| BUYING AND GIVING
There are many Web sites today that will not only provide you with a
site to purchase products, but will donate a percentage of their gross
revenue to nonprofit organizations. These sites offer you the
opportunity to donate to many charities, (not just environmental
ones). These organizations allow you to shop at popular sites, such as
Amazon.com, so you don't have to sacrifice your shopping preferences.
Why not do it? (You should read the fine print at these sites to
understand how they work.)
Here is a small list of your options:
http://www.Homegalleria.com
http://www.4charity.com
http://www.Greatergood.com
http://www.iGive.com
http://www.Charityweb.com
http://www.Shop2Give.com
Most of these sites will allow you to choose your charity and will
then make the donation without any charge to you. When you get to the
site, read about how they work. Some sites require you to pay a bit
extra.
CHANGING DIAPERS
Many of us choose to use disposable diapers. In fact, we throw away
enough diapers each year to fill a barge half a city block long, every
six hours. Or, if you prefer the classic moon example, we throw away
enough diapers, that if piled upon each other, they'd stretch to the
moon and back (240,000 miles). Well, just be glad that you don't have
to change all of them.
Now the bad news: In the September/October issue of Archives of
Environmental Health, a study was released that showed childhood
respiratory problems, including asthma, may be linked to the
inhalation of the mixture of chemicals emitted from disposable
diapers. As stated in the article, "...chemical emissions of some
disposable diapers have immediate health effects in animals breathing
the diluted chemical mixtures." The chemicals include, "...several
chemicals with documented respiratory toxicity."
What to do? Use cloth diapers. They can be used anywhere from 80 to
200 times, and when they wear out, they take only six months to
decompose. It saves money too! According to Consumer Reports, you can
save $12 to $50 a month by switching to a diaper service or washing
them yourself.
CHOOSING APPLIANCES
Are you considering new appliances for around the home? This choice
can have a tremendous amount of impact on the environment. For
example, an efficient washing machine (usually front loading) can save
about 100,000 gallons of water during its lifetime. Further, replacing
a 15 year old refrigerator with a new efficient one will cut up to a
ton of carbon dioxide emission from your local utility each year.
How do you find out what the most efficient appliances are? Go to the
Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings' Web site at
http://aceee.org/consumerguide
>From here you can download information such as the top rated
refrigerators, clothes washers, dishwashers and so on. This site is
kept up to date, so it doesn't matter if you don't look at it for
months; just keep it in mind. It also has lots of other information on
how to save energy around the home.
CHRISTMAS TREES
This Christmas why not give something to the earth as well as to your
family? Did you know that each year the number of trees cut down for
Christmas would fill the entire state of Rhode Island? And we only
enjoy these trees for a few weeks at most.
Here is a great way to give your kids some wonderful memories from
Christmas as well as to do some good for the planet. Why not purchase
a live pine tree in a pot? You can get a nice large tree that will
smell fresh, won't drop needles and will do the job very well. What's
better, after Christmas, you can take the tree out and plant it. The
kids will love the adventure and feel attached to the trees as the
years go on. These trees will give you wonderful Christmas memories
for years to come. Happy holidays!
CLEANING FLOORS
Floor cleaners can be quite toxic and quite unnecessarily so. For
example, Pine Sol which has a high percentage of pine oil, can cause
nausea, vomiting, bleeding and chemical pneumonia if swallowed. Why
have this stuff around the house if you don't need it?
Keep this in mind: a no-wax floor and a shiny polyurethane-finished
wood floor don't need to be polished. A little vinegar or soap and
water will work just fine. The same holds true for ceramic tile,
brick, or stone flooring. Here is a good alternative floor cleaning
recipe:
You'll need white distilled vinegar, water, and an oil for fragrance
(optional). Fill your container with equal amounts of water and
vinegar. Add 15 drops of peppermint oil. If the floor is in
particularly bad shape, use some baking soda in the mix.
DRY CLEANING
Dry cleaning is not actually a dry process. It uses a detergent and
solvent that is not absorbed into the fiber. This prevents shrinking,
stretching, and fading. Unfortunately, the most commonly used solvent
is perchloroethylene. Fumes from this can cause cancer, liver damage,
depression of the central nervous system, light-headedness, dizziness,
sleepiness, nausea, loss of appetite, and disorientation.
Many items labeled "dry clean" can actually be washed at home if you
are careful. Here are a few hints:
- Silk: Can be washed by hand in a sink of cold water. Use a mild
soap; swish the fabric gently - don't rub. Rinse in cold water and
don't wring dry. Roll the garment in a towel to remove excess moisture
and allow it to drip dry. Press with a warm iron.
- Wool: Can be hand-washed in cool water with a mild soap or vinegar.
Reshape on a towel while still damp. Allow to dry.
- Down jackets: Can be washed in a bathtub with warm water and a mild
soap or baking soda. Dry in your dryer on a cool setting.
- Linen: Machine wash with natural soap or baking soda with hot water
for whites and cold for colors. Dry on a medium to low heat and remove
from dryer while still damp. Press.
GENETICALLY ENGINEERED FOOD
No, I'm not going to discuss the evils of so-called "Frankenstein
food," I'm simply going to give you a sampling of common foods that
contain genetically engineered ingredients. You can decide if this
bothers you or not. Ready?
Frito-Lay Fritos Corn Chips, Bravos Tortilla Chips, Kellogg's Corn
Flakes, Total Corn Flakes, Heinz 2 Baby Cereal, Quaker Chewy Granola
Bars, Snackwell Granola Bars, Ball Park Franks, Ultra Slim Fast,
Duncan Hines Cake Mix, Aunt Jemima Pancake Mix, Alpo, Gardenburger,
Boca Burger, Betty Crocker Bac-Os, Old El Paso Taco Shells.
Also, these whole foods: Canola, Corn, Papaya, Potato, Soybean,
Squash, Tomato.
Remember organic foods are not genetically engineered. For more
information contact Turning Point Project at 1-800-249-8712 or
http://www.turnpoint.org
GLASS CLEANER
Here is a terrific way to clean your windows that leaves a nice, crisp
lemon scent and cuts through grease and grime very well:
All you need is the juice of one small lemon and water. Add the lemon
juice (remember to strain it - try an old fashioned tea strainer or
squeeze it through a coffee filter) to 16 ounces of water; place in a
spray bottle.
Once you get a whiff of the fresh lemon scent, you won't want to go
back to that chemical cleaner again. Remember that lemon juice will
spoil, so you'll have to leave it in the fridge. But don't worry, it's
not toxic.
KINKO'S AND THE ENVIRONMENT
A while back, I wrote about the establishment of a power plant that is
entirely solar powered. The plant is run by Green Mountain Energy, a
leading residential retailer of electricity from renewable sources.
In early November, Kinko's signed on to have Green Mountain be its
energy service provider for locations in California and Pennsylvania.
This means that nearly 100 stores will switch to Green Mountain's
cleaner electricity brands.
It turns out that Kinko's is environmentally friendly in other ways
too. Among its many environmental commitments, it does not purchase
wood and paper that come from the harvesting of old-growth forests.
MORE HOLIDAY CHEER
Aside from the relentless consumerism found during the holidays, there
is also a tremendous amount of waste that can be avoided. It turns out
that the many social, cultural and religious occasions celebrated in
this country produce an estimated $300 million in trash. What's worse,
much of this trash is not recyclable.
Here's what you can do. Be careful when you unwrap your presents and
save the wrap, bows, ribbons, and so on for next year. The wrapping
paper can be reused at least one time for same sized packages and many
times for ever smaller packages. It seems like my family has been
using the same bows and ribbons as long as I can remember.
Find alternatives for wrapping paper. You can use left over fabric,
for example, and for the kids, the Sunday comics work quite well. Be
creative; this can be a lot of fun.
Finally, give gifts people want. I keep gift ideas in a folder during
the year for everyone on my Christmas list. If I see an article on a
book or product, I just tear it out and stuff it in the folder. This
way I avoid the last minute rush purchase that more often than not is
received with less appreciation than the accompanying receipt. Also,
you'll end up buying less stuff because you won't feel guilty about
your purchase!
PARKS AND RECREATION IS BIG MONEY
There has been a push in Congress to stop all new land-preservation
projects. Seems our congressional representatives think that unused
land is a waste of money. Sounds to me like they have the developers'
interests in mind here. Consider:
- Colorado's economy gets $50 million a year from river-rafting and
kayaking activities.
- Outdoor activities add $1.5 billion to the economy of Arkansas.
- Americans spent $99.1 million on canoes and kayaks in 1996 and
spent $374 million on hiking footwear.
- Sport fishing gives the California economy $7.1 billion, while US
Forest Service lands yield $1.2 billion for the same activities.
- 27.7 million people visited wildlife refuges in 1995 contributing
$401 million to the local economies and yielding 10,000 jobs with a
total income of $162.9 million.
If these lands were simply new housing developments, they would not
yield this kind of income, and as we said in the previous tip, they
would cost the local economies large amounts of money.
PARKS AND RECREATION IS BIG MONEY
There has been a push in Congress to stop all new land-preservation
projects. Seems our congressional representatives think that unused
land is a waste of money. Sounds to me like they have the developers'
interests in mind here. Consider:
- Colorado's economy gets $50 million a year from river-rafting and
kayaking activities.
- Outdoor activities add $1.5 billion to the economy of Arkansas.
- Americans spent $99.1 million on canoes and kayaks in 1996 and
spent $374 million on hiking footwear.
- Sport fishing gives the California economy $7.1 billion, while US
Forest Service lands yield $1.2 billion for the same activities.
- 27.7 million people visited wildlife refuges in 1995 contributing
$401 million to the local economies and yielding 10,000 jobs with a
total income of $162.9 million.
If these lands were simply new housing developments, they would not
yield this kind of income, and as we said in the previous tip, they
would cost the local economies large amounts of money.
PERSONAL HYGIENE
Some ideas for common personal hygiene items:
Disposable contact lenses: Avoid them. The lenses may be small, but
the box and plastic wrap they come in are not. According to the New
York Times, a pair of soft lenses that lasts a year costs ten times
less than the cost of a three-month supply of twenty-four disposable
lenses!
Disposable razors: Each year we throw away 2 billion razors. Razors
made of plastic not only don't degrade, but they consume high
quantities of energy and toxic chemicals during their manufacture. Try
to use a long lasting metal razor or an electric razor. The power
needed to run an electric razor is negligible compared to the energy
needed to manufacture plastic disposable razors.
Hair Spray: Whenever possible, try to use cream mousses and gels
instead of hair sprays. The aerosol spray (usually used in closed
quarters like the bathroom) can easily be inhaled. Further, the
majority of the spray will go everywhere but on your hair.
PESTICIDES AND YOU
Although some polls show that as many as 75% of Americans believe
there should be tighter restrictions on agricultural pesticides,
Congress is working toward blocking new EPA restrictions on pesticide
use.
The new restrictions are on two pesticides: methyl parathion and
azenphos methyl. Both of these chemicals are organophosphates that are
chemically related to nerve gas and can be dangerous or deadly to
humans in sufficient quantities. The EPA is afraid that small amounts
remaining on foods might be harmful to children. The restrictions
concern only those pesticides used on food, not those used on other
crops such as cotton. This raises questions for water runoff, but that
unfortunately is still not on the EPA's radar.
Recently, Senators Blanch Lincoln (D-La.) and Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) and
Representative Richard Pombo (R-Calif.) have introduced legislation
that would restrict the EPA's ability to review and ban pesticides.
Please contact your congressperson and urge him or her not to vote for
the Regulatory Openness and Fairness Act (S.1464 or H.R.1592).
SAFE WATER
Worried about the water you are drinking, the fish you are eating, or
the lakes you are swimming in?
The Oregon State University Extension Service has produced a video
titled "After the Rain: Urban Runoff" that is designed to help you
answer these questions. After viewing the video, you should be able to
feel confident about the water in your life.
To order, send your request and a check ($19.95 payable to Oregon
State University) to:
Publication Orders
Extension & Experiment Station Communications
Oregon State University
422 Kerr Administration Building
Corvallis Oregon 97331-2119
SOLAR CELLS
What's up with solar cells? We haven't heard much about them since
Ronald Reagan removed them from the White House, effectively (and
symbolically) bringing the industry to the brink of death. But they're
still around and powering much more than calculators and watches
(which account for 20% of their use). Half of today's solar cells are
also used to power remote nonresidential items such as highway
signals, radios, water pumps and purification systems. Finally about
30% are used to power individual buildings. The technology continues
to improve, and there are now many options to use solar power in your
home and elsewhere.
With the help of governments around the world (Japan and European
Union in particular), solar power has grown at a rate of 16 percent a
year during the 1990s. In Japan, 12,000 customers took advantage of
their government's program and installed cells on their roofs from
1994 to 1998.
Unfortunately, the United States, while being the largest producer of
cells by far, ships more than 70 percent of the cells we make abroad.
But that may change soon. In the works is a 15% tax credit for the
cost of installing a system in the US. What can you do? Go to the Real
Goods Web site, at
http://www.realgoods.com
and learn about installing a system at your home. Also, contact your
congressperson and urge him or her to push for more legislation
encouraging the adoption of solar energy.
SOME BRIGHT IDEAS
Did you know that it takes about 395 pounds of coal to keep a single
100-watt incandescent light bulb burning for twelve hours each day for
one year? This creates about 935 pounds of acid-rain-causing carbon
dioxide and about 7.8 pounds of sulfur dioxide. Cheery stuff huh?
There are many things you can do to reduce this. First, why not use
some fluorescent bulbs in your lamps? I know what you're thinking,
"that ghostly light that makes me look pale and sunken?" Improvements
have been made, and the new bulbs offer excellent light and burn
significantly less energy. Here are a few other ideas:
- Try to use the outside, natural light whenever possible.
- Put one larger bulb in a fixture that takes two bulbs (a 100 watt
bulb gives off 20% more light than two 60 watt bulbs).
- Don't over-light a room--pay attention to how many lights you have
on at one time.
- Dust your light fixtures.
SOME MORE WATER AT HOME THOUGHTS
It's a good idea to use flow controls or aerators in your faucets and
shower heads. I know, I saw the Seinfeld episode too, but the fact is,
low flow showerheads work fine. They are especially important when you
consider that about 4 gallons of water pass through the average faucet
each minute. You'll find that for most uses, a rate of half a gallon
or 1 gallon per minute (gpm) is quite adequate.
Aerators are the simplest to install of the choices. They limit the
flow of your tap to between .5 and 1 gpm and cost less than $10. They
are those little screen devises you seen on the end of a tap.
Here are some other water saving thoughts: Wash your hands in the
basin instead of under a running faucet. Turn the water off when you
brush your teeth (it saves about 1 to 2 gallons of water each time you
brush). Finally, please fix those leaky faucets as soon as you can.
SOMETHING TO CELEBRATE IN LA
The effects of sprawl have begun to show in Houston, one of the
fastest growing cities in the country over the last few years.
Houston will soon take Los Angeles's position as the nation's most
polluted city. In 1999, Houston has had 44 days in which ozone levels
exceeded health standards as compared with LA's 43. Houston recently
also broke LA's record for highest parts per billion of ozone (over
125 is considered unhealthy). LA had a day at 170, but just recently
Houston hit 200.
SUBURBAN LIFE AND TRAVEL
Many people move to the suburbs--or further out than that--in order to
have a less hectic, quieter, "back to nature" lifestyle.
Unfortunately, the very fact that suburbs are spread out (thus giving
us the results we are looking for) means that traveling almost
anywhere requires a car.
Whenever possible, try to use something other than a car to get to
where you're going. This is a good case of what is good for the
environment is good for you. Alternate forms of transportation tend to
be more relaxing and, of course, provide you with more exercise. What
sounds more country-like to you: hopping in your huge Ford Expedition
and driving over to your friend's house or taking a leisurely walk to
the same house? Which sounds more country-like: driving your child to
her friend's house down the road, or sending her out on her bicycle?
Next time you head out somewhere, think about a different type of
transportation.
And don't even get me started on the folks who drive the Expedition to
the gym for a workout...
TAX LAWS AND THE ENVIRONMENT
As you probably know, taxes are often used as a way to encourage
certain behavior in a society. A perfect example is the deduction for
charitable giving. If you give to a charity, you can deduct that money
from your income. Thus, even people not prone to giving to charity do
so. Sadly, it is not that way with the environment. Many tax laws
actually encourage environmental degradation.
Recently, many environmentally positive laws were proposed, but none
of them were included in the Republican tax bill that was vetoed. For
example, legislation was blocked that would have encouraged the
preservation of open space, created energy-efficient building codes,
reduced sprawl, and encouraged conservation.
Unfortunately the last bill did provide for $600 million in tax breaks
over the next five years for the oil and gas industry (rising to $2.2
billion by 2009). There are also $104 million in breaks for the timber
industry, as well as a decrease in funding for the Superfund program.
What can you do? Call or e-mail your representative and urge him or
her to focus on environmentally sound policies. You can also contact
the Friends of the Earth at 202-783-7400 or foe@foe.org.
THE LATEST NATIONAL PARK
Colorado has just received its third national park (which is amazing
considering how vast and beautiful Colorado is): The Black Canyon. It
is the smallest national park in the country measuring 30,000 acres,
but it is spectacular.
The canyon is on the 53-mile long Gunnison River that eventually flows
into the Colorado River. The deepest and narrowest 12 miles of the
gorge lie within the Black Canyon. The area is called the Black Canyon
because sunlight penetrates its dark gray walls for only one hour per
day.
The park is rugged. It features climbing, hiking and fishing, but
getting to these areas is tough. Each rim has three routes to the
bottom, but they are not marked or maintained by park staff. To head
in, you'll have to get a permit.
When you get a chance, head on out and see the Black Canyon. There is
camping along the rim, which provides a wonderful view.
TURN UP THE HEAT
Here's a real potboiler of a political issue: water heater standards.
Turns out that one of the most effective strategies for cutting air
pollution and greenhouse gases has been governmentally enforced
standards for home appliances. The water heater and its standards are
currently up for review by the Department of Energy. The current
standards are over 10 years old, and as a result, most heaters consume
up to 15 percent more energy than they need to.
The newer standards will save consumers as much as $10 billion in
utility bills by 2030 as well as reduce 238,000 metric tons of
smog-causing nitrogen oxides, 26,000 metric tons of acid rain causing
sulfur dioxide, and 85 metric tons of carbon dioxide (the equivalent
of 1.7 million cars).
Write to Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson and urge him to upgrade
the water heater standard at:
U.S. Department of Energy
1000 Independence Ave, SW
Washington, DC 20585
Or email him at mailto:The.Secretary@hq.doe.gov.
YELLOWSTONE WINTERS
I think most of us have heard about the awful traffic and pollution
problem in Yellowstone Park during the summer, but did you know that
automobiles pale in comparison to another source of pollution?
Tourists flock to Yellowstone in the winter months to tour the park on
snowmobiles. Unfortunately, snowmobiling has become so popular that
the park is overrun by them in the winter. The result? The snowmobiles
emit more air pollution (during the winter, obviously) in the park
than automobiles emit during the entire year. It has gotten so bad the
ranger booths at the west entrance have fresh air pumped into the
booths to protect the employees from carbon monoxide levels that are
higher than those in Denver or Los Angeles!
The park has put together a plan for winter use. Unfortunately it
simply calls for the plowing of Yellowstone's most traveled road in
order to open it to automobiles. The result will be to simply shift
the snowmobile use to the other parts of the park, while adding cars
to the mix. This will create even more carbon monoxide pollution.
What can you do? Support a citizens' plan that has been developed by
many organizations. Unlike the Parks Department's plan, this one will
reduce air and noise pollution. Sign and send in the email form letter
at
http://www.saveyellowstone.org
or contact the National Parks Service directly and voice your support:
Clifford Hawkes, National Park Service
Denver Service Center
12795 W. Alameda Parkway
Lakewood, CO 80228
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