Obviously everyone loves their Apple Products whether it is an iPod, iPhone or computer. Fortunately, this popular brand scores high in Greenpeaces "Greener Electronics". On this list, Apple holds down a number 5 spot on Greenpeace's list of 15. HP, Dell and Nokia were right ahead of Apple products. Check out the Apple Report Card.
I'm not sold on the whole Apple movement as of yet. Maybe when they score higher, I'll be all in! If they want to be the number 1 electronics product, they should be the leader in sustainable products.
Recently, I have been shopping around for apartments in DC so I am playing interior decorator now. I love walking into a room and having it smell really fresh. So I started to think, what is the most environmentally friendly way to keep your home smelling nice?
Plug-ins cant be that environmentally friendly being that it constantly uses electricity being that you have to actually plug it in. Spray cans just do not sit too well with me because you're spraying chemicals into the air. And they only work for a couple minutes anyway.
So I did some research :)
Alternative ways to freshen up your home the environmentally friendly way
Closet & House Odor Absorbers; these tiny pebble looking minerals are nontoxic and they completely erase odor problems in the home. They are in cute little bags that you simply hang up and let the magic happen. They deodorize about 600 square feet of space! Get them here.
Sani-Mate; this not only deodorizes your home but also purifies the air. Its like an air sanitizer. Unfortunately, you do have to plug it in however, it is energy efficient. The great thing about this product is that it kills bacteria, viruses, molds, chemicals, smoke, allergens and ordors in the air! However, this is ideal for small spaces such as bathrooms. This needs no replacement parts like filters! Get this here.
Scented oils; these are my favorite! Bath and Body Works have the best ones in my experience. Oils sent the home really fast and its lasting. You have to purchase an oil warmer first though which are always fun because they are so cute! Check these babies out.
Potpourri; is a mixture of dried, naturally fragrant plant material, used to provide a gentle natural scent in houses. My mother used these when i was younger. I remember her boiling them on the stove and the house just smelled like amazing flowers. This really works! You can even make your own. Or get some here.
Open a window! Nothing is fresher than natural air (depending on where you live). Keeping a window open filters your home and lets all the toxins out while neutralizing your homes air.
I hoped this helped you as much as it helped me! Try them out and let me know how it goes. :)
I've had a couple requests on blogging about recycling. So I have done some research about my hometown (Durham, NC) recycling laws. I found this law to be pretty interesting that I am sure the majority had no clue about;
In 1997 Durham passed an ordinance making it unlawful to place target recyclables in the garbage
"It'll help us reduce waste going to the landfills. Obviously, it'll help us recover a valuable material," said state recycling director Scott Mouw.
70,000 tons of plastic ends up in the state's landfills each year. About 20 percent gets recycled.
Admittedly, recycling laws are hard to enforce so the law goes to "good faith". If caught, violators will face fines.
Recycling reduces dependancy on landfills and incinerations which in turn reduces litter, air and water pollution. Recycling also
Also, methane is generated from landfills which is a known greenhouse gas that contributes substantially to global warming. Landfills are the leading cause of methane production.
Recycling provides many benefits from economics to environmental. Recycling is the best waste management for waste reduction.
An oil spill from a stranded cargo ship off New Zealand is the country's worst environmental disaster in decades, the government says.
An oil spill has stricken New Zealand Wednesday, October 5 and it is said to get significantly worse. The Liberian ship "Rena" ran upon a reef causing the oil to ooze out of the vessel. "Rena" holds 1,700 tons of oil aboard the ship. So far, 350 tons (thats 700,000 pounds) of oil has leaked out. And it will get worse in days to come. Mount Maunganui beach was the first location to have the oil wash up on shore.
"This event has come to a stage where it is New Zealand's most significant maritime environmental disaster," he told a news briefing in Tauranga.
The ship has stalled on the Astrolabe Reef which has a fragile environment and marine life including plants and animals. Obviously, much of the marine life has been destroyed due to our selfish greed. This disaster is the worst environmental disaster to hit New Zealand in decades.
Help has been sent to "clean up" the tremendous amount of oil that has spilled. However, if the boat(which is being used to help contain the oil) breaks, all the recovered oil could leak out into the ocean once again. Cleaning up after an oil spill is a messy job and is basically impossible. Even cleaning up the oil has proven to be dangerous. Cleaning up after an oil spill has left workers from the BP oil spill with mysterious illnesses. So not only are we putting the livelyhood of marine life in danger, but also the people who clean up the mess.
Spring Lake, NC (Cumberland County) previously issued out an alert about the tainted water supply. Apparently the water contains dangerous bacteria such as E-Coli and fecal mater. If you did use the tap water, it was suggested that you boil it before using it. Restaurants closed down and the water supply was shut off.
This goes to show how dangerous water pollution is. Tap water itself is not good for you. Yes, water goes through a thorough filtration process but still, that does not make the water pure. Incidents like this happen all too often.
To be on the safe side, you should purchase a detachable water filtration for you faucet. This will enable your faucet to go through another filtration process. Better safe than sorry. You can purchase these anywhere from you local grocery store to Target and Wal-Mart. They do not cost that much either. Water filters are even better than water bottles which have proven to be unhealthy as well. Besides, water filters for your faucet is eco-friendly in the sense that you no longer need to purchase water bottles for "fresh water" so more plastics are kept out of the trash.
Eco Fashion Designers who are gracing the streets of DC.
Aidah Collection
Elizabeth St John
Kelly Tang
Natalia Sanz
The Eco Fashion Show premiered Monday, September 19, 2011 and was sponsored by Inova & Perkins + Will.
Tuesday, September 20 premiered the "Second Lives: the Age-Old Art of Recycling Textiles". This highlighted how people from different cultures have efficiently repurposed worn fabrics to create beautiful new textiles. This took place at the Textile Museum.
If I would have known there were going to be eco-fashion, I would have made it my mission to attend!
75 Kenyans died last week due to a pipeline explosion in their neighborhood. Pipelines are popularly and dangerously used in the African communities in efforts to transport oil for production and consumption. It is no secret that the oil companies have no problem exploting the villages of Africa for their own greed. These pipeline are above ground and easily infiltrated.
a section of pipe had burst near the river that cuts through the slum and gasoline was pouring out. Men, women and children grabbed pails, jerry cans, anything they could find to collect the flowing fuel.
Mwangi had planned to get a bucket and join them - he'd done so before with earlier diesel leaks without any problem, he said, and a bucket of fuel could pay a month's rent. "Everybody knows that fuel is gold," the 34-year-old said.
The "importance" of oil to corporations is clear. This goes to show the dangers of the oil industry. It is sad that innocent people lose their lives every day in order to obtain this "black gold". There is a flagrant disregard for the value of human life when it comes to oil. The oil companies are savages when it comes to obtaining this "gold".
Unfortunately, unnecessary situations like this happen everyday. The only alternative to oil, is alternative energy.
If you are anything like me, you must be devastated over our precious cantaloupe. Apparently, a cantaloupe farm from Colorado has sent out a recall of the fruit due to a deadly Listeria contamination. People in Colorado, Indiana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Montana and Texas, and four have even died from the outbreak. If an infected cantaloupe is eaten, it can paralyze you. Even some 25% of the people who ingested the contaminated cantaloupe have actually died from it. They recommend that people actually scrub cantaloupes clean before eating and even then, they are still susceptible to infection being that the contamination can hide within the pores of the cantaloupe.
Jensen Farms in Holly, Colo., said Wednesday it is voluntarily recalling cantaloupe it shipped to Illinois, Wyoming, Tennessee, Utah, Texas, Colorado, Minnesota, Kansas, New Mexico, North Carolina, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Arizona, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania between July 29 and Sept. 10.
The source of the contamination is unknown.
This is horrible. Cantaloupe are my favorite fruit. Fortunately, cantaloupe are not even in season so if you are shopping eco-friendly, then you have nothing to worry about.
Here is a list of produce that you should shop for in season. Shopping for fruits and vegetables while they are in season will leave less of a carbon footprint and is essentially eco-friendly because it requires less energy to produce. Also, the produce that are shopped in season are a lot more fresh. I hate listed the popular produce. For the complete list of seasonal produce, click here.
Shopping at your local Farmers Market for produce such as fruits and vegetables is a an excellent way to shop. It leaves less of a carbon footprint, meaning you are being environmentally friendly. Shopping at your local Farmers Market is recommended because;
Fresh fruit and vegetables. Produce is picked ripe and sold that day. Supermarket produce, on the other hand, can take up to two weeks to travel from farm to store. Flavor and appearance can suffer.
Support your neighbor! Farmers’ Markets put more money in the farmers’ pockets. Commercial farmers get only twenty-five cents of every dollar’s worth of produce sold in supermarkets.
Less pollution. Distance produce travels from farm to you via a grocery store is often greater than 1000 miles. Transport to and storage at the store often requires refrigeration, and these result in carbon dioxide emissions. At our farmers' markets average distance traveled is less than 50 miles and there is no refrigeration or storage. Buying at a farmers' market results in less carbon dioxide emissions.
Save money. You can save money, especially on organic produce.
Shop seasonal produce. Shopping for produce that are in season leaves less of a carbon footprint. Shopping produce that are out of season causes refridgeration to store the produce and also distance traveled for produce grown elsewhere.
Use a power strip to turn off televisions, stereos and computer systems when you're not using them and unplug appliances such as phone chargers, extra refrigerators, and printers until you need them.
Shorten your shower time!
When you go grocery shopping, buy in bulk. This way there is less packaging and its also cheaper in the long run.
Reduce, reuse and recycle all day long.
Wear green and/or brown. Dress in environmental colors for the day; think "tree"!
Engage others in conversations about your environmental concerns.
Ride your bike
Refuse to use paper for the day.
Install a CFL or compact fluorescent light bulb.
Also, bring your own reusable shopping bag. You can buy them at local grocery stores.
Buy organic.
Go meat free.
But if you really want to go hard..
Volunteer at your local river/lake for a clean up. (Just contact your nearest lake officials. Google is your friend :) )
Take public transportation of the day. Buses/trains/metro/car pool.
Take the time to finally fix that leaky faucets and pipes
Host a waste-free picnic with friends and family.
Every night for a week, collect your household garbage and weigh it on your bathroom scale. Record your results every few weeks and celebrate your success as your trash slims down.
Consider buying a carbon offset to make up for the greenhouse gas emissions you create on the other 364 days of the year. Carbon offsets fund reductions in greenhouse gas emissions through projects such as wind farms, that displaces energy from fossil fuels.
The earth does not belong to man -- man belongs to the earth. -- Chief Seattle
I believe in God, only I spell it "Nature". -- Frank Lloyd Wright
When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.
-- John Muir
We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. -- Native American Proverb
In wilderness is the preservation of the world. -- Henry David Thoreau
The proper use of science is not to conquer nature but to live in it. -- Barry Commoner
He that plants trees loves others beside himself. -- Thomas Fuller
The use of solar energy has not been opened up because the oil industry does not own the sun. -- Ralph Nader
There is a great need for the introduction of new values in our society, where bigger is not necessarily better, where slower can be faster, and where less can be more. -- Gaylord Nelson
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtfully committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has. -- Margaret Mead
For 200 years we've been conquering nature. Now we're beating it to death. -- Tom McMillan
Why should I care about future generations? What have they ever done for me? -- Groucho Marx
We have met the enemy and he is us. -- Walt Kelly
What is the use of a house if you haven't got a tolerable planet to put it on? -- Henry David Thoreau
Suburbia is where the developer bulldozes out the trees, then names the streets after them. — Bill Vaughan
The wealth of the nation is its air, water, soil, forests, minerals, rivers, lakes, oceans, scenic beauty, wildlife habitats and biodiversity… that’s all there is. That’s the whole economy. That’s where all the economic activity and jobs come from. These biological systems are the sustaining wealth of the world. -- Gaylord Nelson
Until a man duplicates a blade of grass, Nature can laugh at his so-called scientific knowledge. Remedies from chemicals will never stand in favorable comparison with the products of Nature, the living cell of a plant, the final result of the rays of the sun, the mother of all life. -- Thomas Alva Edison
The earth is what we all have in common. -- Wendell Berry
What is man without the beasts? If all the beasts were gone, man would die from a great loneliness of spirit. For whatever happens to the beasts, soon happens to man. -- Chief Seattle
To see a world in a grain of sand, And a heaven in a wild flower, Hold infinity in the palm of your hand, And eternity in an hour. -- William Blake
There is a pleasure in the pathless woods, There is a rapture on the lonely shore, There is society, where none intrudes, By the deep sea, and music in its roar: I love not man the less, but Nature more. -- George Gordon, Lord Byron
Only when the last tree has died and the last river been poisoned and the last fish been caught will we realize we cannot eat money. -- Cree Indian Proverb
Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet, and the winds long to play with your hair. -- Kahlil Gibran
Concrete Jungle;An urban or other populated area containing a high density of buildings constructed of concrete or similar materials, especially one which lacks greenery and which seems unattractive, harsh, or unsafe
I live by these words;
"We are what we think . All that we are arises with our thoughts . With our thoughts , we make the world . "
-Buddah
"Be the change that you wish to see in the world."
-Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
&
"I'm starting with the man in the mirror.
I'm asking him to change his ways.
If you want to make the world a better place,
Take a look at yourself and make the change."
-Michael Jackson
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