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.
BioCycle magazine and the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) have launched a new, more-user-friendly version of FindAComposter.com, a free, publicly searchable directory of composting facilities in the United States and Canada.
In today's warming world, composting our organic waste stream to recycle nutrients and build soil health is the preferred alternative to landfilling, which produces the unwanted greenhouse gas methane.
Recognizing that a major challenge to implementing these sound ecological practices has been a perceived lack of infrastructure, BioCycle originally launched FindAComposter.com in 2007.
Read here,
http://www.getwithgreen.com/2010/11/19/online-tool-makes-composting-easier/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GetWithGreencom+%28GetWithGreen.com%29
From WWF-Canada,
One thing that’s been bothering me about climate change is the thought that I might someday need to give up air travel to help keep greenhouse gases in check. Who among us doesn’t look forward with anticipation to those fleeting occasions (especially during our long, cold, Canadian winters) when we can hop aboard a plane and within hours step out onto a warm, sunny beach?
Well, it turns out I may not need to give up my cherished air travel. Aircraft manufacturers and operators are on top of the problem of aircraft emissions and they’re making real progress towards keeping us all flying without fossil fuels. By next year, aviation experts predict, biofuels will be ready to use in blended form to power aircraft engines and by 2013 as a full replacement for jet fuel.
I saw an article about this a while ago. Interesting.
Over the last six decades, the city of Detroit has lost half its population, shrinking from more than 1.85 million people in 1950 to just 912,000 in 2008.
The population plunge has left vacant vast tracts of land that some people in the city want to see used for growing food. Hundreds of community gardens have sprung up throughout the urban core, and several large-scale farms have been proposed within the city limits. Read here,
http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/18/reimagining-detroit-as-grow-town/?hp
Around the world, freshwater supplies are under siege. Polluted, wasted and altered by climate change, the resource that supports life on Earth is in trouble. For WWF, protecting freshwater ecosystems is part of our mission to create harmony between people and nature. For businesses, dabbling in freshwater conservation has largely been a philanthropic endeavor. But that has changed in recent years, as companies have awakened to a simple fact: There is no business without water.
Read here,
http://wwf.panda.org/?196956%2FFreshwater-is-bottom-line-issue-for-business
Even with a constant flow of information about energy efficiency, homeowners make major heating mistakes that end in higher electric bills and larger environmental footprints. Here are 10 of those errors, with the cause and effect of each decision.
The basics of composting are simple. Most people know they can compost fruit and vegetable peels, leaves, and grass clippings. But what about that tea bag you used this morning? Or the fur that collects in the brush when you groom your cat?
This year is the year of the tiger but the illegal hunting continues.
The tiger, largest of all cats, is one of the most threatened species on Earth. It is estimated that only 3,200 remain in the wild, most in isolated pockets spread across increasingly fragmented forests stretching from India to southeastern China and from the Russian far east to Sumatra, Indonesia. Tigers in the wild exist in 45% less habitat than was thought a decade ago and now occupy only 7% of their historic range. (WWF
http://wwf.panda.org/?196519%2FMore-than-1000-tigers-reduced-to-skin-and-bones-in-last-decade )
This year, consider giving a WWF Wildlife Adoption. You can choose from a selection of species both domestic and exotic. If you're not in Canada, check out the WWF page closest to you and look for the Unique Gift section. Of course, you can still order from WWF-Canada but they only ship to Canada and the United States.
A Symbolic Wildlife Adoption is a meaningful gift you can purchase for any occasion, to give to friends and family or even yourself. By purchasing a Wildlife Adoption, a Family Adoption, or an Adoption Collection, you are supporting the conservation efforts of WWF-Canada and helping to protect wildlife and their habitats.
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.
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