B is for bottles

B is for Bottles....                                                                  
Billions of plastic bottles......

• It is estimated that  Americans buy about 25 billion single serve plastic water bottles
• about 22 billion (about 8 out of 10 water bottles) are NOT recycled
• “The United States ranks first among countries in soft drink consumption. The per-capita consumption of soft drinks is in excess of 150 quarts per year, or about three quarts per week.”James A Howenstine M.D.     A Physician’s Guide to Natural Health Products That Work  http://fooddemocracy.wordpress.com/2007/11/09/chew-on-this-us-soda-consumption  (We won't even get going on the health impacts of soda!!!!)    
• Oil is used to produce plastic; it takes 1.5 million barrels of oil to make water bottles for Americans
• Plastic does not biodegrade
• The water, soda, and juice bottle are made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET)
• Recycling plastic saves twice as much energy as burning it in an incinerator
• Plastic bottles made of PET can be recycled into many useful things including carpet, fleece, bottles, kayaks, school lunch trays, and much more
•  Only ELEVEN states have bottle bills, but no two are alike
• Only THREE states, California, Hawaii and Maine, include plastic water bottles in their laws for deposits on bottles

I would love it if a national "bottle bill" or "producer responsibility bill" were enacted.  Shifting costs from the government and taxpayers to consumers and producers is what the country needs; if only lobbyists could be stifled and politicians would do the right thing and put a national bill in place.  There would be less litter, less resources used, and energy savings.  

The Container Recycling Institute has put together a handy " bottle bill tool kit" to help anyone interested in getting a bottle bill in their state. 39 more states need to take advantage of the tool kit to get a bottle bill in place, and 8 states need to take a look at the tool kit to get water bottles incorporated into their current bottle deposit bills.    http://toolkit.bottlebill.org/

B is for bottles....and BILL....it's time we had a National Bottle Bill/Producer Responsibility Bill!!! 
http://www.bottlebill.org/

Sources:  http://www.container-recycling.org/facts/plastic/     http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5279230/

Read more: How soda bottle is made - manufacture, making, used, parts, procedure, product, Raw Materials, The Manufacturing Process of soda bottle, Quality Control, Recycling http://www.madehow.com/Volume-1/Soda-Bottle.html#ixzz0pA0NUscJ

Massachusetts Push to Expand State's Bottle Bill

Massachusetts Push to Expand State's Bottle Bill

Indoor Air Quality - plants are natural air scrubbers!

OHHHHH,  lest I neglect to point out that nature provides us with some great natural air purifiers!!!  Plants!  

House plants are not just pleasing to look at!  Besides brighten up a room with color and living energy, plants can provide real health benefits.   Complaints about headaches, stress, heart/circulation-symptoms and colds decrease when indoor plants are present, according to Dr. Leona Rogler.  In 1989,  NASA did a study to find out which plants were best to filter the air of the space station, and their findings are available to all.  They found that plants can remove a variety of toxic air emissions including ammonia, formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, benzene, xylene and trichloroethytene, and decrease "sick building syndrome". 


Check out the following list of plants that were found to be great air purifiers, and don't worry if you aren't a "green thumb"...some are really easy to grow and care for.  They are also easy to find at local Home Depot and Lowe's stores.  Click on each below to see Wikipedia's info about each plant.  Personally, I find the spider plant, golden pothos (found in many offices), peace lily (can thrive even with low light), the snake plant (also called Mother-in-law's tongue, and can take low light and minimal watering), and philodendrons are easy to grow.  I've grown some of the other plants as well, but unfortunately my cats liked them so much that I had to relocate them to catless homes :)  The peace lily is pictured below....I couldn't resist....get it?  PEACE love planet?  :)

• English Ivy (Hedera helix)                            
• Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum)
• Golden pothos or Devil's ivy (Scindapsus aures or Epipremnum aureum)
• Peace lily (Spathiphyllum 'Mauna Loa')
• Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema modestum)
• Bamboo palm or reed palm (Chamaedorea sefritzii)
• Snake plant or mother-in-law's tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata 'Laurentii')
• Heartleaf philodendron (Philodendron oxycardium, syn. Philodendron cordatum)
• Selloum philodendron (Philodendron bipinnatifidum, syn. Philodendron selloum)
• Elephant ear philodendron (Philodendron domesticum)
• Red-edged dracaena (Dracaena marginata)       
• Cornstalk dracaena (Dracaena fragans 'Massangeana')
• Janet Craig dracaena (Dracaena deremensis 'Janet Craig')
• Warneck dracaena (Dracaena deremensis 'Warneckii')
• Weeping Fig (Ficus benjamina)
• Gerbera Daisy or Barberton daisy (Gerbera jamesonii)
• Pot Mum or Florist's Chrysanthemum (Chrysantheium morifolium)
• Rubber Plant (Ficus elastica)

A is for Air Quality

A is for Air Quality...

Indoor Air Quality can actually be more polluted than the air outdoors.  Most people have heard about the indoor allergen type pollutants such as mold, dust, and dander.  But smoke from wood-burning stoves and fireplaces, and fragrances from perfume, incense, air fresheners, and candles are often forgotten and overlooked.  Cleaning supplies can also contribute to indoor air pollution. 

According to the EPA, Radon is an odorless, "naturally occurring radioactive gas produced by the breakdown of uranium in soil, rock, and water. Air pressure inside your home is usually lower than pressure in the soil around your home's foundation. Because of this difference in pressure, your home acts like a vacuum, drawing radon in through foundation cracks and other openings."  

Other less obvious indoor air pollutants include "off-gasers" from things we bring into our homes like vinyl shower curtains, furniture, carpet, cabinets, and paints.  Chemicals that off-gas from these items are volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and  formaldehyde, which is a known carcinogen.

So what can be done to improve indoor air quality?

To help with mold issues, visit epa.gov/mold for more info.  Tackling the moisture problem that allows mold to grow will be key.  Smaller mold problems can be scrubbed off with a hot water and bleach solution (depending on the surface).  Porous materials will probably need to be thrown out.  

Dust and dander are omnipresent.  Even the act of cleaning -- dusting or vacuuming can lead to the release of particles into the air.  When vacuuming and dusting, wearing a dust mask; de-cluttering and minimizing stuffed animals and excessive chotchkes can also be helpful.  Vacuum cleaners with HEPA filters and air purifiers are also recommended.  To protect against dust mites that live in pillows, mattresses, and bedding, use protective covers, and wash linens weekly in hot water.  

Some love the "fresh aromas" of a candle, room "fresheners", and can't live without their cologne or perfume.  However, fragrances can irritate the nose, eyes, and throats of those with chemical sensitivities or allergies.  So think twice before adding these "fresheners" to your indoor pollutant load.  
For a more information about testing for and remediating radon, check the EPA site http://www.epa.gov/radon/radontest.html. 

Low VOC paints are now available, as well as carpet with silver particles that have anti-bacterial properties, and eco-foam padding. http://peaceloveplanet.blogspot.com/search?q=carpet Material shower curtain liners are also readily available, last longer, and are washable.  

On the bright side, simply opening the windows, and airing out the house can be beneficial.  Easy to make green cleaners or green cleaners such as Greenworks, Ecover, Seventh Generation, and Mrs. Meyers will also help you to green your indoor air quality.  

So make a few green changes to your indoor air quality and breathe a little bit easier :)

Closet Philanthropist

I just LOVE this slogan from Planet Aid!!!!!

"Spring Cleaning can make anyone a “Closet Philanthropist”"

Planet Aid is, "Dedicated to protecting the environment and creating sustainable development", and you can do 2 good things at once by decluttering unused items, and helping someone else in need.  http://www.planetaid.org/ 


So what are  you waiting for?     To locate a donation bin near you, go to their link http://www.planetaid.org/index.php?p=2_16_Find-a-Bin-Near-You

 

Let there be LIGHT!

Let there be LIGHT!...Light research or solar research that is...MIT has a new research center called the  Eni-MIT Solar Frontiers Center where 21 faculty members are working to bring us clean energy sources that are affordable!  The goal of the center is to "fundamentally transform how the world produces and consumes energy", which in my humble opinion is long overdue.   Any chance for clean energy that reduces our use of fossil fuels while meeting the energy demands,  protects the planet from further degradation and climate change, AND is affordable is a no-brainer, a win-win, and much needed!

The Center is being funded largely by the Italian energy company Eni.  Eni's chief executive Paolo Scaroni has invested because current technology is too inefficient and expensive, and his company is looking to the future.  The MIT Center's scientists will work to make solar cells that are less expensive, and with materials that are more flexible.  Plants will provide inspiration to the scientists, as they model their work on the way plants use photosynthesis to convert sunlight to fuel by using water to store collected sunlight and convert it to energy.  Another promising engineering advancement is a parabolic solar panel inspired by the Mars rover which increases efficiency by reducing dust from settling on panels.  


In addition, the Center is working on other groundbreaking technology such as light bulbs with nanoscale crystals and experimenting with solar cells on paper.  Imagine if their research results in affordable solar for all, and extremely efficient bulbs?  That would be solar "flare" we'd all be happy about.  I can't wait to see how the "light at the end of this tunnel" turns out :)

Everyone loves suprises

Everyone loves surprises, right? 

Well, my compost has provided me with some fun surprises over the years.  How did the compost give back this time?  Recently I composted directly under a tree that was in need of some organic TLC, and then added some grass clippings on top of it.  Later I added bark mulch on top to pretty it up.  The other day, as I walked by the tree I notice some dark green seedlings and chuckled to myself.  A few days later, there was a strange mound under the tree, and when I took a closer look, I saw that more seedlings were pushing up on the mulch creating the mound.  I dug down and found the cast off seed pods.  I'm pretty sure they are butternut squash seeds.  If I am correct about the seeds,  it looks like the yummiest butternut squash soup scraps have resulted in a bunch of healthy seedlings, and hopefully more yummy squash.  

It's not the first time that the compost has given back either!  In the past, I composted into a corner of the garden, and we ended up with a cantaloupe plant that yielded some small but tasty melons.  Since the garden was reconfigured I can't compost into the corner, but this year I already found some tomato seedlings from some cherry tomatoes that fell to the ground last year.  It's always fun to get surprises, and I'm excited to find out if the surprise seedlings will really be squash.  Stay tuned!