My husband loves soda. I have tried to impress upon him that drinking soda isn’t good for his health but he loves it and isn’t ready to give it up just yet. When we buy his soda, he prefers it in the 2 liter bottles. He likes the 2 liter bottles for a couple of reasons. First, he thinks that soda in cans are too small. When he is going to drink soda, he wants a big ole glass of the stuff. Second, buying soda in the 2 liter bottles is less expensive than getting it in cans. He also thinks that he is helping the environment by getting it in a bigger container. I guess that having one empty 2 liter plastic bottle is better than having 6 empty aluminum soda cans.
Luckily, we are able to put these empty bottles in our recycling bin so that they can be recycled into other products. I got to thinking though. What if we didn’t have a recycling program where we live. What other things can be done with empty 2 liter plastic bottles? Here are 4 ideas that you may not have thought of:
- Make your toilet use less water. Fill up the empty 2 liter bottle with water, flush your toilet and before the tank fills back up, place the bottle in your toilet tank. Not only are you reusing the 2 liter bottle, keeping it out of a landfill, but you will also be saving water and money every time you flush.
- Turn it into a funnel. How many times have you needed a funnel and didn’t have one. It certainly has happened to me more than once. Cut off the top part of the 2 liter bottle and you have yourself a funnel.
- Insect control. Here is a good tip for those that are looking to keep those pesky insects under control. Cut off the upper 1/3 of the bottle. In the bottom part of the 2 liter bottle, put in some kind of sweet liquid. Anything will do, some kind of juice or you can simple use some water and add some sugar to it. Then, take the part that you cut off and place it upside down inside the bottom of the bottle. Bugs get in but can’t get out.
- Make a rain gauge. No need to go out and buy a rain gauge, when you can just make your own. Cut off the top part of the bottle. Put just enough water into the bottom to reach the line. Take a ruler and a permanent marker and measure off 1 inch increments. Flip over the top part of the bottle and insert it into the bottom. Put it outside and the next time it rains, you will know just how much it rained.
Just remember, recycle, reduce, and reuse. We only have one planet (at least until they finish building something suitable on the moon) let’s keep our home livable. Did you know that we use 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour? And that’s just in the US. Most of them are thrown away. I keep hoping that my husband will learn to like drinking water. Until then, I can at least recycle.
I’m sure that there are a lot more uses for 2 liter bottles. If you would like to leave your ideas, please do in the comment section.
I am a Costco member and they are very kind to send me the Costco Connection on a regular basis. I know that it is just a way to get you buy more products from them but I happen to like getting it (yes I know that I can view the same thing online and reduce the amount of paper being used but I haven’t made the switch yet, I’m working on it. There’s just something about touching the paper that you don’t get from a computer screen.)
Anyway, yesterday I got a new one in the mail and I was just about to reach the section with all of the gorgeous patio furniture that doesn’t have a chance of getting to my very small back yard, I came across a very interesting headline:
Cash for tech
And under that it said:
Trade in your electronics, get a Costco Cash card
Since, my husband and I do a lot of shopping at Costco and he is in absolute love with anything electronic, I decided to read the article.
It would appear that Costco has a new Trade-In & Recycle Program. According to the article, you can send in your old electronics including: laptops, cellphones, LCD monitors, MP3 players, gaming systems, GPS devices and a lot more.
Warning: if you ever plan on getting rid of an old computer you should read this article How To Protect Your Identity When Throwing Out A Computer before you do. Even if you are giving the computer to someone that you know you should take Identity Theft very seriously and do what you can to protect yourself.
Okay back to the cool stuff – I think that it is absolutely very cool and green to recycle your electronic gadgets and get paid too. The program at Costco is being done with Gazelle.com. If you are a member of Costco, you will want to recycle your old electronics through Costco’s website (Costco member get about 2.5% more money) but if you aren’t don’t worry, you can still take advantage of the program by going straight to www.Gazelle.com. Here is a short video on how they work:
If you have an item that isn’t accepted through the program but would like to recycle it you can check out Gazelle’s Recycle Network Directory to see if there is someone else that can help you recycle your gadgets.
Personally I think this is a very cool idea. I can’t wait to tell my husband where he can put his old electronic gadgets 
(Just kidding)
Tags: recycle, recycle cell phone, recycle computer, Recycling
Having a home based business comes with a lot of benefits. Benefits like having a short commute to work. My commute is just steps away to my basement office which means I don’t have to drive to work every day. Being able to walk to work means reducing the amount of vehicle emissions that are produced. But working from home can increase your home energy usage, giving you larger energy bills.
Working From Home Has It's Advantages
Today’s post is for all of the home based business owners. With a little thought and effort you can work from home in the green. The best part is that not only are you helping the environment but you also will save money on your energy bills. Make your business an environmentally friendly business. The number one thing you can do as a home based business owner is to choose your office equipment wisely.
When buying your office equipment – computers, fax machine, printers, monitors, etc. look for the ENERGY STAR emblem. Energy Star office equipment uses 50-90% less energy than the standard versions.
In addition to the energy savings, some Energy Star office equipment can reduce electromagnetic field emissions (that come from computer monitors).
Besides buying more eco friendly home office products, there are some other things that you can do to reduce your energy consumption. Here are some energy saving tips that you can use in your home office:
- Unplug any office equipment that doesn’t have to be on all the time. If the device is turned off but remains plugged in, it still uses power.
- Avoid leaving unused items on “standby” mode. For example, leaving your computer printer on “standby” uses power just waiting for you to print something.
- If you go on break, (yes even home based workers get a break from time to time) turn off your computer monitor. Avoid using screen savers because they use the same amount of energy as normal computer use.
- If you are leaving your desk for more than an hour, manually turn off your computer. If you don’t want to turn your computer off completly, at least put it in sleep mode.
- When working at night, consider using task lighting instead of using room lights.
- Set our thermostat to a comfortable level. Using a programmable thermostat can help you save money.
- If possible, set up your home office where you can use the natural light coming in as apposed to turning on the lights.
By using these tips, you not only help the environment and reduce carbon emissions, you also save yourself some money on energy bills. The next time you go to work in your home office, think about what you can do work in the green.
Tags: carbon footprint, energy efficient, energy savings, energy usage
Today, more and more people are trying to be more green and more environmentally conscious. What better way to to help the environment than to get your kids interested in their own planet when they are young and impressionable?
Every year parents spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars on toys for their kids that often don’t even get a second look. I have friends that buy their children so many toys at Christmas time that it looks like a race to see what’s inside the next package. When they get it open you hear how great it is, but what’s in the next box? I know that kids need structured play and toys can help provide that, but do they need so many toys? Just thinking about the carbon footprint of each toy makes me want to cringe.
Every toy, board game, book, computer game, and television show has be designed and redesigned many times over in order to make in entertaining and educational for children. But what about giving your children the largest, cheapest, most environmentally friendly playground available?
What I am talking about is the great outdoors, nature is the world’s largest playground and the best part about nature is that it can be found right outside your back door and in most cases exploring nature is totally free.
Nature's Playground
You don’t have to pay for expensive toys, jungle gyms, or any number of the other expensive things that you can find at your local store. You can still give your children stimulating and educational play by exploring nature. It may mean going out in your backyard, to the park, or maybe to a local nature center, all of which will make your child think. Researchers have found that if children explore and experiment on their own to figure out the answers, they learn better and retain more information. It also helps kids to develop skills to be able to learn things on their own later. What better place to learn things than out in nature.
Playing outside is fun. It may be easy to forget but childhood isn’t just about learning how to be an adult, it’s also about having fun. Playing outside in nature gives kids a chance to use their imagination and be free to just be a kid. What may look like fun time for them right now, could turn into a future hobby, a life-long talent, a world saving invention, or a career later in their life.
If you are worried that your child isn’t getting enough structured play, check out your local parks, zoo, or museums. There is a good chance that places like this are currently offering structured classes and learning sessions that focus on the natural world and since many of these places are not for profit, they are usually affordable in addition to being educational.
In these tough economic times, people are looking for ways to cut costs. Before you spend another dollar on a toy that may or may not hold your child’s interest for more than a few minutes, think about giving your child the biggest playground possible. Spending time outside in nature is so important for developing minds. It can also be a great escape for you as well.
Tags: carbon footprint, environmental impact, environmentally conscious, environmentally friendly playground
Landfill Methane Contributes To Greenhouse Gasses
Landfills are a necessary part of our lives. Can you imagine what things would look like if we didn’t have a place to dump and dispose of all the garbage that we humans produce? The act of burying garbage is the oldest method of controlled waste disposal and is still the most popular method used around the world today.
Environmental Impacts of Landfills
Unfortunately, there are some rather large costs associated with landfills. The impacts can differ: access roads damaged by heavy vehicles; scavengers (rats, birds, other animals, and even people) being killed; irritants such as dust, pests, noise and odor.
In addition to what could be considered small nuisances, there is also a rather large impact that landfills have on the environment. Landfills cause pollution to the local environment by contaminating the groundwater and aquifers, contaminating the soil, and producing methane.
Methane is a greenhouse gas that is 21 times more powerful than carbon dioxide (CO2). As you may know, greenhouse gasses are said to be the leading cause of global warming.
Landfill methane is created when organic materials (such as food scraps, paper, and yard waste) decompose.
What Can We Do To Reduce Landfill Methane
As Americans we live in one of the most developed countries in the world and because of our so called ‘throw away society’ we are one of the largest contributors or organic materials going into landfill sites. Not only does this increase of household waste lead to more greenhouse gasses being emitted, but we contribute more greenhouse gases to transport that waste to landfill sites.
The best way to reduce the amount of methane being produced by landfills is to take steps to reduce the amount of organic materials going to the landfill in the first place. Some things that we can do to reduce the amount of landfill methane being produced:
Composting-by properly composting your kitchen waste, you can ensure that as the kitchen waste decomposes, it forms carbon dioxide instead of methane and thus have less of a greenhouse gas impact. You can also compost your yard waste.
Reduce, Reuse and Recycle-buy products with less packaging, recycle everything that you can in your area, and instead of throwing out items that you no longer have a use for, see if there someone else that could use it.
A large amount of the waste that ends up in landfills can be used for other things with far less damaging effects on the environment. The best way to reduce the amount of household waste going to the landfills where it can produce greenhouse gasses is to reduce, reuse, and recycle as much waste as possible. Waste not want not.
Tags: greenhouse gas emissions, greenhouse gasses, landfill methane, recycle, Recycling, reduce environmental pollution
What is Carbon Footprint?
Do You Know Your Carbon Footprint?
What does the term “carbon footprint” mean as it pertains to the environment? According to Wikipedia, carbon footprint is “the total set of GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions caused directly and indirectly by an individual, organization, event or product”. Breaking that down a little more, we could say that a carbon footprint is the level of impact one person has on the environment based on their activities. However, it’s not just people that cause greenhouse gas emissions, we must also consider, businesses, animals, products, etc..
How is One’s Carbon Footprint Calculated?
When it comes to calculating your carbon footprint, you have to take into account everything you do. Carbon footprint is usually measured as carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions that are directly AND indirectly connected with your actions.
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Direct Carbon Footprint-also called primary footprint is the direct emissions of greenhouse gasses that you produce when you burn fossil fuel for energy and transportation. For example, when you turn on a light to read by, watch the television, or drive your car.
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Indirect Carbon Footprint-also called secondary footprint is the indirect emissions that are produced during the lifecycle of the products that you use. For example, when you buy a loaf of bread, you have to take into account everything that was needed to produce that loaf of bread and get it to your table. There is the making of the bread, collecting the ingredients, the packaging of the bread, the energy used to transport it to your local store. These are all considered in the calculation of the secondary carbon footprint.
If you want to know what YOUR impact is on the global environment, you can use a carbon footprint calculator. You can check your numbers here. After checking my personal carbon footprint, I found that I do better than the average American at producing fewer greenhouse gasses but I produce 3 times the world average.
How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint?
There are a lot of ways you can reduce your carbon footprint. Turn off lights not in use, walk or ride your bike for short trips, use compact fluorescent light bulbs, recycle and use recycled products, turn down the heat in the winter, eat less meat, buy locally grown food, are just a few of the things that you can do to reduce your carbon footprint.
Why YOU Should Reduce YOUR Carbon Footprint
There is a lot of evidence that the planet we live on and call home is suffering from the effects of greenhouse gasses. If we don’t do anything to reduce our carbon footprint, if we wait for the government to make us do something, it may be too late. You may be saying to yourself “what can I do to make a difference, I am only one person?” You are right, you are only one person, but if just one person can make a small change in the way they live and reduce their carbon footprint even just a little and just one more person does the same, and just one more person follows along, I hope you can see that just one small positive act multiplied millions of times can produce enormous benefits.
Tags: calculate carbon footprint, carbon footprint, greenhouse gas, greenhouse gasses, reduce carbon footprint
If you live in New Jersey and you have been holding off getting a new refrigerator or freezer, now is the time to go out and get a new one. Check this out from nj.com It’s a pretty sweet deal for anyone that was looking to upgrade to a more energy efficient refrigerator.
Giving up old fridges, freezers will pay off for N.J. residents
by Ryan Hutchins/ For the Star-Ledger
Monday July 27, 2009, 7:17 PM
A statewide energy program begins Wednesday that will pay New Jersey residents to ditch their old refrigerators and freezers. It will also create 20 green-industry jobs in East Brunswick.
State officials say the effort, part of New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program, will reduce energy use and carbon dioxide emissions from older appliances, which will be taken apart and recycled at a plant in East Brunswick.
“Recycling an old refrigerator or freezer can reduce a household’s annual energy bill by up to $150 and carbon dioxide emissions equivalent to removing two cars from the road,” Jeanne M. Fox, president of the state’s Board of Public Utilities, said in a statement. “Energy efficiency programs can also help avoid the need for future energy infrastructure, which is paid for by ratepayers.”
Since the board, which runs the Clean Energy Program, expects recycling plant operator JACO Environmental to process 20,000 units in the first year, the effort could reduce carbon dioxide levels equivalent to what 40,000 cars produce.
That’s assuming all the units are in use, and it’s the reason they must be operable to qualify for the program. The idea, the board says, is that the old fridges and freezers are replaced by new, energy efficient ones.
The initiative directly benefits consumers with old refrigerators and freezers, according to the board. Residents can have their equipment hauled away at no cost, plus get $30 as an incentive for giving up old units.
What happens after the big, white boxes are taken away will be demonstrated tomorrow morning in East Brunswick facility, where the units will be broken down and recycled.
Instead of piling up in dumps or scrap yards, workers will take the units to the Edgeboro Road facility where 95 percent of the parts will be recycled, according to the utility board.
“This mechanized process prevents toxic oils, mercury and greenhouse gases from escaping into the environment,” the board said in a statement.
The first refrigerator will roll down the conveyor belt tomorrow during an unveiling ceremony. The effort is being run by JACO Environmental, a West Coast-based group responsible for recycling 400,0000 units per year.
“Not only will the program make New Jersey more energy efficient and improve our environment, it will also create 20 new jobs in central New Jersey — the ‘green’ jobs that Governor Corzine envisioned in his Energy Master Plan,” said Fox.
Funding for the initiative comes from the Clean Energy Program, which collects an average of $25-$30 per year from each private utility company customer. The money is used to make New Jersey more energy efficient.
To schedule the pick up of a refrigerator or freezer for recycling, New Jersey residents can call 877-270-3520 or visit www.NJCleanEnergy.com.
Ryan Hutchins is a reporter for the New Jersey Local News Service. He may be reached at rhutchins@njlns.com or (908) 243-6236.
Ethanol has been used for centuries as the type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages. Pure or denatured, ethanol can be used as a solvent or in medicines and colognes. It is a colorless liquid that has a strong odor and is explosive. It burns with a smokeless blue flame that isn’t always visible in normal light.
Using Corn To Run Our Cars
Lately, ethanol is being used as a fuel alternative to gasoline. It is widely used as an oxygenate in the gasoline here in the US.
There are a lot of advantages to producing Ethanol as a renewable energy source. Because ethanol is made from corn, sugar cane, and grains like wheat, it is renewable and it can be made here in the United States. On the face of it, ethanol looks like a very good way to decrease or even eliminate our dependence on foreign oil. Ethanol even produces fewer greenhouse gasses than petroleum does. But…
Should we be looking at ethanol as a solution?
Even with all of the advantages of ethanol should we really be using it as a solution to our fuel problem? Personally, I think the disadvantages far outweigh the advantages.
Disadvantages Of Ethanol
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Ethanol contains less energy than gasoline and therefore delivers lower fuel economy.
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In order to produce enough corn or grain to meet our fuel demands, crops will be limited for others uses. This means higher prices at the grocery store.
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Even if every acre of farmland in the US were used to grow crops to make ethanol, it would only meet about 12% of our country’s fuel needs.
Is it just me or is having food more important than being able to drive a vehicle?
If we make the switch to ethanol, we will have less food, and sustainable arable land. If this is allowed to happen, farmers will want to switch their crops to produce corn for ethanol (because they will get paid more) and as a result, there will be less land available for other crops. The outcome will be rising food prices across the board. And if that isn’t reason enough, corn is also the most chemically intensive commercial grain crop we have. Pesticide runoff is causing dead zones in our oceans and also poisons our groundwater.
Please think twice before you decide that ethanol is the answer to our problems.
Tags: biofuel, environmental impact, ethanol, greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy
Is the amount of energy you home uses, sucking the money right out of your wallet? You home may be your castle but how much money do you spend on energy keeping your drafty, inefficient castle comfortable? Not only does not caring about the environment hurt the planet, it also takes a bite out of your wallet. What is good for the environment is also good for your bottom line.
If you have been putting off going green because you thought it would be too much work or too much money to get started, then you may want to read on because I going to give you 8 ways to save energy around your home that involves little or no installation and very little cost.
Energy Saving Green Tip #1
Get an energy audit. Call your local utility company to see if they will come out and provide an energy audit for you. Most utility companies will even do it for free. On average, those that implement the changes recommended save up to 30% on their utility bills.
Energy Saving Green Tip #2
Turn down the heat by 3 degrees in the winter and put on a sweater to make up the difference. In the summer, keep the air conditioner down a few degrees.
Energy Saving Green Tip #3
Replace your light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs. CFLs may cost a bit more initially but they last 10 time longer and save energy, thereby lowering your utility bill.
Energy Saving Green Tip #4
If you aren’t using it, unplug it. Of the total energy used to run home electronics, 40% is used when they are turned off. If you aren’t using it at the time, then simply unplug it.
Energy Saving Green Tip #5
When you go on vacation, unplug your appliances. If you aren’t going to be at home anyway, do you really need to have your stove, microwave and other items tell you what time it is? If the refrigerator is empty, unplug that too.
Energy Saving Green Tip #6
Seal the windows and doors of your house. Simple caulk or weather stripping can close up the gaps that are letting money fly out of your pocket.
Energy Saving Green Tip #7
The next time you buy a new appliance, make sure it has an Energy Star rating. Energy Star appliances can save you money on your utility bills and cut emissions as well.
Energy Saving Green Tip #8
If you have an electric water heater older than 2004, wrap is in an insulating jacket and save about 10% a year on heating your water. The newer water heaters already have plenty of insulation.
How many energy saving tips you use, depends largely on your level of interest and commitment to saving money and energy. You don’t have to do all of them at once, implement the ones that you feel comfortable with as soon as possible and once you get on the path to saving energy, you will see that it really isn’t that hard to reduce your carbon footprint and save money at the same time.
Tags: compact fluorescent light bulbs, energy efficient, energy savings, energy usage
Safe Pest Control
I have to tell you that I really HATE bugs. I am actually afraid of spiders. When my husband is out of town and a spider shows up at the house I have to do some serious breathing techniques in order to deal with getting rid of the pest. But I also don’t like using harmful chemicals in my home as pest control. On my quest for safer pest control options, I came across this article from Ezine Articles. I know I will be asking my pest control company some serious questions before they come again.
Did you know that there were organic options for pest control?
Protect Your Home – Respect the Environment
A simple idea – Effectively protect your home and family from unwanted pests and the diseases they carry, without the use of chemicals. Organic pest control programs are environmentally safe options for you and your family.
In an constant effort to protect the earth’s natural resources, and to minimize environmental damages, some pest control companies have introduced organic programs. These programs reduce risks to the environment by selecting materials that cause the least amount of harm to the environment during both usage and disposal. They also ensure the health and direct safety of the companies team members by promoting safe work practices, reducing exposure, using safe technologies, and implementing effective emergency preparedness programs. In addition to health and safety, team members are trained in a variety of ways through environmental safety training programs to make smart work and practice decisions to support of these principles.
All programs should adhere to the USDA’s National Organic Program regulations by using products created with botanical oils gathered from plants. Plant oil blends used as active ingredients won’t buildup in the environment. Eco-friendly and composed of natural ingredients, these compounds are biodegradable and help maintain a sustainable and healthy environment. Additionally, Eco-friendly products have no adverse impact on birds or fish and will not contaminate water sources.
Also look for companies who are a member of the EPA’s Pesticide Stewardship Program. Understanding the importance of Integrated Pest Management helps clients understand its benefits. As environmental sustainability becomes more of a worldwide priority, pest control companies will continue to stress the importance of utilizing pest control methods that are both effective and environmentally responsible.
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Modern Pest Services is a 3rd generation family owned and operated pest control company.We at Modern are dedicated to protecting the health, property and environment of our clients. We pledge to ensure ethical business standards and to assert the highest standards of quality in the pest management industry. We pledge to anticipate and respond to the present and future needs of our clients, our team members, our vendors, and the general public. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_Pappalardo
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