Really, I try not to mock fashion trends and/idols of the tween set. And, I'm not so sure you can really call this mocking, but if Miley Cyrus tells her fans to save the environment...will the global warming issue immediately be squashed? Will all the ten year old girls in America be able to stop the green house gases and waste that are building in the USA?
Okay...you really just have to watch the video. It'll crack you up. It cracked me up. And, seriously, if it does remind someone to work a little harder, or just to make one change in their life, it's worth it...silliness and all.
Here's the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCJEmCHfhco
My fav's from her suggestions: unplug your cell phone as soon as it is fully charged; plant a tree (because it, um, what's that called....carbon dioxide?); share your magazines with your friends; and, shop online.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Green Olympics
I have to admit that I am an Olympic junky. I cant' get enough. I've got every channel preprogrammed into my tv...and the dvr's set to record it all. I love it!
But, how in the heck do they keep the whole Olympic village green? Can you imagine the scale with over 10,000 athletes and all the folks that accompany them? I can hardly keep up with the six people at my house...and I'm not even that green.
Does China even have a recycling program? I'd hope they will at least recycle the plastic bottles...I've seen a gazillion of those in all the events.
Here's to more broken world records...and here's to recycling all those sport drink and water bottles.
But, how in the heck do they keep the whole Olympic village green? Can you imagine the scale with over 10,000 athletes and all the folks that accompany them? I can hardly keep up with the six people at my house...and I'm not even that green.
Does China even have a recycling program? I'd hope they will at least recycle the plastic bottles...I've seen a gazillion of those in all the events.
Here's to more broken world records...and here's to recycling all those sport drink and water bottles.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Greenwashing
I stumbled across the term "greenwashing" the other day. According to Newsweek, greenwashing is making false or misleading claims about the environmental virtues of a product or practice. Evidently Boston College took a survey and found that fewer than half of consumers trust the green claims made by companies these days.
And I thought I was the only skeptic out there.
My question is, who defines green? What makes a product "green" or a practice, for that matter? You've probably seen the television ads of a prominent company claiming they have green practices because they power their plant with garbage. I think that is wonderful, but ... is it green? They aren't filling landfills with waste, and they aren't using coal to generate power, but is it really green?
And, here's a question about those energy-saving light bulbs. Do compact fluorescent bulbs really help the environment? I understand that they save energy, and have to be changed less often than conventional light bulbs. But what about the mercury they contain? What I found out was a little shocking.
Even though the compact fluorescent bulbs have mercury vapor in them, they make it possible for less mercury contamination in our environment. That seems a little backwards...but bear with me here. Most of the mercury contamination, at least here in the US, comes from the burning of fossil fuels (like coal). If we save power, less coal will be burnt to generate power, and then there is less mercury released. At least, that's what treehugger.com and wikipedia say.
So, what to do when your bulb runs out...because obviously I don't want to just toss this bulb in the trash. Ikea offers a free take back bin for used CF bulbs. That's awesome if you have an Ikea near you. Otherwise, you have to find out what your local area options are. I can take mine to a household hazardous waste collection site. It's a little tricky to figure out the schedule, as the collection site travels around the county. But, basically, the first Tuesday of every month it is at a fire station near my home. And, it's no cost to me. Perfect.
So, what have I decided about CF bulbs? They are a plus in my house. They may cost a little more to buy at first, but they do cost less to operate over time, and I don't have to run around changing light bulbs all the time.
I'm thinking that CF bulbs really are green...and not greenwashed.
And I thought I was the only skeptic out there.
My question is, who defines green? What makes a product "green" or a practice, for that matter? You've probably seen the television ads of a prominent company claiming they have green practices because they power their plant with garbage. I think that is wonderful, but ... is it green? They aren't filling landfills with waste, and they aren't using coal to generate power, but is it really green?
And, here's a question about those energy-saving light bulbs. Do compact fluorescent bulbs really help the environment? I understand that they save energy, and have to be changed less often than conventional light bulbs. But what about the mercury they contain? What I found out was a little shocking.
Even though the compact fluorescent bulbs have mercury vapor in them, they make it possible for less mercury contamination in our environment. That seems a little backwards...but bear with me here. Most of the mercury contamination, at least here in the US, comes from the burning of fossil fuels (like coal). If we save power, less coal will be burnt to generate power, and then there is less mercury released. At least, that's what treehugger.com and wikipedia say.
So, what to do when your bulb runs out...because obviously I don't want to just toss this bulb in the trash. Ikea offers a free take back bin for used CF bulbs. That's awesome if you have an Ikea near you. Otherwise, you have to find out what your local area options are. I can take mine to a household hazardous waste collection site. It's a little tricky to figure out the schedule, as the collection site travels around the county. But, basically, the first Tuesday of every month it is at a fire station near my home. And, it's no cost to me. Perfect.
So, what have I decided about CF bulbs? They are a plus in my house. They may cost a little more to buy at first, but they do cost less to operate over time, and I don't have to run around changing light bulbs all the time.
I'm thinking that CF bulbs really are green...and not greenwashed.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Paper or Plastic?
Let's talk about a necessary evil...the grocery store. I seem to be visiting it more and more often these days. Who knew my family could go through two gallons of milk in 45 minutes? Okay, it's not that bad, but I do find myself buying groceries more frequently than I'd like. And, with the shopping comes the terrible question: paper or plastic?
Well, they used to ask that question. One grocery store I shop at doesn't even have paper bags anymore. The other store doesn't ask what kind of bags you'd like, because you bag your own.
Here's some of what Wikipedia had to say about plastic shopping bags:
* Plastic bags are made from ethylene, a byproduct of natural gas. Chemists string together long chains of ethylene to form polyethylene. Less than 30% of ethylene is produced from naphtha, a byproduct of petroleum. As oil prices rise due to demand for gasoline, we are likely to produce more plastic bags from natural gas sources of ethylene.
* Plastic bags are flimsy and often do not stand up as well as paper or cloth.
* When disposed of improperly, they are unsightly and represent a hazard to wildlife.
* Plastic bags, conventional or "biodegradable", do not readily biodegrade in a sanitary landfill, though neither does paper due to lack of oxygen.
* Plastic bags (particularly thin dry cleaning bags) can cause unsupervised infants to suffocate.
Here's what I have to say about them:
They multiply in my cupboard. They rip when they have meat or frozen foods in them. They do make great wrappers for disposing of diapers. I hate when they blow away from somewhere and catch on trees.
I have purchased some reusable bags for the market. I put them in the back of my van so that they are always with me when I get groceries. The problem is that I never remember to take them into the store. Then I wander the aisles feeling really guilty that the reusable bags are in the car. Again.
On occasion, I do remember to take them into the store. And, I feel so proud of myself. They hold much more than those silly plastic baggies. They don't so easily allow for the squishing of my bread. Oh, yeah, and I am saving the environment . . . one reusable bag at a time.
Well, they used to ask that question. One grocery store I shop at doesn't even have paper bags anymore. The other store doesn't ask what kind of bags you'd like, because you bag your own.
Here's some of what Wikipedia had to say about plastic shopping bags:
* Plastic bags are made from ethylene, a byproduct of natural gas. Chemists string together long chains of ethylene to form polyethylene. Less than 30% of ethylene is produced from naphtha, a byproduct of petroleum. As oil prices rise due to demand for gasoline, we are likely to produce more plastic bags from natural gas sources of ethylene.
* Plastic bags are flimsy and often do not stand up as well as paper or cloth.
* When disposed of improperly, they are unsightly and represent a hazard to wildlife.
* Plastic bags, conventional or "biodegradable", do not readily biodegrade in a sanitary landfill, though neither does paper due to lack of oxygen.
* Plastic bags (particularly thin dry cleaning bags) can cause unsupervised infants to suffocate.
Here's what I have to say about them:
They multiply in my cupboard. They rip when they have meat or frozen foods in them. They do make great wrappers for disposing of diapers. I hate when they blow away from somewhere and catch on trees.
I have purchased some reusable bags for the market. I put them in the back of my van so that they are always with me when I get groceries. The problem is that I never remember to take them into the store. Then I wander the aisles feeling really guilty that the reusable bags are in the car. Again.
On occasion, I do remember to take them into the store. And, I feel so proud of myself. They hold much more than those silly plastic baggies. They don't so easily allow for the squishing of my bread. Oh, yeah, and I am saving the environment . . . one reusable bag at a time.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Is it all going to hell in a handbag?
I saw an ad on television today that featured a polar bear mom and baby floating on an ever-shrinking chunk of ice. The ice wobbled and tipped, nearly dumping the poor bears into the drink. The gist of the commercial was that the polar bears were losing all of their habitat and it was all my fault, so please send funds somewhere to do something.
I understand that the ice floes are shrinking, and I feel for the polar bears. I want to make a difference. It would be awesome to crusade for the environment...to stop global warming, and to ensure that the maternal bond between polar bear and cub is never interrupted due to lack of ice.
And, then, reality hits. I have four "cubs" of my own ... each wanting dinner in an hour. They need baths and want to play a bit before bed. There's a ton of laundry to be done, not to mention the grocery shopping for the week. The baby will need his diapers changed about 14 times before morning. I haven't slept a full night in eleven years. What can I do?
So, here's my plan: I want to evaluate the small changes I can make in my daily life. Can I help my family live a little more "green" and save some money in the process? Do I have the time and energy to save the planet? Is this going to be fun, or will it suck rotten eggs?
What do you think? What suggestions do you have? How can everyday people make small changes and impact the world? Can we save it, or is it all going to hell in a handbag, as my Grandma would say.
I understand that the ice floes are shrinking, and I feel for the polar bears. I want to make a difference. It would be awesome to crusade for the environment...to stop global warming, and to ensure that the maternal bond between polar bear and cub is never interrupted due to lack of ice.
And, then, reality hits. I have four "cubs" of my own ... each wanting dinner in an hour. They need baths and want to play a bit before bed. There's a ton of laundry to be done, not to mention the grocery shopping for the week. The baby will need his diapers changed about 14 times before morning. I haven't slept a full night in eleven years. What can I do?
So, here's my plan: I want to evaluate the small changes I can make in my daily life. Can I help my family live a little more "green" and save some money in the process? Do I have the time and energy to save the planet? Is this going to be fun, or will it suck rotten eggs?
What do you think? What suggestions do you have? How can everyday people make small changes and impact the world? Can we save it, or is it all going to hell in a handbag, as my Grandma would say.
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