My Green Switch Was Flicked On
I was watching Live Earth, I said, Self, what can you do for the environment? So I created this blog. I do a fair bit but I'm running out of ideas. I'm hoping people post comments or suggestions. Let's all do a couple of things to make the EARTH better.
Things I've done to help the environment:1 Replaced 21 light bulbs with CFL's.
2 Put a few lights on motion detectors.
3 Use a real coffee mug and silverware at my desk.
4 Only buy fair trade and/or organic coffee.
5 Only buy organic produce and meat.
6 On the 100 mile diet. (90% Compliant)
7. Use my own grocery bag.
8. Try to buy products with less packaging.
9. Switched to paperless banking/bill payment.
10 Don't use air conditioning.
11. Take public transit.
12. Unplug instant on stuff, except for VCR and alarm clock.
13. Buy only sustainable power from Bullfrog.
14. Switched to Ice Melter instead of salt.
15. Offset the rest of my emmisions with a carbon credit.
Green things I still need to do:1 Get rid of my extra beer fridge. (I don't know about this because I brew my own and it need's to be refrigerated.)
2. Quit smoking. (OK, so I'm working on this now)
3. Buy a hybrid. (So, I couldn't buy a hybrid this time cause I had to get a work truck but, I'll limit my driving and will buy a hybrid for personal use at a later date)
Please Note: I am not a writer. Most of these articles are shared from other sources. Please use the links provided to get the whole article from the source site. Please support these sites too! We all have a role to play.
Where I'm At Now
I've decided that organic may not be the way to go. What's the sense of shipping an organic product 3,000 miles if I can find a locally produced item? OK, so it may not be organic but I guess it's a balance between chemicals to grow or chemicals to ship. I've actually found local chicken, beef, pork, lamb and goat, all naturally raised, antibiotic free and free range where applicable. I've managed to find local potatoes, yams, carrots, onions and garlic all winter. I also have a local hydroponic lettuce grower and besides lettuce he grows cucumber, bell peppers and tomatoes.
I've switched to Bullfrog Power. Bullfrog uses only environmentally sustaining power sources like wind as well as low-impact hydro-electric.
I've also discovered Guerrilla Gardening. Take over an abandoned patch and make it grow. Stay tuned.
Well this year, I've decided to post more about what I'm doing. I'll still have cool products once in a while, especially if I've tried or switched to them.
Eat local food for dirt's sake.
That might be the simplest way to describe a guiding principle of Shepherd's Grain, a small, commercial cooperative launched by Pacific Northwest farmers hoping to market their wheat flour grown using "no-till" agricultural methods. Read more here,
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/348201_dirtsider22.html
In a small town in southwestern New Hampshire a big idea is emerging. It's a concept called cohousing and it's beginning to break ground across
America. Here, twenty-nine families live in a neighborhood of single-, double-, and quadruple-family homes that are clustered on a small portion of 113 acres of pasture, ponds and open land. Read the article here,
http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=51181
Perhaps it was bound to happen: though Time magazine trumpeted "Forget Organic. Eat Local" last year, columnist Joel Stein throws pie in the face of Michael Pollan's Omnivore's Dilemma of figuring out what to eat and how to get it locally. It's here, http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/01/extreme_eating.php
Apple is making a stronger commitment to the environment, as evident in the unveiling of it's latest laptop, which is the first computer to be mercury
free. It also boasts arsenic-free glass and lead-free circuit boards, among other features. Here's more,
http://www.apple.com/environment/
If you're in the market for a shiny, new monitor for your desktop, chances are you'll wind up with a sleek flat-panel display, … Read more from planet green here, http://planetgreen.discovery.com/transport-tech/upgrade-to-an-lcd-monitor.php
In Defense of Real Food
"Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."
Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma.
Read the story here,
Since stories have started surfacing more recently, many have wondered if the rumors are true. Are there really ‘continents’, or massive floating garbage patches residing in the pacific ocean? Apparently, the rumors are true, … Read here, http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2007/12/are-there-reall.html
Hi all,
Our friends at Zerofootprint have been nominated for a Techcrunch award in the 'Most likely to make the world a better place' catagory.
Please follow this link and help make them the winner in their catagory,
http://vote.crunchies.techcrunch.com/category/view/worldimprovement
You can see all the nominees at http://vote.crunchies.techcrunch.com/
About Zerofootprint,
We bring together the power of social networks on the web — the best environmental science, risk management and software engineering — to create an environment for change that focuses on an individual's impact as part of the human collective effort.
About the Crunchies,
The 2007 Crunchies is our first annual competition and award ceremony to recognize and celebrate the most compelling startups, internet and technology innovations of the year. The Crunchies is a collaboration project between GigaOm, Read/WriteWeb, VentureBeat and TechCrunch. Best of all, the internet community is invited to choose who wins.
Thanks all,
Barry.
2007 was a big year for local food -- big enough that we'll have another "Best of 2007" dedicated to a specific local food practice, the "100 Mile Diet" -- and on the tip of enough tongues that it was named the 2007 word of the year. Here are some of the stories eating local surfaced in in the past year.
Read the rest from Treehugger here, http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/12/best-of-2007-local-food.php
I've Started The 100 Mile Diet
Here is a sample market run. Not all of this is available during the winter
All Produce was Local & Organic, Lettuce - Romaine, Red Leaf & Green Leaf
Celery, Peppers - Green, Orange, Red & PURPLE, Radish, Green Onion, Cucumber
(That's my weekly salad stuff)
Spinach, Swiss Chard, Peas, Corn, White and Sweet Potatoes
Onions, Apples, Pears
Lots more available but I didn't buy.
Dairy, All Local & Organic (Naturally Raised or Free Range)Milk (In Glass Bottles), Cheese, Butter, Eggs, Yogurt, Cottage Cheese,
Sour Cream & others available but I didn't buy.
Bread and Rolls, Organic but not all grains local. I've been baking my own too, using local if possible.
And for the Meat Eaters, All Local & Naturally Raised
Chicken - Whole, Boneless & Skinless Cuts (Other Cuts Available)
Lamb Chops (Other Cuts Available)Pork Chops (Other Cuts Available)
Beef - Steak, Ground (Other Cuts Available)
There were other products such as Goat, Emu and others that I didn't buy.
Now, I know not everything is available to all but if you can replace half of your grocery list with local products you would be doing what you can as well as telling retailers you want local products.
I know I'll have a challenge in February. There won't be as much local produce available.
I've committed to starting a greenhouse garden in my basement and growing my salad.I'll let you know how that works out.
Barry
Update: June 2,2008
February produce was a challenge but I found lettuce, bell peppers, cucumber and tomatoes, all grown locally the hydroponic way. At least I had a small salad every day.
I don't have a basement greenhouse yet but I do have a backyard garden.
More later.
Update, August 18th 2008
Well the vegetable garden was a bust. I put in a 10' X 12' garden but I don't get enough sun in my yard. We have tomatoes and peppers in containers and they are doing much better. Looks like I need a new plan.
Update, September 12,2009
So gardening at my house is out. Too shady.
I switched to Bullfrog Power a year ago. My hydro comes from wind and non destructive hydro-electric.
I gave up driving to work a year ago as well.
With a friend of mine, we started Earth Hour By The Dozen.
It's Earth Hour but we have it on the 4th Saturday of every month.
America. Here, twenty-nine families live in a neighborhood of single-, double-, and quadruple-family homes that are clustered on a small portion of 113 acres of pasture, ponds and open land. Read the article here, http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=51181
free. It also boasts arsenic-free glass and lead-free circuit boards, among other features. Here's more, http://www.apple.com/environment/
petitions from The Sugar Association and major manufacturer, Sara Lee, Food Navigator reports that the FDA declined to issue a regulation that would define use of the word "natural" .... Read the rest here, http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/01/14/“naturalâ€-means-nothing-–-fda-declines-to-define-“naturalâ€/
XH-150 hybrid SUV today, which gets 150 miles per gallon, and goes 40 miles on electricity alone, at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit. Read the rest here, http://thoughtsonglobalwarming.blogspot.com/2008/01/hybrid-gets-150-mpg-using.html
usually going to the local Loblaws instead.
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