Waste Audit Update

I mentioned earlier this week that I was doing my own waste audit on the junk mail that I receive on a daily basis. 

So far I have received:

• coupons
• advertisements
• vacation offers
• sales papers
• subdivision flyers
• more advertisements
  

I have it all in a nice stack beside my laptop right now so that I can sit down today and log it in an Excel file with exactly what it is and how much I have received. 

I am over 20 pieces right now. Wonder how much more I will receive since I only started this earlier this week?

Waste Audit--Junk Mail

Today, my fellow tweets got on the subject of junk mail. Some days, I feel it is the bane of my existence. To be quite honest, it ticks me off royally. I realize that the US Postal Service needs the fees from the junk mail to help fund their actual existence. That is why I sometimes get in trouble with my postings...I try to look at all sides of the picture. 

Yet, I am so over the junk mail. So today, much to my husbands chagrin (he doesn't mind the experiment, but hates paper clutter), I am collecting my junk mail for one month.  How much do I expect to receive? I have no clue whatsoever. What I can tell you is that Wednesday is my bad day with all of the flyers and circulars coming in--but really have no clue as to what we actually receive on a weekly basis. 

I have decided that I am going to expand it as well. I have a few magazine subscriptions that I am letting run down and they are filled with cards to subscribe along with being wrapped in plastic. So that is going in as well. My dear husband is bringing home a paper box from work and when everything is over and done with, I will photograph and weigh same.  I will then calculate how much I potentially could receive in one year. 

Junk mail collector. Wonder how that would look on my resume? 

You Gotta Be Kidding Me!

This weekend was lovely. Admittedly the weather is screwy right now to say the least, but it was 80 degrees, sunny and just gorgeous. Our high this time of year is normally 60! We got plenty of vitamin D, lots of great exercise and I saw fantastic environmental deeds and misdeeds. 

The park that we love going to, Freedom Park, is a gorgeous 98 acres with baseball fields, batting cages, tennis courts, soccer fields, basketball court, volleyball courts, seven (7) acre lake, amphitheater, playgrounds, as well as walking trails and paths. It is sheer bliss. 

People are everywhere. Families are bicycling, roller blading, walking, jogging and even bringing their four legged friends for a stroll. The park is prepared for mans best friends with pet waste stations (as well as waste baggies) located strategically throughout the park. 

So, what's my problem? 

The pictures speak for themselves. 

 Trash everywhere!

Why? This isn't all of the trash? I tried fishing out as much as I possibly could. But, again, I ask "WHY"?  There are trash cans sitting a few feet away, yet the people that partake this glorious green space feel that they need to destroy it with the plastic, Styrofoam, paper, cigarette butts, and no telling what else. 

I despise littering. Bette Midler used to do commercials about littering and would tell people that if she saw them litter "she would hunt them down". Those were great. I wish more "green" celebrities would take a stance on litter. Not only does it destroy the beauty and integrity of the land, but it destroys the integrity of our waterways, gets into the food chain, animals eat it and so and so forth. Cigarette butt's are a great example. They take 12 years to break down, while leaching toxic elements such as lead, cadmium and arsenic into our soil and waterways. Studies have found that 18% of litter ends up in streams, rivers and oceans. 

So, today, I complain yet implore. Stop littering and if you see litter, pick it up. It will make Mother Earth a much happier, cleaner place. 

Earth Hour 2009

Earth Hour 2009 is taking shape and getting ready to happen on March 28 from 8:30-9:30 pm. What started in Sydney, Australia, in 2007 has now become a global movement towards sustainability. 

In 2008 we saw such icons as the Sydney Opera House, the Golden Gate Bridge, Rome's Colosseum, and the Coca-Cola billboard in Times Square darken for a historical hour. What landmarks will darken this year? 

This years goal for the founders of Earth Hour and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is for one billion people to tune in and turn off. Their lights that is. Actions speak louder than words. So far, there have been 74 countries and territories pledge their support. Have you pledged yours?

My family participated in Earth Hour last year and once again, we shall support Earth Hour by going dark. However, we are going to take it a step further this year by turning it into a celebration. We are inviting friends over for a locally produced meal that we are hosting by candlelight. It is something to get my son involved in and to introduce new ideas to friends who are environmentally aware, as well as curious. 

I am very disappointed that Charlotte is not participating in Earth Hour. The closest one to me is Atlanta and they have taken on the role of Key City. To help educate, I have sent the link for Earth Hour Kids to my son's teacher, as well as other friends who have kids that want to inform, but in a detail that only a child can ask. Which is everything!

If you want to get involved, go to Earth Hour and sign up! There are plenty of things to do at their website as well as toolkits, downloads, media files, logos and graphics. 

Take action, today.

This Butt's For You

I had a good conversation with my friends Anne and Ea this weekend about the ocean and it's health. Right now, I am feeling somewhat uptight. Our beaches are filthy and no matter what you do, people won't stop destroying their natural beauty. The proliferation of cigarette butts, broken bottles, used condoms, plastic bags, paper, etc.. I could go on and on. 

We are going on a beach clean up in a few weeks and I am preparing. What do you take? Heavy duty work gloves, medical grade gloves, a bucket to pick up glass to take back for recycling and more buckets for trash so that we can sort it and recycle as well. My friend Cara's husband works construction, so I am going to get some of the big buckets they receive materials in to take with me and then keep them for reuse. Upcycling combined with recycling, gotta love it.

My question is, WHY? Why people? What makes a person think that they can go to the beach and lose all common sense? Do you throw those butts on the floor of your home? I would hope not, but this isn't your home. It is the home to countless types of wildlife and aquatic life.

Unsightly litter is one thing, but unsightly litter because of cigarette butts really irritates me. They are hazards to wildlife, people, pollute our waters and soil and of all things, they are a huge fire hazard. We all know that animals have eaten them, but curious children eat them as well. They have been found in the stomachs of birds, fish and whales, as well as countless other marine animals that mistake them for food. Did you know that a curious toddler who ingests more than three cigarette butts can become seriously ill? According to the National Capital Poison Center, that is just one of the frightening facts. 

Clean up after yourselves. Don't destroy our natural habitats with your carelessness.

Oh, and don't think I am against people that smoke. It's your right. But be wise and dispose of your waster. To each his own and as an ex-smoker, I am asking you to respect the environment and the areas you choose to smoke in.

Seventh Generation Dryer Sheets

Seventh Generation has come out with ingenious little dryer sheets. I actually product tested them months ago, but wasn't sure if I should blog about them so held off until they had been released to the public.  I try not to use my dryer very often. However, for the sake of research, I greedily used my dryer exclusively for the duration of the test run.

I think that I might very well be in love. You know, that gushy, can't get enough, always want them there kind of love. The sheets are a little bit of heavenly genius. Why? Let me count the reasons: 

• Chlorine free, unbleached paper sheets.
• Either recycle or compost them after use.
• Soften and reduce static.
• Softening agents are plant-derived.
• Fragrance free or blue-eucalyptus lavender.

How did they do? Fantastic. I was sent the fragrance free to test and they worked so amazingly well. Plain and simple, there are a lot of great things about these dryer sheets. First and foremost, they don't feel greasy. Second, they are perforated so that you can tear them in half and not use an entire sheet. I never used an entire sheet except when I did a load of denim.  Did I mention the recycling and composting bit? I prefer the composting as I am giving back to the earth with my "black gold". 

The only thing that I don't like is that the fatty acid used in them is palm derived. That is another story for another day. But, these are much better than the traditional dryer sheets you find on the market. Those contains chemicals that are known carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, etc. 

I have found that vinegar in my rinse water is sufficient to take care of any of my softening needs. For those that prefer a dryer sheet, I would highly recommend that you try the 7th Gen sheets. I think you will be pleasantly surprised. 

 

Carbon Dioxide and NASA

While listening to NPR this morning, they had a brief clip about Carbon Dioxide and NASA research. Now, a lot of people might not get excited over this, but for me? It's ear porn. Totally addictive and arousing. 

What in the world is NASA up to? Well, they are sending a satellite called OCO (Orbiting Carbon Observatory) into space to track carbon dioxide emissions. More specifically? They want to find out where it is going. We know that about half of all carbon dioxide emissions stay in the air, but we have absolutely no idea where the other half goes.

Carbon dioxide is necessary for life as we know it, but too much of a good thing is well, too much. Here is my science lesson for the day:

Carbon dioxide is composed of two (2) oxygen atoms which are covalently bonded to one (1) oxygen atom. It likes to fluctuate with the seasons, increasing in the fall and winter and decreasing in the summer. Why? Well, plants need CO2 for photosynthesis. They make sugars which may be consumed in respiration or used in raw material to produce polysaccharides such as starch and cellulose, proteins and other organic compounds which are required for plant growth and development. Plants also need it to breathe--or respiration--as well as every other living being, whether it is in a direct or indirect form.

Interestingly enough, plants emit CO2, so it is only when they are in their growth stage that they are net absorbers of carbon dioxide. 

So, why is there so much of it? Well, emissions are one of the key culprits. All of those cars we are putting on the road every year don't help. The burning of fossil fuels, lack of clean energy, all applies. 

The biggest culprit? Loss of vegetation. Plain and simple. Open up Google Maps and check out the carbon dioxide map. When we lose our forests and vegetation, we lose "carbon sinks". Great big areas that absorb and use the carbon dioxide for their own natural processes.

Carbonic acid now comes to mind when I think of carbon sinks. Earths oceans are in peril due to the carbon dioxide they are absorbing. The absorbtion creates carbonic acid, increasing the acidity of the sea water and adversely affecting all living things in the sea water.  In an article from August 2007, Mother Jones news stated that coral reefs were disappearing twice as fast as rainforests. 

What can I do? Cut back my carbon emissions. Walk where I might have drove. Use less items that require excess carbon output. This goes from the food I purchase to the way I do my laundry. Support legislation for tackling climate change and stay informed.