Archive for February, 2008
February 15th, 2008
Nine Green Cities & Ocean Dead Zone
Stumble it!
There are two environmental articles we’ve read this week that we think you will find very interesting. One is very uplifting and the other quite depressing.
Let’s start with the good news. Jim Carlton of the Wall Street Journal has published an exciting and informative piece called Nine Cities, Nine Ideas. He covers nine cities around the globe that are undertaking ambitious and innovative environmental protection projects. The article covers green roof projects in Chicago, LED street lights in Ann Arbor, underwater turbines in New York City, and air conditioning replacements in Palm Desert. It’s an engaging and encouraging read!
On the sad front, marine researchers at Oregon State University have concluded that an “underwater plague” killing marine life in record numbers of the coasts of Oregon and Washington is a symptom of global warming. In a study released today in the journal Science, the researchers note how low-oxygen waters have expanded north into Washington and even come south to California state line. And, animal deaths appear to be occurring in regular cycles every summer and fall since 2002. To read the full article courtesy of the LA Times, please click here: Dead zones off Oregon and Washington coasts linked to global warming.
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February 14th, 2008
Green Haiku Contest
Get ready to dip your writing quill in green ink! We are holding a green haiku contest in honor of the budding of spring. Contemplate the renewal of nature and send in your poems.
For those of you who might like a refresher on haiku, it is a form of Japanese poetry. It is a short and sweet format– the first line is 5 syllables, the 2nd line is 7 syllables, followed by a final line of 5 syllables. They are easy and fun to write!
Something you may not know is that haiku traditionally contain a reference to the season– a kigo, as it is called in Japanese. So what could be more fitting than for Low Impact Living to inspire our dear readers to compose some Spring-themed haiku? For you super-talented writers out there, you can even try to work in some environmental protection themes!
Are there wonderful prizes offered to the winner? Oh please–yes of course there are outstanding prizes!
+ A non-toxic spring cleaning for your home courtesy of Maid Brigade
+ Healthy home cleaning products from J.R. Watkins
+ A Fresh Squeezed personal care gift basket from Lula Organics
+ Biodegradable sponges from Twist
Send your poems to info@lowimpactliving.com by March 1.
Here are some samples to get your creative juices flowing:
The sun warms my face
Only a few weeks until
The ice leaves the pond
Now all about me
The earth is turning greener
And I am smiling
We must lay plans now
To stop global warming’s curse
Move quickly in Spring
Kumquats and cherries
Soon I will be lip-smacking
Oh Spring’s sweet bounty
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February 13th, 2008
Local, Fresh Foods: CSAs
Buying shares in a local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm is an ideal way to obtain local, organic produce. CSA initiatives give consumers the opportunity to buy advance shares in neighboring farm harvests, which help secure the availability of local food by giving money directly to, often struggling, family farmers. Community Supported Agriculture builds environmentally sustainable communities by decreasing our dependence on foreign foods that require an excess of fuel and energy to reach out tables.
CSA share-holders enjoy the convenience of having fresh, seasonal and local food delivered to their doorsteps or boxed and ready at nearby pick-up locations. Memberships allow busy environmentalist to make shorter and less frequent trips to the market, while putting buyers in touch with their regions seasonal bounty and connect with the natural environment through food. The CSA season typically runs from late spring through early fall. The number of CSAs in the United States was estimated at 50 in 1990, and has since grown to over 1000. To find a CSA near you, visit the wonderful site LocalHarvest.org.
There is another wonderful resource we want to make sure you know about to maximize your enjoyment of fresh, local foods. The Natural Resource Defense Council’s produces an excellent guide called What’s Fresh Near You. You simply put in your state and season, and they give you a whole list of what foods are in season in your area. Then you can plan your recipes to include local, fresh foods. And now you foodies can plan meals with local foods well in advance. Bon appetite!
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February 11th, 2008
How To Tuesday: Green Your Bathroom
We all use a significant amount of water and power in our bathrooms– so there are plenty of ways to save resources by greening your bathroom. You can also improve your health by using non-toxic cleaners and personal products. Here is a list of ten ways you can embrace a green bathroom.
1. Save water and power in the shower. After toilets and clothes washing machines, showers are next up as residential water hogs. Today’s low-flow showerheads are comfortable and have great water pressure. Don’t think you have to give up a great shower to save water and power! You can save 3,000 gallons of water per person per year with these heads. They also reduce your power use by cutting your demand for hot water. Check out efficient shower heads here.
2. While you’re at it, why not take a shorter shower? You can easily get clean in under five minutes. And if you want to relax in hot water, take a bath. It uses less water than taking a long shower.
3. Use skylights or compact fluorescent lighting. A skylight saves you power for as long as you own your home. Or if you prefer electric light, make sure to use compact fluorescent or LED bulbs. Find energy-efficient lighting options here.
4. Turn off the sink while you’re brushing your teeth.
5. Consider a tankless water heater. A tankless water heater gives you a triple-whammy – you save energy (no water losing heat in the tank), water (shorter wait for the water to heat up on those cold mornings), and reduce carbon dioxide emissions (courtesy of less energy use). Not only will you save every time you use hot water in your house, but you’ll have all that extra space to put those mops and brooms where the water heater used to be! Find tankless water heaters here.
6. Get a low-flush toilet. On average, toilets are the single largest use of water inside of a house, and older models can use up to 5x as much water as state-of-the-art versions. Cut back by installing an ultra-low-flush toilet.
7. Get greener cleaners. Today’s non-toxic cleaners work great, smell good and don’t harm the environment. And you won’t be breathing in chemical fumes while you clean the tub. Find green cleaners here.
8. Use non-toxic soaps, shampoos and other personal care products. Remember that your skin is your body’s biggest organ, and it soaks up whatever chemicals we put on it. See healthy personal care product here.
9. Use eco-friendly towels and textiles. Organic cotton, hemp and now even bamboo-based textiles are better for the earth and healthier for you. See towels here.
10. If you are building the new bathroom of your dreams, help the planet at the same time! Consider cabinets, flooring, tiles and countertops made of recycled and renewable resources. See counters here, flooring here, and find cabinets here.
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February 11th, 2008
Eco-Smart Product Stewardship
One topic we’re thinking a lot about these days at Low Impact Living is the topic of product stewardship. One part of being smart environmentally-conscious consumers is to think about how goods are made, where they come from, how they get to us, and how we consume and dispose of those products. Digging into the is often not easy and takes some research and extra awareness.
Our friends at Earth911.org have done an excellent feature on the topic of Product Stewardship.We invite you to review it. They discuss the issues of product lifecycle, supply chains, and the roles governments, retailers and consumers play in the product stewardship cycle. We all need to think more about how we can support products that are locally manufactured, made of recycled, sustainable and non-toxic materials, and finally close the loop by disposing of/recycling products appropriately at the end of their useful life. Product stewardship covers all of these steps of the consumption chain.
Another excellent resources on this topic is the Product Stewardship Institute. The PSI works with state and local government agencies to partner with manufacturers, retailers, environmental groups, federal agencies, and other key stakeholders to reduce the health and environmental impacts of consumer products. They are currently working in such diverse product categories as carpeting, fluorescent lighting, medical waste, paint, phone books, and tires.
To give you an example of how important these issues are, the PSI estimates that approximately 2.7 million tons of carpet and rugs are disposed of annually, representing about 1.2 percent of the municipal solid waste stream in the US. There are also over 300 million scrap tires generated every year! The PSI works with industry and government to help create new uses for these waste streams…and/or to re-engineer products at the front end of the supply chain to reduce wasted later on.
Tune back into the Low Down later this week when we will cover product stewardship as it relates to clothing production.
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