the planet. Therefore, I am pleased to announce a local Recycling Awareness Event that will be held in my Treasure Valley, Idaho community on November 21, 2009.

Motivated by the AmericaRecyclesDay.org coalition, this grassroots Recycling Awareness event will be held at Silverhawk Realty in Fruitland, Idaho from 10 am to 2 pm. The event will focus on recycling resources in the Payette County area. There will be information available about the environmental and fiscal impacts on our community and planet, resulting from more aggressive recycling by everyone.

Silverhawk Realty has graciously offered to host the event, and Western Recycling will be there with some of their collection bins. There will be additional information about recycling options in the general area of Payette County.

America Recycles Day slogan this year is, "It all comes back to you". So, take the pledge and make a difference in our community and our future. It's a Win-Win for you and the planet!

America Recycles Day on November 15th

Celebrating its 12th year, America Recycles Day (ARD), will be on November 15th. It's a day set aside to better inform people about the importance of recycling and buying recycled products.

I am a staunch supporter of recycling and do a decent job at it personally, but I know that I can do much more. So, I've taken the ARD Pledge on the America Recycles Day website to try and ramp up my recycling habits.

It's a No Brainer, that recycling keeps the landfills from filling up so quickly. But, in addition to that, it encourages people and businesses to find alternative uses to their trash. Either by reusing the products as they are, or re-purposing them into other products.

Please go to the America Recycles Day website and take the Pledge to start and/or improve your recycling habits. There are a lot more things that each of us can do, to turn our trash into treasures!

Raising The Bar In San Francisco

I'm so proud of San Francisco and Mayor Gavin Newsom. I'm literally busting at the seams!

San Francisco already has made huge strides in recycling, but now, they have raised the bar by signing into law, mandatory composting in my favorite City. Seventy-two percent diversion from the landfills wasn't enough for Mayor Newsom and his colleagues, and so now it's the law!

In an article in the Huffington Post, the progressive Mayor outlines the chronology of San Francisco's war for reduction in their landfills and repurposing much of the byproducts of waste.

Please watch inspiring video that explains San Francisco's ambitious journey to create a model for environmental stewardship in every city on this planet.

Don't Be A Drip - Tips For More Environmentally Responsible Behavior

DRIP, DRIP, DRIP...No, there's not any name calling, going on here today. Instead, we're going to share some practical tips for being more environmentally responsible AND saving money too. -Take that Recession- POW!

A couple of posts back, I talked about the ecobutton™ and the Smartstrip, as ways of reducing electrical power consumed. The power used from idle devices, or even some devices when turned off, is known as Phantom Power.

The next suggestion was eluded to, in the title of this post: water dripping. Three easy suggestions are: Getting leaky faucets fixed, not running the water when brushing your teeth, and/or installing fixtures that have EPA WaterSense efficiency standards.

The "Three R's": Reduce - Reuse - Recycle, pretty much speak for themselves.

Use environmentally safe cleaning products: One of the most economical all-purpose cleaners is Basic H2® Organic Super Cleaning Concentrate by Shaklee. This product even carries the Green Seal. The Green Seal endorsement comes from a independent, non-profit organization that tests and endorses products from environmentally responsible companies. One 16-ounce bottle of Basic H2®, dilutes into over 200 bottles of all-purpose cleaner. Not only is it safe for the planet, it's safe for folks that are sensitive to scents and/or have allergies. Then, once you've used up the 16-ounce bottle, if not recycled, you would only be putting "1" plastic bottle into the landfills, versus over 200 bottles of the "other brand".

I hope some of you will write back and share some other great planet saving ideas. Also, tell us which ones you are personally incorporating into your daily routine.

Change Habits - Reduce Waste

No time...like the present, is a well-known saying, as well as: Why put off for tomorrow...what you can do today?, is another one. Well, today I'm sharing some no or low cost suggestions, that you can incorporate into your daily lifestyle. They have the potential of improving your health as well as planet's.

There's a large percentage of activities that we can do that are focused on reducing our carbon footprint on the planet, and that also can help us financially, physically and emotionally. An example would be to change the habit of driving to a restaurant or calling in a food order for delivery and instead, walking to a nearby restaurant on your lunch break.

How about changing your habit or creating one, by bringing your own "To-Go" containers, when dining out somewhere? What a great way to reduce the use of those styrofoam containers and such, that are detrimental to our planet's health.

Here's another, no-cost, in fact it's a cost-saver; of taking your own utensils from home to work and reusing them. This change of habit can have a trickle down effect, that probably measures quite high, on reducing the carbon footprint on the planet!

If, you'd like to see how the current resources you use, may be adversely affecting the planet, there's a great calculator through American Forests. There are also several other online resources to calculate your affect on the planet.

In the famous words of Martin Luther King, Jr: The time is always right to do what is right.

Bottled Water, Filtered Water, Tap Water...Oh me Oh my!

There has been a plethora of discussion over the use of bottled water, tap and/or filtered tap water. I've read and pondered this for my family's own personal water consumption, and have actually changed from my original thoughts and usage, in this matter.

Originally, I knew that our rural residential water was not too safe to drink, so we started using bottled water, exclusively. We did try to purchase larger quantities and use less plastic containers. Then, I read a lot about the lack of regulations for bottled water, and had a real issue with throwing all those plastic bottles away. Also, the reports about BPA (Bisphenol A) exposure in the plastic bottles, definitely turned me off to the bottled water.

Ultimately, my husband and I have decided that our best option at this point, is to filter our rural tap water. And, even if we end up moving into a municipality with water service, we will continue to filter our tap water.

Shaklee offers some great options to filter tap water in your home. Currently, we use a BestWater Perfect Pitcher in our home, because we are in a home that we don't own. But, upon the purchase of a home, we will be upgrading to one of their MTS 2000 units.

The BestWater MTS 2000 units come in an above counter and below counter unit. Both units are NSF Certified and come with a money-back guarantee and warranties. The cost per day is only pennies, and means a lot of piece of mind and overall, is a economical investment in every family's health.

Reduce - Reuse - Recycle

One just needs to give it a try and find out that recycling is much easier than most people think it is. REALLY, it is VERY EASY !

And actually, in my opinion, easy or not, we as stewards of this beautiful planet should be eager to do everything possible to perserve and protect our environment. As mentioned in the National Recycling Coalition's website; before the 1920's, 70% of U.S. cities ran programs to recycle certain materials. And during World War II, industry recycled and reused about 25% of the waste stream.

November 15th is being celebrated as America Recycles Day. Take a step or take a bigger step by committing to enhance your current recycling habits. Take the pledge to make a difference.

Take the pledge on the National Recycling Coalition's site and pass on the challenge to at least 5 others. No matter your financial situation right now in these tough times, there's no reason why you can't be part of the solution to pollution. It only takes a little effort, to make a substantal difference to the planet.

You can learn more about Shaklee's environmental legacy by going to my website and reading about the numerous milestones that Shaklee has completed, with the products they distribute, and the causes they sponsor and/or have spearheaded. Also, read about Wangari Maathai, one of Shaklee's honorary ambassadors.

Toxic Electronic Waste

Our discarded electronics, (commonly referred to as E-Waste); computers, televisions, cell phones and such, are often being shipped out of the US and over to developing countries, only to turn those countries into toxic waste dumps. Residents of those countries often salvage portions of the waste, and the contents of it are used by them in a manner, which can be detrimental to their health and/or the environment's. There are some really easy solutions for disposal of EWaste, which can be found on Earth 911's website.

But, to get a better understanding of the improper methods of disposal of toxic electronic waste, watch the feature story that 60 Minutes will be airing this Sunday. Here's the video clip for more info about the upcoming 60 Minutes story:

Watch CBS Videos Online

Turning Your Trash In Treasure

Yes, I'm still on the composting kick !! But, I came across this really cool video, it's only 5 minutes long. I found the video on The Green Guide's website, and wanted to pass it along.

Using Compost

What an easy thing to do, compared to the benefits to humans and the planet !

Compost has the unique ability to improve the properties of soils and growing media physically (structurally), chemically (nutritionally) and biologically. Although many equate the benefit of compost use to lush green growth, caused by the plant-available nitrogen, the real benefits of using compost are long-term and related to its content of living-organic matter.

Please read the entire article at Earth 911's website. Also, more great information on the EPA's website.

Let's not waste our waste ;-)

Green Goes With Everything - NY Times Best Seller

I had previously posted about a new book that was about to hit the shelves; Green Goes With Everything by Sloan Barnett. Well, it's out and has climbed quickly to # 8 on the New York Times Best Sellers List. Green Goes With Everything is available through it's own website, Amazon, Costco, just about anywhere books are sold.

This is a great resource and/or gift idea, to share with friends easy ways to battle the toxic jungle that we are all exposed to. True, not everything can be eliminated and probably not everything will definitely harm you, but why not take some EASY STEPS!

Be sure to check out the Green Goes With Everything website, where you can take a fun/interactive test to calculate your Body Burden Score. It's very cool that as you take the quiz, there's a tree on the site, who's leaves dry up and fall off, as you select negative/toxic exposures in your home. Also, watch the dog on the porch's reaction, as you take the test.

Also, here's a Today Show interview by Matt Lauer, talking to Sloan about her book.

2008 Energy Efficiency and Green Living Series in Boise

Idaho Power is hosting a fantastic energy efficiency and green living series the next few weeks in Boise. I was able to attend some of the free workshops last year, and am disappointed that I missed the first workshop, last Thursday.

When, I attended those workshops last year, I was impressed with the facilitators, as well as the audience. The information was very balanced and the atmosphere was light and informative. I learned many practical ways to save energy and help take better care of the environment.

So, no need to fret, it's not too late. There are 4 more upcoming classes. They are always held on Thursday's, at the Boise Public Library, from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm. There is no charge, but pre-registration is required.

The remaining classes are listed below as well as the workshop's theme for the evening. You'll need to register for whichever workshops you are interested in attending. Here's the link more info on the classes and the registration info.

Workshop Schedule:

October 9 – Growing Assets: Landscaping for Energy Efficiency
October 16 – Simple Changes Make Cents
October 30 – Greening Your Home
November 6 – Build Smart

I'm hoping to make it to the four remaining workshops. If, anyone is over in my neck of the woods and would like to ride-share, please send me a note or give me a call.

The Eco-Builder

Bill Callahan is so cool. He provides some easy, common sense ideas on repairing and reusing used lumber. Here's a video with some of his suggestions on ways to enhance sustainability.

Green Goes With Everything

There's a new book coming out that sounds to have some very good common sense ideas on ways to go green. I haven't read it yet, but plan to. If, anyone gets the book and reads it before me, I'd appreciate your input on it.

Here's a YouTube video on it.

Paperless Books - What Rock Have I Been Under?

Okay, I'm not sure how long "they've" been around and what the whole scoop is on "them" yet, but I've just read about "e-books"!! Did you know that you can purchase these electronic book readers, and elimate the clutter, paper usage, weight, etc, from your life?
Apparently, up to 200 books and periodicals can be downloaded to a reader, at any given time. And, better than that, it remembers what page you left off at reading, you can change the size of the text, look up the meaning of specific words. Holy Cow, it's AMAZING !
I guess you can preview chapters to books that you're interested in reading and when you do decide to make the purchase, it can be done almost instantly.
They also have found a technology that they call electronic ink, so the reader doesn't burn up a lot of power, but uses some when you turn a page.
How many trees is this going to save? Obviously, millons.
You gotta admit it, technology is WONDERFUL !

Recyling Cell Phones - A Win-Win

My "Church-Son", Riley Hoobery, is an awesome guy, who has a heart bigger than the State of Idaho. Riley is an active volunteer for usually one or two organizations at any given time.

For the last couple of years, he's been the an area rep for Cell Phones For Life, Inc. Riley maintains drop boxes at several locations in our local community and then goes out and retrieves the phones that are donated.

If, you weren't aware, even after an owner of a cellphone terminates his cellphone provider service, i.e.; Sprint, Verizon, etc., the cellphone will still work if the battery is kept charged and can be used to call 911, in the event of an emergency.

So, these donated cell phones are then cleared of all contacts, phone numbers, and any miscellanous information and redistributed to the disabled, elderly and domestic violence shelters. There is no record back to the original owner. The broken or non-reusable phones are recycled through Project KOPEG out of Boise, ID.

What a wonderful way to keep your unwanted or broken cell phone out of the landfills! And then, the cell phone's lifetime is extended to who knows how long, being used by someone who may have no other way to call for help, in an emergency situation.

For more information you can email or call Riley. His email is rhoobery@fmtc.com and his contact phone is 206/888-6582. Also, you can get more information on this organization via their website at www.cellphonesforlife.org

P.S. Your donation is also Tax Deductible.

Options for Recycling CFL's

While usage of the CFL (Compact Flourescent Light) controversy still rages on; (IMHO), they are definitely a sustainable option for everyone. Yes, the mercury content and disposal issues are yet to be resolved, but there are some options in place to safely dispose of your used/damaged CFL's.

So, I'm at my "Like-a-brother" hairdresser's home last week, getting my gray washed out. I'm chatting with his roommate, who's an awesome guy and on the management team of a Lowe's store in Boise, Idaho.

I ask this Lowe's manager, if he is aware that Home Depot has gone to accepting used and damaged CFL's for recycling and ask him, "When is Lowe's going to step up to the plate and start doing good things like Home Depot?". He then proceeds to diplomatically inform me that Lowe's has been recycling CFL's for sometime, and in fact, Lowe's also recycles batteries (AA,D,C,etc.).

Well, naturally I apologized for my assumption of Lowe's lack of environmental responsibility, and just thought I'd share my ignorance, with the rest of you. This just goes to show you, that "one" never knows what another person or another company is doing to make a more positive impact on the planet.

This was my reminder on continuing my education of the plethora of resources and options that are available and never A S S - U - M E !!

Sorry guys, another lesson learned!