01.02.08
Posted in pollution, global warming, water at 9:01 am by greengirl
Peanut butter and jelly, that staple of children’s lunch time meals, is more amazing than you might think. According to the PB&J campaign (who knew?!?), one sandwich reduces 2.5 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions whem compared to a lunch with animal-based food. It also saves 280 gallons water when compared to a hamburger. Substitute three PB&J’s for three hamburgers in a month, and you’ll save as much water as switching to a low-flow showerhead. How? The theory behind this is about eating lower on the food chain. It’s all about the math behind the quantity of grain it takes to feed a cow that feeds us, versus skipping the cow and eating the grain ourselves. That’s a very simplified version, but you get the idea. Now, before all you ardent carnivores out there come after me with your steak knives, I’m not saying you have to give up meat entirely to achieve these ends. It’s just about reducing your meat consumption. Substitute just one PB&J (or bean burritos or vegetarian chili…) a month, and it’ll be like driving around for the day in a hybrid instead of a sedan. Little steps, people, little steps.
P.S. This post is especially for Mike, the peanut butter lover.
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07.19.07
Posted in energy, home & garden, water at 8:29 pm by greengirl
I got my watering orientation today - I’m volunteering to water the plants at a local community center. And, in reading this True Green book that I mentioned yesterday, I found some interesting garden facts.
The book recommends planting native plants that are accustomed to the rainfall amount in your area. Growing native plants can save 50% of the water used to maintain outdoor plants (a sprinkler uses 264 gallons of water an hour). And when you’re planting those native plants, make sure to shade your air conditioner so it doesn’t have to work as hard. And for the water that those native plants do require, consider using a simple rain barrel. Collecting the rainwater that runs off the roof of a 2,000 sq ft home can yield as much as 36,000 gallons of rainwater per year. Make sure to put a cover around where the drain spout feeds into the barrel to prevent mosquitoes from using it as a nursery.
And the bit of advice that is most applicable to my volunteer watering: when to water. Watering during cooler times of the day not only prevents a wicked sunburn, it gives the water a chance to soak into the dirt and roots rather that quickly evaporating from the sun. In hot seasons, water in the evening. In cool seasons, water in the morning to prevent the fungal growth that could develop on wet leaves overnight.
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07.17.07
Posted in energy, water at 7:42 pm by greengirl
I’m reading a new book called True Green, with lots of easy-to-read quick bits on things you can do to help the environment. Two of the tips center on showering and, since I tend to linger in the shower, it seemed like something I should pay attention to. According to the book, if I reduced my 10 minute showers to 5 minutes, I’d save 4,200 gallons of water per year and eliminate over 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions (produced by the hot water heater). Doing a little figuring of my own, reducing my daily 10 minute shower to 5 minutes would save approximately $3 per month or $36 per year. If both myself and my fella reduced our showers by 5 minutes, we’d save $72 per year. That’s just figuring the charge for the water itself, assuming a charge of $4.04 per 1,000 gallons and a standard showerhead, and doesn’t include the charge for the energy used to heat the water.
A standard showerhead uses 4 to 6 gallons of water per minute. A low flow showerhead can reduce that amount by 50% or more. According to the book, after a year of 5-minute showers, a family of 4 will save up to 20,000 gallons of water, plus the energy needed to run the hot water heater. This reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 300+ pounds per year. Low-flow showerheads range from $12 to $55 in price and can be found many places including Gaiam, Creative Energy Technologies, Oxygenics, and Amazon.
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07.02.07
Posted in education, health, habitat, water at 11:01 am by greengirl
Normally, I shy away from depressing representations of the state of the world. But, the well-known miniature earth representation - if our world was reduced to a village of 100 people - can actually be helpful. I watched the video, and it certainly makes my struggles to pay off my credit card seem trivial. So, if you need a little motivation to stay motivated, as it were, I recommend it.
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06.28.07
Posted in home & garden, recycling, water at 9:14 pm by greengirl
Did you know that it is probably your toilet, not your washing machine, that uses the most water in your house? If your toilet was installed before 1993, it uses between 3.5 and 8 gallons per flush. Newer, high-efficiency toilets are required to use 1.6 gallons or less per flush. Not up on when your toilet was installed? Check for a label under the tank lid. (thanks to h2ouse.org for the info)
If your toilet runs frequently or is leaking, it’s usually a simple matter to fix it. This may be your only option if you’re a renter or can’t afford a new toilet. A silent leak can waste between 30 and 500 gallons - PER DAY! There are some simple ways to check for a leak in your toilet. Replacing the flapper is a relatively simple job and the parts are pretty cheap and obtainable at any hardware store. I know because we just did this at our house because the toilet was running and jiggling the handle did nothing. H2ouse.org has some great information on how to fix leaks, replace the flapper and recycle your old toilet.
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06.20.07
Posted in home & garden, pollution, water at 12:22 pm by greengirl
Given that I rarely (read: never) wash my car, it never occurred to me that car washing can be environmentally harmful until I stumbled across an article on environmentally safe ways to wash a car. Run-off from your car wash goes directly into the storm drains, rather than through the wastewater treatment plant that your household water goes through.
A safer alternative to washing your car and washing all that oil, dirt and gasoline residue into your storm drain is to wash it at a commercial car wash. They’re required by law (in the US and Canada) to drain their wastewater through septic systems, like your household water. And, according to the International Carwash Association (who knew there was such a thing?), commercial car washes use 1/2 to 1/3 the amount of water that you use at home, with self-serve car washes using the least and in-bay car washes (the ones where you drive in and your car just sits still while machines wash it) using the most. This is largely because many commercial car washes filter and reuse their rinse water and can reduce water output on their high pressure nozzles.
If you absolutely can’t bear the thought of not sudsing your car at home, park it in your lawn so that run-off is absorbed into the soil rather than running directly into storm drains. And use a biodegradable soap, like Simple Green’s biodegradable car wash.
Okay, okay, so I’ve been slacking on the entries. I have a plan. Really. I do. Third time’s the charm, right?
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03.06.07
Posted in education, pollution, habitat, water at 9:50 pm by greengirl
Recently, I was listening to a broadcast of the Bioneers on an independent radio station. The speaker was talking about an organization called Ocean Revolution, which was developed to “inspire and empower a new wave of young leaders to protect our oceans.” He also spoke about an amazing effort called the Census of Marine Life. The census is an effort to catalog the past, present and future life of the oceans. Knowing which areas of the ocean have the highest diversity of life will allow scientists and activists to more effectively protect those areas.
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12.20.06
Posted in energy, home & garden, water at 10:22 pm by greengirl
According to the power calculator at MGE’s website, I can save $14 dollars and 245 pounds of carbon dioxide yearly by washing my clothes in cold. And I only do one load of laundry per week! Washing your clothes in cold water is actually better for your clothes than warm or hot, and laundry detergents are available that are designed for cold-water washing. In fact, most enzymatic cleaners can probably handle washing in cold water. Since heating the water accounts for 90% of the energy use of washing clothes, the average household will save $61 and 1,281 pounds of carbon dioxide yearly.
Is washing in cold effective? Don’t tell your mom, but your whites don’t need to be washed in hot to get them clean. The only things that really needed to be washed in warm water are heavily soiled clothes, baby diapers and clothes stained with grease or oil. So, go do your laundry!
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