Thursday, July 29, 2010
Posted by admin on July 6, 2009
People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on earth. Every day we are engaged in a miracle which we don’t even recognize: a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the black, curious eyes of a child — our own two eyes. All is a miracle.
~ Thich Nhat Hanh
Posted by admin on May 18, 2009
Learn from your kids and teens.
They’re being brought up in a time where they know the importance of recycling, being environmentally friendly.
We as adults should want to give them a cleaner, healthier planet to live on.
Our kids are asking for it…are you listening? are you recycling? are you making even one change?
Your children come home from school and ask to please please can they recycle.
You think it’s too much work or too much of a hassle.
STOP with that line of thought.
Recycling isn’t time consuming nor a hassle and it gives you the chance to show your children that you care about what they want, you care about the environment and you can spend time doing something productive and life changing with your children.
So, if you don’t feel the desire to recycle or be greener on your own…listen to what your kids want and do it for the children.
If you don’t know what or how to recycle, visit Earth911.com for information
You can also hire an eco consultant to come to your home or office and show you how to set up a recycling system for your needs.
Posted by admin on May 17, 2009
Yes, it’d appear I keep focusing on water tips this week but I can’t help it.
I continually see so much waste, people buying bottled water, people throwing away those bottles in the trash rather than recycling them or just tossing them on the ground after an event or when they’re at the park.
Here’s simple solution. It’s cost effective (will save you anywhere from $500-1000 a year!) and it’s environmentally friendly.
Use a water filter on your home faucet to filter water. You can get a filter that easily attaches to your faucet for under $40 (ok so it’s $39.99) and be able to filter 24,0000 eight ounce glasses of water! That’s about 3 cents per gallon and no plastic bottles are wasted!
You want to take your water with you so you think you have to use plastic bottles…
WRONG!
Use stainless steel reusable bottles!
Saves carbon, saves waste from the plastic you’d previously use. Plus, it stays colder longer in the stainless steel than the plastic (least it seems like it does to me, if anyone asks for scientific clarification on that lol).
Use both these items and you save yourself $500-1000 a year plus you save the earth!
You can purchase them together here and get on the road to saving money and helping the environment.
Posted by admin on April 30, 2009
According to EPA here are some benefits of composting.
Compost use can result in a variety of environmental benefits. The following are a few of the most important benefits:
Compost enriches soils
Compost has the ability to help regenerate poor soils. The composting process encourages the production of beneficial micro-organisms (mainly bacteria and fungi) which in turn break down organic matter to create humus. Humus–a rich nutrient-filled material–increases the nutrient content in soils and helps soils retain moisture. Compost has also been shown to suppress plant diseases and pests, reduce or eliminate the need for chemical fertilizers, and promote higher yields of agricultural crops.
Compost helps cleanup (remediate) contaminated soil
The composting process has been shown to absorb odors and treat semivolatile and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including heating fuels, polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and explosives. It has also been shown to bind heavy metals and prevent them from migrating to water resources or being absorbed by plants. The compost process degrades and, in some cases, completely eliminates wood preservatives, pesticides, and both chlorinated and nonchlorinated hydrocarbons in contaminated soils.
Compost helps prevent pollution
Composting organic materials that have been diverted from landfills ultimately avoids the production of methane and leachate formulation in the landfills. Compost has the ability to prevent pollutants in stormwater runoff from reaching surface water resources. Compost has also been shown to prevent erosion and silting on embankments parallel to creeks, lakes, and rivers, and prevents erosion and turf loss on roadsides, hillsides, playing fields, and golf courses.
Using compost offers economic benefits
Using compost can reduce the need for water, fertilizers, and pesticides. It serves as a marketable commodity and is a low-cost alternative to standard landfill cover and artificial soil amendments. Composting also extends municipal landfill life by diverting organic materials from landfills and provides a less costly alternative to conventional methods of remediating (cleaning) contaminated soil.
There are many ways to compost:
You may want to start off with a compost crock or compost basket that you can keep handy on your counter. They’re odor free and ventilated. They’re small enough to keep on kitchen counter or if you get the compost basket you can hang it from the kitchen door under sink to keep it out of way. This is great for collecting all your compostable items prior to taking them to your compost pile or to your indoor composter if it’s in a different location than your kitchen (mine’s in the laundry room since there’s no power outlet under kitchen sink).
You can have an outdoor compost pile that you hand turn regularly.
Spinning composters are also used outside so you don’t have to hand turn the compost materials.
You can have an indoor composter which is excellent way to compost when living in apartments, condo’s, townhouses or simply for indoor convenience. I have the Nature Mill Composter in green.
The Nature Mill Composter allows you to add up to 120 lbs. of food and paper items a month without the hassles of maintenance. No installation required, simply plug into a power outlet. The computer in the machine controls mixing, air flow, temperature and moisture for ideal compost, and rich food for your garden, with one batch every two weeks. Size: 20’’ high x 20’’ deep x 12’’ wide. Fits into a standard kitchen cabinet. Features include: foot pedal for convenient hands-free operation, vacation mode (automatically activates after a period of inactivity to conserve energy, and optimize heat and mixing for curing), security locking feature for public areas such as offices or restaurants, and spare carbon filter included for years of hassle-free operation.
Get yours now here
Posted by admin on April 29, 2009
Do you know how gift wrap paper is made?
Probably not.
It begins with paper that is produced in mills from wood pulp. Mainstream gift paper is made with about 55% from virgin wood pulp. Then the pulp is bleached and then the design is made with ink and synthetic dyes. About 2 to 3 1/2 tons of trees are used to make a ton of paper…that’s a lot of waste. The paper making process requires enormous amounts of energy, water (anywhere from 44,000 to 83,000 liters of water per ton of paper), and chemicals. Paper making process also creates significant water & air pollution as well as huge amount of solid waste. All of which is not good for the environment.
Instead, try nature non toxic gift wrap if you’re going to wrap presents.
You want to use gift wrap and note cards that are made with non toxic dyes, natural inks and bark shredding so the tree itself isn’t killed or harmed. There are also note cards and paper that are made with renewable natural sources as well.
You can also try your hand at making paper. Read the how to article here.
Posted by admin on April 28, 2009
Fact: Americans toss out enough paper & plastic cups, forks and spoons every year to circle the equator 300 times (www.cleanair.org).
Recycling Tips For Work, Car or on the go can be read here
One of which is: Purchase reusable, rather than disposable (towels, napkins, dishes, table ware).
Now that can be easier than ever with the Zola On The Go Kit featured below.
For the person who is always on the go, these few items will significantly decrease the amount of waste generated on a daily basis.
Kit includes:
ACME Ultra-Compact Bag (Black, Burnt Orange, Cranberry Red, or Moroccan Blue)
SIGG Thermal Mug (Blue or Red)
To-Go Ware (Black, Brown, or Red)
These beautiful organic utensils are made of bamboo, which is nature’s most sustainable resource. It is grown without pesticides or chemicals, is 100% biodegradable, and naturally regenerative. In addition, the holder is produced by WEAVE, a women’s cooperative on the Thai-Burma border. By purchasing this utensil set, you will contribute to their advancement and empowerment, and make a positive impact on the global community.
Price: $ 49.00
You can purchase yours here at LiveTotallyGreen.com
