Globally Green Living

I got this great email from Kudzu (a reviewer based website for local companies) on tips to keep cool this summer while not taking a big dip in you Electric AC bill.

1. With a programmable thermostat, you can auto-adjust your air conditioner setting at night or when no one is home. There’s no need to cool the house when you are out enjoying the sun.

2. Move lamps, TVs and anything else that heats up away from your air conditioning thermostat. They may cause the air conditioner to run longer. Since the thermostat only reads the temperature around it, it thinks that the room temperature is hotter than it actually is.

3. Give your south-side some attention. Install awnings on south-facing windows, or apply sun-control or other reflective films. Some solar-friendly homes have overhangs on the room that efficiently shade the house during the hot summer months and also allow the light to strike the house during the winter months.

4. Let your windows wear white. Install white window shades, drapes, or blinds to reflect heat away from the house. Close curtains on south- and west-facing windows during the day.

5. Plant smart — trees or shrubs can help shade air conditioning units. Just make sure not to block the airflow. A unit operating in the shade uses less electricity, thus saving you money.

Want some more tips - keep reading.. (more…)

When the yellow pages delivered a big stack of new telephone directories to my building, not one resident picked up a copy. Why would they when people use the internet or services like Google SMS (if you’re not sure what this is - keep reading- it’s awesome!)

Here is one thing you can do to help save the earth!

http://www.yellowpagesgoesgreen.org/

Register to no longer have paper telephone books be sent to your
house. You know you use the internet to look up phone numbers anyway!
and help SAVE SOME TREES!

Now about Google SMS.. (more…)

Tomorrow is the big green day - EARTH DAY!!

And I just had a big Earth Day success.. Unfortunetly, my office is a culprit of using the styrofoam cups. However, we (my coworker and I who are the underground Earth Day team in the office) pitched and sold the idea to management to remove the styrofoam cups for one day - Earth Day - and encourage workers to bring their own cups in or use a reusable one the office has in the cupboard. Well - they loved the idea.. So PLEASE feel free to use that idea in your office!

I really hope to just raise awareness..

So our 2 big Earth Day goals for today are:
1) Use a mug for coffee and glass or reusable water bottle for water in the office.

2) Conserve your water usage

Learn how.. (more…)

Earth Day is Wednesday, April 22nd.. Are you ready?

Well, okay to most people - this day doesn’t mean much.. but what can you do for Earth Day this year.. Let me give you ideas all week in Celebration of Planet Earth!

** Plant a tree and spend some time outdoors ***

(more…)

Well what better day than Inauguration Day to talk about how our new President feels about environmental issues..

In his inauguration speech this afternoon he mentioned:

* Not depending on energy sources that make our enemies stronger
* Utilizing natural energy sources like solar energy

Here are more specific issues he says he supports… (more…)

Ok, So I’ll be the first to say that bike riding as a means of transportation scares me. I don’t want to get hit by a car. However, I really think there are some huge benefits to bike riding:

1. It’s good excercise
2. Save on gas
3. Enjoy nature

Here are some tips to get started riding a bike again… (more…)

If you’re planning to go on a picnic, use some of these tips for making your outing greener.

• Use recycled paper napkins or cloth rather than virgin paper napkins.

• Use reusable containers instead of plastic wrap or baggies.

Bring your own cups and plates from home. If you’re worried about breaking your good dishes, consider a set of recycled plastic plates from Preserve.

They’re tough, reusable, come in pretty colors and there are tumblers to match. The table wear pack includes 10 small plates, 8 large plates, and 8 knives forks and spoons. They come in cheerful pear green or berry red.

• Pick food that is grown locally to save on gas and support local farmers.

• Bring a thermos to store soups, coffee or tea from home and keep them warm.

For more ideas, see:

• Green Living’s Green Your Picnic Basket

• Have a green, litterless picnic, Cheryl Binning

• Color your picnic or barbecue green, Danny SEO

Saturday’s song is World on Fire by Sarah McLachlan. Instead of spending a fortune on making the video, she decided to donate the money to numerous charities instead.

One of those is CARE. They help families become independent and develop sustainable ways of living by providing education and business opportunities.

Women and children often suffer from poverty so CARE focuses on them, which ends up helping whole families worldwide. Although CARE provides emergency assistance, they also promote long-term solutions. Some of these include increasing food supplies with crops and livestock as well as providing access to clean water and education.

Clean water is something that many of us take for granted but it is an ongoing struggle for others. When people only have dirty water, they’re forced to drink it and become sick.

CARE is presently campaigning to raise 10 million dollars towards helping people affected by Cyclone Nargis. The cyclone destroyed rice crops and contaminated Burma’s water.

“CARE has provided clean water, food and emergency supplies to nearly 120,000 people in 12 areas throughout the Irrawaddy Delta and around Yangon.” (Cyclone Relief Picks up Pace, PYAPON, Myanmar, May 29, 2008)

Sarah is also one of the many strong supporting celebrities of the anti-poverty movement Make Poverty History.

Other supporters include Brad Pitt, Bono, Al Pacino, Cameron Diaz, Emma Thompson, George Clooney, Jamie Fox, Mike Myers and more. Since much poverty is caused by damage to the environment by humans, it is possible for all of us to help repair both.

Here’s this weeks music video, Whispering Wind by Moby. I like the hypnotic feel to the music and the scenes of clouds, butterflies and oceans are awesome as well.

Would you believe the Monarch is being threatened? Their habitat is being destroyed because of new housing developments and agriculture. If insecticide doesn’t kill them, it kills plants the Monarch’s larvae feeds on like milkweed.

In Mexico they’re threatened because many people are dependent on the logging industry. The monarchs roost on oyamel trees but they’re cutting them down. To learn more see The Butterfly Website and their environmental newsfeed.

I had a request for more information on products made from recycled PET plastics. That’s short for Polyethylene terephthalate, a man made polymer commonly used for products like those plastic bags the stores push on us everywhere. It has the number 1 on the recycling symbol.

When PET is recycled, it’s usually made into fibers that are used for clothing and stuffing for pillows and sleeping bags. According to Waste Online, we used 20 times more plastic than we did 50 years ago and it is taking a toll by polluting the earth and hurting wildlife.

Some eco-fashion finds that use PET include this fluffy recycled plastic square bag from Hip and Zen. Crafters from South Africa scrunch up the plastic bags in this interesting design. Part of the proceeds goes to the Topsy Foundation helping children with AIDS.

If you need a new laptop bag, consider something like this recycled plastic laptop bag made from fused plastic bags. Every bag is unique so you will have a one of kind eco-friendly cover for your laptop.

Hip and Zen sell many other recycled, organic and fairly traded products such as clothing, jewelry and accessories.

Mens Clothes

Treehugger tipped me off to Bagir and their green line. The totally washable suit is a great idea for busy men and made from 50% Post Consumer Waste obtained from PET plastic bottles. Since you can wash it at home, you can bypass the chemicals used at the dry cleaners. The EcoGir™ Recycled Suit uses 100% PCW and helps reduce even more waste.

Plastic Bag Knitting

If you’re into knitting, you can create your own bags, doormats and clothing by knitting strips of bags together. They’re actually quite attractive and colorful. Here are a few good tutorials.

• Knit Plastic Bag: Instructables

• Plastic Bag Doormat Rug

• Plastic Bag Knitting Tutorial: Cocoknits

Survivalists are apparently secretly scheming by stashing wood, guns and growing their own grub, convinced it’s too late to save anyone so preparing to defend their stash.

There are many jumping on the homestead wagon but motives are different with Energy Survivalists and there is a much more pessimistic attitude.

Living off the land and becoming self-sufficient is admirable but being in a panicked state with no hope of making a difference can’t be pleasant. What do you think?

“Convinced the planet’s oil supply is dwindling and the world’s economies are heading for a crash, some people around the country are moving onto homesteads, learning to live off their land, conserving fuel and, in some cases, stocking up on guns they expect to use to defend themselves and their supplies from desperate crowds of people who didn’t prepare.” (Energy fears looming, new survivalists prepare, Associated Press, May 24, 2008)

Because Burma is ruled by Than Shwe’s dictatorship, the military is arresting reporters and journalists, forbidding them from finding out who needs help and how many are dead.

The government doesn’t seem to trust anyone so say they prefer to distribute the aid themselves. So far, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of food making its way to the people who need it.

Had the Burmese people been warned in time there would have been less suffering. Now instead of allowing aid to get through they’re blocking that along with censoring, arresting and interrogating journalists. There has been an estimated 2.5 million people affected by the cyclone but only a small portion have received any aid.

30% of farmers have lost their rice fields and animals to Cyclone Nargis. Some of the farmers have also died so there’s confusion on what to do with the land. Aid that does get through has been sporadic.

“Farmers in the areas most affected by Cyclone Nargis need rice seed by the end of June, or Burma’s rice harvest will fail, the United Nations says. The UN has warned that the harvest could fail this year and next, making the country - currently a net rice exporter - a net importer of rice.” (BBC News, Burma’s rice harvest under threat, Chris Hogg)

Today the European Parliament will be voting on whether to charge Than Shwe’s government with crimes against humanity. It’s a horrible situation and it’s hard to fathom how anyone could refuse help to people in need, leaving them to starve.

Here’s Felicity Huffman with her take on the situation in Burma. To take action or to find out more see US Campaign for Burma and How to Help (International Aid to Burma)

Six people from northern Ontario, Canada were jailed from the Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation over their opposition to exploring and mining for uranium on their land.

The courts have made it clear that any concerns were to be addressed and identified with Indigenous people but they were not consulted.

The Ontario Mining Act has been in place since 1873 but it needs to be reformed. The present act gives everyone free range over the land if seeking minerals regardless of who it affects.

If people want to blast, build, dig or tear down trees they can without consulting anyone. The Ontario Mining Act not only violates Aboriginal rights but the laws protecting the environment are also not applicable.

Also, consider signing the online petition, which is an open letter to Ontario Premier McGuinty urging the government to reform the Ontario Mining Act and protect Indigenous rights. Although the courts have recognized Indigenous rights are being violated, the Ontario Mining Act has still not been changed.

“Last month, more than 30 environmental organizations, faith groups and social justice movements sent an open letter to Ontario Premier McGuinty. The letter called for a just resolution of the causes of the KI and Ardoch disputes so that the imprisoned leadership can be freed.”For more information see, Indigenous leaders jailed so mining operations can proceed.

Supporting the petition will help free Chief Donny Morris, Deputy Chief Jack MacKay, Samuel McKay, Cecilia Begg, Darryl Sainnawap and Bruce Sakakeep. Indigenous people’s rights have been violated for too long and something needs to be done before more land is destroyed. This is not the first time this has happened and jailing people , violating their rights and ignoring their peaceful protests is obviously not working.

Riots are breaking out because of rising food prices and shortages on common staples such as rice, wheat, soy and corn. Millions are left vulnerable to be plunged further into poverty.

Countries that are dependent on imported food are in a worse position and likely to be hit harder.

“Haiti is the latest country to experience unrest related to soaring food and fuel prices (others include: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Egypt, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Mauritania, Mozambique and Senegal).” (WFP calls for funds to curb more unrest in Haiti)

Experts researched and released a report for the UN calling for major changes in agriculture.

Unesco recommendations included using more organic, local and sustainable farming methods worldwide. See UN Calls for Farming Revolution, BBC News for more information and to see an executive summary of the report.

Although some land has already been stripped, if combinations of plants are grown or more crops are rotated, it will help prevent further environmental damage.

The food crisis has understandably panicked many people but it has also led to restrictions on exporting and hoarding which is making the situation worse.

Other Causes of increased prices and food shortages

• The world’s population growth has led to more people eating meat, which also requires growing more crops to feed these animals.

• There has been a bigger demand for ethanol as well so more corn is being diverted for that purpose. Unfortunately, this has contributed to the food shortage as many predicted it would.

• Climate change and water shortages affect crops as well. When the rain doesn’t come or starts late and ends early, there is less food and/or ruined crops. Too much rain and melting snow leads to flooding which is just as devastating as drought for farmers.

All of this can leave many of us feeling helpless. If you’re looking for a way to help hungry people and haven’t tried the free rice vocabulary game, check it out and learn some new words at the same time. For each word that you get right, 20 grains of rice are donated through the UN World Food Program.

The video featured today is Live Let Live performed by Brian Wilson with gorgeous clips of Arctic animals from the movie Arctic Tale. Narrated by Queen Latifah, it includes the characters Nanu the polar bear, Seela the walrus and the struggle to survive in their melting world.

The walrus is an endangered mammal that can live up to 40 years old and weigh up to 1.5 tons (1.4 metric tons). They’re built to live in the cold and their blubber helps insulate them, while their tusks help them either latch onto or break the ice. (National Geographic’s Walrus Profile)

Polar bears are mammals that are insulated with a layer of fat that helps them withstand extremely cold weather.

Their webbed feet help make them strong swimmers. They can live up to 30 years old and weigh up to 1,600 lbs (720 kg). See National Geographic’s polar bear profile for more.

Ice disappearing is a definite problem for both of these animals. Polar bears can’t hunt seals or rest if there’s no ice. The walrus and seal have nowhere to rest or eat so their survival is at stake. Whether the polar bear would be able to adapt on land is not clear but they have already clashed with humans when in close proximity so coming to land more will only increase conflicts.

Live Let Live Lyrics

Are the we enemy living the memory
Grandly gambling
With our hand on the lifeline
Ghost of coastlines
You are hanging on time

Every last breath that you have left
Touched by the hand of the man
Brave riding the wave
Those we can save

Live let live
Not die

You think our tears are the only ones here
And its plain you see through
All my self expectation
Most like Moses when he parted the sea

There is a roar coming from shore
Cracking a glacier no more
When there was life
They would implore

Live let live
Not die

My heart beats so fast
(Heart beat, heart beat, heart beat)
My heart beats so fast
(Heart beat, heart beat, heart beat)
Makes one wonder all right
Breaking of ice at such a price
Time for some kindly advice

Polarization the talk of the nation
Explain to me why
Hearts are turning to warming
Painful games with thunder raining a warning

There is a roar coming from shore
Fussing and fighting and war
We have so much peace we should explore

Live let live let
Love is what living is for

Your heart beats with mine
(Heart beat, heart beat, heart beat)
Our hearts beat in time
(Heart beat, heart beat, heart beat)
Be true creatures of grace
Need over ice their paradise
Let them survive our embrace
(Brian Wilson Tracks)