Spitball

the plastic bag is the scruge of the modern world. Why not invest in a supermarket's "bag for life" or any canvas tote bag and leave them in the boot of the car so whenever you go to the supermarket, you won't be tempted to use the plastic carrier bags. There are some chains of supermarket who 'reward' those who do not use carriers anymore.
Plastic bags take years to break down, end up in our oceans and maim the wild life, so why not switch today? You can get more in tote bags and they are stronger and it is just one small way we can all make a difference.

H

Noise pollution negatively affects us all, yet we seem to take no regard to others when sharing intimate conversations with the populace via cell phone or participating in the addition and continuation of negative energy through water cooler gossip. Chose words wisely and use them to benefit others positively. If what you have to say negates another, better to keep it to yourself

I love the excuse that it's too expensive to make the little changes that will last. (I'll tackle the inconvenience issue in another post...) I'll completely admit I'm not terrible creative with slogans... but I read this the other day and thought it would be short enough to tack on to an email:

Only when the last tree has been cut down,
Only when the last river has been poisoned,
Only when the last fish has been caught,
Only then will you find that money cannot be eaten.

— Cree Indian Prophecy

Using our local freecycle website means we can help other people with items we no longer need or want and they can do the same and the one liner is;

One man's rubbish is other man's treasure

Never throw away something someone else can use.

While I'm no good remembering, or creating, one liners, I do have a good suggestion. Ed Begley, Jr., the actor, is a disciple of the book, 50 Simple Ways to Save the Earth, and actually, I believe, accomplished them all! He wrote an interesting book recently, Living Like Ed (A Guide to the Eco-Friendly Life), where he gives excellent suggestions to save the earth-- his mission. Getting the book and reading it is an easy way to help earth-friendly efforts!

While the book discusses everything, one idea is to start a shoebox of toxic waste. When a battery dies, or god forbid you are using CFLs and one burns out, put it in the shoebox. Then, when the shoebox is full, take it to your local hazardous materials pickup area. One dead battery isn't enough of a reason to run to a pickup area and unfortunately can be thrown away for convenience instead. Knowing that the chemicals in the battery can then leach into drinking water in a decade or two can make that seem like a bad idea.

Being a big health nut and earth-friendly-thinker ;-) I've found helping the planet and keeping healthy often at odds. So keep in mind saving the human and not just the earth. CFLs contain mercury, the CDC instructs your family to leave the room for 15min after one goes out. The Maine health authority recognized a broken CFL on the floor as a hazardous spill per study results. http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=72133 Some guy in a chair telling you they're fine doesn't make them safer. Use LED light bulbs instead (if you can find them), they give off a BEAUTIFUL blue light that's perfect for late night reading. LEDs also make good flashlights and spot lighting, while saving energy. And they don't get as hot!

Other good ideas:

Buy organic-- Benefits the earth by reducing pesticides and insecticide production and use.

Buy local-- Benefits the earth by reducing fuel and energy for transportation and storage. Benefits the human by eating fresh, ripe foods.

Change home filters and save up to 20% on heating costs due to better air flow. Makes breathing easier too!

Another suggestion which isn't simple, surprisingly, is to reduce plastic usage. Plastic may be recyclable (into non-recyclable plastic things ONLY), but it never goes away! Good luck!

-- Good health.

"There's a fine line between a groove and a rut" has always been a great favorite of mine but I think more in keeping for this discussion is my second fave, "The use of solar energy has not been opened up because the oil industry does not own the sun"

One thing I like to do is buy certain items used -- specifically CDs, DVDs, and books. You can find used copies of most titles on sites like Amazon.com, Half.com, and eBay, and buying someone's unwanted copy saves the resources that would go into making a new one -- plus you're preventing something from potentially going into a landfill. And you can usually save a bit of money as well, which is always nice. I try to purchase from individuals with high approval ratings, and I'm rarely disappointed with the condition of the product.

Did you know that city landscapes have drastically changed in the past 30 years? Or that city arborists are choosing to plant "male" trees because they are less messy (non-fruit bearing)? Did you know people suffering from allergies may be found in highest numbers in urban areas?

Help nature, help each other: be careful what you plant! Try female trees, trees that are both male and female, or better yet, plant nature's own hypo-allergenic tree: the 'Red Sunset' Maple.

I for one am seriously tired of seasonal allergies. I love, love, love crisp mountain air like what an ancient cedar forest in Kiso Valley, Nagano, Japan smells like. Imagine clean air. Try it. Breathe deep.

To find out more about allergies, asthma and city trees, read all about it at

Enjoy dinner by candlelight. It is relaxing for everyone involved and you'll save on electricity and light pollution. So turn off the exhaust over your stove, lights out in the entire house, eat in your dining room instead of your kitchen, and really enjoy your company as well as your meal.

Turn off the computer, forget the email - use the phone! Quicker, Cheaper and Easier.

I don't spray chemicals on the countertop, I do clean it when I wash dishes, and I make the sandwich on the plate I'm going to eat it off - I know the plate's clean cos I've already washed it!
Same goes for meat and veg prep, although I do use a dishwasher, I make sure I have a full load (two maybe three days worth) before it goes on, and I use small nylon boards which go through the washer for the food prep.
Same with the clothes washer, make sure it's a full (but not too full) load, and use eco friendly concentrates - powder in a recyclable box.

"Save water: shower with a friend (and protection)."

Somewhere in the avalanche-waiting-to-happen that is my book collection, I have a little gem called, I believe, 50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth. If I do manage to find it, I'll post some more serious one-liners.

Just quickly and off the top of my head, another thing to do is become an armchair environmentalist. You don't have to be on the front lines, going to rallies and staging protests, but by joining the mailing lists of organizations like Defenders of Wildlife, the World Wildlife Fund, and the Humane Society, you can be kept up-to-date on pending environmental/conservation legislation, and be given easy access to resources to speak out on it. Finally, there's also the Greater Good network of sites: Animal Rescue, Rainforest, Hunger, Literacy, Breast Cancer, and Child Health -- all you do is click daily!

http://www.defenders.org/take_action/

http://www.worldwildlife.org/how/index.html

http://www.hsus.org/legislation_laws/action_alerts/

http://www.greatergood.com/

Cheers, and keep up the good work,
JP

Do we really need to have the a/c on full blast all summer? Here's a thought:

"If it's in the 70s, turn off the a/c and open some windows. The fresh air will do you some good."

(Of course, for our British friends, I mean 70s Fahrenheit!)

"Production of bottled water in 2006 alone released 2.5 million tons
of carbon dioxide." (Sierra Club)

"Of the 30 billion bottles that end up as litter each year, those
that go unrecycled can take 1,000 years to decompose."
(Sierra Club)

Production of bottled water for the U.S. required the equivalent of
more than 17 million barrels of oil, not including the energy for
transportation. (Paraphrased from Sierra Club, research from The
Pacific Institute)

"The total amount of energy embedded in the use of bottled water is
the equivalent of filling a plastic bottle one quarter full of oil,
according to the Pacific Institute." (Sierra Club)

Retire the drier, use a clothesline.

Paperless offices sound great but I don't think it's possible. Unfortunately, my desk is proof of this.

First, find a recycled printer paper that won't jam your printer. Office Max's brand works well on Brothers. My HP at home is still very picky (any suggestions?).

Next, if you don't have to hand off what you've printed to a client/vendor or put it in a file, once you've finished with the document, hang on to it before dropping it in the blue bin. Draw a line through that side, flip it over and print on the opposite side. (For those of you slow on the uptake, the line through the other side will help you keep track of what your current project is.) In a month, we cut the amount of paper we used by 46% (roughly... and a hat tip to my co-worker for doing the math off my stats! Never trust my math.).

Then drop it in the blue bin.

This is also a great way to get some kudos from the boss for saving money.

(And refilling that water bottle is a MUST... I’ve been using the same one since last November. I dare all of you to match that! Please?)

"There's so much pollution in the world now that if it weren't for our lungs there'd be no place to put it all." ~~~ Robert Orben

When you wash your hands turn the faucet off while you lather then turn it back on to rinse. If you don't think there is much water being wasted put the plug in the sink before you begin and see how much water would be wasted if you let it run while you lather. The next time put the plug in but turn the water off while you lather and see the difference. Multiple this by the number of times you wash your hands everyday.

Do the same when you bursh your teeth or shave.

At night turn off the lights and look around the room, how many items do you have that still have some sort of indicator light on? I use surge protectors and at night when I go to bed I turn them off shutting down all those electronics that draw power when they are "off". Don't forget the chargers you have plugged in, they still draw power even if you aren't charaging anything, unplug them (or use a surge protector you can turn off) until you are actually charging your electronics. I even turn off the cable box when I am not watching TV. Doesn't sound like much but let's count them up, TV, PC, Monitor, Printer, Modem, Cable box, phone charger, laptop charger, battery charger; you get the idea. Still seem small, remember these electronics are on 24/7/365 in millions of homes, when viewed that way it soon adds up.

My father found this one. If your drains run slowly instead of buying chemical drain cleaners pour some baking soda down the drain then pour white distilled vinigar over it. This works for cleaning hardwater scale from shower heads. Put the shower head in a container, add the baking soda, then pour distilled white vinigar over it and let it stand. White vinigar is great for removing hardwater scale from coffee makers and steam irons. It keeps them running efficently so they don't use as much energy.

Freezers run more efficently when they are full. If you don't have enough to fill it, take that plastic sports bottle, pop bottle, milk bottle or water bottle, rinse it fill it with water and put it in the freezer. When you need the space just transfer it to the fridge so you have when you have space in the freezer. Added bonus, if the power goes out the bottles of ice will help keep your food cold longer.

Individually you will be saving money, but as a whole we will be saving energy. It is like erecting a building. You start with one brick, then add another and another and another, soon you have a wall, continue and before you know it you have a house or skyscraper. If everyone only did only one thing to conserve energy or protect our enviroment, just think of the difference one million people could make.

“6.8 billion to 9 billion by mid- century..” Is the point of it all to get the world loaded with as many people as possible, all living in environmentally friendly huts? “Recycle to make room for another billion!” How about this for a one liner: “Humans are the biggest polluters on the planet, make fewer of them!” or “Decrease the worlds population to 4 billion by AD 2200 through birth control - give the planet a rest!” . No one seems to take this side of the equation seriously even though no amount of new technology or self deprivation will keep up with unbridled human reproduction. 9 billion, 18 billion, 100 billion. Its just a fact.

The average plate of food travels 1500 miles before being consumed.

Eat Local, Save Gas.

I just wanted to suggest the thought that we could use solar panels on street/highway lamps. Some of these lamps are on all day & the sun could be used to power them. It might save a good deal of electricity in my home state of New Jersey alone.

Well, thank you for taking the time to read.

Best regards to all!

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle ... words to live by ... xoxo ...