This video by the great Tim Minchin is a must-watch. "Take your canvas bags to the supermarket!"
It turns out that maybe some day plastic will be okay again....thanks do this genius of a kid! WOW!
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Endorsement...
One of the largest and most influential environmental groups in the country has endorsed......Barack Obama.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Role Model, NOT Hypocrit
There are still a lot of those trashy Al Gore smear emails going around out there about his own energy use, but here are some helpful, de-bunking facts for everyone:
1. Al Gore has recently completed renovations to make his residence a model "green" home.
2. This plan has been in the works for a long time and has only recently been made public because of attacks by the right.
3. Gore's home meets Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, standards established by the U.S. Green Building Council.
4. Al Gore's neighborhood council had zoning laws that previously prohibited the installation of solar panels. That has now changed and Al Gore has installed solar panels on his roof.
5. He has installed a geothermal system that will drastically reduce the cost of his water heating.
6. He has upgraded his windows and ductwork for maximum energy efficiency.
7. He has installed energy-efficient light bulbs.
8. He has created a rainwater collection system for irrigation and water management.
9. Al Gore drives a hybrid vehicle.
10. Al Gore's family has signed up for 100% percent green power through Green Power Switch.
11. Al Gore espouses a very consistent belief in purchasing carbon offsets to offset his family's carbon footprint. This is a concept the right-wing fails to understand and I suggest you do some reading before you discount it.
12. Al Gore flies commercial whenever possible. He is also an ex Vice President of the United States and receives numerous threats. Depending upon the security assessment and his schedule he is sometimes precluded from flying commercial.
13. Al Gore is an ex-Vice President who maintains his official office in his home for which requires adequate staff and space. He's has no other offices, making it unnecessary to use energy in separate locations.
14. The Gores' energy bills are in line with others in their part of the country. They live in the South, where extreme heat and humidity make air-conditioning the main drain on energy usage.
15. The Gores purchase, at great expense to themselves, "green" energy for their home (green energy costs 50% more than energy from conventional sources).
16. The Gores purchase carbon-offset credits to help mitigate the effect of their energy use on the environment.
17. One hundred percent of the profits from Al Gore's book and movie "An Inconvenient Truth" are going to a new bi-partisan educational campaign to further spread the message about global warming in addition to having a thousand people offer his slide presentation to groups around the world.
source- http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/8163-debunking-the-bunk-the-truth-about-al-gore-s-lifestyle
1. Al Gore has recently completed renovations to make his residence a model "green" home.
2. This plan has been in the works for a long time and has only recently been made public because of attacks by the right.
3. Gore's home meets Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, standards established by the U.S. Green Building Council.
4. Al Gore's neighborhood council had zoning laws that previously prohibited the installation of solar panels. That has now changed and Al Gore has installed solar panels on his roof.
5. He has installed a geothermal system that will drastically reduce the cost of his water heating.
6. He has upgraded his windows and ductwork for maximum energy efficiency.
7. He has installed energy-efficient light bulbs.
8. He has created a rainwater collection system for irrigation and water management.
9. Al Gore drives a hybrid vehicle.
10. Al Gore's family has signed up for 100% percent green power through Green Power Switch.
11. Al Gore espouses a very consistent belief in purchasing carbon offsets to offset his family's carbon footprint. This is a concept the right-wing fails to understand and I suggest you do some reading before you discount it.
12. Al Gore flies commercial whenever possible. He is also an ex Vice President of the United States and receives numerous threats. Depending upon the security assessment and his schedule he is sometimes precluded from flying commercial.
13. Al Gore is an ex-Vice President who maintains his official office in his home for which requires adequate staff and space. He's has no other offices, making it unnecessary to use energy in separate locations.
14. The Gores' energy bills are in line with others in their part of the country. They live in the South, where extreme heat and humidity make air-conditioning the main drain on energy usage.
15. The Gores purchase, at great expense to themselves, "green" energy for their home (green energy costs 50% more than energy from conventional sources).
16. The Gores purchase carbon-offset credits to help mitigate the effect of their energy use on the environment.
17. One hundred percent of the profits from Al Gore's book and movie "An Inconvenient Truth" are going to a new bi-partisan educational campaign to further spread the message about global warming in addition to having a thousand people offer his slide presentation to groups around the world.
source- http://bravenewfilms.org/blog
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Ditch the Bottled Water!
For the Daily Dispatch Stephanie Nelson performed a cost-benefit analysis of the benefits of bottled water vs. using a Brita/PUR pitcher system vs. drinking plain old tap water. Highlights below:
“ The typical cost of the store-brand gallon of filtered water is about a dollar. The typical sale price of a six-pack of half-liter bottles is about $1, which is about one-third more expensive at $1.34 per gallon. By comparison, if you were to buy a pitcher water-filter system (such as PUR or Brita) your average cost per gallon of filtered water would be about 25 cents. The Brita company bases this cost estimate on the purchase of a $25 pitcher (one filter included), plus 5 replacement filters at $9 each, for a total yearly cost of $70. Each filter produces 40 gallons of water and the average Brita owner uses six filters in a year, to produce 240 gallons, which is the equivalent of using about two-thirds of a gallon per day. (Of course, your costs would be lower if you took advantage of Brita and PUR coupons that you can find on their Web sites and in the newspaper coupon circulars.) You could also buy the systems at household stores and use the 20 percent off coupon for the household store to buy the system. If your family uses two-thirds of a gallon of filtered water per day, your annual savings would be about $175, compared to using gallon jugs. That is also a conservative estimate; people that buy individual water bottles at the grocery store ($1 per six pack on sale) or individual water bottles at concession stands ($1 or more each) would save far more money by using a pitcher water-filter system. Shoppers who use filtered-water systems also help reduce the environmental impact of producing and disposing of plastic bottles. The Web site http://www.filterforgood.com/ (sponsored by Brita) encourages consumers to make a pledge to help reduce plastic water bottle waste. You will also be able to print a coupon for Brita products after you make your pledge, including $5 off the pitcher system or $1 off refills.
The Web site mentions a disturbing fact: Consumers send 38 billion plastic water bottles to landfills every year. Not only does that add trash to our environment, but it also takes 1.5 million barrels of oil to create that many bottles. Even though the bottles are recyclable, we do not manage to get them all to recycle bins. According to the site, last year the average consumer used 167 plastic bottles but only recycled 38 (28 percent). Shoppers can get $5 coupons for the PUR filter system or $2 coupons for the PUR refills at http://www.purwater.com/. Click on the Promotions link to sign up for coupons that you will receive by mail.”
To add to Ms. Nelson’s through research, I’d like to point out that in the U.S. bottled water isn’t even necessarily better, or "more pure," than tap water. Bottledwater.org says that the “Bottled water standard of quality . . . is as stringent as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) standards for public water supplies.” Bottled water legally only has to be equally as healthy or pure as your tap water, so if you're suspicious of your tap water, you should be equally as suspicious of domestic bottled waters. While I am sure that some bottled water companies exceed the standards for public drinking water, it is common knowledge that many bottled water companied simply bottle the tap water received by their plant.
What then, is the point of buying bottled water? Reduce your waste and improve your health by drinking tap water, or getting a pitcher or faucet filtration system.
“ The typical cost of the store-brand gallon of filtered water is about a dollar. The typical sale price of a six-pack of half-liter bottles is about $1, which is about one-third more expensive at $1.34 per gallon. By comparison, if you were to buy a pitcher water-filter system (such as PUR or Brita) your average cost per gallon of filtered water would be about 25 cents. The Brita company bases this cost estimate on the purchase of a $25 pitcher (one filter included), plus 5 replacement filters at $9 each, for a total yearly cost of $70. Each filter produces 40 gallons of water and the average Brita owner uses six filters in a year, to produce 240 gallons, which is the equivalent of using about two-thirds of a gallon per day. (Of course, your costs would be lower if you took advantage of Brita and PUR coupons that you can find on their Web sites and in the newspaper coupon circulars.) You could also buy the systems at household stores and use the 20 percent off coupon for the household store to buy the system. If your family uses two-thirds of a gallon of filtered water per day, your annual savings would be about $175, compared to using gallon jugs. That is also a conservative estimate; people that buy individual water bottles at the grocery store ($1 per six pack on sale) or individual water bottles at concession stands ($1 or more each) would save far more money by using a pitcher water-filter system. Shoppers who use filtered-water systems also help reduce the environmental impact of producing and disposing of plastic bottles. The Web site http://www.filterforgood.com/ (sponsored by Brita) encourages consumers to make a pledge to help reduce plastic water bottle waste. You will also be able to print a coupon for Brita products after you make your pledge, including $5 off the pitcher system or $1 off refills.
The Web site mentions a disturbing fact: Consumers send 38 billion plastic water bottles to landfills every year. Not only does that add trash to our environment, but it also takes 1.5 million barrels of oil to create that many bottles. Even though the bottles are recyclable, we do not manage to get them all to recycle bins. According to the site, last year the average consumer used 167 plastic bottles but only recycled 38 (28 percent). Shoppers can get $5 coupons for the PUR filter system or $2 coupons for the PUR refills at http://www.purwater.com/. Click on the Promotions link to sign up for coupons that you will receive by mail.”
To add to Ms. Nelson’s through research, I’d like to point out that in the U.S. bottled water isn’t even necessarily better, or "more pure," than tap water. Bottledwater.org says that the “Bottled water standard of quality . . . is as stringent as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) standards for public water supplies.” Bottled water legally only has to be equally as healthy or pure as your tap water, so if you're suspicious of your tap water, you should be equally as suspicious of domestic bottled waters. While I am sure that some bottled water companies exceed the standards for public drinking water, it is common knowledge that many bottled water companied simply bottle the tap water received by their plant.
What then, is the point of buying bottled water? Reduce your waste and improve your health by drinking tap water, or getting a pitcher or faucet filtration system.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Happy Earth Day
An Earth Day gift for you: a song by Tom Chapin. By the way, if any of you are parents or have any interaction with young children (I'd say 5-10 years old), I highly recommend Tom Chapin. He's got a lot of environmentally conscious, fun songs. Without further ado, I give you the Earth Day song (I forget the actual title):
One day she spun out of the Sun.
Did she know at the hour of her birth?
That she'd cool and she'd bloom and one day become
The garden we know as the Earth.
Happy happy Earth Day,
Happy happy Earth Day.
From the schools of leaping dolphins and the herds of kangaroo
Happy Earth Day to you.
We celebrate your waterfalls, your glaciers and typhoons,
The sweet smell of your meadows on rainbow afternoons.
The northern lights on starry nights and when the night is gone
The fiery magic of your dawn
Happy happy Earth Day,
Happy happy Earth Day.
From the fields of chirping crickets and the frogs of Blue Bayou
Happy Earth Day to you
From the highest Himalaya to the mountains under sea,
From the frozen tip of Greenland to the sands of Galilee.
We're gathering together to raise our voice in song
And pledge to keep you green and strong.
Happy happy Earth Day
Happy happy Earth Day.
Every time I smell a flower or feel the morning dew
Every time I see a baby learning something new,
I'm amazed again how blessed we are and it's all thanks to you.
Happy Earth Day to you,
Happy Earth Day to you.
One day she spun out of the Sun.
Did she know at the hour of her birth?
That she'd cool and she'd bloom and one day become
The garden we know as the Earth.
Happy happy Earth Day,
Happy happy Earth Day.
From the schools of leaping dolphins and the herds of kangaroo
Happy Earth Day to you.
We celebrate your waterfalls, your glaciers and typhoons,
The sweet smell of your meadows on rainbow afternoons.
The northern lights on starry nights and when the night is gone
The fiery magic of your dawn
Happy happy Earth Day,
Happy happy Earth Day.
From the fields of chirping crickets and the frogs of Blue Bayou
Happy Earth Day to you
From the highest Himalaya to the mountains under sea,
From the frozen tip of Greenland to the sands of Galilee.
We're gathering together to raise our voice in song
And pledge to keep you green and strong.
Happy happy Earth Day
Happy happy Earth Day.
Every time I smell a flower or feel the morning dew
Every time I see a baby learning something new,
I'm amazed again how blessed we are and it's all thanks to you.
Happy Earth Day to you,
Happy Earth Day to you.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Links
Happy Monday! Earth Day is tomorrow; I hope it's a happy and green one for all!
I've got three links for you:
myfootprint.org has revamped their questions to provide an even more accurate calculation of ecological footprints. If everyone lived like I do, we would need 2.97 Earths. The biggest part of my footprint is thanks to my food habits. This is a really interesting quiz, with useful results and tips on how to shrink your footprint!
walkit.com is a site much like the "directions" features of Google Maps or Mapquest, but for walkers. It shows you a map and tells you the distance, walking time, calories burned, and CO2 avoided. Unfortunately, it only offers the service for four cities so far, all in the UK. There's a button you can click to request a new city, and I've requested the city where I live. I hope it expands because this is a pretty neat tool!
metaefficient.com has reviews and news stories about environmentally friendly products.
Many thanks to Luai Lashire, who sent those second two links to us!
Do you know of any cool links? Comment, or email them to environmentaloutrage at gmail dot com!
I've got three links for you:
myfootprint.org has revamped their questions to provide an even more accurate calculation of ecological footprints. If everyone lived like I do, we would need 2.97 Earths. The biggest part of my footprint is thanks to my food habits. This is a really interesting quiz, with useful results and tips on how to shrink your footprint!
walkit.com is a site much like the "directions" features of Google Maps or Mapquest, but for walkers. It shows you a map and tells you the distance, walking time, calories burned, and CO2 avoided. Unfortunately, it only offers the service for four cities so far, all in the UK. There's a button you can click to request a new city, and I've requested the city where I live. I hope it expands because this is a pretty neat tool!
metaefficient.com has reviews and news stories about environmentally friendly products.
Many thanks to Luai Lashire, who sent those second two links to us!
Do you know of any cool links? Comment, or email them to environmentaloutrage at gmail dot com!
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Some of the Best Wildlife Footage Ever
The BBC's program "A Spy in the Jungle"
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/tvradio/programmes/spyinthejungle/video.shtml?prog1_3
Footage of tigers, elephants, monkeys, deer, and leopards
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/tvradio/programmes/spyinthejungle/video.shtml?prog1_3
Footage of tigers, elephants, monkeys, deer, and leopards
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