Simple Things

I haven't been writing much on this blog lately -- I find that it's practically all I can do to keep up my work blog *and* try to live eco-aware. But today I thought I'd just drop a few lines about some of the simple things you can do to help improve the environment and your lifestyle.

1: Pick it up.
As I walk around my neighbourhood (and other places), I see so much trash on the ground--a bag, a bottle cap, a soda can, a flip-flop. Litter, we usually call it, and some places actually have hefty fines for litterers. Litter fills the gutters, sloshes against the banks of rivers, contaminates the soil, and definitely helps wreck the ecosystem. So, even if you didn't toss it, pick it up. Take a bag with you when you walk and do a little something extra for your locality. I remember when I was a kid, and my family would spend family time together cleaning up trash out of a nearby field. It was good.

2: Lots of magazines? Visit the library.
I don't know about you, but I get way too much junk mail, including catalogs and magazines. Granted, often I enjoy the magazines and some of them I have even subscribed to. But do I really need all that paper in my mailbox, even if I'm going to recycle it? Nope. My solution? The library. My local library subscribes to over 200 magazines, and wow, that's a lot. Not all libraries have so many, but chances are, if you're a big magazine subscriber, they probably have at least one you're interested in. Read it at the library. If there's an article you *have* to have, make a copy and file it at home. One or two fewer magazines a month is a nice step to diminishing your footprint.

3: Reuse that water.
We use lots of water when we prepare food -- boiling pasta, steaming veggies, rinsing lettuce. Don't just dump that leftover water down the drain -- put it to good use. Instead of using fresh tapwater to water your indoor plants or your garden, collect that already used water and put it to a second use. Your plants might even thank you for it!

And there you have it--3 small and simple things you can do to make this world a healthier and happier place.

post-consumer: legit or quit?

have you ever been drinking from a starbucks cup and noticed how it says 10% post-consumer fibers on the bottom? and have you ever wondered what it means? it happened to me this morning. i was walking back to my office and trying to sip every last drop of my steamed nonfat milk out of my cup and noticed the writing. then i started to wonder: how legitimate is that? and what does it mean exactly? some of my findings are below.

in february 2007 solo cup company, manufacturer of disposable foodservice products for the consumer/retail, foodservice, packaging and international markets co-developed a post-consumer fiber paper cup with starbucks. the post-consumer fiber paper cup is manufactured with recycled paper and helps support starbucks corporate social responsibility mission to serve products in an environmentally sustainable choice of packaging. read more. and more about how starbucks is changing the way coffee is served.

read starbucks' social responsibility newsletter announcing the new post-consumer hot cup.

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clips from recycling point dot com: debunking the myths of recycled paper.

definition of post-consumer waste: paper that has been recovered after having been used as a consumer item including papers from offices and homes, old newspapers and packaging.

in california, recycled paper must contain at least 10% post-consumer waste.

"in buying recycled paper, you must understand what composition you are buying," said lawrence chan, manager of office paper and stationary at shiro paper (singapore) pte ltd. "for example, if you buy recycled paper made from mill broke, it does not really help the environment because the paper mills have always been doing it. even before this trend towards recycling paper, mills have been recycling mill broke as it is only good housekeeping. "

"personally, i feel that the important components are the pre- and post- consumer wastes," added lawrence. "instead of dumping them into landfills or incinerating them, you put them to good use."

definition of mill broke: waste material recovered from inside a paper mill during the paper making process. this includes paper trimmings. paper makers have always reused their broke. many people do not consider paper made from mill broke as genuine recycled paper.

there's hope: according to lawrence, the outlook for distributors is bright. "as people become more affluent, more educated and sophisticated, they would buy a product not only because it is functional but also because it helps the environment. i believe that in the long run, people would switch to using recycled paper."

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curious what paper brands are more recycled than others? the nrdc has a nifty little diagram listing several popular home tissue brands and their percent recycled, post-consumer, and bleach. quite fascinating. click here to visit the page. and send a message to paper giant (mean folks) kimberly-clark while you're on the page. (more on the destruction kimberly-clark has wrought.)

there are several reasons to buy recycled and post-consumer paper products. the main reason is that it lessens so many of the causes pushing our global warming issues. it lessens both air and water pollutions; decreases spent electric energy; preserves our forests.

shocker: it has been estimated that recycling half the world’s paper would avoid the harvesting of 20 million acres (80,000 km²) of forestland. (source: EarthWorks Group. 1990. “The Recycler’s Handbook”. Berkeley, CA: The EarthWorks Press]) hello! you don't have to be a treehugger to recognize the impact that has: 20 million acres. can you even comprehend that amount? i can't. i have a hard enough time capturing all the land included in the 95.5 acres of my parents' property in ohio.

visit wikipedia for other facts and the history of recycling in the united states.

another site worthy of your mouse click is the environmental paper network.

kleercut: wiping away ancient forests. did you know it takes 90 years to grow a box of kleenex?

this is just another way to consider your impact on the environment. buy recycled paper!

do your part: lights out san francisco.

if you live in the san francisco area, join me and the rest of the city in a citywide act toward environmental awareness and energy conservation.

lights out san francisco estimates that turning your nonessential household light off for one hour on a regular saturday night from 8.00-9.00p--peak times for lights to be left on--we can save about 15 percent of the average amount of energy that would have been spent.

that's just for one hour. imagine what could happen if we were more aware of lighting needs and turned them off when they weren't being used.

in that one hour change your lightbulb(s) to compact fluorescent lightbulbs (cfl).

be a water saving hero!

you can be a water saving hero too!

if you're a california resident, this is definitely worth a look-see.

taking shorter showers conserves water.
sweeping instead of using a hose conserves water.
watering the lawn in the morning conserves water.
full loads of laundry conserves water.
fixing running toilets conserves water.
turning the water off while brushing [your teeth] conserves water.

conserving water

I love water, adore it -- oceans, lakes, rivers, ponds, streams, rain....
But we are generally water hogs, it's true -- long showers, running toilets, lawn sprinklers, dripping sinks -- wasted water practically defines us.

With the rate at which we run through water, it only makes sense to list out a few simple ideas to save it:

• Place a dam in your toilet tank to reduce the fill and the flush; a couple of water bottles or a bag of rocks in your tank will displace the water just as well.
• Water your garden or your lawn before sunup and after sundown, reducing the evaporation into the air -- and only water when you need to.
• Don't leave your faucet running while brushing your teeth.
• Limit shower time -- if you shave in the shower, turn the water off while you lather up and shave; turn it back on to rinse.
• When letting water run to get hot, capture the water in a pitcher or a watering can and use it for plants or drinking water.
• Adjust the load size on your washing machine.
• Only run a full dishwasher.
• When handwashing dishes, don't let the water run between rinsings.
• Drop leftover or dirty ice on a plant instead of in the sink.

Need more water conservation tips? Here are 100!