Green Earth.

Happy earth day to all. Today should be a reminder of all the practices we should maintain through out the entire year. Most of us do a good job at being earth friendly but need reminders of the simple things.

1. Don’t replace items in your home until absolutely necessary.
2. Buy a fuel efficient car.
3. Shut-off appliances and lights that are not being used.
4. Shut-down your work computer when you leave for the day. That one drives me nuts no reason to leave them on.
5. Purchase a reusable water bottle.
6. Try not to purchase items with excessive packaging.
7. Don’t purchase items that contain individual packed items within the packed item i.e. case of juices, buy one or two big bottles or powder and put it in your reusable bottle.
8. Use Tupperware dishes instead of saran wrap or foil. This can be used to store stuff in the fridge and to pack your lunch. Although I get the odd comment of the size of my lunch bag each day at least I know that half of it isn’t going directly into the garbage.
9. If you have the ability start a compost.
10. Remember to REDUCE, REUSE, and then RECYCLE.
11. Reduce the amount of stuff you buy, for a detailed entry and links on this take a look at an older entry from the Vanilla Bean Café. "The things you own end up owning you" -Tyler
12. Implement something in your life to help that you must maintain every day.

Being educated and reading through what some companies state they do to be environmental is imperative. On the surface they may seem to be earth friendly but deeper the real facts can be found.

Example ethanol fuel over unleaded. Ethanol has been said to be friendlier to the environment as it is made ‘naturally’. That is completely false, sure crops are being used to produce fuel but it removes productive agricultural land for food stocks. It reduces emissions doesn’t it? Although it reduces emissions from your vehicle ethanol is actually worse then unleaded as is takes a greater amount of energy and fuel to produce ethanol. So don’t use it.

Speaking of fuel; although gas prices might hurt the pocket book, think of its advantages. More people are choosing to take the bus, walk or ride their bike. Although I am not looking forward to the prices as I drive to the ADK this summer, I am happy gas prices rise as more people will have to stop using their vehicles’ unnecessarily.

New report; Bamboo is becoming an excellent alternative in the production of clothing for hiking and other sports. Reason being; little to no maintenance to grow, grows fast (up to 3ft/day), requires no irrigation, this is the big one -ex: see Aral Sea, had an environmental sciences prof teach us about this tragedy in detail.

But what backpacker magazine found was that production of bamboo was harmful. To break down bamboo powerful chemicals are used and emit toxins into the atmosphere. There is an alternative by using alcohol in a closed system. Some companies have chosen to use the safer method but as anything cost is always a factor and the morally defunct corporations will choose the more harmful method as long as it saves them a buck or two. So if a company states "we care about the environment we use BAMBOO!" find out how they produce before you buy it.

As consumers it is our responsibility to try and shopr less and shop smart. We also need to attempt to get companies on track to hopefully create standards implementing environmentally sustainable methods no matter the costs. B/c in the end the alternative will cost, and I am not speaking financially, us all a great deal more then just a couple bucks.

Feel free to add your tips on being green.

Have happy Green year.