ECO-Living...caring for the
environment...being responsible...becoming a good steward
However you want to describe it, doing as much as we can to
help the environmental situation is important. The information you find in
this section will help you make informed decisions about how you can do
your part.
We have all heard the lament from poor Kermit
about how it isn't easy being green. In fact,
I was told recently that the phrase is a bit over-used...so I took it out
of the heading of this section. But, you still get the point. And perhaps he was
right
in many ways,
though I doubt that he meant exactly what we
are about
here. Does being Green, trying to adjust your lifestyle to
"Green Living"
need to be difficult? There are many things we can all do on a daily basis
that will, collectively, make some measure of
difference.
To start with, maintaining a vegetarian diet does lend itself
to a "greener" lifestyle. We mentioned the following information in our
page with other interesting
articles but they bear repeating here.
- Food accounts for 13% of all Greenhouse Gas emissions.
- Red Meat and dairy are responsible for nearly half of all Greenhouse Gas
emissions from food for an average U.S. household.
- Replacing red meat and dairy with chicken, fish or eggs in your diet for
one
day each week reduces emissions equal to 760 miles per year of
driving.
- Switching to vegetables one day per week cuts the equivalent of driving 1160
miles per year.
That's pretty interesting when you think about it. The problem
is that we don't think about it. The companies who are running large
factory farms especially don't think about it.
A report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations discusses the all-too-rapid expansion of the global livestock
sector. They cite such statistics as the fact that the livestock sector
alone generates 65 percent of human-related nitrous oxide, which has
296 times the Global Warming Potential (GWP) of CO2. Most of this
comes from manure.
And it accounts for respectively 37
percent of all human-induced methane (23 times as warming as
CO2), which is largely produced by the digestive system of ruminants, and
64 percent of ammonia, which contributes significantly to acid
rain.
Livestock now use 30 percent of the earth’s entire land
surface, mostly permanent pasture but also including 33 percent of the
global arable land used to producing feed for livestock, the report notes.
As forests are cleared to create new pastures, it is a major driver of
deforestation, especially in Latin America where, for
example, some 70 percent of former forests in the Amazon have been
turned over to grazing.
The livestock industry also accounts for significant damage to
the land and water systems. The report goes on to say that "the livestock
business is among the most damaging sectors to the earth’s
increasingly scarce water resources, contributing among other things to
water pollution, euthropication and the degeneration of coral reefs.
The major polluting agents are animal wastes, anti-biotics and hormones,
chemicals from tanneries, fertilizers and the pesticides used to spray feed
crops. Widespread overgrazing disturbs water cycles, reducing replenishment
of above and below ground water resources. Significant amounts of water are
withdrawn for the production of feed."
Remember last summer's drought?
Remember the folks in Georgia nearly running out of water because
the reservoirs had all but dried up? Remember how they were at a point where
they were about to do some significant damming and re-direction
of river waters which would have ultimately impacted the Florida everglades
and its eco-system? Could it happen again? The question is probably better
phrased as when will it happen again? Will America
experience another
dustbowl? I don't know but sometimes it seems as though we are certainly
tempting the fates a bit too much.
So, as mentioned before, there are some things everyone
can do. It doesn't matter how small or insignificant you may think it is,
at least it is doing something. And if every one of us did
"something" wouldn't it be better than most of us doing nothing?
How many e-mails do you receive in a day or in a week or
month? Do you get your bank statement online? Are other
"important" documents sent to you electronically? Or, do you have access to
business information online? We all probably have some of those things
mentioned. So, how much of it do you print? Not too many people know that
running a printer causes emissions to be released into the air. These emissions
may impact the air quality in the room or building in which the printer is
being used.
Researchers in Australia discovered that particulate matter
levels were five times higher during the workday inside a nonsmoking office
building than outside near a freeway. After testing more than 50 printers
throughout the building, they found that particle emissions varied depending
on the type and age of the printer. In one case, standing near a working
printer was much like standing next to a cigarette smoker. The results are
described in new research published in ES&T (DOI: 10.1021/es063049z).
So, in addition to the "trees" you'll save by not
printing that e-mail or that company newsletter you may have a hand in
saving your health as well.
What are some of the other things we might consider, perhaps on
a small scale, but important nonetheless?
Plant a tree
Stop catalogs from coming to you and shop online instead
Make sure your tires are properly inflated
Hang clothes out or up to dry, if possible
Take mass transit if you have a choice - park your car
Walk or bike to areas that are close enough
In the market for a new car? Consider a hybrid
Do you recycle? If your town doesn't have a recycling program, help them
start one. This is a great project for service clubs.
Use PTFE and PFOA-free, non-stick cookware
(see the sidebar -->)
Buy locally grown produce as much as possible
Use rechargeable batteries
Use energy-saving compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFs)
Use home care products that are plant based or at least phosphate free
This is just a small sampling of some of the things each of us can do. Now, do
some more research online. There are numerous sites that have information
about many "green" opportunities.
In the suggestions above we mentioned buying
locally grown produce as much as possible. Another thing to consider, of
course, is growing your own produce. You don't have to be a farmer to grow
a sufficient enough amount of your own produce to provide a pretty good
supply for a time. And, you don't have to live in the country
to plant
your garden. In fact, the system I want to propose is so versatile that
you can use it almost anywhere--in the country, in the city, on your
acreage or on your deck or patio, in your sunroom or on your roof! There
are so many ways to use this system that virtually anyone can grow their
own food. Have you heard about EarthBoxes? We love them! We live in the country but still use EarthBoxes
on our deck. It keeps the animals from devouring the fruits of our labor
and makes it handy to step outside and grab a couple of fresh tomatoes any
time we want.
EarthBoxes are scientifically designed to produce
optimal growing conditions. Acting on the laws of nature, the EarthBox
facilitates the movement of nutrients from areas of high concentration to areas
of low concentration. When the EarthBox is set up, a fertilizer stripe is placed
on top of the potting mix-creating an area of high nutrient concentration.
At this time, the potting mix around the roots of the growing plant has no
fertilizer. When water is added, the moist potting mix slowly conducts the
diluted nutrients down the concentration gradient to the plant roots, which
absorb optimal amounts of nutrients at any given time.
The EarthBox's plastic cover drastically reduces the
water evaporation rate and returns condensed water vapor to the potting
mix. As the plants draw water from the reservoir, they consume only what
they need to stay healthy. Plants cannot be over-watered or under-watered if
the reservoir is kept full. The plastic cover also prevents fertilizer from
being diluted or washed away by rain.
You
might want to get to know EarthBoxes a little better. Click the icon in the
right column to check out their site.
~ From Humble Beginnings ~
Tomatoes - Day 70
Broccoli - Day 70
Well, the harvest is pretty much over. We will
leave these photos up for a time just to remind you that using
EarthBoxes is a great way to grow your own produce, no matter where
you live!
Peppers - Day 70
We also mentioned using environmentally friendly
household products, among other things.
Check out our
aStore
for many environmentally sound shopping ideas and great products.
We support the Pickens Plan. Click the graphic above to learn more.
