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.

What Does a Pool Have to Do with the Environment?

Need fill dirt for your yard or some big project? Why not check with your local pool installer. These guys are always digging up huge piles of dirt and are in need of people to take it off their hands. Oftentimes they will give it to you for free just to get it off their hands. Recycling made easy.

EcoSearch This!

Ecosearch.org uses the power of the internet to raise money as well as help you find what you're looking for. Its a search engine, just like Google, but all profits generated by ad revenue are donated to charity.

Another similar search is Treehoo, which plants trees for every advertising dollar generated.


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Really, Really Green (June 2008)

Reprinted from the June 2008 issue of Neighbors Newspaper.

Green is the new black. Or is it the new blue? It seems like green is everywhere these days. Sustainable. Natural. Environmental. Eco-chic. Whew, it can be exhausting just keeping up with it all. Fear not, this eco-series will help guide you through the ins and outs of how to go green. Each week we’ll tackle a different topic, and as the series progresses we’ll tackle the bigger things you can do to save the planet.

Let’s be honest, its great if you change a few compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs), but it will take more than that to really help the planet. Here’s where I come in; changing your lifestyle does not mean going back to the dark ages. So let’s get started:

Week I. Baby Steps

Ditch the Plastic Bottles. Most bottled water does not go through the same stringent tests as tap water, due to FDA exemptions. Eight out of ten water bottles end up in landfills and are never recycled. Use a Nalgene, a Klean Kanteen, a Sigg or other portable water container instead and fill it with your favorite beverage.

Use Canvas Bags. Plastic takes 1,000 years to photodegrade – that means every piece of plastic ever made is still in the environment. Think about that for a second. Why are we producing more plastic, just to throw it away? Instead, choose a canvas bag that can be used over and over and over. Most grocery stores carry them today for cheap and many come in stylish designs.

Unplug Appliances. You may have heard of the term “phantom power,” where appliances still use electricity even though the appliance might be off. This means you are paying for electricity that you are not even using. Who can afford to do that? Instead, put all of your appliances on power strips or unplug them when not in use so you know you get what you pay for.

Take shorter showers. Most Americans use more than 1,000 gallons of water a day. Living in southern California, it’s an understatement to say that water is scarce, so in this case, every little bit counts. Try turning off the water when you’re sudsing up and make sure you keep your showers to 10 minutes or less. Try switching to low-flow showerheads; This will not only save water and money.

Support Local Farmer Markets. Local food is fresher and healthier as produce from the farmers markets is often organic. You also keep money in the local community. Farmers markets also have a smaller carbon footprint as food isn’t shipped from around the world before it ends up on your dinner table.

Recycle your toxic chemicals. Many of the cleaning products today have not been thoroughly tested to determine the long-term health effects on humans. Who wants to eat food off of a counter covered in poly-highly-toxic chemicals? No thank you. Instead, switch over to less toxic and biodegradable cleaning products. Many natural materials, such as vinegar and lemon juice, can be used to do the same job. Look for waste-recycling days where municipalities collect and recycle any toxic chemicals, paints and electronics that you have around your house.

Choose Drought-Tolerant Landscaping. Not to beat a dead horse, but clearly water is valuable in southern California. This is a pretty easy one as you can slowly change plants out over time and there is no shortage of hearty plants to choose from. Make sure that your sprinklers run at night when you will lose less water due to evaporation.

Resources:
Treehugger.com - particularly the How To Go Green series
Grist
Earth911.org - an extensive resource on recycling.