Really, Really Green (July 2008)

Reprinted from the July 2008 Edition of Neighbors Newspaper

Summer is finally here, complete with barbecues, beaches, and, ...well…bugs. But, are you worried that you can’t hold a raging party this summer with all of those disposable products, without also harming the planet? Fear not, you can still have an awesome bash on the Fourth and keep it green. Just in time for summer, here are a few tips to lighten your load as you light up the BBQ pits and cool down by the pool.
Greening Up for Summer

- “Healthy” Sunscreen. 89% of the sunscreens out there do not do what they are intended to do and most contain highly toxic materials. Most sunscreens only protect against UVB rays, the ones that burn, and not UVA, the damaging ones that cause cancer. This summer, try sunscreens with zinc (zinc oxide). They may leave your skin a little white, but you’ll avoid some of the unintended ingredients.

- BBQ’s Are The Pits – Well, not really, but those charcoal briquettes can be a downer when they emit more than 105 times the carbon monoxide of a propane bbq, as well as many volatile organic compounds. Make the switch to propane and even consider using a solar oven to do baking rather than your traditional oven. Hey, it can even cook a baked potato.

- Biodegradable Plates – Plastic accounts for over 90% of debris floating in the oceans. This summer, if you don’t have enough washable plates for your party, choose plates, cups and silverware made from soy, or wheat, for example that are easily compostable and biodegradable. You can find these at Whole Foods, Henrys or other markets. These typically break down in 3-6 weeks, keep items out of the landfill and make great soil for your garden.

- Compost Bins For Everyone – Not sure what to do with all of the food scraps from your summer BBQs or all of the produce leftover from the farmers market? Why not make a compost pile to turn that food into useable soil? Even apartments can compost on their balcony or use a countertop composter. There are many options today, making composting easy and virtually work free. Your local gardening supply center can tell you how to make one or have a few for sale.

- Drop the DEET – While bugs are annoying to say the least, it’s not cool to douse your family and pets in cancer-causing poisons just to eliminate a few bugs. Instead try alternatives like planting rosemary, a garlic barrier or even a Mosquito Magnet. Some of those tiki-torches also come with mosquito deterrent materials.

- Get Outdoors – Turning your AC unit up just a few degrees can save you quite a bit of money this summer. Consider planting trees around your house to shade and cool the building, as well as opening windows and using fans to circulate the air. Run your errands during the hottest part of the day, to give your AC unit a break as well.

- Cut That Grass By Hand, sort of – While lawns aren’t a great idea for southern California, for those of who can’t kick the lawn habit, try a push-lawnmower (reel mower) or an electric lawnmower to “cut down” on pollution and noise.

- Support Bees – A recent documentary ‘Silence of the Bees’ reports that we are losing bee populations globally, and this major loss in pollinators could mean serious collapse of our food systems. At this rate, we will lose all bees globally by 2035. That is serious and that is soon. Plant flowers that bloom year-round, and check with your local garden center for specific “bee-friendly” florals.

Compost. Everybody's Doing It.

On my mom's birthday, here is one of her favorite tips:

Make a Compost Bin. Start now, even before you finish reading this – it’s just that important. Compost reuses/eliminates waste and rebuilds soil, and most importantly anyone can do it – even someone in an apartment with a bucket and some worms. Today’s compost bins can even fit on countertops and apartment patios for the space-restricted Treehugger with good intentions. You can add worms to the mix to speed up the process. If the bin is in your apartment or house, make sure to keep a layer (4”) of newspaper over the compost to keep the fruit flies down. Compost gives your garden a much-needed boost, providing soil that is high in a variety of nutrients. Plus, it keeps all of that waste out of area landfills. Buy one or make one yourself.

Is That a Brick in Your Tank?

Toilets use lots of water. So if you are still using a conventional toilet, not a low flow one, not a grey-water system and not a giant composting hole in the ground, then at least consider using less water.

How can you do this, you might ask, without buying an entirely new toilet? Well, the easiest method is to put a brick or fill up a water bottle and place it in your tank. This will take the place of where the old water used to go, help your tank fill up faster after each flush and therefore use less water.

Keep an eye on this as some bricks may dissolve, thus causing you to need a new brick and that water bottle might float around so just make sure its not interfering with other things while its doing its job.