01.01.10
Posted in Environment, Green Companies, Green Living at 6:24 pm by Administrator
Not quite to the Star Wars era yet, but we are moving in that direction. With my recycling efforts, I’ve found I recycle paper and cardboard more than anything else, with plastics coming in second. So we have a long way to go yet before trees are not used for paper.
I have spent most of December working on re-formatting my children’s book, Friends in the Meadow-Birds, to fit the formatting for an ebook so that all those tens of thousands of people who got their Kindles for Christmas have access to my book as an ebook as well as others. But before I started that project, I looked into the whole thing, ebooks and ereaders. My question is not a simple one, but is this just another electronic gadget, here today, gone tomorrow? If I determined that it was an electronic fad, then I wasn’t going to bother, as aside from Christmas, this project had dominated the whole month. What I found was that authors and publishers are thinking that ebooks and ereaders will change the publishing business similar to what iPod’s did for the music business. So a publishing revolution is just ahead it seems.
Upon further research, I found that the ebooks were a very hot item for Christmas and the ebook store sites are popping up all over the net. You can get many books for free to download, both classics and modern literature. The cost for those books for sale is about one third or less of the printed books. Many are sold for $1.00, which is not far from the royalties made on printed books sold in the major bookstores.
I doubted that my eyes would hold up to reading on an ereader, as they get very upset with me when I stay on the computer all day. So I went to Best Buy to eyeball the ereaders. From the ones that Best Buy carried, I liked the Sony most of all. I was pleased to see that you can adjust the size of the font to however large you need it so as not to strain your eyes. Most ereaders I learned have E-ink and special lighting so that you can read it clearly with little eye strain even in bright lighted situations. Except for physically turning the page, holding the reader was about the same as holding a book. After visiting Best Buy I felt most positive about the idea of ebooks and ereaders.
After this, I was sure I would find something on the internet to discourage my thinking about the positives of the ereaders. I found three very informative articles that were of most interest to me.
I was very curious to know if the ereaders and ebooks have the potential to really make a positive impact on the environment. I found an article on Epublishers Weekly titled “Ebooks Save Millions of Trees: 10 Ideas for sustainable Publishing”, by Michael Pastore. He is both a novelist and non-fiction writer. He has authored a book on the subject, 50 Benefits of Ebooks: A Thinking Person’s Guide to the Digital Reading Revolution. His article answered my questions in just the title. But he went into enough detail that gives hope that ebooks and ereaders are on the cutting edge of the publishing business and that millions of trees each year can be saved. One example he shared is the newspaper, New York Times. One Sunday issues consumes 75,000 trees and one year of the Sunday issues consumes more than 3,900,000 trees. This is one newspaper. There are millions of books published each year. Mr. Pastore shares that each year the publishing industry in the USA consumes 32 million trees for book. Books and newspapers together consume 125 million trees each year and “emit over 40 million metric tons of CO2 annually; equivalent to the annual CO2 emissions of 7.3 million cars.” His 10 ideas for sustainable publishing are good ideas for the publishing industry as well as each household in the country to take to heart. Read his full article at
http://www.epublishersweekly.blogspot.com/2009/09/ebooks-save-millions-of-trees-10-ideas.html.
Feeling even better about the whole idea, I went back to the internet to look for ebook comparisons and guides to buying. I found an article written by the Electronic Frontier Foundation which is titled, “EFF’s ebook-buyer’s Guide to Privacy.” This was the only red flag I found in my research. But it could be a serious one for some people. The article basically says that the ereaders that are made and sold only by certain brands, bookstores, etc., do keep information on the owners, mainly what ebooks have been purchased, what customers are reading at any time and the store can share the information with law enforcement and third parties for marketing efforts or other service providers. Some of the information sent back to the stores reminded me of cookies from different sites that monitor our use of computers, buying habits, etc. The article encourages those purchasing an ereader to read the terms of service agreement very closely before purchasing. If you want strict privacy regarding your ereader, look at what the article calls “open source” ereaders that can download books from a number of sources and does not have a service agreement with anyone, therefore no one is keeping records on the ereader or you. The web address for this article is http://boingboing.net/2009/12/21/effs-ebook-buyers-gu.html. Read it before you buy.
My last question at this point was what was the best one for me to purchase? So the comparison shopping begins. I found a neat chart comparing eight different readers. These included: Amazon KindleDX, Fugitsu FLEPia, Cool-ER, Kindle 2, Sony Reader PRS-700, Sony Reader PRS-505, ASTAK EZ Reader, and IRex Digital ReaderDR1000SW. This will be a hard decision because no one has everything I want. So I will probably wait a year or so while the bugs continue to be worked out and the ereaders become more user friendly. What I want is a reader that the screen size is 6 to 8 inches, has E-Ink with color and great lighting, touch screen, high resolution, weighs about 10 ounces, has a lot of memory or extendable choices, has a long battery life if wireless, but most importantly has as many document format choices as possible. But it must have EPUB, PDF, .Mobi, .PDB, HTML, Javascript, Plain Text, LRF, RTF and more if possible. There must not be a service contract regarding use of it. I do not want to be monitored in any way. You will see when you compare, that right now there is no such critter. But given a year or two of customer feedback, maybe there will be such an ereader or closer to it anyway, and maybe the price will have come down. This chart can be found at http://www.myebookreaderreview.com.
Until then, I can still download as pdf’s and read on the computer. At least I’ll still be saving trees and the environment. Good reading everyone! By the way, I’m getting my eyes checked and new glasses tomorrow. I’m good for another year or so with the computer! But still looking forward to my perfect ereader.
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12.02.09
Posted in Country Living, Environment, Green Living, Uncategorized at 6:12 pm by Administrator
Nothing went to waste at Grandpa’s and Grandma’s. Even ashes from the fireplace and wood stove were used for different purposes like making soap, using in the garden, around flower beds and other uses. With just a little research, we can find ways to still use ashes today. They help in composting and growing tomatoes, just to name a couple. In those days, ‘junk’ mail was rare but when it came it was reused somehow. The spare paper, especially postcards, was used to make quilt patterns or other patterns. Sometimes, the back of a letter was used to write new letters to family living away. There were usually few left-overs after a meal. But when there were, it became the main course for the next meal. Food scraps were given to the dogs or hogs when they had them to feed. When their clothing became too worn or not the right size, the buttons, zippers, lace, etc., were taken off for reuse and the material left was used to make quilt pieces. Sometimes Grandma could resize the item for another family member to wear.
It was a hard life for them by today’s standards. But they knew no other way of living so for them, it was normal. Most of their neighbors lived the same way. Many would think that their life span was probably shorter due to such harsh living, but Grandma was almost 80 and Grandpa was almost 87 when they died. Both were born in 1889. They saw many new things come about in the name of progress during their lifetime, but used very few of them. Everything from radio, telephone, television, automobiles, airplanes, and the list goes on until 1976 when Grandpa died.
I’m not advocating that we return to their way of living, however quaint and sweet it seemed. Obviously, that was two generations back. But, we can learn from their work ethic and do the best we can with what we have. Just remembering to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Reenergize what we can rather than adding to the landfills will help the earth and our carbon footprints tremendously. We can contact those sending us ‘junk’ mail and ask to be taken off their mailing lists. Reduce where ever we can. We can also make a plan and carry it out for recycling plastics, glass, metals, paper, cardboard, and electronics. We can teach our children and grandchildren. We can work toward only throwing away what we have to, after finding no other way to reuse or recycle. All of us can stand to reduce the “things” in our lives that we buy and really don’t need, learning to be content with what we have. This list is just a start of things we can do to reduce our carbon footprints. It can be added to in countless ways if we put our minds to it.
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11.25.09
Posted in Country Living, Environment, Green Living at 5:05 pm by Administrator
Clean Energy Sources
(Part 2 of 3)
My grandparent’s main source of energy was the fire wood that was grown and cut off the land they lived on. One fireplace warmed the whole house, or at least as far as the heat would go. The kids in the back bedroom learned to unwrap themselves from a stack of quilts (made by Grandma) and get up quickly, dress and rush to the fireplace to stay warm. The fireplace was in my grandparent’s bedroom which doubled as a living room. So everyone congregated there for physical and emotional warmth. Much fellowship with family and friends went on in that dual purpose room around that fireplace.
My Grandma cooked on a wood stove and canned many jars of vegetables, fruits, jams, jellies, peppers, soups and other foods every summer for use during the winter. Some of the best smelling and tasting foods came from that kitchen. Yet the only electricity she used in the kitchen was from the light string that was sometimes pulled to turn on the electric light bulb hanging from the ceiling. She cooked three good meals every day on that wood stove. The warmth of the stove added cozy heat to the house in the winter, but smothering heat in the summer when all the canning was going on. There was no central air. She did all this without a blender, electric can opener, electric coffee pot, electric chopper, mixer or any of the other electrical gadgets we now find in our kitchens. Dishes were washed by hand with hot water heated on the stove as the stove was cooling down from the cooking of the meal. Dishwashers were unheard of. The electrical usage consisted of five light bulbs that hung from the ceiling in each room with a string to pull to turn them on and off. The house was not wired with electrical plug outlets in the walls because there was no need for them, no TV’s, stereos, computers, etc.
The water was drawn one bucket at a time by hand from the well that was located a few feet from the kitchen door. An inside bucket of water set on a cabinet and held the drinking water. This bucket kept a dipper hanging on the side for everyone to use to drink the fresh, good tasting well water. They lived without indoor plumbing of any kind.
They bathed themselves the same way with the hand drawn water from the well. The water was warmed on the stove and poured into a large metal wash tub which was placed in one of the back bedrooms for privacy when in use. The bath water was used by more than one person and then reused again in whatever way Grandma needed it, vegetable and flower watering or other uses about the household. Laundry was washed outside in a large wash tub and hung on the clothesline to dry. If the work clothes were extremely dirty, they were washed in a big black cast iron pot that was heated over a wood fire. The soap added to the boiling water and stirring with an old broom handle did the job well most of the time.
I know by now you are wondering about the bathroom facilities. Well, the old “Out House” was behind the house and a good little distance down a sloping path and far enough away so as not to interfere with the well water. And yes, the previous year’s Sears catalog was a commodity in that out house, along with other catalogs that were reused.
So energy sources included fire wood, water from the well and five light bulbs they used very little because they pretty much went to bed not long after the sun set. Do add the muscle and pure human strength and energy as it took that to do what today’s modern appliances and conveniences offer us.
This all adds up to a very small carbon footprint compared to today’s usage. And they did not even know they were green living heroes!
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Posted in Country Living, Environment, Green Living at 4:53 pm by Administrator
Simple Lifestyle
Having moved back to my rural childhood home eleven years ago, I’ve had plenty of time walking about the place to remember the lives of my grandparents. They were very kind and simple living people. Today we would call their lifestyle ‘green’.
Well in fact, they were living green before people even heard of living green and were doing it quiet well. Their carbon footprint while bringing up eleven children was very small. Both Grandma and Grandpa were hard working people. I guess when your livelihood depends on your quality, quantity, and production of goods and food, a strong work ethic just develops without much thinking about it, just doing.
At some point every day they found time during the daylight hours to sit beside their respective window and read the Good Book, the Bible, from which they learned their ways of living. From this book, they learned and became our example for loving God, family, our neighbor, and our country. Also our example for working, sharing, saving, reducing, reusing, and recycling. They were our example for learning not to covet other’s things but, “be content with such things as ye have,” (Hebrews 13:5). They were our example for honesty and integrity.
Grandpa and Grandma were not only accustomed to hard work but life with few conveniences. Neither ever learned to drive a car nor did they own one for the older kids to drive them about. The family did a lot of walking or riding in the horse (mule) drawn wagon. For necessary items that had to be bought, they would wait until the peddler came around or caught a ride to town with a neighbor. Eventually, after some of the older boys were grown and bought vehicles, they would ride about with them to visit family.
My Grandpa tended his fields and vegetable garden with a mule and plow so he never used a tractor. As far as meat to eat, Grandpa had a smoke-house where he cured hams and other meats and preserved it until needed for a meal. He also had chickens for meat and eggs and a few cows, keeping at least one for milking. He dug out a space under the house that was easy to get to for a place to keep the harvested crops like potatoes and others in a cool, dry, and dark place so it would last as long into the winter as possible. Grandma’s part of the food preparation was harvesting, canning and cooking.
When the meal was ready, we would sit on home made benches along side the table that Grandpa built. Then he would say grace, teaching us not only to be content with what we have but also be grateful. “Oh Lord, forgive our sins, accept our thanks for these and all our blessings, we ask for Christ’s sake, Amen.” It was always the same, and always enough.
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10.27.09
Posted in Green Companies, Green Household Products, Green Living, Proctor and Gamble, Recycling at 7:41 pm by Administrator
Since my last post, I continued to take inventory of the products I use in my home and have been researching the companies that produce them. My goal is to see if these companies take into consideration sustainability and earth friendly products.
Most of what I use for house cleaning products, as I noted in the last post, were products made by S.C. Johnson Company. The research I did on them ‘passed’ my test of appropriate product research and development and their concern about decreasing their carbon footprint.
Most of the other products I use are produced by Proctor and Gamble Company. These products include: Tide (or Cheer or Gain) and Bounce for laundry; Cascade and Dawn for dish washing. For hygiene products almost all of them were produced by Proctor and Gamble. These include: Scope, Crest, Oral-B, Old Spice products, Secret, Head and Shoulders, Pepto-Bismol and Vicks products, Ivory and Zest soaps, Olay and Cover Girl products, Febreze and Charmin.
What it pretty much boils down to is that for my household, these two companies produce the majority of the products we use. So it has become more important to me that I know these two companies in particular care about the world.
As with S.C. Johnson company, during my research on Proctor and Gamble, I found some very interesting results. First of all, they have a Sustainability Strategy that contains five areas. These include: Products, Operations, Social Responsibility, Employees, and Stakeholders. Their web site has details about each area. I was impressed that not only have the products and operations areas made good progress, but their Social Responsibility area goes far beyond what I ever expected.
The company gears the Social Responsibility part of their strategy toward helping children in need of the basics like clean water, immunizations, health care, etc. These children are in countries that are in dire need of such help. In the last five years, the company has helped 87,000 children. Given that the welfare of children is high on my list, this one area really impressed me. Needless, to say they ‘passed’ my test as well.
Another fact that I didn’t know and probably most ordinary people in the U.S.A. didn’t either, is that Proctor and Gamble was added to the list of the Top 100 Global Sustainable Corporations in 2009. We’re talking global businesses! That’s a great honor. Please go and read more about Proctor and Gamble for yourself at http://www.pg.com.
As for me, I have started reducing, reusing, recycling, and researching companies where I buy my products. I am satisfied with both companies where most of my household and hygiene products are researched and produced. I was pleasantly satisfied that they are already into sustainability with products I use and that I do not need to change any products at this point.
I suppose now I maintain where I am with my recycling effort, but not consider it completed. There are two things I know I need to continue monitoring. One is the temptation to return to old life patterns. (Honestly, it is easier just to throw it in the trash.) The second thing is to research new companies when I consider a new product purchase.
But for S.C. Johnson and Proctor and Gamble, I say, “Keep up the good work for the green earth!” Also, thank you for your efforts in making our earth a better place to live.
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10.25.09
Posted in Green Companies, Green Household Products, Green Living, Recycling, S.C.Johnson at 4:57 am by Administrator
I have been taking inventory of the products that I use most often in my home. The reason is that I wanted to find the ones that are earth friendly and to determine the ones that are not. I want to support the companies of the products that are into sustainability.
Some of the products I use regularly include Scrubbing Bubbles, Oust, Shout, Windex, Off, Pledge, Raid and Drano. For wrapping foods I use Ziploc bags and Saran Wrap. As it turns out all these products are made by S. C. Johnson. I researched the S.C. Johnson Company to find out if they were into sustainability. I am glad to say that S.C. Johnson is big time into green living and research continues on their products to improve them to be as sustainable as possible.
Their website www.scjohnson.com covers everything from CEO reports, to reports on chemicals in products, to what we can do in our homes to help be more green thinking and living. I especially liked this part of their website. The suggestions given on the site of things we can do at home included ideas for every room in the house. Some are common and well known like turn the water off while brushing your teeth. But did you know that when the stove top burner pans become caked with burned on grease or other food over time that they absorb more energy and therefore costs more to use? Did you know that when we use a six inch pan on an eight inch stove top burner, we waste over 40% of the energy produced by the burner? We need to match the pan we use to the burner size so as not to waste the energy. There are many other helpful ideas on the “Doing Your Part,” in the ‘Around the Home’ section of the website. It is worth reading for the living green cause, and it also may just save on utility bills.
I encourage you to take a good look at the S.C. Johnson website. There is loads more information on products and even coupons. I was really impressed that the company that produces so many of the items I use every day has been into sustainability for years, longer than I have. The Company has received two Presidential Recognition Awards for their “greenlist” process and their overall efforts towards sustainability.
Thanks S.C. Johnson for the great work and concern for our good Earth.
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10.13.09
Posted in Green Living, Recycling at 6:00 am by Administrator
What a learning experience I have got myself into! I still have a long way to go but I do feel that in just a couple weeks I have moved from a non-recycler to a recycler. I am no longer part of the two thirds of Americans that do not recycle. I continue reusing the items I have a second use for, take unneeded items to the thrift store and I recycle the things I can. I did follow up on the last blog post and went the next day searching for places to drop off items to recycle. I have also joined a nearby (sixty miles) Freecycle group that swaps or gives away items that are still useful.
What I found was that I can recycle batteries and certain metals in a town about twenty miles from where we live. I can drop off paper, magazines, cardboard, plastic bottles (numbers one and two), cans, and plastic bags in another city sixty miles away. Then there is another city about fifty miles away where I can drop off glass, phone books, cell phones, ink & toner cartridges, other e-waste including computers, monitors, printers, peripherals and other plug-in electronics. But I cannot drop off all these recyclables in one city. Well, so much for it being easy for someone in a rural area. Or in this case, for those in these cities with items that cannot be recycled due to no vendor.
Another downside that I ran into is that the vendor who was at one time taking plastics (numbers three through seven) is no longer doing that for the SE, USA. This leaves these types of plastics with no place to go but the landfill. These plastics include containers like yogurt cups, cottage cheese containers and many more plastic items. That is a bummer big time. Right now these plastics make up most of the trash in my trash can.
However, there is a good side to this story. I set up several containers after I found out what I could recycle and where to take it. I have one container for all types of paper, being careful to shred any personal information. Another container is for all types of cans, after rinsing them out. Beside it is the plastic container which includes not just grocery bags, but bread and roll bags, plastic wrapping from other food items, soda and milk bottles, without the tops and rinsed out, and even some medicine bottles are the right numbers (one or two). I was amazed at the number of different plastic items that ended up in the recycle bin. I also have a container for cardboard and bottles.
Some may think that it is just too much trouble with the miles to travel, keeping up with what city takes what, rinsing out the cans so no food traces remain, looking for the numbers on the plastics, removing tops off the bottles, etc. But the main stumbling block to overcome in the beginning is the attitude and deciding that recycling is a good and even necessary habit to develop. Eventually I expect it to become a lifestyle. The attitude I had at the beginning of all this had to do with acknowledging that each person (me and you) leaves a carbon footprint every day we live. My footprint will grow bigger and multiply if I do not teach my children and grandchildren that they also are leaving a print and need to do something about it. I cannot just tell them, I have to be an example. We adults have to be as responsible as we can be.
I can already tell it is something that is staying more on my mind as I cook or unwrap something. I don’t just turn to the trash can, but stop and think where does this go? As I run across different plastic containers, it’s becoming like a game to determine what number is assigned to the container and if I can recycle it or not. I feel a sense of, “Yes!”, when I’m able to throw it in the recycle bin and a sense of “dog gone it”, when I lose and have to throw it in the trash. There is a satisfying feeling to it, even though at times it does take more energy to recycle than to just throw something in the trash can.
Did you hear the report on Public Radio a few days ago that the atmosphere is 10% better off today than it has been in forty or so years? Given the economy with factory and plant closings, fewer cars on the roads, etc., there is less pollution going up that creates havoc in the atmosphere. It’s sad that it takes a major recession/depression to bring about a 10% improvement.
We as a nation can do better. We as individuals can do better. If you haven’t joined in the recycling effort, go ahead and take that first recycling footstep rather than leave that big dark carbon footprint.
My next step besides maintaining the recycling effort is to look at more of the companies I do business with. Who are they and what are they doing for the environment? I’m also allowing the idea to run around in my mind about writing the powers that be about what can be done for the rural recycler around our nation’s countryside? While I combine trips to these three cities and drop off my recyclables while I’m there for other reasons, it would be great if the rural recycler had more options. It doesn’t hurt to ask!
In the mean time, I’ll follow the advice of Mother Teresa, “Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person.” Each house doing their own recycling effort, parents teaching their children or in some cases children are teaching their parents, each household recycling on their own. I can’t fathom how much positive change this would make in our economy and environment. From money saved by companies producing products and passing the savings on to the customer; to creating new and clean energy resources and many other advantages most Americans cannot imagine. Recycling changes our individual lifestyle and thereby changes our nation’s lifestyle big time.
SO, COME JOIN ME. IT’S OUR ONLY EARTH!
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09.24.09
Posted in Green Living, Recycling at 4:17 am by Administrator
September 24, 2009
As I was reading up on the subject of recycling, I found an article “The Compelling Facts About Plastics 2007” which was a report about the efforts going on in Europe regarding recycling plastics. The report covered 27 member states of the European Plastic Converters group plus Norway and Switzerland (EU27+NO/CH). This report had some amazing facts about their progress with recycling garbage, to the point that in some areas they are nearing complete diversion from landfill use. They “now recover more than 80% of their waste” through recycling into products or using for energy. The article goes on to say, specifically with plastics that 50% of all plastics across these European states are recycled in some way, 20.4% recycled into products and 29.2% used as energy recovery. In comparison, the latest U.S. figures (2008 State of Garbage in America report) showed that only 31% of the total waste headed toward landfills is getting recycled. Only 14% is used as energy recovery and 55% continues to the landfill. If this European group can recycle more than 80% of their total waste, we can do better than 45%. It was noted in the above article that the need for recycled plastics is growing in demand. Greater demand means industry and jobs. Germany has made a passenger ferry from plastics and glue. Imagine what other recycled products, large and small can come from the plastics or other material we now dump in landfills if we put our best effort into it. Not to mention the progress in the energy industry if we recycled any other possible resource into energy.
The EU27+NO/CH group has and continues to define ways for Europe to make full use of their resources (including garbage or solid waste as a resource). This group has developed a process with a hierarchy regarding the way they think and go about recycling. “The hierarchy for improving resource efficiency is (in descending priority order): Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Recover Energy, Disposal.” This sentence really broadened my concept of the recycling process. The much more inclusive and appropriate term is “improving resource efficiency”. I am afraid many Americans share my microscopic definition of recycling, which in the hierarchy above is really just the reusing step. Notice there is one step before reuse and that is reduce. Americans don’t like that word either. We are so spoiled with our big houses, big cars and having more of everything. The third step “recycle” which is actually using plastics and other garbage to make needed products that are in high demand. The next step is just as important, “recover energy”, meaning using non product recyclable garbage to make energy of some type. The last step is in the right place in the hierarchy, “disposal”. I think many people in our country think disposal first and that’s it. Some of us, including me, may reuse some things, thinking we are actually recycling. The fourth step, recover energy, while some of it goes on in our country, most of us don’t have a clue what it means much less who does it, how or where. So we have a long way to go before such becomes household conversation. The topic can get very technical and in depth as we in America make our attempts at defining and proceeding with “improving resource efficiency”.
Perhaps we can borrow some ideas from the Europeans about resource efficiency, as it seems they have been doing it for years. Necessity is the mother of invention, as the saying goes. The Europeans have experienced the necessity. Maybe, with new industries like Terracycle and companies like Kraft and others jumping in, that it is a sign Americans are beginning to see the necessity for change as well. We’ve talked about it for years but have done little compared to what is needed. There are two good reasons to move forward quickly, the most important being the well being of our environment and planet. Secondly, the Europeans have proven not only can resource efficiency be done, but it can be done with costs efficiency as well.
So Kudos to Wheat Thins, Kraft Foods, Terracycle and others joining the mission. I now am compelled to join the “resource efficiency” mission by looking for a place to take recyclable items today! My grandsons will go with me. They need to learn as well how to really recycle, not just reuse and dump. Will you join me?
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Posted in Green Living at 4:11 am by Administrator
September 23, 2009
I have been a fan of Wheat Thins for about four years now. I started eating them as a snack when I began “my” version of The South Beach Diet. After about ten months I had lost 40 pounds and have kept it off. I continue to maintain pretty much the same eating habits which include Wheat Thins as a snack.
My grandchildren snack on what I do when they come to visit. They invariably get the Wheat Thin box out and snack from the box. Only they take the bag out of the box and leave the empty box in the pantry or elsewhere (usually the floor). I have often had the thought that it would be nice if Kraft would just leave off the box packaging and just wrap them with the inside bag. This would immediately save me from having two wrappings to contend with but more importantly, save Kraft and the customer money for the extra packaging and less trash in the landfills. Well, guess what? I bought Wheat Thins lately and they were in a bag only. I bought the Garden Valley Veggie variety. On the side of the bag it boasts, “Wheat Thins Toasted Chips help keep our planet healthy! Wheat Thins Toasted Chips and Terracycle are working together in a special program to help keep some food packages from ending up in landfills. They’ll collect these empty chips or other snack bags from participating snack lovers just like you through their collection centers, and then turn them into useful products like backpacks, totes and pencil cases.” The Wheat Thins bag lists the website for Terracycle which is www.terracycle.net/brigades for more information about their recycling process.
This got me to wondering what the difference is between the Terracycle bag and regular grocery or plastic shopping bags. After all, I keep hearing about how many tons of plastic bags end up in the landfills that will be there a million years from now – or whatever. So I went to www.terracycle.net/brigades and The American Chemistry Council and read their information about Recyclable Plastic Bags. One important fact I learned is that plastic products are different and need to be sorted and recycled with like plastic products. An article on the American Chemistry Council site, “What You Should Know About Plastic Bags” is really helpful regarding sorting and even where to find recycling pick up or drop off centers for those that do not have curb side recycling services. Everyone seems to agree that recycling plastics is a good thing; it just has to be done correctly, starting at home.
I learned several new (to me) terms about the recycling business. First the terms “reuse” and “recycle” in this business have different meanings. I wrongly used them interchangeably. To reuse a plastic grocery bag means just to use the same bag repeatedly in a different way than the purpose for which it was made. For instance, below I listed fifteen ways I reuse the plastic bags I bring home from the grocery store or Walmart.
1. Trash liners for medium to small trash cans.
2. Use to harvest vegetables from my garden instead of buying baskets or other containers.
3. Stuffing boxes to mail rather than buying Styrofoam squigglys or other packing material.
4. Weave craft purses or tote bags.
5. Trash bags for vehicles.
6. Outer wrapping for frozen foods, that tend to be messy when freezing or thawing.
7. Sort and store craft materials.
8. Transport cooked foods to church socials, etc., or transport canned foods for can drives, etc.
9. Store glass or other breakables in storage boxes.
10. Transporting wet clothing, swimming suits, towels, etc. from pool or gym.
11. Lunch bags.
12. Use for pet poop pick up & disposal.
13. Dispose of used baby diapers rather than just placing them in the “open” trash can, or buying special plastic bags just for diaper disposal.
14. Picking up nasty spills (broken eggs, oat meal, etc.) rather than using paper towels or disposable gloves.
15. Wrap papers, books, photos, or other printed items that water will ruin, to transport on a rainy day.
And there are a million other ways people “reuse” these bags before they ultimately make it to the landfill.
Recycling however is entirely different. It is hopefully becoming big business. The Terracycle business was a brain child of the owner and then collage student, Tom Szaky, who wanted to simply help the earth. After a couple of trials at it, he hit upon the Terracycle idea. On the website, several types of product bags, wrappings or packaging are listed that schools, other organizations, or households can collect and send to them. Terracycle then pays a few cents per pound of bags and donates the total to the customer’s favorite charity. Of course, a school counts as a charity. Then they take these product wrappings and make many new items from toys, spray bottles, pencil holders, book bags, items for the bathroom, trash cans for home or office, fire-starters, flower pots and up to 104 new products just from trash wrappers. Go see the site and learn the wrappers that you can save for recycling with this company. You’ll be amazed. Terracycle has already donated $130,811.92 to various charities. They have 6,451,985 people collecting trash items for them. These figures are from today. Yesterday they were considerably less.
But what about the ever more numerous plastic grocery or Walmart bags? I guess I have been hanging on to the media coverage that was out there years ago about how terrible plastic bags were for the earth, that they never go away. While they are not biodegradable ordinarily, they are very recyclable. Not only that, they can be recycled for less money than recycling paper bags or making new plastic materials! The tasks for all people concerned about the mass amounts of plastic bags piling up in America’s landfills is to see that they are never put there in the first place, but are recycled instead. Not just reuse them and eventually throw them away, but make sure they are collected or deposited somewhere for recycling. Did you know that plastic bags can be recycled to make fence lumber, other construction materials, pallets, buoys, and there is always the need for recycled bags. So we all need to find places to take our bags to get them recycled. In the European report, ”The Compelling Facts About Plastics 2007”,is this quote, “In the public debate the plastic bag has been the victim of irresponsible litter behavior in society, which has unfairly damaged the reputation of this highly sustainable option for carrying our shopping back home.”
So the plastic bag has gotten a bum rap and still is by some. But there are things we can do about it. First, organize a way of sorting your plastics and other recyclables and get your kids to help in the effort. Secondly, read “Recycling in America (Part 2)” tomorrow. You’re taking step one!
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08.29.09
Posted in Bird Watching, Green Living at 5:38 am by Administrator
This has been a good summer, a green one literally. For the last several years our area has been in a serious drought. For those of us that traditionally raise, can, and freeze vegetables, it has been a really long row to hoe. Our brown lawns of the drought years turned again to green this year and the garden harvest has been great.
Aside from all the green color in lawns, vegetable and flower gardens, the birds also flourished this year. The drought was hard on them as well. During the last months of the long drought, the number of Northern Cardinal sightings dropped drastically. Other birds that were normally plentiful were also lacking in numbers. Obviously, they had to go where they could easily get water. Once the rains started during the winter, the birds returned. As spring of 2009 came into full bloom, the birds also multiplied with nests in our peach trees near the vegetable garden and shrubs in and around the front and back yard. Several also made their nests in the nearby pine trees. Our bird houses were filled several times over with different bird families. It was a great feeling to have the birds back and witness their growing families. Our grandchildren advanced in their bird watching skills with birds all around the place. The birds just made the good green earth seem whole again.
One thing about this spring and summer that I noticed, was that the birds nesting and feeding all around our vegetable garden provided natural pest control for the many bugs, worms, spiders and other critters that tried to invade the young growing vegetables. The Mockingbirds, Robins, Eastern Bluebirds, Flycatchers and others had daily feasts from our garden. I came to realize just how helpful birds are to mankind. Pest control is normally a big job, but not so this year. I’m not sure why because with the rain, the little insect creatures also flourished. I just know it seemed like more birds returned than had left during the drought and even though the insects were plentiful, the birds were able to manage them. It dawned on me that watching and feeding wild birds is more than just a hobby and pleasant pastime. They provide man with much more than a beautiful sight and song. They are an important part of the eco system. Bird watching and research becomes really important when we realize how valuable their presence is to man and to the earth. Keeping watch so that species do not become extinct and keeping the earth a safe and friendly place for birds to flourish becomes our obligation, not just a hobby. The summer of 2009 provided deeper insight and bird watching became a more serious activity indeed for me and the grandchildren.
This has been a good summer, a great green one.
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